This week’s Friday Feature is on Mel Collier. He was a minority owner of the Lethbridge Bulls for the past 16 years and the team’s governor in the WCBL over that time as well. He has also been the president of the Prairie Baseball Academy Society — currently the vice chair — served on the Spitz Stadium Society, and has chaired the Canadian College championships and the Little League Junior Canadian championships. Beyond all that, he is especially proud of being a longtime member and one of the most recognized people down at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort, where he shares a condo with his best friend and wife, Flo. A true friend to many, who has never been that shy to issue a barb or two in fun. The only reason I really like him is his choice of baseball and football teams — the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys, respectively. He lost ground on his choice of a hockey team, who I’ll try to avoid mentioning in this edition. I posed nine questions to Mel — and if you want to hear what this longtime friend of baseball had to say, here are the answers.
First Inning — How does a guy who played, coached, umpired, and ran men’s slowpitch end up a minority owner, and the Bulls’ governor in the WCBL, for 16 years?
“It started off with my friendship with Keith Jorgensen. Jorgie and I were both sports fans — he was a basketball referee, and I was a basketball cheerleader for the U of L back then. We got into it at a basketball game and chewed the fat a little bit out there, and then I kept running into him — I ran into him at the ballpark a couple of times. He said, ‘What do you do?’ and I told him I ran a little slowpitch, and blah, blah, blah, and I was just kind of on the verge of moving on from slowpitch, getting into golf and whatever came with it. So he mentioned something about, ‘You should come be on the Prairie Baseball Academy board.’ I said, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ He goes, ‘Okay, the meeting’s next Tuesday at PBA.’ And of course I went directly to Spitz Stadium — not ever knowing what PBA or Lloyd Nolan was — and phoned him and started yelling at him. He said, ‘Well, you’re only ten minutes away, so we’ll see you.’ I walked in, and he was there, you were there, a couple other guys were there. I listened. We talked after briefly, and he said, ‘Just listen for now. You got any questions, hang around and start asking.’ So that’s what happened. I met you. We became friends — partners in crime, or whatever we want to call it. Jorgie had already bought in, and we decided to form a partnership and include me in it. In that partnership we bought a rental house, which turned into a financial — not disaster, but close. And we moved on from there. We both miss the shit out of Jorgi, probably every day. But we move on, and here we are.”
Second Inning — You volunteered to be the landlord for that rental house. What was that like — and what’s your most horrific memory?
“The landlord experience turned out to be an experience. I volunteered because you guys were both busy, so I said, ‘Well, this will be my part of the job.’ I took on being the landlord thinking that all we were gonna take care of is baseball players — the PBA guys in the fall, and those guys in the summer. Piece of cake — how hard can this be? Until about the first day of October, and you gotta go collect rent from a bunch of unemployed, poor baseball players who don’t have a penny, and aren’t sure how they’re gonna buy their next beer, let alone give me a hundred bucks or two hundred bucks for rent.”
Would you say a man with a heart of gold doesn’t do well as a landlord, trying to collect money?
“Yeah, that would be an unofficial statement. And then when you have to go to the real world to try and collect money, it gets virtually impossible. It was quite a learning experience. My worst experience is the last people we had in there were drug addicts, and we couldn’t throw them out ’cause they wouldn’t leave. So we had to really force their hand, and finally got them out — I don’t even remember now how we got them out, but we did — and we had to bring in the professional cleaners, and start all over again.”
Third Inning — You saw Bulls championships, and many PBA championships. Do you remember one more than any others — and where were you?
“Of course, the one I think we all remember the most, that definitely sticks out, is the year after the accident with the boys — up in Kamloops. For some reason, I didn’t get it. I’m usually a pretty straight shooter and can pick up on it, but I just didn’t get the depth of what it cost the fellas. It wasn’t until after, on the field — I walked out there and I was so happy — and I just looked at everybody, and the emotion, you could never capture it. And the Bulls’ first one, you could never capture that emotion. I’ll never forget looking at some of those guys’ eyes — they are so missing their buddies, and so thinking of how they wish they were here. It was a tough one for me, because I just didn’t understand. You probably did, ’cause you were closer to the boys. But I didn’t. And I’ll forever be thankful that I was there for that moment. Forever. I liked the championship in Regina, too — I loved the team thing, and that’s what the Bulls are all about. Those two, for sure.”
