Satisfaction of New Westminster Justin Morneau admits his dad had him skip out on lacrosse to deal with baseball, and it is laborious to argue with the outcomes.
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Justin Morneau is a favorite son of New Westminster, and lacrosse is a favorite pastime of the Royal Metropolis.
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Morneau and lacrosse by no means obtained collectively although.
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“I requested to play and my dad mentioned, ‘Completely not,’ ” Morneau, 42, the previous Minnesota Twins’ slugger, recalled in a cellphone dialog earlier this week. “All my buddies rising up performed lacrosse. They used to chirp me about it. They needed me to play.”
George Morneau appreciates and understands lacrosse. Hold that in thoughts. To at the present time you commonly discover him promoting 50/50 tickets at New Westminster Salmonbellies’ video games at Queen’s Park Enviornment on Thursday nights over the summer season.
However he’s a baseball man first-and-foremost, and he felt his son had potential in baseball at a younger age. He was definitely confirmed proper.
Morneau gained an American League MVP award, a Nationwide League batting title and made 4 midseason Main League Baseball All-Star Video games throughout a 14-year profession within the bigs. The 6-foot-4, 220 pound, left handed hitting first baseman is third in RBIs (985) and fourth in homers (247) amongst Canadians in main league historical past.
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He performed his ultimate MLB sport in 2016 and has been amassing accolades ever since. The newest got here Wednesday, when he was named a part of the B.C. Sports activities Corridor of Fame 2024 induction class.
“I’m nonetheless a B.C. boy at coronary heart, so it’s an enormous honour to be amongst the best athletes from the province,” mentioned Morneau. “I’m very humbled being honoured the place I grew up and the place I take a lot satisfaction in being from.
“It’s a spot for me that instilled numerous values. West Coast, laid again, attempt to be pleasant, attempt to be welcoming, attempt to deal with different folks. I’m grateful I grew up the place I did and once I did.”
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Morneau has baseball gear from his time with the North Delta Blue Jays, the B.C. Premier League group that then additionally featured Jeff Francis, a left-handed pitcher from North Delta who went on to play 11 years within the majors. Morneau nonetheless has Group B.C. jackets from his time with provincial all-star squads.
He lives in Medina, Minn., together with his spouse and their 5 kids. He’s constructed an ice rink there and he and a few buddies — together with some well-known ones like former Twins teammate Joe Mauer — play pickup hockey video games Wednesday nights, and Morneau routinely wears a New Westminster Royals minor hockey jersey for these.
“Any individual introduced me a jersey and I’ll sport that after we go on the market. It’s a terrific brand,” Morneau mentioned of the purple jersey with the crown throughout the center. “While you develop up in New West, it stays with you. It doesn’t depart you. You’re at all times proud.”
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It’s normally shinny with out goalies. Morneau was a netminder as a teenager and was ok that he was a third-stringer with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks for a time.
Baseball solidified itself as his sport of selection when he was drafted by the Twins within the third spherical of the 1999 MLB Draft. He went dwelling for lunch from New Westminster Secondary that day and obtained a cellphone name from the Twins. He by no means went again to class that afternoon, as a substitute spending it with George phoning everybody they may consider.
“It’s one of many days that’s cemented in my thoughts,” he mentioned. “The pre-draft estimates have been someplace between the fifth and the eighth rounds. I assumed possibly the Expos. I talked to them and the Blue Jays as a lot as anybody. I wasn’t actually positive in regards to the Twins. They flew beneath the radar. It ended up being a very good match for me.”
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Morneau at all times has had a repute for taking care of the youthful gamers, and Canadians particularly.
Rene Tosoni was a Coquitlam Reds’ product who was drafted by the Twins in 2005. In 2009, he went to the Futures Recreation, which is a high prospects’ sport that’s a part of the midseason MLB All-Star Recreation festivities. Morneau, who was already entrenched with the Twins by then, hadn’t met Tosoni on the level, however he tracked down one of many Futures Video games’ clubhouse managers and paid to have a few further Tosoni jerseys made in order that Tosoni may give them to his household as keepsakes.
The next spring, Morneau had Tosoni in addition to North Vancouver catcher/outfielder Rowan Wick and Langley catcher Kellin Deglan, who have been each anticipated to be chosen within the main league draft that June, come stick with him at his place in Arizona so they may all put together for the upcoming season.
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Morneau says that he was merely maintaining the great deeds. He recalled how Corey Koskie, a 3rd baseman from Anola, Man., who was already with the Twins when Morneau was drafted, gave him bats and batting gloves when Morneau first arrived with the group.
After which Larry Walker, the Maple Ridge outfielder who was already a standout within the bigs with the Colorado Rockies by then, despatched Morneau a field of bats when Morneau superior to the double-A ranks.
“I had that occur to me so simply cross it alongside,” Morneau mentioned.
Morneau’s amongst 5 athletes, three builder-coaches, one group, one pioneer, one media member and the winner of the special-recognition W.A.C. Bennett Award that goes into the Corridor formally on Might 16 on the Fairmont Resort Vancouver. Morneau says that he plans to be there. His birthday is the day earlier than.
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“I haven’t been dwelling for my birthday in 25 years,” mentioned Morneau.
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