"C" is for championship, celebration and, this weekend, "C" stood for baseball. On Sunday, the Vancouver Canadians-the "C" was also for confidence-won this city an important sports victory.
The symbol wasn't lost on many of the players, some of whom spent their first night in Vancouver on June 15 and found themselves downtown as a riot erupted.
"We wanted to bring this city a championship. They deserved it this summer," said Jesse Hernandez, who pitched six innings in the 9-2 win to clinch the C's their first Single A Northwest League championship, and was downtown for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final with Drew Permison, who closed Sunday's game on the mound.
An auspicious start, perhaps, to an otherwise symbolic and patriotic season that linked the Vancouver ball club with the country's only Major League Baseball team, the Toronto Bluejays. (More symbolism: the final fell on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, and both the Canadian and U.S. flags were flown at half-mast. The majorty of C's players and personnel are Amerian.)
"The relationship with the Jays is just out of this world," said C's owner Jeff Mooney, who took over the club alongside Jake Kerr in 2007 when it was still affiliated with the Oakland A's. The C's did not win a regional title in the 11 years it's been part of the Single A Northwest League but twice reached the finals.
"It's over the top. It's been a long time since we had a champion in Vancouver and now we've got one. We're thrilled that we brought a professional championship to Vancouver and we couldn't be more proud," said Mooney.
Is the win sweeter since the ownership is all-Canadian?
"For the Vancouver fans, I hope it is," said the C's pitching coach Jim Czajkowski, on an afternoon that saw his hurlers allow only one run on six hits.
The winning club gives all Vancouver sports franchises a reason to feel proud, he said. "I want the Canucks to go ahead and feed off of this and have a great season. It was amazing when we first showed up and they were in the final game. It was tough luck that they didn't make it through it, but maybe this town needs a champion. They can rest their hat on us."
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