There are two types of Toronto Blue Jays supporters — those old enough to remember the glory years of World Series victories and the younger fans who have followed much more mediocre editions of the club in recent years.
For the older fans, the “real” Jays were those high-flying teams that dominated baseball in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period when the Jays recorded their only two World Series titles and five first-place finishes in the American League East. The Jays were easily the favourite sports team across Canada during that time.
For those more familiar with the franchise over the past couple of decades, the Jays have been a bad to mediocre club with AL East finishes generally in the third- or fourth-place range.
To best show the distinction between the old and the new, check this fact. The last time the Jays finished in first place was 1993. The last time the franchise drew more than four million fans was also 1993.
It’s been a downhill slide ever since.
But the Jays, who held their annual state-of-the-team address for season-ticket holders on Tuesday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, are now sending out a message more reminiscent of the franchise 20 years ago than anything we’ve heard in recent years.
They’ve earned the right to spread a new message.
The team, or more specifically owner Rogers Communications, has resumed spending money. There have been ambitious moves to land top talent, despite the expensive contracts. And now, everywhere in baseball there’s a consensus that the Jays’ wheelin’ and dealin’ has vaulted the club from second-tier status to a predicted powerhouse this year.
The biggest reason for the optimism starts with a genuine top-line starting rotation — R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and Ricky Romero — something the Jays haven’t featured for ages.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/sports/654 ... it-so-long
