No Clapp for Canada at Beijing Olympics

TORONTO (Reuters) - Stubby Clapp, the name and face of Canada's Olympic baseball team, was denied permission to play at the Beijing Games on Thursday, when the Houston Astros said they will not free him for international duty.

A hitting coach for Houston's minor league affiliate in Lexington, Kentucky, Clapp was told by the Astros that he would have to remain with the organisation and could not compete in Beijing.

"The Houston Astros have turned down our request for Stubby to play for us," Greg Hamilton coach and director of the Canadian baseball team told CBCSports.ca. "It's a blow.

"Stubby Clapp brings leadership to the team and in many ways is the face of the program."

A career minor leaguer who played 23 games with the St. Louis Cardinals, the five-foot, eight-inch, spark plug was a fan favourite at ball diamonds around the world for his scrappy play and trademark pre-game back flips.

He represented Canada at the 2004 Athens Games and World Baseball Classic and helped earn Canada a berth in Beijing at the Olympic qualifying tournament earlier this year in Taipei.