LARRY WALKER

 ERNIE WHITT

BERNIE SOULLIERE,

ROY “DOC” MILLER

Round out Inductees
to be honoured
June 20, 2009

Larry Walker

Bernie Soulliere

Ernie Whitt Roy “Doc” Miller
St. Marys – Larry Walker, Ernie Whitt and Bernie Soulliere, who represent three unique stories leading to three unique roles, are Toronto-bound in less than one month to govern Team Canada's entry in the World Baseball Classic, but the threesome will now be re-uniting at 11:00am EST on June 20 in St. Marys, Ontario, when they will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.  Chatham, Ontario's Roy "Doc" Miller, who played a century ago and died in 1938, will also be enshrined posthumously.

“We haven't honoured a career of the calibre of Larry Walker's since Fergie Jenkins was inducted in 1987,” said Ball Hall president & CEO Tom Valcke.

So the obvious question is: “Who is the greatest the 231 Canadians who have donned a major league uniform?”

 “I'll take the easy way out and conclude that Fergie was our greatest pitcher and Larry was our greatest position player!”, quipped Valcke.

Walker, a true five-tool player whose career spanned 17 seasons, leads all Canadians in virtually every offensive career category, amassing 383 homeruns, 62 triples and 471 doubles among his 2,160 career hits, while stealing 230 bases along the way.  The five-time All-Star and 1997 National League MVP, who also won seven Gold Glove awards and three batting titles along the way, compiled a career .313 batting average and .565 slugging percentage, 15th best in major league history.  The Maple Ridge, British Columbia native will be an assistant coach for Team Canada at the WBC.

“Larry is special - so unique, and so down-to-earth, a true Canadian” said Team Canada general manager Greg Hamilton.

“We are very fortunate to have Larry involved with Baseball Canada and the national teams program.  He has set the standard by which all Canadian position players are measured and his easy-going nature makes him a natural on our coaching staff.  He is so highly respected by all.”

Whitt, whose 1,218 games played in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform ranks fourth all-time, swung a big bat as well, knocking 131 homers among his 888 Blue Jay hits.  Always a fan-favourite in Toronto, he eventually returned to the Blue Jays organization as a coach for a dozen more years, including the last four seasons with the major league club.  But Whitt, who Valcke refers to as "the most Canadian non-Canadian you'll ever meet," has most proudly worn the maple leaf on his chest rather successfully for the past decade as well, and will serve as Team Canada's field manager for the sixth time in the upcoming WBC, which begins Saturday, March 7 when Canada hosts Team USA at Rogers Centre.

“Ernie has bought into the national program wholesale,” said a proud Hamilton from Baseball Canada's headquarters in Ottawa.

”He is the consummate players' manager, fantastic to work with, he garners respect without demanding it, and he is all-inclusive - he involves everybody in the decision-making process.”

Soulliere, who has helped make Windsor, Ontario one of Canada's true baseball hotbeds, has been volunteering behind the scenes for more than 40 years in amateur baseball circles as well as with numerous provincial and national teams.  He coached Windsor teams to four Ontario championships and a pair of national titles in the '70's, he was the Chair when Windsor hosted the World Junior Championship in 1986, '87 and '93, and he was the general manager of Team Ontario when it won three consecutive Canada Summer Games gold medals in '81, '85 and '89.  The 71-year-old never-say-no diehard served as vice-president with Baseball Canada in the '90's, and was the president of Baseball Ontario from '93-'95.  Soulliere has acted countless times as Team Canada's business manager, and will assume that role again at the WBC.

“Bernie is a lifer, a passionate and humble baseball man who has done as much for our program as anyone, most all of it behind the scenes,” added Hamilton.

“We count on him to tie up all of the non-glamorous loose-ends.   He is baseball, and he is Canada.  The spotlight never finds Bernie Soulliere, but his relentless efforts allow the opportunity for everyone else's star to shine.”

