The Canadian Olympic Baseball Team Will Have to Do Without Stubby Clapp
May 9, 2008
The Canadian Olympic Baseball Team Will Have to Do Without Stubby Clapp
Filed under: Houston, Astros, Olympics, Americas
Whenever someone makes an all-name list of baseball players, there’s always one name that seems to make the cut. He’s not a great player but Stubby Clapp has one of the more memorable names of anyone who’s ever played the game.
In addition to all-name teams, Clapp’s been a mainstay of the Canadian national team since 1999. At 35, that’s the only baseball he’s still playing, though he’s also the hitting coach for Class A Lexington in the Houston Astro system. Still, it’s a shame the team has refused to give Clapp permission to play in Beijing this summer.
“The Houston Astros have turned down our request for Stubby to play for us,” (Coach Greg) Hamilton told CBCSports.ca. “It’s a blow. Stubby Clapp brings leadership to the team and in many ways is the face of the program.”
The Astros position is understandable. They hired Clapp to coach and don’t want to lose a month of his services while prospects could benefit from his tutelage. But, Clapp hurt his knee in Olympic qualifying and might not even be physically able to play. Why not figure out if it’s even possible for him to play before rejecting it out of hand?
The difficulty getting big-name players is a large reason why baseball won’t be at the 2012 Olympics. It would be nice if players who devoted themselves to the international game got a opportunity to go out in style this summer. Plus it would be nice to hear Stubby’s name a few more times before he gets lost in the minors.
(H/T BBTF)
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