Then, I asked him who he thought would win.

The San Francisco Giants or the St. Louis Cardinals.

A St. Louis win meant the Tigers would be facing the Cards in the World Series.

“Lance Lynn stepped in and did a great job replacing Chris Carpenter when he was injured this year, I read where if Lynn wins it will be his 20th win of the season.

“I like Lynn better than Barry Zito, what did he last 2 2/3 innings against Cincinnati? Plus over-all the Cardinals are a better team than the Giants.”

WRONG!

I said it with so much conviction the man was startled.

I told him how he did not understand how the post-season worked.

Had he not heard of Koppett’s Law?

He had not.

Leonard Koppett of the New York Herald Tribune, the New York Post, The New York Times, the Peninsula Times Tribune, and The Sporting News, stated a long time ago it was easy to forecast what would happen next in the post-season play. Just figure out which result inconveniences the most amount of writers.

If the Cards win the World Series would have opened in St. Louis on Wednesday night. Writers and broadcasters could stay put or go home for a couple of days, returning for Tuesday’s work out day.

If the Giants won Game 5, the National League Championship Series would continue Sunday in San Fran and everyone would be on a Saturday flight to the coast.

“Oh, I think I get it,” said the scout. “So, big deal you fly out there for one game and come back to St. Louis.”

No, under Koppett’s Law the Giants will win Game 6 and then lose Game 7 Monday and everyone will rush back to St. Louis for the workout day on Tuesday.

“I had no idea these strange forces were at work,” said the scout.

Believe it.

The Giants blanked the Cards 5-0.

On to San Francisco.

Both played for Danny Bleiwas’ Ontario Blue Jays and have worn the Canadian Junior National Team colours for coach Greg Hamilton.

Pinero, a Toronto resident who also played for the Mississauga Majors, is headed to the University of Virginia.

Mississauga’s Collymore, also played for the Majors and was on the gold medal winning Canada Cup team this August in London, has signed a letter of intent to attend North Carolina State.

A totel of 51 Canadians have signed letters of intent to four-year NCAA schools either starting this fall or next.

The complete list of Letters of Intent 

Not that anyone cares about the woes of a ball scribe jetting around the country but here was my day …

1. Arrive at La Guardia Airport, named after the former New York City mayor Theo La Guardia, around 2:30 PM.

2. Flight is slated for 5:20.

3. It’s bumped back to 6:30 because of mechanical problems.

4. Then, 8 p.m.

5. Next comes an announcement that you can switch terminals and get on an American Airlines flight to St. Louis. All the seats are gone.

6. I go standby on the 8:20 PM.

7. Get the last seat and am walking pass the gate agent and ask about my bag … “Oh you’ll have to come back and get it, we don’t deliver, it was your choice to leave it behind.” I say forget it, I’m sticking with my bag.

8. Finally a plane arrives which is supposed to turn around and take us to St. Louis.

9. So do three cops.

10. People get off the plane and finally some young guy who smoked an electronic cigarettes on the plane.

11. Guy perhaps was over served as he’s wobbly, he’s loud and he’s walking around with his hands over head. Policemen are staring at him.

12. Finally the guy starts throwing stuff and cussing his gal. Cop arrives and trumps his four-letter vocab: “these are not dopey New York City rules, these are FAA rules, you had 90 seconds on a plane if there is a spark before flames reach the jet fuel. Hey wise butt you probably should not drink if you can’t handle. KnowwhatI’msaying.”

13. We board around 10:30.

14. Arrive in St. Louis at 1 AM … wait at baggage carousel for half an hour — no bag.

15. Go to airline office and there is bag … it came on the 8:20 and says the guy behind the desk “we would have delivered if it  was mechanical, not weather, but mechanical is our fault.”

I miss my private plane, flying commercial is rough.

Maybe the top turret at the Royal Military College alongside coaches who were yelling into head sets as the RMC Redmen played the Carleton Red Ravens on the football field down below.

