NOTES FROM THE NAT: Vancouver Canadians news

The longest serving Media Relations Manager and potentially the longest serving Broadcaster in C’s short-season history, Rob Fai has been impressing Vancouver Radio and TV fans since the late 1990’s.  After finishing his baseball career as a pitcher, where he starred for Grace College in Indiana back in the 90’s, Fai worked in the Nat Bailey concessions, before working his way through the Vancouver broadcasting ranks.

He was on the Team 1040 with Bob aka the Moj, covered the Grizzlies, did Colour Commentary for the Canadians, and most recently held a position with Team 1040 on weekends, and of course being the C’s Media Relations Director, and Broadcaster for three seasons, 2001, 2007 and 2008.

Fai had the privilege to broadcast all 76 baseball games this past summer, and Nat Notes caught up with him during his brief off-season, earlier in the month.  Here is the second annual, ‘Interview with the Nation’.

Jeremy Knight: How was the 2008 season, having called all 76 games for the C’s in the summer?

Rob Fai: I really enjoyed it.  You come to find a unique appreciation for what these players take on day in and day out.  As much as the players, I also gained an appreciation for the coaching staff and what they manage in an average work day.  They are essentially responsible for the development of 40-50 players over the course of the season - and as much as Managers and coaches at the lower levels are simply told to observe and make small changes, believe me - there is so much more to that than meets the naked eye.  I think players don’t realize just how much their demeanour goes into their fate as well.  A positive attitude can go a long way, a negative one goees a long way as well, just in the wrong direction.

JK: I think you’re as good a man as any to answer this question, after being the colour commentator for the Canadians back in the late-AAA days, would AAA baseball survive in Vancouver this time around?  Rumours have been circulating that BC Place could be an option, after it gets a retractable roof.  What are your thoughts?

RF: Would AAA baseball work, I would like to think so.  I don’t think it was the fans that caused this former AAA Canadians to head for higher ground (Sacramento), I think it is the responsibility of everyone to make sure a team at that level can thrive in a marker as large as Vancouver’s.  The city has to be on board, the Park Board, the ownership, the business sector, the fans, and the building they play in.  It all has to work in sync with each other to make it truly work.  That is something that I would assume will get looked at again one day, but for the ‘here and now’, I don’t know if those stars all align.

JK : You were the media man with Vancouver back in 2001, and then in ‘07 and ‘08.  Is it cool seeing Rich Harden tearing up the National League, after striking out 100 in Vancouver back in ‘01, and turning on Sportsnet and seeing Neal Cotts, Dan Johnson and Harden all performing well in the Major Leagues?

RF: I cannot tell you the joy I gain from seeing former Vancouver Canadians weave their way through the Minor Leagues and find their spot on a Major League roster.  But as much as I admire what Rich Harden has done at the Major League level, I am equally impressed with the player who goes back to school during the off-season to try and finish up a degree.  I think a lot of this game is chance, and I am always impressed by the player who is alert enough to know that whether it works or not, he better have a Plan B.

JK: Speaking of that ‘01 team, a tragedy happened almost five years ago, when RHP Mike Frick was hit by a drunk driver, and passed away.  What was Mike like to be around back in 2001?

RF: Gosh, I can still remember where I was when I got that news.  I had just woken up and turned my computer on and got an email from a friend of mine asking if this was the same ‘Mike Frick’ that had played for the C’s a year or so back.  Attached to the email was an article about his passing.  I was heartbroken.  Mike was a true gentleman who just happened to have an arm kissed by god.  I remain sad for his family and those who had the chance to cross paths with Mike.  Our ‘08 Hitting Coach JT Stotts was a very close friend of Mike’s, so much that Mike was JT’s best man when he got married.  JT still has a tattoo just under the back of his neck that has Mike’s 38 on it.

JK: Baseball in British Columbia took a huge step forward, 6 years after Adam Loewen and Jeff Francis were selected in the Top 10 of the Major League draft.  3B/C Brett Lawrie was a first-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Langley native has now signed a professional contract, after he played for Canada at the Olympics in Beijing.  With guys like Lawrie all across Canada, and being a former Team Canada prospect yourself, how has baseball in Canada changed over the last, even 10-15 years?

RF: Dramatically, perhaps more in its perception than the level of talent.  I think back in the day, there was a lot of wonderful talent, but the perception of our National Program was that they hadn’t competed at a high enough level consistently enough to garner the same respect as a handful of other countries fighting for respect (Australia, Mexico, etc.) I think the world got a taste of the future with our National Junior Program back in the early to mid 90’s, especially when Canada won gold at the World Junior Championships in Brandon, something no Canadian team had ever accomplished.  Combine that with the National Baseball Institute and John Haar’s efforts, the ABC (Mathieu LeBlanc-Poirier’s old stomping grounds), and the game at the grass roots levels, and you eventually saw the program as a whole gain respect it had been missing for some time. 

