Click to return to the home page
Canadian Baseball League
2009 Articles


Double Header in Calgary?

(CBL Newswire) - by Weazel of the Lethbridge Endeavor

The Calgary Flames fans were out late tonight! No they weren't raising hell in the streets, they were at the ballpark watching a barn burner of a ball game. In the infamous words of Ed Whalen, it was a Ring-a-ding-dong-dandy! What started out as a relatively unnoticed game of baseball in a city enthralled in hockey, turned out to be the place everyone wanted to be.

The sports fans in Calgary were treated to a double header of a different sort tonight. It started out at 7:00 on a perfect Wednesday night where at one end of town 20,000 red cloaked fans packed into a dome shaped like a saddle to cheer their beloved Flames on to the Stanley Cup Finals. On the other side of town, 2,000 fans sat in a mostly baron Fortress Stadium (formerly Burns Stadium). As the night went on, the Flames fans were treated to one of the best hockey games played in years, with action flowing form one end to the other. While at the Fortress, Remparts fans were watching CBL favorite Leduc clinic the hometown team.

The Flames ended up winning the game 3-1, and taking the Western Conference Championship, and team captain Jarome Iginla skating off the ice with a cup in hand. The game lasted about 3 hours and was over at 10:00. With the celebration pouring into the streets, fans were going wild and could be heard throughout the city. 17th Avenue was abuzz, and car traffic was routed to nearby streets. This was a time for cheering in a city that hasn't seen a winner in a long time.

As the cheering went on, you could hear some mumblings about a baseball game on the other side of town. Along with the screaming, car horns, sea of red, homemade Stanley Cups, Flaming C's, and flashing of breasts, you could hear peaple asking about the "other game".

The "other game" was the hometown Remparts taking on the rival Leduc Grizzlies. And what once was the "other game" was continuing to gain popularity. As fans started hearing the news that at 11:00 the baseball game was still going, interest peaked, and flashing dwindled (shit). Yes indeed, the Remparts had given the Grizzlies an early 1 run lead in the game, but were able to tie it up in the 8th!

With thousands upon thousands of gleefull fans roaming the streets, it wasn't long before there were thousands of peaple walking into a now free for all park showing a great game of baseball. By the 12th inning the game was still tied, and the attendance had grown to 10,000 with more strolling in by the second. By the 16th inning the stadium was packed solid with 18,000 and another 20,000 standing around the park either watching from a post, building, or tree or just taking in the sheer delight of getting caught up in a wonderful party.

What was once the distant second of fan appreciation had become the must-be place for all in the city. With the game still knotted at 1 in the 18th, fans were going crazy and the stadium was shaking. Any other time a 1-1 tie in the 18th would bring empty seats, but not tonight... not on THIS night. Every pitch was huge, and every play was spectaculat. And for every great play, there was a great cheer. The peaple in attendance knew they had happened upon a special time.

With each inning, and each hour rolling by, the fans just became louder. By the 20th inning, the whols city was north end of the city was awake. City officials were called upon to open McMahon Stadium and turn on the jumbotron, so fans on the streets would have somewhere to watch the finish. As 48,000 peaple jammed into the football stadium, there was still thousands left to wander 16th avenue and try to find somewhere to watch the most important game the Remparts have ever played.

The game stayed tied at 1 until the 23rd inning when Duncan Haston, who was brought in as a pinch runner earlier in the game, hit a triple to bring in not only SS Barr, but C Irle as well! The backup right fielder had become the hero of the night in front of at least 70,000 live fans. The fans poured on the field and carried Haston around the field, as fireworks went off at the Fortress.

Asked later how he felt, Duncan said "it's just one game and we need two more wins. But with the way the night went this is incredible!" As of press time, the streets of Calgary are still alive, and Rempart baseball has just caught fire.

Back to Archive