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John Upham always had time.
Whether it was teaching the game of baseball or simply sitting back tot talk about it, the former Major League Baseball two-way player always made time.
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Upham, who played parts of two seasons with the Chicago Cubs before returning home to give back to the sport, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 83.
“He was a big part of my childhood, learning how to hit and love the game,” said Windsor native coach Stubby Clapp, who made to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001 and now coaches with the team.
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“My dad and him played slow-pitch together and they would always include me in BP (batting practice), letting me shag, play catch with me and hit a couple of rounds, if there was time at the end.
“He was special to our family. He will be dearly missed.”
Upham was a standout athlete at Assumption high school where he played baseball, hockey and baseball. He won city and provincial titles in basketball while being named a first-team all-star.
After high school, he turned down scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan and Detroit and instead signed with Philadelphia in 1960. He signed with the Cubs in 1966 and and eventually reached the majors with Chicago in 1967 and again joined the team in 1968.
After nine pro seasons, he’s returned to Windsor and began his coaching career.
“We all know, as a younger man, John was a very good multi-sport athletes and a very knowledgeable baseball person,” local baseball legend Bernie Soulliere said. “John passed on that knowledge at the national and provincial team level to local programs such as the Mic-Mac club, Riverside minor baseball, Tecumseh baseball and Windsor Selects to name a few.”
Upham managed Riverside’s bantam team to a national bronze medal in 2000 and a silver medal in 2001. He served as the pitching coach for Canada at three-straight world junior championships, coached third base for Canada at the 1988 Olympic Games, managed Canada’s world junior team in 1989 and 1990, served as the country’s pitching coach at the Pan-Am Games in 2011 and also managed the Canadian senior team in 1992.
At this point, funeral arrangements for Upham have not been announced.
jpparker@postmedia.com
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