Kelman to be inducted into Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame
St. James-Assiniboia
On June 14, former St. James A's baseball star Scott Kelman will join Manitoba's baseball elite when formally inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame. It's the ultimate tribute for an athlete who lived for the game.
'I'm over the moon,' Kelman said. 'To be recognized for my favourite sport and biggest passion is the greatest honour.'
Kelman taught himself to read with baseball cards. He has fond memories of family road trips to watch baseball. He played as soon as he could.
Supplied photo
Former St. James A's baseball star Scott Kelman will be inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame on June 14.
'The diamond was a bike ride from my house,' Kelman said. 'My summer was spent pitching to my dad, Craig, and hitting balls. My grandpa walked in the outfield with a cane and collected the balls. I have so many good memories of that.'
His accolades include Manitoba Pee Wee Bantam Player of the Year, Midget Player of the Year, Manitoba Junior League MVP, Winnipeg Senior League (WSBL) MVP and two WSBL batting titles.
When 16, Kelman threw a no-hitter at the Blue Jays Cup. In 2001, he played for Team Manitoba at the Canada Summer Games.
Because Kelman was equally successful at hockey, multiple crossroads loomed. Shortly after joining the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds, he hurt his shoulder, ending his pitching career.
For a time, Kelman successfully juggled the two. In the summer of 1998, he made the national baseball selection camp for baseball and played for Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. After being drafted 15th overall by the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes in 1999, GM Bobby Smith forced him to retire from baseball.
That lasted three years, until Randy LeBleu convinced Kelman to come back with the A's for a season culminating in a Canada Summer Games berth. Then, another retirement. While his body may have been away from the diamond, his heart never left.
'I'm not sure I had the same passion for hockey as I did for baseball,' Kelman said. 'There's something magical about stepping on that field, smelling the grass and hearing the bat. I don't know if hockey ever gave me anything like that. The feeling of blowing a fastball by someone was one of my favourite memories, outsmarting a batter, that feeling you're in control.'
Mondays
A weekly look at news and events that matter in your communities.
Kelman's last hockey stop was with the Coventry Blaze in England. That's where he met his wife, Fay. They have two daughters who are also fine athletes. Tori, 13, plays club volleyball and premier soccer, while Claudia, 11, plays AA hockey and soccer. Watching his daughters pursue their passions is the latest in a life of special sporting moments.
Supplied photo
Scott Kelman with daughters Tori and Claudia. Kelman, who enjoyed a successful baseball and hockey career, will be inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame on June 14.
'I love seeing them recapture the feeling I had, the excitement of games as a kid,' Kelman said. 'A world of possibilities, and they're loving being out there. It's been a blast.
'They love sport and are intense, but also teach you not to take losses personally. They seem to be able to get over losses a little bit better than most boys.'
When he returned to Winnipeg, Kelman resumed his baseball career in the WSBL. That was only possible because of Fay.
'She made so many sacrifices,' Kelman said. 'When we had the girls, and I was out a lot of nights, she was my rock, allowing me to pursue my passion by watching the girls while I played a game.'
Tony ZeruchaEast Kildonan community correspondent
Tony Zerucha is a community correspondent for East Kildonan. Email him at tzerucha@gmail.com
Read full biography
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Thunder collapse late as Haliburton's buzzer-beater lifts Pacers to Game 1 win
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) shoots a 3-pointer against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Things were going as expected for the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. They forced the normally efficient Indiana Pacers into 19 turnovers in the first half to lead by 12 at the break. The advantage swelled to 15 early in the fourth quarter, and it looked like the Thunder were off to one of their usual blowout victories. They fell apart late, then Tyrese Haliburton hit a mid-range dagger in the final second that gave Indiana a 111-110 victory on Thursday night. 'I thought we were pretty good,' Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'We had control of the game for the most part of it. It is a 48-minute game. They (Pacers) teach you that lesson more than anyone else in the league, the hard way.' The homecourt advantage Oklahoma City fought all season to gain vanished in a game it dominated for three quarters. The collapse wasted a 38-point effort by league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Now, the Thunder will be under pressure heading into Game 2 on Sunday. 'We've just got to focus on being better,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'The series isn't first to one, it's first to four. We have four more games to get, they have three. That's just where we are. We've got to understand that and we've got to get to four before they get to three (more) if we want to win the NBA championship.' After Oklahoma City had Indiana's offense out of sorts in the first half, the Pacers committed just five turnovers in the second. 'I thought they loosened us up a little bit,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'They took better care of the ball. Obviously, I'm sure that was a huge theme for them coming in and at the half.' This isn't the first time this has happened to the Thunder this postseason. The Thunder lost a game they largely controlled in Game 1 of the second-round series against the Denver Nuggets. Aaron Gordon's 3-pointer gave Denver a 121-119 win. Oklahoma City responded and won the series 4-3. The Thunder believe they can use that experience to their advantage. 'We lost at the end of the day,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'We lost Game 1. We've lost Game 1 before. On the other side of that, we came out a better team. That's our goal. That's our mentality, to try to learn a lesson from the loss, like we always do, and move forward and be better.' This wasn't new for Indiana, either. The Pacers have made a habit of rallying late to win games this postseason, most notably in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks. 'The common denominator is them,' Daigneault said. 'That's a really good team. Credit them for not only tonight but their run. They've had so many games like that that have seemed improbable. They just play with a great spirit, they keep coming, they made plays, made shots. They deserved to win by a point.' ___ AP NBA: Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press
