Former Expos executive, manager Jim Fanning dies
He was not on the list.
Jim Fanning, the longtime Montreal Expos executive who
managed the franchise to its only playoff appearance in Canada, has died. He
was 87.
The Toronto Blue Jays confirmed Fanning's death Saturday.
Fanning was the Expos' general manager when the team entered
the major leagues in 1968 and spent 25 years with the franchise that moved to
Washington in 2005 and became the Nationals.
As field manager in the strike-shortened 1981 season, he
directed Montreal to playoffs. After beating Philadelphia, the Expos lost to
Los Angeles in the National League Championship Series. Fanning was 116-103 as
manager in 1981-82 and 1984.
"It is with my deepest condolences to the Fanning
family upon hearing of the passing of Jim today," Blue Jays president and
CEO Paul Beeston said in a statement. "He was a longtime friend and not
enough can be said of his contributions to the game of baseball, particularly
in Canada. Jim impacted many lives and he will be remembered fondly by many
inside and outside the game of baseball."
Fanning was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
in 2000 and served as a team ambassador for the Blue Jays. He was a backup
catcher with the Chicago Cubs from 1954-57, hitting .170 with five RBIs in 64
games.
"He was dedicated to developing baseball in
Canada," said former Blue Jays GM Gord Ash, now vice president and
assistant GM of the Milwaukee Brewers. "He was a great ambassador. He made
Canada his home. He was available and wanted to participate.
"I think everyone's favorite memory of Jim is just his
demeanor. He had a very welcoming type of personality. Everybody liked him,
everybody got along with him easily."
Fanning was born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1927, and attended
high school in Moneta, Iowa. He played in college at Buena Vista in Iowa and
the University of Illinois.
A resident of London, Ontario, he became a Canadian citizen
in 2012.
"Jim Fanning was a baseball pioneer in this
country," said Scott Crawford, director of operations for the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame. "Without his tireless efforts, there may not be
Major League Baseball in Canada. He was a tremendous talent evaluator, an
astute general manager and a smart field manager.
"We were proud to induct him into our museum in 2000.
But most importantly, Jim was a passionate teacher, a loving husband and
father, and a wonderfully generous man. He was baseball royalty in Canada who
visited our museum regularly."
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