Mapping the path

NORTHWEST BASEBALL

The development of the conservatory was inspired by Canada’s 100th anniversary in 1967, when citizens were encouraged to find creative ways to celebrate the milestone. The Vancouver Park Board settled on a conservatory for exotic plants, perched atop Little Mountain. The cornerstone triodetic dome was built in Ottawa, shipped across the country to Vancouver, and assembled in 10 days. The whole project took about 18 months, opening to the public in December 1969.

After admiring the lush greenery and vibrant blossoms inside the done, I stepped outside to find the well-manicured outdoor gardens, everything trimmed and proper, like the box art for a relaxing 1,000-piece puzzle.

Further back on the plaza, I noticed two events underway — a Tai Chi class, already in slow-motion progress; and two people beginning their life’s journey together at the conservatory with a modest wedding ceremony.

The stadium originally opened in 1951 as Capilano Stadium, replacing Athletic Park, which was built in 1913. It was renamed in 1978 to honor Vancouver baseball advocate Nat Bailey, who founded the White Spot chain of restaurants and the first-ever drive-in restaurant in Canada. Bailey had been part-owner of the Triple-A Vancouver Mounties in the 1950s and 1960s and was a strong supporter of Little League baseball in the city.

The Nat seats 6,500, and Vancouver baseball fans fill those seats. The team averaged 4,857 fans per game in 2022 and frequently leads the Northwest League in attendance.

In 1905, Vancouver became a charter member of the Northwestern League, a Minor League baseball circuit. Vancouver teams played as the Horse Doctors, Beavers, Champions, and Bees. They joined the Pacific Coast International League in 1918, then the off-and-on Western International League between 1922 and 1954. By then, the Vancouver Capilanos were playing at Nat Bailey Stadium.

Vancouver joined the nascent Pacific Coast League as the Mounties in 1956. The league quickly gained Triple-A affiliation, and the Mounties remained at The Nat until 1969, when the franchise moved to Salt Lake City. The Canadians were founded as a new Triple-A club in 1978, but they too moved away — to Sacramento in 1999, but not before winning the Triple-A championship in their final season.

The following year, a new Canadians squad joined the Northwest League, where they have since won four titles. The current franchise was affiliated with the Oakland A’s for its first 11 years, and has been with the Blue Jays ever since.

I went to see the Bud Kerr Baseball Museum in the hallways beneath the stadium seating. Kerr was the team’s official historian until his death in 2009, and the museum named in his honor covers more than 60 years of baseball played in The Nat, with tributes to players such as Tim Raines, Sammy Sosa, and Rich Harden. More recent Canadians alumni include Nelson Cruz, Andre Ethier, Kurt Suzuki, Sean Doolittle, and Noah Syndergaard.

Dad and I settled into our seats, pretty happy to be sporting sharp Father’s Day giveaway hats. This historic old ballpark, with my Dad, on this incredible trip, on Father’s Day. Perfect.

The two teams were dressed for the occasion as well, with the Canadians wearing their black jerseys with the classic mountie logo; and their opponent, the Eugene Emeralds, showing off their dazzling “Ems” tartan-plaid jerseys.

The game would be a preview of the Northwest League championship. The Emeralds — the High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants — were on the verge of winning the first half, 8 1/2 games ahead of last-place Vancouver. But the Canadians would turn it around in the second half, winning their way into the championship series. More on that later.

It was no surprise to see the Emeralds doing well. Eugene’s lineup was absolutely loaded. When our trip began, 11 of the Giants top 22 prospects were on the Emeralds roster.

After a quiet first inning, the offenses came to life. The Giants #13 prospect, third baseman Casey Schmitt, lined a homer to right field off Canadians Alejandro Melean to start the second. The Venezuelan pitcher was in the middle of a strong season and would finish his time in Vancouver giving up just six runs in 32 innings, with eight walks and 35 strikeouts. He allowed another run in the inning, this one unearned.

Vancouver answered in the bottom of the frame with three runs of their own on four singles and a hit batter. The packed house of 6,413 had been engaged, and the atmosphere grew electric.

I went to check out the concessions for lunch. Earlier in the day, I had witnessed one of the key items on my Vancouver Canadians Bucket List: the Yard Dog, three glorious feet of encased meat. These are the sorts of things I would rather personally witness than personally experience, and I thank the father who bought this for his service on this Father’s Day.

I got a bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg, and it was just fine.

The game remained tight over the next few innings, the score still 3-2 Vancouver.

At the end of the fourth inning, it was time for a Canadians tradition: the Sushi Race. In Milwaukee, they race mascot sausages. In Pittsburgh, it’s giant pierogies. So it’s only natural that in Vancouver, a collection of sushi-related mascots — Mr. Kappa Maki, Ms. BC Roll, Chef Wasabi, Chop, Stix, and Sadaharu Soy — race around the infield in what is often a frantic mess. On this day, Chop rolled past the competition to take the win.

Back on the field, light-hitting Canadians second baseman Hugo Cardena scored two with an RBI single, one of his three hits on the day. The Canadians extended their lead to 5-2.

Midway through the game, I received a private message from a mysterious persona on Twitter who had heard about our trip and asked where we were sitting. He then told us to be in our seats in the seventh inning. And that’s when Canadians mascot Bob Brown Bear came by and gave us one of the highlights of our trip.

The Canadians mascot is named for Bob Brown, who played for, managed, and owned baseball teams in the Pacific Northwest in the early 1900s. Brown managed the Vancouver Beavers for six seasons starting in 1910, taking 60 percent ownership in the team and leading the construction of the old Athletic Park on land leased from the Canadian Pacific Railway. Vancouver’s “Mr. Baseball” even brought the legendary Babe Ruth to the city for an appearance.

Brown remained active in Vancouver baseball into the 1950s as owner of the Vancouver Capilanos, President of the Vancouver Mounties, and an instigator behind the building of the current ballpark.

The teams traded runs in the seventh, but that would be it for the day. The Canadians beat the Emeralds 6-3 — our fourth straight win for the home team. Bob Brown Bear high-fived Vancouver players as they came off the field. After the game, kids were let onto the field to run the bases, a Minor League tradition. Bob high-fived them, too.

Nearly three months later, the two teams met again for a best-of-five series to decide the 2022 Northwest League championship. The Emeralds took the first two games at home, then traveled to The Nat for an extra-inning slugfest. Eugene would win their second-straight league title on a two-run homer in the 10th inning by second baseman Jimmy Glowenke.

We had an outstanding salmon chowder, a selection of game sausage, a poached sablefish with a caper dill sauce and maple-roasted vegetables, and of course some toasted bannock with sautéed mushrooms, melted brie, sage-blueberries, and bison gravy. All of it paired nicely with a white blend from Nk’Mip Cellars, an indigenous-owned winery in eastern British Columbia. It was a unique and tasty experience on a very special Father’s Day.

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