JK: How cool is it to go to work everyday and see guys like Tim Raines, a future hall-of-famer, and Fergie Jenkins, the only Canadian in Cooperstown? 

RF: I think the Superstar Series (Raines, Hart, Jenkins and Famous Chicken) was one of my hi-lights of the season.  As the PR guy, I am the one running around with them from A to B to C.  My favourite memory was picking Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart up from the hotel.  I waited in the lobby for 10 minutes before he emerged from the elevator.  I saw him, he saw me and I guided him to the car.  He was talking on his cell phone from the minute I made eye contact at the hotel, until we were about 10 minutes into the car ride up to the stadium.  I am listening to his conversation, and he finally turns to me, looks at me and says "You’re Rob right?"  I said yes with a smirk, as I thought to myself, "This guy got into a car with a complete stranger and 10 minutes in decides to ask if he got into the right carr."

I loved Tim Raines, Ferguson Jenkins, Bret Hart and the Chicken, but my favourite star encounter was meeting and interviewing former Toronto Blue Jay and New York Yankee Jesse Barfield.  Gorwing up in Toronto, Jesse, along with George Bell, and Lloyd Moseby were the eptiome of greatness for a child who loved baseball.  So, some 20 years later, to be sitting beside one of my childhood idols chatting with Jesse was unforgettable. 

JK: This year, C’s fans saw a remarkable change of pace for southpaw Carlos Hernandez, who went from having a 10+ ERA in 2007 with Vancouver, to finishing the year with Stockton, and after three different levels of baseball in less than 2 months, he didn’t have an ERA at any level over 2.30.  Have you ever witnessed such a dramatic turnaround in baseball?

RF: That might be the most significant as far as stats go.  Many forget that in ‘07 Carlos battled a handful of injuries - so for me, it wasn’t so much a turn-around as it was a statement too the A’s organization that he was healthy and committed.  In ‘07, I think even Carlos would admit he was a bit of a slacker as far as his work ethic and body composition were concerned.  But he really committed himself this past off-season, and it obviously showed.  The most impressive turn-around for me this season, was the emergence of LHP Pedro Figueroa.  The wins and losses at this level are mis-leading.  I think when Pedro was on, he was as dominant as anyone in the NWL.  A far cry from his ‘07 outings where he was erratic, inconsistent and with less velocity and control.  I think Pedro has one more year to really make a statement, and I hope he does. 

JK: Having been the C’s colour commentator back in the days when Shaw would broadcast Canadians games, is there any chance Shaw will broadcast Canadians games in the future? 

RF: Shaw right now is looking to do more local sports, but their price points are a little high.  We’d love to do TV again, but we aren’t ready to sell the farm to simply have a handful of games on TV.  We are looking at other web based options.  We thought we could get the TV up for ‘08, but a few hitches came in late and threw it on the back-burner until ‘09. 

JK: Owners Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney have turned around the Canadians organization, to say the least.  Being apart of the staff that now works under Kerr, Mooney and Team President Andy Dunn, how much different is it working for Vancouver now, than it was in 2001? 

RF: For me, that’s hard to say only because my skillset was so much greener in ‘01.  When I came back in ‘07, I had six more years of media under my belt.  Six more years to understand the needs of the media, the organization, and those around me.  I wasn’t trying to get my foot in the door the second time around.  This time I came in prepared, focused and ready to implement a number of things I felt the C’s needed.

As far as the personnel goes?  With all due respect to the old regime, there is no comparison at all.  This group of Kerr, Mooney and Dunn are as good as any I have ever been witness to.  They are Major League calibre.

Fred (Herrmann) was more into the Mom and Pop philosophy - where it was nickle and dime and try to make a buck or two, it was a small marker frame of mind in a city that had so much more to offer. 

With this new ownership group who is local, experienced in this market, and very deep routed in the community - you can see it as clear as day, that the local business sector, fans and Oakland are all thrilled with this direction this club is going. 

The comparison from ‘01 to now?  From a Ford Topaz to an Aston Martin…

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Thank you so much to Mr. Fai for the interview, and stay tuned in the coming week to see his ‘Rapid Fire’ Interview.  Coming soon as well, an interview with a C’s alumnist, in the next few weeks.

Also, info on ex-Canadians in the majors, where C’s alumni are spending their winters playing ‘ball, and much more. 

An up and down season has come to an end for the Vancouver Canadians faithful, with more downs, than ups.  Not to say this year was a ‘wash’ year, because that might be an over-reaction, but it’s safe to say this year won’t go down as the best in Canadians short-season history.  Just be thankful we don’t live in Yakima, where an average of 1900 fans show up to each game, and their team wins just 28 games after 76 matches.  Yikes.