Miller, whose professional career began in 1903 had his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1910, and played with Boston, Philadelphia and Cincinnati during his five-year stint.  His .295 career batting average, which is fourth all-time for Canadians, included 507 hits in 1,717 at bats over 557 games.  Miller's breakout year was 1911, when he led the National League with 192 hits, and his .333 batting average fell one point shy of winning the NL batting title that was captured by Honus Wagner (.334).  In 1913, Miller set a major league record with 21 pinch-hits that stood for 19 years, and now ranks seventh in major league history.  The University of Toronto graduate who later became a physician was also considered one of the pioneers for players' rights.

Since his three counterparts all have roles at the WBC, the Hall has designated Miller to be in charge of good bounces for Team Canada and bad hops for its opponents!

Larry Walker

“To me, the key word about this honour is the word 'Canadian,'” said Walker from his home in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he currently lives with his wife Angela of ten years, and their two daughters, nine year-old Canaan, and seven year-old Shayna.

“I've tried to never forget where I've come from, even when I played in Colorado or St. Louis following my time in Montreal.  I've always believed in representing my country proudly, and I just love the rest of the Canucks still in the game.  They all are humble, they all rarely talk about themselves, and they all have a tremendous sense of pride when they put that Canadian jersey on.  Since retiring, my priority certainly is to catch up on some valuable missed time owed to my children, but the comradery in the Team Canada clubhouse makes my role with them near impossible to pass over.”

Walker also has a 15-year-old daughter Brittany, and his family has a unique distinction that must have made for some interesting telephone calls growing up in their home.  The youngest of four boys, Larry's father's name is Larry, his mother is Mary, and his three brothers are named Barry, Carey and Gary.

Born December 1st, 1966, Walker, an outstanding hockey goalie as well, was signed by soon-to-be fellow Hall-of-Famer Jim Fanning with the Expos as a free agent in 1984.  His first game in the major leagues was August 16, 1989, and his last was October 19, 2005, totalling 1,988 games played overall.

Walker was an All-Star in 1992, '97, '98, '99 and 2001.  He won the NL MVP Award in 1997 with one of the greatest single seasons in major league history, as he batted .366, had 208 hits including 46 doubles and a league-leading 49 homers, scored 143 runs, had 130 RBI, stole 33 bases, recorded an on-base percentage (OBP) of .452, and a slugging percentage (SLG) of .720.  His 409 total bases in '97 represents the 18th-best single season of all-time.

His three batting titles were in 1998 (.363), '99 (.379) and 2001 (.350), and he finished in second place twice, in '97 and 2002 (.338).  He won Gold Glove Awards in 1992, '93, '97, '98, '99, 2001 and '02, and was awarded the Silver Slugger in '92, '97 and '99.  He was Major League Baseball's OBP leader in 1999 (.458) and won the SLG title in 1997 and '99 (.710).

The only two offensive categories that Walker does not lead all Canadians are career batting average, where he ranks second to Woodstock, Ontario's Tip O'Neill (.326), and in triples, where trails PEI's George Wood's 132 three-baggers.

In 28 career playoff games, Walker had 23 hits in 100 at bats, including seven homeruns and five doubles, along with 18 runs scored and 15 RB, an OBP of .347 and an SLG  of .510.

Walker ranks in the top 100 of all-time major leaguers in the following categories: SLG, OPS, hit by pitch, extra base hits, homeruns, OBP, homeruns per at bat, doubles, intentional walks, batting average, total bases, RBI, and runs.

The nine-time Tip O'Neill Award winner (nobody else has won it more than twice) had three "three-homer" games, an "eight-RBI" game, two "five-runs-scored" games, and his longest hitting streak was 21 games in 1999, when he batted .506 (41/81 including ten homeruns) during the streak.

Ernie Whitt

“I'm thrilled to death - I mean, I've got chills running up and down me right now,” exclaimed Whitt upon hearing the news from his home in Clinton Township, Michigan.

“This is something I would never have dreamed of, to be put into another country's Hall of Fame.  It is truly humbling.  In addition to my fond memories with the Blue Jays, I've got to say that I have been very proud to wear the Team Canada uniform, and Canada can be assured we'll be giving everything we have to give in the upcoming Classic.”

Whitt, who currently manages in the Phillies farm system, has already received the time off from his organization to attend the festivities from June 18-20.  It probably didn't hurt that 1997 Ball Hall inductee Pat Gillick remains at the helm!