Fourth Inning — You’ve been to a lot of WCBL meetings representing the Bulls. The fans never see that part of the organization. What can you tell people about the governor’s job?
“I think it’s just like any other organization, Kevin — it’s the background. Who’s doing the work in the background? Who’s doing what Kevin does, what Katie does, what the office staff does? Who does all that grind of work — getting the tickets ready, getting balls, ordering this, buying uniforms, selling everything? Who’s behind that? Well, in Lethbridge it’s pretty easy — it’s Kevin Kvame. Kevin directs it right from the top to the bottom. And we’re forever thankful, but it’s a big job — and I think we’re finding out now how big a job it has become. You’ve done a remarkable job, a tremendous job, and people won’t know. You’re the forefront. And so if there’s something wrong, it’s Kevin’s fault. If there’s something good, somebody else did it. So it’s a thankless job, ownership is — you can’t expect anything from it, but you put your heart and soul into it, and the Bulls are better off with you.”
Fifth Inning — You’ve served on the Spitz Stadium Society and watched significant improvements to that ballpark. What does it mean to the city — and how do you feel when you walk in?
“Well, I’m very proud, first of all. When I first walked in many years ago as a fan of baseball — not knowing any better, just knowing that there was a baseball game on, I got to go — that was the beauty of it. Nobody ever told me that I’d be part of something that would change the face of baseball here, that I’d be part of that change. I still think about it now and then when I walk in, and go, ‘Hi, Jorgie,’ and give her a little nod once in a while, and I just go, ‘Wow.’ What we had, and what we’ve got here now — I know we’re looking at bigger and better and all that, but what we’ve got right now is pretty good from where we came from. So I’m proud of all of us — the whole group, everybody that’s been around since back in the day, the original board that was involved with the city, developing everything, to where we’ve got to right now, today — a fine stadium, and one to be proud of in the WCBL.”
Sixth Inning — We couldn’t do this without talking about Paradise Canyon. You’re one of the most recognized people down there, and you and Flo share a condo at the resort. What’s a perfect day at Paradise Canyon look like for Mel Collier?
“Well, I hope, Kevin, truly — and I might get emotional here — speaking for Flo and I, a perfect day will be next spring, when Flo and I can proudly strut out to the golf course, and take our place on the first tee, knowing that we’re gonna be able to play golf again — and healthier than we’ve ever been. That’s the whole idea right now, is just get better, get at it.”
Quick hits — go-to meal at Paradise Canyon? “Smash burger.” Go-to drink? “Crown, cran and water — formally called ‘The Mel’.”
Seventh Inning — You have impeccable taste in your baseball and football teams. However, your hockey team has been ruled unmentionable in this article by management. You have five seconds to defend it. Go.
Mel got his defence in so fast it was over before the clock started. Kevin: “You were supposed to fumble over the words so you didn’t get anything out!”
Eighth Inning — Sixteen-plus years with the Bulls, Spitz, and PBA. What keeps Mel coming back?
“Well, first of all, the love of the game — just the general love of baseball. I’m here sitting in my little cosy room, watching a World Series game — two teams I could care less about — I just like to watch baseball. And now the Bulls — the privilege of being a part owner over the last several years — and PBA, and all of it. Even now, into the Little League stuff — I never thought I’d ever get that far down and be somewhat involved in that either. So I think, generally, it’s just the love of baseball, and the love of the people I get to hang around with daily. So it’s been great. I just love it. I love it.”
Ninth Inning — Any last words — a reflective moment that ties a bow around the whole experience to date?
“Yeah, I think the one that I celebrate — or struggle with, however you want to put it — was losing Jorgie. That was a tough go for all of us. Especially, I thought, the three of us — when the three of us used to sit around and talk stupid. Boy, it could get stupid. There was just a little magic in that threesome, for some reason — I don’t know why. Sometimes there was more yelling than magic, but, you know, it seemed to work. And it just spurred my love of the game — just the love of the game, for sure.”
Thanks Mel for your time and dedication to baseball in our community for years. It is great to see you’re recovering from your recent health scare and getting stronger and back to yourself more each day! And thanks for being the Guinea Pig on our first nine innings, nine questions Feature Friday edition.
Published: October 16, 2026
