[Cole98]

The 1893 Western Series is regarded as one of the greatest series in baseball history. Even 113 years after the fact the legend of the underdog Cannons climbing back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series in the 7th game resonates in the psyche of North America. Perhaps it's the fact that Game 5 and 6 both went to extra innings? Or Robinson Alonzo's game winning single in the top of 8th in Game 7? Maybe Chris Heath's stellar performance, 8 RBIs, 1 Home Run, a .387 Batting Average? Whatever the reason there is one thing that is true, that week in late August solidified Calgary as a baseball town. Despite 24 other franchises in our modern United League being over 110 years old only Calgary, Boston, and Detroit really identify with their teams as cities. New York is home to cinema stars and Broadway, Los Angeles is the financial heart of the United States just as Toronto is to Canada. Chicago has two gridiron football teams, the city often forgets it has two baseball franchises. But Calgary, Boston, and Detroit have experienced such tragedy that baseball helped them recover. While the Nazi's bombarded New England with U-Boat launched missiles from 1943 to 1947 the Boston Rebels continued to play in defiance, living up to their name. During the Auto Crash of 1956-62 the Detroit Robins held a free game each week where they would send fans home with enough food for a week. The Cannons have helped Calgary get through many tribulations, from the Interwar Dustbowl to the Oil Crash of 1986 the franchise became something to rally around. That can all be traced back to the summer of 1893.

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