Born on June 13, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan, Whitt and his wife Christine will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary in St. Marys on the day before he gets enshrined.  They have three children, Ashley, EJ, and Taylor, as well as two grandchildren.

The 15th-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in the 1972 draft was then taken from the Red Sox by the Blue Jays as their 17th pick of the 1976 Expansion draft.  His first major league appearance was September 12, 1976, and his final game was 1,328 games later on July 3, 1991.  Whitt spent his final two seasons with the Atlanta Braves and the Baltimore Orioles, where he added 50 hits and three additional homeruns to his Blue Jays totals.

Whitt had 3,514 at bats with the Blue Jays (10th all-time), and compiled a .253 batting average while driving home 518 runs and scoring 424 times.  He is also in the Blue Jays top ten for homeruns, RBI, total bases, walks, and extra-base hits.

The Blue Jays leader in games caught (1,159) was an All-Star in 1985, and started on Opening Day nine times.  On the magical day of September 14, 1987,  he hit three homeruns, and the Blue Jays set a major league record with ten homeruns total in that one game.  George Bell and Rance Mulliniks hit two apiece, and Fred McGriff, Rob Ducey and Lloyd Moseby each hit one dinger.

As a coach in the Blue Jays system, Whitt was a minor league catching instructor from 1997-2002, a roving  minor league instructor in 2003-'04, bench coach for the major league club from 2005-'07, and was the first base coach of the Blue Jays in 2008.  In 1997, he served as field manager for Syracuse in 1997 for six games and Dunedin for 36 games.

In Whitt's very successful tenure with Team Canada, his first stint as field manager was in 1999 at the Pan American games hosted by Winnipeg, Manitoba where Canada upset the USA on its way to a bronze medal finish.  In 2003, Whitt managed Canada past the USA in securing one of two 2004 Olympic berths along with Cuba.  In the 2004 Olympic Summer Games, Whitt guided Canada to a fourth place finish.  He led Canada to a second-place finish in regional Olympic-qualifying in 2005.  In 2006, Whitt was at the wheel for arguably Canada's biggest win in history, as they defeated the USA in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, where Canada finished pool play with two wins and a loss but did not advance due to the tie-breaking formula.

Bernie Soulliere

“Wow ... I'm speechless”, Soulliere gushed as he received the news while vacationing in Florida.

“This is a tremendous honour.  So many great people have been inducted before me.  I couldn't be going in with two greater names than Ernie Whitt and Larry Walker.”

Soulliere was born on July 6, 1937 in Windsor, Ontario, and has been a baseball junkie for his entire life.  He and his wife Carole will celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary in July, and they have three boys, Michael, Chris and Jerry, along with seven grandchildren - all boys as well!

In addition to his earlier noted accomplishments, some of Soulliere's numerous recognitions include being named the 1973 Man of the Year by the Montreal Chapter of Baseball Writers, winning the prestigious President's Award from the International Baseball Federation in 1986, and receiving the Medal of Merit from the Metropolitan Toronto Amateur Baseball Association in 1987.

In 1994 the USA Baseball Federation awarded Soulliere for outstanding contribution and support of amateur baseball.  Baseball Canada named him as the recipient of their 1994 Special Achievement Award, and the province of Ontario gave him a Certificate of Recognition in 1994, and then their Special Achievement Award in 1996.

Baseball Ontario recognized Soulliere as their Volunteer of the Year in 1990, and then he was given their President's Award in 1996 prior to being named as an Honourary Member of Baseball Ontario in 2002.

Soulliere has been the Sports Chair of the much-accomplished Mic-Mac Club of Windsor since 1975, and the Sports Chair of the Greater Windsor Baseball Association Selects Program since 1984.

Roy “Doc” Miller

Miller was born February 4, 1883 in Chatham, Ontario and died on July 31, 1938 in Jersey City, New Jersey.  His first of 557 games in the major leagues was on May 4, 1910 and his last was on September 28, 1914.

Prior to making it to the big leagues, Miller spend seven years in the minor leagues, amassing 352 games, 1,254 at bats, 380 hits and a .303 batting average with Manchester, Syracuse, Calumet, Pueblo and San Franscico.  The outfielder's major league teams included the Chicago Cubs, Boston Doves, Boston Rustlers, Boston Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds.