In the dugout, Manager Rick Magnante returned for his third year with the C’s, and with the help of Jimmy Escalante and JT Stotts, transformed several players from second-rate players, to first-class gentleman.  Take David Thomas for example, a guy who probably hadn’t played First Base since High School, who was penciled in one game to take over for Dusty Napoleon.  Did he do well?  You could say that.  But it’d be an under-statement.

In one of the last home games of the season, Thomas dove over the bag, and flipped a double-play from his knees.  I have never seen anything like that at the 3 slot, and probably never will again.  Thomas, mark my words, will be playing for Oakland by 2012.  Easily. 

OF Jeremy Barfield went through a bit of a slump over the last two weeks of the season, hitting just .194 over his last 10 games, but still finished the year with a very respectable .271 BA through 69 games.  He had three dingers, 17 doubles, and averaged just under a hit per game.  Barfield hit just .222 in June, before picking it up, hitting .280 and .290 respectively in July and August.  As much as I don’t want to bring up family in a ballplayer, the son of Jesse, and the brother of Josh, it looks like Jeremy might be off to the Majors to be the second, second-generation Barfield to make the Major Leagues.

JD Pruitt ended his NWL season, with a four-game hitting streak, which included a 3-4 season finale against Salem-Keizer, and a 2-4 game on September 1st.  Pruitt missed a good chunk of the year with a concussion, but still hit .282 in his sophomore campaign in Vancouver.  He legged out 4 doubles and a pair of troubles, as well as knocking out four home-runs. 

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It’s been that kind of season for the Vancouver Canadians, where with just one game left on the schedule, the guys just want to get it over, and done with.  On paper, they look like a good team.  Dave Thomas, JD Pruitt and Jeremy Barfield in the outfield, and a few weeks ago they had Jason Christian, Dusty Napoleon, Marcos Luis and Rodney Rutherford in the infield.  Add Dusty Coleman to the mix, and it looked like they could’ve done some damage after all.

The team, in other words, couldn’t put it together.  Manager Rick Magnante, in his third year, did the best job he could with the players he was given, and should return next year.  That is, after he manages South Africa at the World Baseball Classic in March.

Pitching Coach Jimmy Escalante returned for his second year, and both times it’s been last minute, with Craig Lefferts being sick.  Jimmy should be back in Arizona next year, where he can use both of his languages to full use, Spanish and English.  Jimmy did, however, do an excellent job with the C’s in his two-year tenure.

Hitting Coach JT Stotts, a former C’s shortstop from back in ‘01, filled in for the demoted Ed Campaniello, and quickly gained respect from his players, and peers.  JT is a scout in the off-season.  No word on if he’ll be back next year.

As for the organization, it was a huge step forward.  129, 073 fans showed up in the summer of ‘08, compared to the 126, 491 that came in 2007.  That increased by three thousand over 2006, where it was the C’s lowest season attendance since 2001.

Vancouver averaged 2585 fans a game, good enough for second best in the Northwest.

Team President Andy Dunn, combined with GM Andrew Seymour made going to the Nat, fun again.  There were the Zooperstars, Birdzerk, the San Diego Chicken, Fergie Jenkins, Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart and Tim Raines.  There was face painting, fireworks, A&W days, all the little things that make going to the ballpark an enjoyable experience. 

The C’s media department made strides, putting in concourse audio of the broadcast, with Rob Fai, and video on the big screens, filmed up top on the roof.  You could then hear, and see, what was going on when you were waiting for food. 

Video was put up on the website, Rob Fai broadcasted the whole season on the internet and the Team 1040, and his daily segment with Manager Rick Magnante made it for a very enjoyable listen. 

To end the year, the C’s managed a sell-out and a near sellout in the final three games of the year, and the team swept Eugene, with a walk-off hit in the 9th in Game 2, a 7-run 2nd inning in the first, and a crushing blow to Eugene in the series finale. 

The C’s season-high 4 game win streak ended last night, and therefore they’ll go down as the worst team in Canadians history.  The 2003 Canadians had 35 wins, and this team could have as many as 34 if they win tonight. 

Once the C’s finish tonight, I’ll post the stats, who did what, who didn’t do what, etc. but for now, and this is to all Vancouver Canadians fans, I invite you to send an email to the Canadians staff, and let them know your experience at the Nat this summer.  If you really loved something, if they know, it might be around for next year.  Hey, you could even ask that Chef Wasabe win more than once next year, but they did a great job this season, and hats off to the owners Jeff Mooney and Jake Kerr.  Not every owner in the world would do the Chicken Dance, let alone get up and socialize with fans.