There seems to have been a natural evolution among the noisy backyard bird, commonly known as the Blue Jay. Its diet typically consists of fruits, nuts, grains, and occasionally insects. But there has been recent sightings of forty, Toronto based, Blue Jays who have been eating the majority of teams in Major League Baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays were established and welcomed into the American League in 1976. In their first season they recorded a dreadful record of 54 wins and 107 losses. This shot the birds down to a stellar last place position and their results didn’t change anytime soon. Toronto’s first relatively good season came in 1982 as they finished with a nearly, positive, 78-84 record. Things were only going up-hill as they set their sights on an American league title. The year was 1985 when the lonely Canadian team won their first championship of any sort. Unfortunately their luck didn’t continue through the World Series as they watched The Kansas City Royals lift the Commissioner’s Trophy, what a shame. The Jays’ were not able to duplicate their success in the following year, but the northern-most team was now a tough competitor in the league. The road trips across the border to the Rogers Centre were becoming more and more difficult for the competition as the Blue Jays took their momentum and flew with it. With consistent positive records, it was inevitable that the boys in blue were picking up some more championship titles. Our team came to their most successful five-year period of the clubs history; the ‘89 American League East title, the ‘91 American League East title, the ‘92 World Series champions, and the ‘93 World Series champions. The only thing Toronto was missing was a back-to-back rap song from their cities golden boy, Drake, who was twenty-two years late.
This is where we cut the history lesson short due to the fact that our country’s team hasn’t had the slightest bit of joy since that 1993 season. To save your brain from doing the math, it is 22 years. They are the current, not-so-proud holders of the longest current postseason drought. In more humiliating terms, they have sucked for the longest amount of time in comparison to every other professional baseball team. I wouldn’t dare say this about a Canadian team unless there was good news to follow. Finally things are looking up for Toronto. So as I sit my couch with a beer in my hand, watching The Jays take down Tampa Bay, I feel a rush of pride. Our only Canadian representative of baseball has the chance to secure their playoff spot right now.I take another sip, look out my window to see a Blue Jays flag flying from another quiet, television focused house. So if you haven’t gotten the chance to tune in yet, it’s time. With games running all through October, it shouldn’t be hard to make up for lost time and hop on the bandwagon. Plus, it’s cooler to say you watched their first World Series win in 22 years, opposed to their second World Series win in two years. Let’s go Blue Jays!
