It’s that time of year when a lot of things intersect in Canada: spring and winter, rain and snow, baseball and hockey. April, to borrow a thought from Mr. Eliot, can be a very cruel month. But April it is, at least as of midnight Sunday. That means National Hockey League teams kick their drives to make the playoffs into overdrive. It also means baseball teams begin their long six-month journey seeking a spot in their playoffs.
On Tuesday the Toronto Blue Jays open their season against against Cleveland. Normally, a Jays season is viewed with trepidation at its inception and bittersweet sadness when it all comes to no good. It’s been 20 years since the Blue Jays won the World Series in back-to-back years in 1992 and 1993 and stood at the top of the baseball world, about to pass the torch to the Montreal Expos.
The Jays Canadian third baseman was all smiles last month at Spring Training but he’ll miss the start of the regular season of injury. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)
But the torch fell to earth. Despite being considered the best team in baseball in 1994, the Expos saw their season cut short because of a players strike. In the spring of 1995, Expos management decided to dismantle the team in an infamous fire sale that still rankles Montreal baseball fans and has not been forgotten. Since then, there’s been little baseball excitement in Canada. The Jays have been steadily mediocre. The Expos moved to Washington D.C. after the 2005 season.
Now, there is hope again. The Jays have a bright general manager–reared in the Expos organization -who spent the off-season restocking the team. On paper, the Jays will be a contender to win the AL East title. On the field they still must prove themselves. Whether or not they can do that is–at this point–a matter of conjecture.
RCI contacted Toronto Star columnist Rich Griffin in Philadelphia, where the Jays are wrapping up their exhibition season before opening at home against the Indians, and asked him to access the Toronto’s chances.
Terry Haig first asked the Toronto Star’s Rich Griffin to share his thoughts on the upcoming season.
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