But I can only recall four times when row after row of writers gasped at what they had just seen on the field below:

Maybe there was the same reaction when Joe Carter homered to win the 1993 World Series, but the noise at the SkyDome drowned everyone out.

1. Game 6, 1986 World Series, Oct. 25, Shea Stadium.

The Boston Red Sox baseball’s poor sisters were finally going to win … thousands of words, bytes, characters, lines and stories had been filed from rickety old Shea by the dandelions of North American journalism.

The Red Sox led the New York Mets 5-3 heading into the bottom of the 10th, three outs from winning their first Series since 1918.

Calvin Schiraldi retired Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez, who headed for the clubhouse to book a flight home.

Gary Carter singled on a 2-1 pitch, pinch hitter Kevin Mitchell singled on an 0-1 pitch and Ray Knight singled to centre on an 0-2 pitch, bringing home Carter.

Now, it was a one-run ball game.

Manager John McNamara brought in Bob Stanley who threw a wild one to the screen.

Tie game.

Mookie Wilson dribbled a ball up the first base line …

It looked like a routine out … now we’re headed to the 11th inning.

One problem the roller went between the wickets of first baseman Billy Buckner, Knight scored and the Mets had forced a Game 7.

The whole press box let out a scream and moved into panic mode to re-write what has happened.

The ‘Curse of the Bambino is over’ stories were saved but they were eventually killed when the Mets won Game 7.

2. Game 1, 1988 World Series, Oct. 15, Dodger Stadium.

Again everyone had filed their stories. The Oakland A’s had a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth and Mr. Perfect Dennis Eckersley was asked to get the final three outs.

Due to injuries Tommy Lasorda fielded one the worst post-season lineups ever (1. 2B Steve Sax, 2. 1B Franklin Stubbs, 3. LF Mickey Hatcher, 4. RF Mike Marshall, 5. CF John Shelby, 6. C Mike Scioscia, 7. 3B Jeff Hamilton, 8. SS Alfredo Griffin and No. 9. RHP Tim Belcher) in baseball history. When an TV commentator said so on the pre-game show Lasorda stormed into the clubhouse screaming at what he’d heard on TV in an effort to motivate his troops.

When Eckersley arrived the Dodgers had managed six hits: a Hatcher homer and five singles. Pinch hitter Mike Davis worked a five-pitch walk.

And now limping out of the dugout, after spending the game in the trainer’s room came injured pinch hitter Kirk Gibson on one leg, holding one bat.

Gibson hit the seventh pitch from Eck for game-winning homer. Eck coined the phrase “walk-off” as the press box gasped in unison, although there may have been a few “holy craps” mixed in and Hall of Famer broadcaster Jack Buck said:

“I don’t believe what I just saw.”

That genuine statement earned him a rip in Monday’s USA Today.

3. Game 5, 2001 World Series, Nov. 1, Yankee Stadium.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager brought in Byung-Hyun Kim for the ninth with a 2-0 lead.

Kim allowed a lead-off double Jorge Posada and retired Shane Spencer and Chuck Knoblauch.

With two out and all the stories filed Scott Brosius hit the second pitch he saw for a game-winning, two-run homer.

“I can’t believe what I just saw,” said a writer down the row from me next to George Steinnbrenner’s private box.

“A re-run of last nite,” exclaimed another.

In Game 4, Kim was brought in for the save with a 3-1 lead in the ninth. Kim allowed a one-out single to Paul O’Neill, but with two out Tino Martinez hit a two-run homer to tie the game. And Jeter hit a walk-off homer on a 3-2 pitch from Kim in the 10th.

4. And the latest entry … Game 1, 2012 American League Championship Series, Oct. 12, Yankee Stadium.

This time it was not writers fretting about the change of the outcome.

This time it was not writers in awe marvelling at what they’d seen.

Nick Swisher had already misplayed Delmon Young liner to give the Detroit Tigers a 5-4 lead in 12th.

Jhonny Peralta hit a grounder to short. Jeter moved to his left and went down like a sniper had fired. He turned and grimaced, showing a face of pain as he attempted to flip the ball to Robinson Cano.

