C’S SEIZE OPPORTUNITY TO BE SEEN, HEARD MORE ON THE AIR THAN EVER
Shaw has opted to televise six Saturday night games from Nat Bailey,
Scene and heard: Conveniently enough, the Vancouver Canadians’ 2016 home opener at Nat Bailey Stadium falls on the first day of summer, June 20, with the Everett AquaSox visiting. But that doesn’t mean team president Andy Dunn isn’t already in full baseball mode.
Dunn is in Lancaster, Calif., for today’s start of the JetHawks season, the Class A franchise purchased by C’s owners Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney in November 2014. At the time, Dunn’s contract was extended as president and part owner of the Canadians with the title of chief operating officer for both teams tacked on to his responsibilities.
With the success of the C’s both on and off the field in recent years, Shaw Communications has opted to televise six Saturday night games from Nat Bailey this season. On top of a new 32-game broadcast schedule to be carried on TSN Radio, the Canadians have never had such extensive coverage on the airwaves in franchise history. Rob Fai will call all 38 home games with UBC Thunderbirds head baseball
coach Chris Pritchett stepping in as colour commentator for the telecasts.
Here ’n’ there: Much to the delight of organizers for next week’s Basketball BC Hall of Fame dinner, legendary Man in Motion Rick Hansen phoned out of the blue to purchase tickets. Hansen plans to attend in support of 2016 inductee Peter Colistro, five-time Paralympian and Vancouver Cablecars stalwart from 1971 to 1986.
Also being inducted at the Hilton Vancouver Airport Hotel on May 14 are deceased Canadian war heroes Hank Rowe (Victoria Dominoes) and Ralph (Hunk) Henderson (UBC and Clover Leafs), both of whom will be represented by family members.
Eleanor Whyte, a multi-sport star who was on B.C. provincial championship teams in 1949 and 1950; coaches Don Horwood (Oak Bay) and Mike McNeill (SFU) and the incomparable Steve Nash join the University of Victoria Vikettes as proud members of the Class of 2016.
Short hops: Nash and Hansen are on the list of 14 seeded nomina- tions that will receive byes into the second round of voting for the Golden Moments campaign as part of the BC Sports Hall of Fame’s 50th anniversary. The top four will be acknowledged at the Banquet of Champions on June 9 when the eventual winner will be announced at the Vancouver Convention Centre. As the process of elimination continues, the voting public can have its say by registering at www.bcsportshalloffame.com
End zone: In national television, radio and print interviews leading up to today’s Kentucky Derby, jockey Mario Gutierrez has credited wife Rebecca for having such a positive affect on his career. They met when Mario first arrived in Vancouver from Mexico in 2006. It is not widely known that Rebecca was a creative genius in the Hastings Racecourse graphics department, her mom worked in concessions and her dad is a former horse owner who had Hall of Fame trainer Alan Jack in charge of his stable.