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He was later sworn in as the Hall's 46th honoured member in a special ceremony on 6-24-2000 at the Museum, located in beautiful St. Marys, Ontario.
FANNING and fellow Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member JOHN McHALE have for many years been considered as the architects of the MONTREAL EXPOS' franchise and many believe that without their hard work and passion, MLB would never have existed north of the border today.
FANNING has enjoyed over 50 years of involvement in baseball, starting when the CHICAGO CUBS signed him as a catcher in 1949. He then played parts of four major league seasons with them before retiring as a player after the 1957 campaign to begin his managerial career.
After managing stops in Tulsa, Dallas and Eau Claire he was then hired by JOHN McHALE as a Special Assignment Scout for the MILWAUKEE BRAVES in 1963. In 1964, he was promoted to be the Assistant General Manager with the team, a position he held until the 1967 season.
By this time his scouting skills and knowledge of the game had impressed many, inclding those in the head offices of Major League Baseball. In 1968 he was hired to be the first Scouting Director of the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau.
But his tenure in this position was destined to be a short period, because, in August 1968, he was hired away to be the first General Manager for the Montreal Expos.
He then began to serve in several different capacities over the next twenty five years, including: General Manager, Vice President, Scout, and even two stints as the field manager from 1981-1982 and later in 1984.
When he took over as the skipper in 1981, 21 of the players on the major league roster were those he had either drafted or helped to develop their skills.
In 1981 he guided the EXPOS to their first and only NATIONAL LEAGUE division title, coming within one run of moving on to the WORLD SERIES.
Not only is JIM FANNING recognized as one of the very best managers in the history of the MONTREAL EXPOS, he is considered by many to be one of the finest scouts baseball has ever known, having been instrumental in lining up players like LARRY WALKER, ANDRES GALARRAGA, RANDY JOHNSON and many more, too numerous to mention here.
Still active in the game of baseball and currently providing analysis for a daily radio baseball show in Montreal, JIM FANNING resides in DORCHESTER, ONTARIO, with his wife MARIA and their two children, CYNTHIA JAYNE and FRANK JAMES.
We wish to offer our congratulations to this fine gentleman upon his election to THE CANADIAN BASEBALL HALL OF FAME. He is highly respected by all who follow the grand game of baseball here in Canada and is most deserving of this singular honor. Thanks for the memories, Jim.
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