“Don’t cart me off the field,” he told manager Joe Girardi.

So trainer Steve Donohue and Girardi carried Jeter to the dugout.

In this resurgence of the Yanks — he was on the bench watching as a September call up in 1995 and was there for the first of five rings in 1996 — as the Yanks make the World Series for the first time in 1981, he has always been first class and accommodating.

He was the face of the franchise more so than Cal Ripken, knocked for putting his personal streak ahead of what’s best for the Orioles.

Some knock Jeter for his lack of range and claim Alex Rodriguez is the better shortstop on the roster.

Yet, it was and is Jeter’s team.

Players respect him.

Umpires respect him.

Writers respect him.

Yankee fans respected him.

That was obvious from TV clips.

As Jeter was carried off fans were shown sobbing and crying.

Yet the 2011 WYO-Mania IX was extra special.

The night before the Wyoming Cowboys thumped the New Mexico Lobos to move to 7-3 about 50 of us, counting some university officials, ate in the Paul Roach room and I was a few seats down from Paul Roach. 

Not often do you sit near a guy who has accomplished enough in his lifetime to have a room named after him.

Roach was the Wyoming head coach from 1987 to 1990, compiling a 35-15 record (.700 winning percentage), with two seasons of 10 or more wins (1987–1988) as he won WAC Coach of the Year honors and was a two-time finalist for National Coach of the Year. Later he was the athletic director.

Seated nearby was former Wyoming quarterback Art Howe, who injured his back, turned to baseball going on to play 11 years in the majors and managing 14 seasons.

Roach began telling stories … of his NFL days as an assistant and then his college coaching days as a head coach.

From 1977-1980 he was the running back coach with the Denver Broncos and told about a young coach on staff in 1978.

“The guy would come up, ask ‘coach why are we doing it this way?’ What about trying it like this? Coach how we do it that way? And on and on it went,” Roach said. “Finally I told him to cut it out, save his questions for either lunch or after practice.

“After practice it was even worse — he had even more questions written on his note pad. He was a learner. He kept us late for dinner. He’d rather talk football than eat.”

The name of the young enthusiastic coach?

Bill Belichick, the Broncos assistant special teams coach and defensive assistant, and now New England Patriots head coach who lost Super Bowl by four points to the New York Giants Sunday night in Indianapolis.

Roach’s first year in the pros was as a running backs coach with the 1972 Oakland Raiders.

“I thought I did OK during camp and now it’s time for our first flight,” Roach told the table. “I get onto the plane and I’m looking at the name tags and I see I’m sitting beside the head coach. I’m thinking ‘hey I must have had a great camp — they’re putting beside the boss man.”

Like all good story tellers Roach saved his punch line for the ending.

“You know all that stuff about him being afraid of flying? All true,” Roach said. “He nearly ripped the seat rest off its moorings and my arm was black and blue.”

The name of the Raiders head coach?

John Madden.

After three years with the Broncos, Roach moved on to coach quarterbacks with the 1975-76 Green Bay Packers, then the Broncos and finally the Wyoming Cowboys.

Canada beat Mexico 3-1, led by Christine Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi.

When it was over Vancouver fans showed the same passion for their team and their country as during the Vancouver Olympics.

The event gave me chills.

The flag waving, the signs, the pride, the tears and the passion displayed by the Canadians.

Not that I am a soccer guy, not by any means.

I know where all the soccer pitches are in Toronto — so I can avoid them.

But these were Canucks moving on to the next stage.

Well done.

Some 10 minutes later I went from feeling so happy with the result to upset.

Not with soccer.

But with the Canadian TV networks.

Canada won three medals in baseball in 56 days this fall.

First, a bronze medal at the 39th World Cup in Panama, as Canada was the only country to beat the gold medallists from The Netherlands.

Then, gold at the Pan-Am Games in Mexico, Canada’s first ever with seniors and second ever since the world juniors in 1991, which also was not televised.

And finally a silver medal, its first ever, at the world junior championship in Colombia.

