Phil Devey's Olympic Run

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Phil Devey: University of Louisiana 1997-1999

The image of Phil Devey wearing the Maple Leaf during the opening ceremonies of the Athens Olympics left Max Poulin with a smile on his face and a tear in his eye. Devey, who played baseball in Quebec with the Winnipeg Goldeyes shortstop, was added to the Canadian Olympic team when fellow left-hander Jeff Francis was denied the opportunity to play for his country by the Colorado Rockies.

Poulin spoke with Devey recently, but it really hit home when he saw him on television Friday night with the rest of Canada's Olympians.

"We played together growing up and I almost cried on the phone because I knew he was so excited," said Poulin, who got the call on the day Devey was added to the roster. " He deserves it, he's worked so hard.

"It's awesome. The first person I saw (during the opening ceremonies) was Devey, he was right there. I was very jealous because it's a dream to go there."

Like many analysts, Poulin is predicting big things from Team Canada, despite the late loss of Francis and Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Mourneau, who cemented his spot in the big leagues when Doug Mientkiewicz was dealt to the Boston Red Sox.

"They have a very good team, man. They've got a good chance," said Poulin, who also played two years of junior ball in St. Eustache, Que. with Canada's starting catcher Pete LaForest. "They beat Cuba 9-1 the other day (in exhibition play). They're going to be in the medals, that's for sure."

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By KEN WIEBE
kwiebe@wpgsun.com

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Ex-Cajun ace Devey playing for home nation
Pitcher wastes no time accepting Canadian offer

Last Tuesday, Phil Devey was in his San Antonio apartment, planning to sleep in and prepare for his next start for the Texas League’s San Antonio Missions.

Today, he’s in Athens, Greece, and is on one of the two unbeaten teams in the Olympic baseball competition.

It’s been a busy week.

“The phone rang, they told me to pack my stuff and they had plane tickets waiting for me,” Devey said. “I got here Thursday, and it’s been non-stop since then.”

“They” were the Canadian Olympic Committee, which put the former University of Louisiana standout on his home country’s baseball roster as a late replacement one week ago. He left San Antonio Wednesday, arrived in Athens on Thursday and went through Opening Ceremonies Friday while sandwiching in practice sessions and workouts.

His Canadian team is 3-0 in the eight-team Olympic tournament, having beaten Chinese Taipei 7-0, Italy 9-3 and The Netherlands 7-0. They’ll play the host Greece team — considered the worst team in the event — today.

Devey, who as a lefthanded pitcher came south to hurl the Ragin’ Cajuns to two Sun Belt Conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances, hasn’t seen action yet. But his time’s likely coming, with the Canadians getting ready to face the three pre-tournament favorites in Japan, Cuba and Australia.

“We’re really deep pitching-wise on this team,” Devey said. “Since I was a late add, I don’t know what my role is going to be. This is a good baseball team. We’ve got two good setup men and a solid closer, and 10 or 11 guys with big league experience.”

While waiting for a pitching assignment, he’s making the most of his unexpected Olympic experience.

“It’s been awesome,” Devey said. “I got here in time for the Opening Ceremonies, and just to walk into that stadium, with 80,000 people there and all the athletes from all the countries, it was quite an experience.

“I got to meet Yao Ming, I got my picture taken with Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, Martina Navratilova, Rulon Gardner. It was pretty amazing.”

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[RaisingCajun08]

Devey got to see his 1st action in the Olympics today. He threw 6 innings of shut out ball and got the win as Canada beat Australia 11-0.

http://www.athens2004.com/en/Basebal...=BBM400928_C73

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Canada avoids Japan semi showdown

Athens — Canada's baseball team put an end to its two-game losing streak Sunday, pounding Australia 11-0 in its final round-robin Olympic matchup.

The win gave Canada a 5-2 record and allowed them to avoid playing top-ranked Japan in the semi-finals on Tuesday. Canada will instead face Cuba — who beat Canada 5-2 on Saturday — while Japan will play Australia.

In other Olympic baseball action Sunday, Japan beat Greece 6-1, Cuba defeated Italy 5-0, and Taiwan won 5-1 over the Netherlands.

The win over Australia represented Canada's fourth shutout in the tournament, with Phil Devey of St. Jerome, Que., getting his first win in Athens. The left-hander, who was the final player added to the Canadian roster after the Colorado Rockies held on to top prospect Jeff Francis, limited the Aussies to just two hits in six innings of work.

"I felt great," Devey said after the game. "I wasn't really nervous. I worked my butt off to get here."

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