BTVF turns its spotlight to Quebec, a historic powerhouse of French baseball.
This northern outpost of baseball culture has supplied countless players to professional leagues worldwide, including the American majors. Many of us have crossed paths with these passionate expats, always eager to share their connection to the ‘Old World.’ Who hasn’t heard of Quebec’s legendary ‘Capitals’?
Today, we focus on one player who took the field in France during Mandela’s release, the global hit of ‘Roch voisine,’ and the rise of personal computers!
Who are you, Richard Blouin?
I was born on July 26, 1968. I’m 55 years old… oof, that stings!
I’m the second of three children. My partner of the last 15 years is Natacha. We have a wonderful 12-year-old daughter, Anaïs Blouin! I’m the son of an excellent baseball player and a singer mother. So, I’ve done baseball and music! I even received my first guitar at the end of the 1990 season in La Rochelle. It was a gift from the team, then called the ‘OCEAN CUBS’! I had a semi-career as a singer after baseball, but it wasn’t much!
How did you discover baseball and sports in general?
I started playing baseball at age 7. I loved the sport. By age 10, I was part of the elite players in my age group. I climbed the ranks quickly. I really stood out during my cadet season, around 14 years old. The Quebec team’s management started keeping a close eye on me. At 16, I made my first selection for Team Quebec. At 17, I was already playing for the juniors in Canada’s top league for 18-21 year-olds. I was part of Team Quebec for three straight years. I’m from a country where hockey reigns, but baseball was my passion!
Above: Richard Blouin, left, in the Quebec team jersey.
What memorable experiences have you had through sports?
In January 1986, I had one of the best baseball experiences of my life. I was part of a selection of the best Quebec players under 18. We spent two weeks in West Palm Beach, Florida, for a training camp. It was simply amazing. Baseball from 9 AM to noon, then lunch, then baseball from 1 PM to 5 PM. Sometimes even a game in the evening! Fourteen days of pure joy. In that team, there was Denis Boucher, who later became the first Quebecer in the Major Leagues in over 20 years, as well as Mark Griffin, who came close. Several other players would go to France a few years later, including Sylvain Paulhus, Dany Medley, Dany Fortin… In 1988, I received an invitation from the Expos to participate in a tryout camp at Olympic Stadium. It was a huge experience!
Why did you decide to take your talents abroad? Tell us about your journey in France and overseas.
At the start of 1990, my junior career over, baseball was behind me. I was 21 and had to enter the adult world and find a job. Senior leagues didn’t appeal to me, nor did playing softball with ‘old-timers’ in their 30s! That’s when my friend Paulhus told me he had been recruited to play in France, specifically in Rouen. I thought France would surely be another great experience in my life rather than working in a factory for minimum wage. But how to proceed? It was 1990. No internet! I did my research to get the phone number of the French baseball federation, which I contacted immediately. I told them I’d love to play for a French team. They said they would provide me with the contact details of teams looking for a player.
Above: Richard playing for La Rochelle ‘Ocean Cubs’.
I remember calling a team from the Paris region and Chalons-sur-Saône. But one night (I had to call at night because of the time difference), I spoke to a very nice lady who said, ‘Ahhh, my son would be happy to talk to you.’ This lady was Madame Francoise Régnier, mother of Pascal, then the young club president! Pascal contacted me the next day, saying the team didn’t have a big budget, but if the adventure interested me, we could arrange something!… That’s how, three weeks later, I left for La Rochelle!! The agreement provided 1,000 francs per month!!! But I would be housed and fed. At 21, that suited me fine! It was one of the best decisions of my life! I discovered France and Europe through baseball. I remember the young players on the team. It was a fantastic experience, and as I was still young, I had an excellent level! At the end of the season, I topped the batting charts in France’s National 1B with a .440 average. This allowed me to be recruited the following season by Saint-Lô in Normandy, which tripled my salary!! In 1991, at the end of my second season in France, I once again won the batting championship. This time with nearly identical numbers, at .439. However, as the Saint-Lô stadium’s fence was quite close, I hit 8 home runs in 22 games! I looked like a terror! We had an excellent season. Despite a slow start, 0 wins and 4 losses, we finished
with a record of 16 wins and 8 losses. The Saint-Lô team would later continue its rise to the European championship a few years later.
Above: Richard in the Saint-Lô jersey.
Today, you’re involved in different sports. Your passion has evolved; it seems you’re a consultant in the boxing world. Tell us about that.
After my baseball years, a second passion awaited me: boxing! I really loved boxing, even during my active years as a baseball player. I loved boxing, but I had a small problem. I wasn’t a fighter. So, I decided to improve as a coach. Once again, my rise was quite rapid. After just two years, I was coaching pros! I also invested as a manager for a few boxers for about a dozen years until the day I was offered a judging position.
I was then 45 years old, a relatively young age for this role. And guess what?… Four and a half years later, I was asked to travel to Tokyo to judge my first world championship fight in June 2019! I was really proud. Last July, my services were once again called upon in Japan. This time, for a mega-unification fight between WBC and WBO between American double champion Stephen Fulton and Japanese sensation, Naoya Inoue. It was a grand experience.
A Quebec player has particularly stood out for some time. Edouard Julien. Tell us about this phenomenon.
Returning to baseball, I would indeed like to talk about Edouard Julien! Have you seen this phenomenon?… I’ve been a fan of this young player since the first time I saw him. An extraordinary hitter. He has it all: the eye, the speed, the power, and that confidence that makes the greats. He is by far the best Quebecer in baseball since the golden years of Russel Martin. In fact, I predict a similarly brilliant career for him. And that’s saying something…!
Above: Edouard Julien batting for the Minnesota Twins (MLB).
What can we wish for you, Richard, in the future?
What can I wish for?… To see France again. You have no idea how important France has been in my life. Rarely a week goes by that I don’t talk about that period. I would really like to take my daughter to La Rochelle so she can see that her dad still has several friends there. Otherwise, health, health, and more health. I want to live as long as possible
and travel as much as possible. And yes, travel… another passion!
Interview by Vincent Picard.