All of which led to the No. 6 ranking in the world amongst 153 countries playing baseball.

And how much did you see on TV?

I saw Jimmy Van Ostrand’s game winning two-run double vs. Team USA and Scott Richmond recording the final out with a strikeout.

Maybe about 20 seconds worth of highlights.

Why should baseball in Canada be a fifth class citizen when it comes to TV coverage?

You will find the name Chip Banks on pro-football-reference.com

It was Banks, an future NFL linebacker, who helped steer slugger Cecil Fielder to baseball.

“I thought I was an OK football player, I make my visit to USC and that’s when I decided I wasn’t going to play football any longer,” the former Blue Jays first baseman told the crowd of players and parents at the inaugural Ontario Blue Jays Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

“The coach puts the ball on the ground between two players lying down, he blows the whistle, they both jump up, there is an explosion Banks flattens the other guy and knocks him out. The coach says ‘Ok boys’ and they move five yards down the field.”

When Fielder returned home he told his mother football wasn’t for him. So, momma asked was it going to be hoops? After all he’d been all-state as a guard.

“Nope, I’m going to try baseball,” Fielder told his captive audience which included inductees Tyler Johnstone, Peter Orr, Adam Stern and Drew Taylor.

His mom said “baseball, you haven’t played since Little League.”

“I know but father said I should give baseball a try,” Fielder said. “I was the greenest cat on the field, my coach John Romano told me I had to catch up. We didn’t have lights then. But he would throw me batting practice under the one light we had, buckets and buckets of balls.”

Fielder was drafted in the 31st round in 1981 by Baltimore Orioles scout Ed Crosby.

“I’m all excited and he said ‘son you’re better off going to school,” Fielder said.

In January he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round by scout Guy Hansen of the January draft in 1982 “they don’t even have that any more” and was sent rookie-class Butte, Montana.

There he was behind prospect Joe Citari adjusting to the western culture.

“It was a shock me being from south central Los Angeles and we were in the M&M Cigar Store with it’s swinging doors, people carrying pistols and knives,” said Fielder, who did what any lonesome teenager would do far away from home.

He called his mother and told her he had enough, it was time to come home.

“Nope, you’re not,” his mother said.

So, Fielder stayed with the knowledge of the Wally Pipp story, the New York Yankee who asked for a day off and was replaced by Lou Gehrig, who played 2,130 consecutive games.

He got his chance, hit 28 doubles, 20 homers and 68 RBIs in 69 games.

“I knew I wasn’t the best player, but I was going to be the hardest worker,” Fielder said.

The next February he was dealt to the Jays for Leon Roberts and made stops at class-A Florence, class-A Kinston and double-A Knoxville before being promoted to the Jays in 1985.

In 1987-88 he split DH duties with Fred McGriff and during the collapse of 1987 was thrown out in the fourth inning on a steal attempt in the final game.

“Manager Jimy Williams came over and said ‘if you get on we’re going hit-and-run with Manny Lee on the first pitch,” Fielder said. “Well, Jimmy told me, but no one told Manny. What I didn’t understand, why not punch run Willie Upshaw?“

Tigers catcher Mike Heath threw out Fielder and the Jays lost 1-0, missing the chance to force a playoff and a game 163. It was Fielder’s first steal attempt in 146 games in the majors

In December of 1988 assistant GM Gord Ash phoned with news that his contract had been sold to the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese League.

“I wasn’t the prototypal player, I didn’t look like Kelly Gruber, wasn’t as athletic as Lloyd Moseby, George Bell, Jesse Barfield or Tony Fernandez,” Fielder said. “Gord said if you don’t accept we’ll likely have the same amount of at-bats for you.”

Fielder hit .308 with 38 homers and came home early from Japan after breaking his hand.

That’s when the late Bill Lajoie, GM of the Detroit Tigers called to ask “did I want to become a Detroit Tiger?”

The next spring when Fielder arrived in Lakeland, Fla. manager Sparky Anderson called him in and said ‘you’ve got to play.”

