Fun with Context

New Zealand is a rugged place with a proud history of tradition. Widely known for a devotion to sheep that would make a Welshman cringe; their sporting history is best encapsulated by the Maori war dance performed before every single national sporting event. The "haka" or "douche litmus test" is an age-old tradition in which the loyal Kiwis evoke the fighting spirit of the brave indigenous people they enslaved and slaughtered upon landfall.

Though Canadians prefer their racism quietly insidious, New Zealand and Canada DO have a great deal in common. Both are the red-headed step children of their geographical corner of the world, and both partake in the endearing practice of provincially celebrating the minor accomplishments of their local sons on the world stage.

Blue Jays prospect Scott Campbell is a native of New Zealand, and when he's not enjoying tasteless fruit, he's working towards becoming the first Kiwi to play Major League Baseball. His move from second base to third made the NZ newspapers, minor amounts of comedy ensued:

Toronto's director of player development, Dick Scott, indicated that Campbell had "really surprised us offensively", and the outfit had now decided to test him further with the move to the other side of the infield.

They called a baseball team an outfit! LOL!

Truthfully, the piece comes off credibly, aside from the wacky use of the letter s in the word organization. Reporter Tim Dunbar added a sense of foreboding in the conclusion of the piece, noting that New Zealand's previous baseball hope Travis Wilson, who maxed out at the AAA level, also switched positions early in his pro career. He too switched second and third bases!! Dun, dun, dunnnn.

Doomed! Scott Campbell is doomed to a Jonathon Power-esque level of sporting notoriety in his home country! Oh, the indignity of carrying the deflated hopes and dreams of athletically depressed region on your shoulders.

Elsewhere

Longtime friend of the Ghostrunners, former double play partner of the Reverend and baseball utilityman of high acclaim Pete Orr refused a minor league assignment and is now a free agent. Damn you JP, for loading up on so many scrappy middle infielding white guys, you could have had the greatest of them all! According to Ernest Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the native of Newfuckingmarket Ontario has attracted the interest of the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies and the world champion of overweight Spanish guys Detroit Tigers.

The most sincere wishes we can muster go out to an awesome, humble guy as he tries to land another job in big leagues. Continue to prove, in spite of what history has taught us, you can achieve greatness in life after having your shot blocked by Lloyd the Barber.

A soft spot

I'm quite sure many this side of the border would agree, although I think from their standpoint it's mainly a patriotic thing. I've always hoped that somehow Canadian utility player Peter Orr would end up in a Jay uniform. It really doesn't have anything to do with him being Canadian either. I grew up playing with Pete.

He was the shortstop on our high school team in Newmarket, I was the second baseman. We had an amazing team, and Pete was our cornerstone. I played with and against some pretty amazing ball players, and Pete was hands down the best of any of them. So I wasn't surprised when he was selected (during a regular day at school) by the Texas Rangers in the 39th round back in 1998. To my knowledge he is the only one, out of all the people I've ever playing with or against, that ever had a taste of the big leagues.

Though he didn't actually play for the Rangers, he signed as a free agent with the Braves in 1999. He played several seasons in the minors for the Braves before he landed a spot on the roster after a solid spring training prior to the 2005 season. He was mainly a utility guy, playing a multitude of positions & acting as a pinch hitter/runner and defensive sub. He never got a real chance to play as he was behind guys like Rafael Furcal, Brian Giles, Chipper Jones and Jeff Francoeur just to name a few.

Pete played on the 2004 Canadian Olympic team that finished 4th and he won the 2004 Bill Lucas Award for the Atlanta Braves Minor Leaguer best exemplifying Sportsmanship and Character. Those who know or have met Pete wouldn't be surprised by this one bit. For all his talent and accomplishments Pete remains to this day one of the classiest guys I've ever met. I doubt there was a nicer, more humble guy in the entire Braves organization and I consider myself lucky to have played with him.

Pete was designated for assignment by the Braves after last season and subsequently released. However, he was signed to a minor league contract by the Nationals in December and was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training. I've always believed that given a chance to play everyday, he could develop into a solid two-way player in the Majors.

He was one of the last guys cut at spring training by the Nationals yesterday after an amazing spring, which saw him hit .389. The Nationals decided to keep another utility player, Willie Harris, instead. Pete is starting the year down in AAA Columbus. Hopefully, he keeps his strong play going down in Columbus and gets a nod sometime this season, as I know he could bring not only a fantastic and winning attitude to the National roster, but intangibles and effort that would be an asset to the club.

Most of us who knew or played with him growing up follow his career with great interest, wherever he may be playing and will continue to do so.

If I was general manager of the Jays for a day, I'd put together a deal to get Orr on the roster here in Toronto. I'm sure it wishful thinking, and extremely bias on my part, but in this case I really don't care.