A little tribute post about why I love the Toronto Blue Jays:
They are Canada’s team. Sure there are people that cheer for other teams throughout the season whether due to geography (Windsor likes Detroit, the Maritimes like the Red Sox, Vancouver likes the Mariners) or family tradition, or connections to other places or players, but when it came down to the last few teams, there was no question that the Blue Jays had fans from coast to coast to coast. Everyone got in on the action, even those who never watched a baseball game in their life before were tuning in to everything and getting to know the players as well as those of us who were watching all year.
The players are good guys. You can tell that the team is made up of decent human beings, they love playing with each other and they love the game of baseball. They love to talk about what their teammates contributed to the game, not what they themselves did. You know that Vladdy loves being the first one on at the top of the step to put the home run jacket on someone. Max loves seeing his bullpen and rookie Yesavage pitch well. The friendship amongst the team is palpable and genuine. And this isn’t the first team that has been like this, whether its our organization attracts that type of person or being somewhat “isolated” in Canada creates a different kind of bond than other teams have, it’s fun seeing them have fun.
They show up. When it was time to perform we saw some amazing plays, pitching outings, and hits. The effort put in by these guys throughout the season and then as the season came to a close was something to see, breaking records left and right. And it was the whole team, anyone on that line up could put it down the middle for a base hit, put it over the fence. And even the guys coming off the bench had my confidence.
They like us. Canada always has a little “aw shucks, they really like us” attitude. And when you see the players, most of whom are American, gush over our city and appreciating that the entire country is behind them, it means something. I loved seeing Ernie walking to the ballpark on game day, Vladdy talking about loving poutine, and watching George Springer sing O Canada at Game 7. We like to be seen and appreciated. Canadians aren’t going to yell about how great we are, but we like when someone else notices.
Proud fan base. I love being a Jays fan because of the company we keep. People are mostly respectful, even if we can get a little chip on our shoulder about an ump’s call or a wayward pitch that hits a batter. The Sportsnet team that covers the games are top level. You know they are fans and they go the extra mile to speak to the players and get to know each and everyone so when they are sharing stories, you know they are authentic. I learned so much from Caleb this year when he went on a rant about a less than successful Max Scherzer outing in late August. I didn’t really appreciate how the pitchers put together a sequence and locate their pitches in different ways for each at bat. As a former catcher, he, and Buck Martinez too, really have the perspective to share their knowledge of the game.
Next year, whoever is still here will be cheered as they take the field in their Blue Jays uniform, and when some of them come back wearing a different jersey, they will get an ovation, we will always appreciate what they did while they were here. No matter the outcome from this year, it was full of memories and good times with good people. Thank you Blue Jays!