“How I loved that man Sparky, how I miss him, he had so much knowledge, he won all those games with the Big Red Machine,” said Fielder. “I hit about 10 homers in the spring but didn’t hit my first homer until the sixth game against Dave Johnson of  Baltimore.”

He played 159 games and hit 51 homers, driving in 132.

“That winter I did an interview with ESPN’s Roy Firestone and with Roy you have to try not to get too emotional,” said Fielder. “He said that the Jays had to use three players each time they hit for me, how I was a flash in the pan.

“I said well if dropping 51 and 132 is a flash in the pan we’ll see, then I dropped a 44 (homers) and 133 on them the next year.”

Fielder said he often played hurt or when he was under the weather as just being in the lineup might help Allan Trammell, Lou Whitaker or Travis Fryman get a pitch to hit.

“Besides, I’d heard the Wally Pipp story,” said Fielder.

At the 1996 trade deadline he was dealt to the New York Yankees, run by GM Bob Watson, his next door neighbor.

The Yanks dropped the first two game of the World Series at Yankee Stadium and won the next four.

“Man that was a team we made it a six-inning game with Mariano Rivera pitching the seventh and eighth and John Wetteland the ninth. We had a saying ‘we play today? We win today.’

“What great teammates Tino Martinez, Derek Jeter, he was always at his locker listening to Mariah Carey, I used to smash his CD player and buy him a next one the next day,” Wade Boggs, Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, Tim Raines, Charlie Hayes, Kenny Rogers, who had trouble throwing strikes, David Cone, Andy Pettitte, Jimmy Key and Dwight Gooden.

“We’re taking batting practice in Atlanta and the Braves fans are in the aisles with brooms. Joe Torre called us in the clubhouse and asked ‘did you guys see what I saw?’”

Where will his free agent Prince Fielder land?

“Likely the Washington Nationals,” his father Cecil told the Ontario Blue Jays players and parents during a question and answer period.

“Prince has the desire to be a better hitter than his father — and some day he might be. He might hit 500 home runs, when all is said and done. Prince weighed 306 pounds at age 14 and a strength coach got him down to 248 in two years.”

Fielder, who hit 318 homers and knocked in 1,008 RBIs in 1,470 games, will be inducted into the Ted Williams hitters Hall of Fame on Feb. 3.

INF Tyler Johnstone

Ontario Blue Jays (1999-2002) helped team to Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M. in 2001.

Born: Brampton, Ont.

Coaches: Danny Bleiwas, Ross Dunsmore and Mark Nicholson.

Attended: Connors State, Purdue University at Indiana, Auburn University.

Pro career (nine games): Winnipeg, independent Northern League, class-A Savannah.

Speech: “It’s nice to see my old agent here — even though I didn’t do much for him.”

INF Peter Orr

Ontario Blue Jays (1996-97), Orr joined the Jays as a pitcher, before he was converted by Shawn Travers. 

Born: Richmond, Hill, Ont.

Coaches: Gary Wilson and Ernie Lewington.

Attended: Galveston College.

Pro Career (393 games in the majors) with the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies; (928 games in the minors): class-A Jamestown; class-A Myrtle Beach; double-A Greenville; triple-A Richmond; triple-A Columbus; triple-A Syracuse; triple-A Lehigh Valley).

Internationally: Played in the 2004 Athlens Olympics, as well as the 2006 and 2009 WBC.

Speech: “I guess my family is a second generation Ontario Blue Jays, my cousin Josh Carauso (King City, Ont.) played with the Jays 18s and now is at Rose State College.

“It’s easy to sit here and look around at all the picture and think that’s it.

“But it’s more than pictures, it’s a family. This is a great opportunity for kids, for parents to watch their sons. This is a great opportunity for kids. It wasn’t like this when Adam and I played here.

“I know I wouldn’t have reached the major leagues if not for the Ontario Blue Jays.”

OF Adam Stern

Ontario Blue Jays (1998).

Born: London, Ont.

Coaches: Gary Wilson and Ernie Lewington.

