Rare Video: Footage of Saskatchewan baseball ‘Legends’ that few remember

Imagine Sunday baseball. On national TV. Coming to you live from Saskatoon. It may seem crazy, but it happened.

CTV has found rare footage of a time when Saskatoon had a team in an independent national baseball league.

In 2003, the Saskatoon Legends were born in the newly formed Canadian Baseball League.

The new league was full of promise, fielding teams in eight markets across the country, with a national television contract and plenty of talent with experience in the major leagues.

Ron LeFlore would be the Saskatoon team manager, and former Montreal Expos pitcher Floyd Youmans would be in the rotation for the Legends.

Saskatoon was off to a good start, getting a four game sweep against Victoria to begin the season. And throughout most of the year, they were in the thick of a close race for the division title against Calgary.

But, several weeks into the season, cracks began to show.

Legends pitcher Floyd Youmans had a tough outing during a national TV appearance against Calgary. He suffered a lower body injury that took him out of a pivotal game.

Saskatoon lost that game 6-0, but there were bigger troubles facing the league itself.

Attendance was sagging in several markets, including Saskatoon, despite the Legends fielding a competitive team. The national TV contract was eventually nixed due to high costs. By late July, the league announced it would cease operations.

Legends players likely felt the most disappointment, followed by the few but boisterous Saskatoon fans, who saw a team that performed well on the field.

When the league folded, the Saskatoon Legends had a 22-15 record, and were only two games out of first place in the division.

Sadly, no one would ever find out if they could bring home a championship.