A group of pitchers for the Foothills Midget Black Dawgs will have the advice of a major leaguer ringing in their ears when they go to the mound for the national championship in Quebec City later this month.
Jim Henderson became the first player from the Dawgs organization to be called up to the major leagues when he made his debut with the Milwaukee Brewers on July 26.
The 29-year-old right-hander received a whack of congratulations from the Black Dawgs players, many of whom he has coached over the last few off-seasons.
“A lot of the kids I coached had my number and they text me or Facebooked me,” Henderson said in an interview shortly after being called up to the Brewers. “It meant a lot to me to get their support. I think it hits home to them that someone who was in their shoes now is in the majors…. They are taking the same path I took.”
Shawn Andersen, who got the win in the provincial semifinal for the Dawgs, was one of those guys who congratulated Henderson.
“I have worked with Jim for about four years now,” Anderson said. “I was so proud of him. Working with him has helped me so much. He worked on my mechanics to stay back on my delivery.
To see him in the bigs is awesome.”
When Henderson got the call, there were more tweets among the Black Dawgs than at the annual High River Christmas bird count.
“There were re-tweets going everywhere,” Andersen said with a laugh. “It was pretty exciting.”
Dawgs executive director John Ircandia said Henderson has played a key role in developing the young players in the Dawgs organization.
“He has worked with those guys,” Ircandia said. “I think he is a fantastic model. It’s not like he’s an alien from a different world — he is one of them. Jim has proved it’s clearly doable if you work hard.”
Henderson will be back in Okotoks and help the young Dawgs again when the Brewers’ season comes to a close.
“I plan on it,” Henderson said. “I appreciate the support I got in Okotoks and I know there was a lot of buzz in Okotoks (after he was called up).”
He added the state-of-the-art facilities at the Durvernay Fieldhouse is an ideal place for him and the young Dawgs to work on their skills during the off-season.