Attended: University of Nebraska, making College World Series in Omaha.

Pro Career:  (54 games in the majors): Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers; (714 games in the minors):  class-A Jamestown, class-A Myrtle Beach, rookie-class Gulf Coast Braves, double-A Greenville, triple-A Pawtucket, triple-A Norfolk, double-A Huntsville, triple-A Nashville.)

Internationally: Took over for Stubby Clapp as Canada’s on-field little giant, a triple short of a cycle with four RBIs as Canada beat Team USA 8-6 in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, played in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

Speech: “I remember filling out all those questionnaires each team I went to and writing down ‘Ontario Blue Jays.’

“I was recruited by Nebraska and when I got there they said they liked my speed. I said ‘my speed? how did you know I had any speed?’ They lined us up at the facility we were using in Etobicoke and had us run between the plate and the mound.

“What do I want to tell people? Don’t quit. Bust your butt. You have a duty as a Canadian to be a grinder. Justin Morneau, Joey Votto or whomever you ask will tell you the same thing.”

LHP Drew Taylor

Ontario Blue Jays (1999-2001) started first game at Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M. in 2001.

Born: Toronto.

Coaches: Danny Bleiwas, Ross Dunsmore, Mark Nicholson and Gary Wilson.

Attended: Georgia Tech University and transferred to Michigan University where he earned all-region honours going 9-1.

Pro career (45 games in the minors, rookie-class Pulaski, class-A Auburn, indy Traverse City): Was with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2006, Traverse City in the independent Frontier League and attended spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Speech: “I’m often asked who was the greatest influence in my baseball career? The answer is Danny Bleiwas.

“I’d like to thank my brother Matt for being a constant supporter, my mom who made all those drives to the games and practices or flew to see me pitch in school. And I’ve been lucky tp have the best role model ever in my father. I’m here because of you dad.”

Legendary Toronto sandlot coach Bob Smyth read our blog during the National League Division Series about standing in the St. Louis Cardinals dugout waiting to speak to Chris Carpenter when a guy in uniform read my credential and asked a question.

“Let me drop a name on you?”

OK.

“Henry Andrulis?” the Cardinal said.

Yep, I’ve heard of him, he played for Team Canada.

“He hit one of the longest home runs off me I ever gave up.”

And you are?

Turned out it was lefty Barry Frank, now a full-time teacher and a part-time batting practice pitcher for the World Series champion Cardinals. He pitched in Toronto two seasons.

“Henry is the best player Bob Smyth has ever coached, there ain’t no number two,” Smyth said.

Hold on a second … Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds, 2010 National League MVP?

“I’ve told Joey that Henry was better, Joey has heard it all before,” Smyth said. “I have coached over 2,500 players over the years and have never seen one better. Never screwed-up in the clutch with the bat and then pitched the ninth for the Etobicoke Indians and shut the other team down.

“He led the league in every possible category and everybody who played in the League knew who was best player.”

Andrulis is still good in the clutch. He now lives in Thorold and is an air traffic controller at Pearson International for previous 20 years.

“Henry never played pro because back then they stereotyped players,” Smyth said. “Henry was not a big guy and peaked at 20. He had more power and faster hands than Dustin Pedroia and could run. He had a left field arm but he accurate.”

Read about Smyth’s all-time Etobicoke team here

Included was a side trip to the Milwaukee Admirals to write about hometown boy — Kirk Muller, of Kingston. I see I ran him out of town … and I see my old paper the Kingston Whig-Standard still have not run my story on Muller.

Looks like my hockey career is over and done.

However, the travel agent could not get me home for less than $1,000 on Sunday.

“How ’bout the last flight out of O’Hare Saturday night … for $177?” asked my man Louis from Montral.

“Sold!”

Only thing we arrived at 6:10 AM, the desk clerk perked up and said “check in time is not until 3 p.m.”

I told him I had paid for the Friday, then the computer system was down for 26 minutes, so I stood there at the Naiperville, Ill. Courtyard … not waiting patiently.