Whitt to head team for World Classic

OTTAWA— Ernie Whitt has been named manager of the Canadian men’s team for the World Baseball Classic in March. The Classic is a 16-country tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation.

Pool games will be held in Asia, Puerto Rico and the U. S., the second round in the latter two countries, and the semifinals and final will be played in San Diego. Canada is in a pool with Mexico, South Africa and the U. S.

Whitt, 53, managed the Canadian team to a second- place finish in a regional Olympic qualifier earlier this month to advance to the Americas Olympic qualifier next year in Cuba. He has managed the Canadian team since 1999, when it won a bronze medal at the Pan Am Games, and guided Canada to a berth in the Olympic Games last year in Athens, where the team finished fourth.

Whitt, from Detroit, was promoted to bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays last season. He played in the major leagues for 15 years for Boston, Toronto, Atlanta and Baltimore.