http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/story/4174302p-4762950c...
Stubby Clapp allowed to play for Canada
Updated: May 16 at 11:14 AM CDT
The heart and soul of Canada's national baseball team will be making
the trip to Beijing.
Stubby Clapp, known for his grit, hustle and trademark back flip,
first came to prominence with the Canadian national team during the
Winnipeg 1999 Pan American Games.
Clapp has received permission from the Houston Astros organization to
compete for Canada at the Olympics this August.
The Astros had initially turned down a request for the scrappy
infielder from Windsor, Ont., to take a month off from his duties as a
hitting coach with the single-A Lexington Legends.
"Either way if I got to go or not, I'm happy the situation is
resolved," Clapp said in a phone interview today. "I'm happy with the
way Houston handled it, they're a class organization and I'm very
happy with the way things worked out."
Clapp, 35, met with organization officials after his request to leave
from July 28-Aug. 24 was turned down earlier this month. The Astros
had earlier allowed him to leave for three weeks in the spring to play
in the final qualifying tournament in Taiwan.
"I told them that if my job is in jeopardy if I go that I wanted to
stay," Clapp said. "All the credit goes to Houston. I had to think
about my team's needs and about taking care of my family. I have a
wife and two kids, my job was my priority.
"Sometimes if you really love something you do what you can do to
pursue it hard."
Clapp was a key player on the 2004 Olympic team in Athens and will be
called upon again to provide veteran leadership in Beijing with the
likes of Adam Stern, Ryan Radmanovich and Jeremy Ware.
The Canadian and American Olympic baseball teams will play four
exhibition contests in North Carolina in the leadup to the Games. The
teams will meet at USA Baseball's national training complex in Cary on
Aug. 1, then three times in Durham from Aug. 2-4.
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