Toronto Star
16 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Quarterback Marcus Crandell signs one-day contract to retire as a Calgary Stampeder
CALGARY - Marcus Crandell has signed a one-day contract with the Calgary Stampeders so the 51-year-old can officially retire a member of the club. Crandell quarterbacked the Stampeders to a Grey Cup victory in 2001 in the first of his four seasons in Calgary. 'To the Calgary Stampeders organization, thank you for taking a young man who was born in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, but raised in the small town of Robersonville, North Carolina, who had big dreams of becoming a professional quarterback,' Crandell said Thursday in a statement from the Stampeders. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'This organization is truly a class act when it comes to professional sports.' Crandell threw for 4,072 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2022, but his play over the final stretch in 2021 was remarkable. The Stampeders were 5-9 in October when Crandell threw nine touchdown passes without an interception in three wins over the final four games of the regular season to snare a playoff berth. In the Grey Cup, Crandell threw for 309 yards and tossed two touchdown passes when Calgary stunned the favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-19 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. He was named Grey Cup MVP. 'I'm very happy that Marcus gets this opportunity to retire as a member of the Stampeders,' said club president Jay McNeil, a former Calgary offensive lineman who was Crandell's teammate during the latter's four seasons as a Stampeder. 'I'll never forget Marcus's contributions to our Grey Cup championship in 2001. We had a slow start and had to win the final game of the regular season just to get into the playoffs. 'We believed in ourselves when nobody else in the country gave us a chance but we hit our stride down the stretch and it was Marcus leading the way, capped off by an MVP performance in the Grey Cup game.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Crandell also played for Edmonton from 1997 to 1999 and for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2005 to 2008. He was an offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach for Saskatchewan, Edmonton and the Ottawa Redblacks after he retired as a player. Crandell will attend Calgary's first game of the 2025 season Saturday when the Stampeders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He will join fellow Grey Cup-winning alumni Doug Flutie, Mark McLoughlin, Nik Lewis, Jeremaine Copeland, Jon Cornish and Alex Singleton as the team celebrates its 80th birthday. 'I am grateful for all the time spent in the city of Calgary and performing in the presence of some of the best fans in the league,' Crandell said. 'Another blessing is to have played for a great coaching staff assembled by the legend Wally Buono. 'Many thanks go out to my teammates for the hard work they displayed day in and day out as we strived to achieve success.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
16 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Quarterback Marcus Crandell signs one-day contract to retire as a Calgary Stampeder
CALGARY – Marcus Crandell has signed a one-day contract with the Calgary Stampeders so the 51-year-old can officially retire a member of the club. Crandell quarterbacked the Stampeders to a Grey Cup victory in 2001 in the first of his four seasons in Calgary. 'To the Calgary Stampeders organization, thank you for taking a young man who was born in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, but raised in the small town of Robersonville, North Carolina, who had big dreams of becoming a professional quarterback,' Crandell said Thursday in a statement from the Stampeders. 'This organization is truly a class act when it comes to professional sports.' Crandell threw for 4,072 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2022, but his play over the final stretch in 2021 was remarkable. The Stampeders were 5-9 in October when Crandell threw nine touchdown passes without an interception in three wins over the final four games of the regular season to snare a playoff berth. In the Grey Cup, Crandell threw for 309 yards and tossed two touchdown passes when Calgary stunned the favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-19 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. He was named Grey Cup MVP. 'I'm very happy that Marcus gets this opportunity to retire as a member of the Stampeders,' said club president Jay McNeil, a former Calgary offensive lineman who was Crandell's teammate during the latter's four seasons as a Stampeder. 'I'll never forget Marcus's contributions to our Grey Cup championship in 2001. We had a slow start and had to win the final game of the regular season just to get into the playoffs. 'We believed in ourselves when nobody else in the country gave us a chance but we hit our stride down the stretch and it was Marcus leading the way, capped off by an MVP performance in the Grey Cup game.' Crandell also played for Edmonton from 1997 to 1999 and for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2005 to 2008. He was an offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach for Saskatchewan, Edmonton and the Ottawa Redblacks after he retired as a player. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Crandell will attend Calgary's first game of the 2025 season Saturday when the Stampeders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He will join fellow Grey Cup-winning alumni Doug Flutie, Mark McLoughlin, Nik Lewis, Jeremaine Copeland, Jon Cornish and Alex Singleton as the team celebrates its 80th birthday. 'I am grateful for all the time spent in the city of Calgary and performing in the presence of some of the best fans in the league,' Crandell said. 'Another blessing is to have played for a great coaching staff assembled by the legend Wally Buono. 'Many thanks go out to my teammates for the hard work they displayed day in and day out as we strived to achieve success.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
