Ryan Beil: It's August, baby. Time for a check-in with the Vancouver Canadians

August has the ability to feel like a month-long Sunday. The frivolity and wild abandon of the summer season is in full effect but September has begun to make its final descent and is starting to secure seats and tray tables as it prepares for landing. 

And I don’t care what “science” has to tell me about how long Summer technically lasts, September belongs to the Fall and The Fall is where baseball season’s come to an end. 

Currently, I’m sitting on a homemade picnic bench contemplating packing up my campsite which will signify the end of my vacation time for the season. Perhaps that’s why my views on Summer skew a little bit to the dramatic at the moment.

Regardless, it’s still August and we still have baseball. We should rejoice in the here and now and be happy with that simple fact. 

And, I know, I know, we’ll actually be able to enjoy regular season baseball until September 3rd in Vancouver this year, but I’m telling you: September belongs to the Fall and The Fall is for playoffs and championships.

So as we enter our final month(ish) of baseball at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium, I thought it would be nice to do a little check in of where we’re at, what’s happening and where we’re headed.

You know me…I love a check-in. 

The MLB trade deadline

Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. Eastern time was the last point during the regular season at which players on 40-man rosters in the Major Leagues can be traded from one club to another. This day and the days leading up to it are known as the Trade Deadline. A time period where minor league ball players are flying around from team to team as Major League Ball Clubs prepare for a playoff push or try to restock their farm systems for upcoming seasons. 

Did any C’s players suddenly have to change area codes as a result of this year’s deadline? The answer is: yes, kinda, sort of. 

The Blue Jays made three trades (all with the St. Louis Cardinals; arguably the most evil team in MLB History) and a few former Vancouver Canadians are headed to the Cards:

• Matt Svanson, who threw the last out of the combined seven-inning no-hitter on June 11 when we swept Everett in a double header,
• Adam Kloffenstein, who joined the C’s in 2021 and moved up to the Fisher Cats in 2022,
• and Sem Robberse, an interesting pitcher who moved up to Double A this past July. He's an international signee out of the Netherlands, which is not a traditional hotbed of baseball talent or interest. But who knows? Maybe when Sem makes the big leagues, that will all change.

The Standings

Scoreboard watching and the Northwest League Standings are kind of academic for us here in Vancouver. The C’s won the first half of the season and have locked themselves into a spot for the Championship series in September. 

But, just in case you haven’t checked in a while, let me tell you what’s going on: The Vancouver Canadians are currently in first place in the second half of the season as well! They are six games ahead of their closest rival and have won seven of their last ten. 

I Implore you: If you haven’t made a pilgrimage to the Nat this summer, the time is now! The team is rolling, the championship series is on the horizon and the popcorn is still plentiful. And come shout hi if you see me, as always, at the Nat!