A Comparison of the 2015 Team With Its 1992 Predecessor Part One: Examining the Infield At first glance, mentioning the two teams—the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays and its 1992 counterpart—in the same sentence seems daring, if not ludicrous. The latter team was first ever non-U.S. based Major League Baseball (MLB) team to win a World Series while the former had a losing record as late as July 28, 2015...
Thirty-one. Thirty-one days from now marks the beginning of the postseason in Major League Baseball (MLB). October is a huge month, as it is one of only two months that will have regular or post-season games from the four major professional sports leagues (and Major League Soccer). More importantly, October is the month with the most optimism for sports fans here as the Raptors and Leafs begin...
When J. P. Ricciardi was hired as the General Manager (GM) of the Toronto Blue Jays, he was given the initial mandate to slash payroll because his predecessor Gord Ash had constructed an eighty-eight million dollar roster that failed to make the postseason. More importantly, Ricciardi was supposed to create “mini-Oaklands” by following the “Moneyball” philosophy of his...
A look into the team’s ascension to greatness and its heydays Part 5: Reaching the pinnacle (Part 1 of Double Truck) After Toronto became the first ever non-U.S.-based team to win the Fall Classic on 24 October 1992, GM Pat Gillick intended to keep as much of the team together as possible. Since the Blue Jays’ championship window was still open, it would have been foolish to dismantle...
The Maple Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967. The Blue Jays haven’t made the playoffs since 1993. Most people reading this likely don’t remember the last time these teams were truly successful. So why do we care so much? Why are we fans? I asked myself these questions this past week after one of the Blue Jays’ best pitchers was unexpectedly injured. He will likely miss the entire...
A look into the team’s ascension to greatness and its heydays Part 4: Putting the finishing touch on the masterpiece The signing of Morris and Winfield after the 1991 season was of ample significance. For the longest time, it was inconceivable to envision that elite unrestricted free agents would be willing to sign in Toronto. One reason is because in the eyes of these top-end unrestricted...
A look into the team’s ascension to greatness and its heydays Part 3: Major surgery on the roster for the perennial winner After the 86-76 Toronto Blue Jays finished the 1990 season in second place (two games behind the division winning Boston Red Sox), GM Pat Gillick pulled off arguably the most significant trade in the history of the franchise. It would soon pay huge dividends to the team...