Miller falls into the top 30 of all-time Canadian rankings in batting average, stolen bases, OBP, SLG, doubles, hits, RBI, total bases, at bats, triples, walks and runs.  He is 27th all-time in games played by a Canadian.  Of the Canadian players with more games under their belts, 18 are already inducted into the Hall, three are retired but not yet eligible for the Hall (Paul Quantrill, Rheal Cormier and Corey Koskie), two have not yet been officially nominated (Wood and Rob Ducey), and three are still playing (Matt Stairs, Justin Morneau and Jason Bay).

Miller's finest day at the plate came on May 16, 1911, when he went three-for-four with a pair of homeruns (he hit 12 in his career), four RBI (235 career RBI) and scored twice.  Only 11 other players hit two homeruns in a game that year. 

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees (by year):

1983
John Ducey
Phil Marchildon
James “Tip” O’Neill
Lester B. Pearson
George Selkirk
Frank Shaughnessy
 
 1984
Andrew Bilesky
Charles Bronfman
Jack Graney
Claude Raymond
Goody Rosen
 
1985
Carmen Bush
Jack Kent Cooke
Dick Fowler
John Hiller
Ron Taylor
 
1986
Reggie Cleveland
Bob Emslie
Oscar Judd
Bob Prentice
 
1987
Russ Ford
George ”Moon” Gibson Ferguson Jenkins
Glenn “Rocky” Nelson
 
1988
Reno Bertoia
Ted Bowsfield
Jeff Heath
Bill Phillips
Ron Piche
1838 Beachville & Zorra
         Amateur Teams
 
1989
Robert Brown
Arthur “Foxy” Irwin
 

1990
Jimmy Archer
 
1991
Jackie Robinson
Pete Ward
Jimmy Williams
 
1992
Tom Burgess
1991 National Youth Team
 
1995
Terry Puhl
 
1996
Justin Jay Clarke
Father Ronald Cullen
Frank O’Rourke
 
1997
Pat Gillick
John McHale
 
1998
George “Knotty” Lee
Ron Roncetti
Canadian-born AAGPBL Players
 
1999
Frank Colman
Bobby Mattick
George Sleeman
 
2000
Jim Fanning
 
2001
Gary Carter
Dave McKay
 
2002
Paul Beeston
Cito Gaston
Don McDougall
Dave Shury
Harry Simmons
Bill Slack
 
2003
Richard Belec
Joe Carter
Kirk McCaskill
Vancouver Asahi
 
2004
Andre Dawson
Peter Hardy
Joseph “JJ” Lannin
Jim McKean
 
2005
Steve Rogers
Charles “Pop” Smith
Dave Stieb
Harold “Doc” Younker
 
2006
Ron Hayter
Tommy Lasorda
Larry McLean
Ron Stead
 
2007

George “Sparky” Anderson
John Haar
Sherrard “Sherry” Robertson
 
2008
Tony Fernandez
Billy Harris
Gladwyn Scott
Peter Widdrington

2009
Roy "Doc" Miller
Bernie Soulliere
Larry Walker
Ernie Whitt

ST MARYS – 11 February 2009

PLEASE NOTE: 2009 SUMMER CAMPS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

* Week-long camps (drop off Sunday, pick-up Saturday), including accommodation & meals
        * Focus on baseball FUNdamentals, swimming, soccer & tennis, trip to Rogers Centre
        * Social Justice and Cultural Awareness programs incorporated
        * Baseball Celebrities to take part

KEY DATES IN 2009:

October 13 2008 - May 1, 2009 – Museum open only for pre-booked group tours
May 2 – Museum opens for the season
June 19 – 13th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic
June 20 – Induction Ceremony

For more information, please contact:

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum

P.O. Box 1838 (140 Queen St. E.)
St. Marys, ON, Canada, N4X 1C2
Tel: (519) 284-1838
Toll Free: 1-877-250-BALL
Fax: (519) 284-1234
Email: baseball@baseballhalloffame.ca

Website: www.baseballhalloffame.ca