Canada 1-0 at Olympics

Canada started the competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics with a 10-0 win over the host team, China.  Leading the way was Scott Thorman with a 3 run home run, and a strong pitching performance by Chriss Begg, who went 6.1 innings in the start.

Stern and Saunders each contributed 2 runs and RBIs each, and Cormier closed the game with 3 strikeouts.

Next up is Cuba, which should present much more of a challenge to the Canadian squad.

Let the (baseball) Games Begin!

So the 2008 Beijing Olympics start today … or tomorrow if you want to be picky about when the competitions begin.  I’m not sure how much I’ll be interested in, but time will tell.  Sometimes it is tough not to be drawn in when you see your country competing.

For those Canadian baseball fans, our team starts play on Tuesday.  Here’s the olympic baseball schedule:

Tuesday, Aug. 12 – Canada vs. China, 11:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 14 – Canada vs. Cuba, 6 a.m.
Fri, Aug. 15 – South Korea vs. Canada, 6 a.m. & Canada vs. U.S., 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 17 – Japan vs. Canada , 10:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 18 – Canada vs. Netherlands, 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 20 – Taiwan vs. Canada , 6 a.m.
Thursday, Aug. 21 – Semifinal – First vs. Fourth Places, 10:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 22 – Semifinal – Second vs. Third Places, 6 a.m.
Bronze Medal Game – Semifinal Losers, 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 23
Gold Medal Game – Semifinal Winners, 6 a.m.

The roster of Canada’s team can be viewed here.  Some of the notables are this year’s first round draft pick Brett Lawrie, pitcher Rheal Cormier, World Baseball Classic hero Adam Stern, recent MLB players Scott Thorman, Chris Reitsma, and perennial baseball favourite Stubby Clapp.

Also, for those following the game closely, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame will be having a blogger in Beijing reporting on the team.  Find those reports here. 

Of course, all the scores and commentary will be right here.  So stay tuned for some great Canadian baseball games!