The voice of Telus Field this weekend

Senior baseball players from eight Alberta teams are experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime experience this weekend at Telus Field. As the 2013 Blue Willow Invitational continues through Sunday evening, players will experience playing on a professional field, under the lights and precious time in dug-outs. But the players aren’t the only ones getting the real feel of what it’s like in the Big Leagues. Right, Jordan Schell?

Jordan Schell

Jordan has been the assistant coach of the Edmonton Blackhawks for more than 10 years. Under Blackhawk head coach Randy Gregg Jordan has seen his players, who are the same age as him, develop over the years. Jordan is a dynamic young man who follows his passion: that’s why he is with the Blackhawks this weekend — not as  a coach, but as the P.A. Announcer.

Randy says Jordan did a bang up job as the announcer last year when the tournament was held at Foote Field. He will be in the announcer’s booth in the Telus Field press box, and Randy says he has all the songs figured out for the Blackhawks when they walk up to bat from the clubhouse. It’s yet another example of Jordan being able to contribute and being a part of a team; and how he continues to treat being in a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy as a characteristic of who he is … rather than a disability.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Saturday, July 20

Game 3 - 8 AM – Cold Lake Cardinals vs Heisler Cardinals

Game 4 – 10 AM – Rocky Red Dogs vs Fort McMurray Pirates

Game 5 – 12 PM – Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 3

Game 6 - 2 PM – Loser Game 2 vs Loser Game 4

Sunday, July 21

Game 7 - 10 AM – Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 3

Game 8 – 5:30pm – Winner Game 2 vs Winner Game 4

Game 9 – 7:30 PM – Championship Game – Winner Game 7 vs Winner Game 8

TEXT TO TAIT

 @camtait

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The Cam-burger: Edmonton Prospects need to fold their tent at Telus Field

  The Edmonton Prospects don’t deserve to play at such a high-calibre as Telus Field. Because for the second consecutive season the Prospects are ending their 46-game schedule without their coach who began the year. Sometime last week Prospect manager Cameron McMullen left the team. We’re seeing a pattern here: last mid-July John Sutherland was fired or quit — doesn’t really matter, though — leading to a mass exit of players, forcing the team to forfeit a game. They had to scrounge and recruit enough players for their remaining games. I can’t help but wonder if some of the current Prospect players might be already thinking about high-tailing it before the end of the season. 

The team is laughable. Their owner Pat Cassidy isn’t going to fire the team’s manager, Tracy Neumann because (but sshh!!! —don’t tell anyone) they’re married. Wouldn’t that be fun over a family Sunday dinner? It’s not even funny how this baseball club has been run, and speaking of baseball, they can’t even play. After Wednesday’s loss, their Western Major Baseball League record is 6-31. Interestingly, they only won six games last season. 

 The Prospects are doing more harm than good: what kind of an atmosphere have they created for their players? How are they going to recruit when they they can’t coaches? How are they helping the baseball image in Edmonton, a city pining for a credible baseball team — or, for that matter, a baseball team at all? Let’s hope there’s professional baseball in Edmonton next year so local baseball fans don’t have to put up with the Edmonton Prospects.

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