The only team I cheer for in Toronto is the Blue Jays. The rallying cry for the Toronto Maple Leafs is "The Passion That Unites us All". Fortunately I have not succumb to that burning passion, as the pain I would be subjected to in cheering for the Leafs would be tantamount to a burning Sexually Transmitted Disease. How anyone can support the Leafs in the face of such egregious management over the last 4 decades is something I'll never come to terms with as a logical sports fan. But I digress...
Much to my delight, the Jays are in first place in the AL East. I don't care that we're 6 games into the season: I am ready to put my blogging reputation (2 years of poor to mediocre writing) on the line and say that this team will be a playoff contender in the fall.
One of the reasons this team will contend is that I'm convinced Cito Gaston is some sort of demi-God. The guy doesn't look like he's aged a day over the past eleven years. And baseball-wise, his relaxed demeanour and confidence in his players have so far translated into an offence that is tearing the cover off the ball. He'd be the perfect wingman: could you imagine going to the bar with someone who instilled that much confidence in your abilities?
Cito: How about you go over and talk to that girl?
Me: I don't know Cito. She looks a little out of my league...
Cito: Are you kidding me? How much weight can you deadlift?
Me: 405 lbs.
Cito: You're golden. I just want you to know that even if you struggle out there you're an every day guy on my squad.
Me: Thanks Cito.
(10 minutes later)
Me: Cito, I'm taking her home. Any advice?
Cito: Just relax and have fun out there. Don't rush things ... distribute your weight evenly through the swing and remember to drive through with your hips.
Me: (Nods)
I also think the team will do well because this is the first time they haven't entered the season with high expectations. A recent post on the mecca of Jays Blogs - drunkjaysfans - characterized this team perfectly: full of rag-taggedness, veterans coming off bad years, and young guys eager to prove themselves. For the first time in a while, the Jays don't look good on paper, and that's why they're going to succeed.
To illustrate my point, I'm going to draw on a real life example: Tewks is 24 years old, lives with his parents in Oshawa, doesn't own a car and draws a salary comparable to that of an unskilled migrant worker. His life looks terrible on paper: but his "life on paper" baseball equivalent isn't even the Blue Jays, it's the Oakland A's. He uses what he's got, plays hard, spends no money and in the end enjoys a reasonable amount of success with the ladies -because he doesn't have the pressure on him and no one expects him to do well. (Yeah, we're good friends).
I'm more like the LA Dodgers or Chicago Cubs: full of overpriced talent that hasn't enjoyed success in decades ... but that's another column...
To summarize: Cito Gaston is a God, and he'll keep this team loose - not only in the beginning of the season, but months down the road when people may start to see this team as a contender. The Jays will be in the thick of the race until the very end.
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1 comment:
I can really get behind this type of thinking. I am a pretty big jays fan, have started to seriously follow them for about 4-5 years now and this is the first time I am excited to watch every game. Let's hope they're in still in the hunt at the end and that the people of Toronto recognize it. Cito can be my wingman any day, although I will forever be flirting the Mendoza line.
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