Ernie Whitt bats in a spring training game against the Tigers. Great photo except for cropping off the heads of the fans in the stands.
The first two cartoons are routine - power hitter, good defense.
The last is the interesting one. Lots of players owned a restaurant, some even owned two. Mother's Pizza Parlour and Spaghetti House, which first opened in Hamilton, ON in 1970, was one of the largest restaurant chains in Canada, with over 100 stores in the 1980s.
In 1987, a four-person investor group, including Whitt, bought 15 of the stores for $9.8 million. For several years before that Whitt had been involved in promotions for the chain, which had an "Ernie Whitt Special" for deliveries.
Though Whitt was the big baseball investor in the chain, and the face tied to promotions, several other Blue Jays - Jesse Barfield, Lloyd Moseby, Cito Gaston - were persuaded by Whitt to become limited partners in Mother's.
The Blue Jays players' investment did not pay off; in 1989 the chain went into receivership, and was purchased by Little Caesars. Though the last of the chain closed in the early 1990s, the Mother's trademark was bought by an entrepreneur who attempted to reintroduce the chain in the 2010s. Four locations were opened between 2013 and 2016, and all were closed by 2019. However, Mother's Pizza can be purchased at two Ontario ghost kitchens and on board all flights by small Canadian carrier Flair Airlines.
ReplyDeleteGood job Bo! Not familiar with that pizza chain, but appreciate the deep dive into its history.