For at least one weekend, we remember how great the Blue Jays once were as some of the Jays greats return to Rogers Centre.
For you kids out there, this weekend represents a chance to look back at the glory years of the Toronto Blue Jays for us old-timers. The fact that the Jays haven't played in the post-season in 16 years means that a whole generation of baseball fans in this city have been forced to use the familiar refrain "wait 'til next year".
But not me. My memories of the back-to-back World Series years have not been faded by time. The fact that I'm at the ballpark everyday doesn't hurt. Nor that, from time to time, the bright stadium lights will reflect off the championship rings of Pat Tabler or Rance Mulliniks and momentarily blind me.
No, this weekend is something special as the greatest players to ever wear the uniform, before black became the dominant colour, have filtered back into the city and the stadium of their greatest triumphs.
This was a time when the game captured the imaginations of anyone that loved this game. For eight years Yankees fans and the Red Sox Nation had nothing on us. Playoff appearances in 1985, '89 and '91 just whet our appetites for what it would feel like to win the whole enchilada. And when the moment finally arrived, how sweet that nectar did taste. I remember hosting a party in my parents' basement back on October 24, 1992 with many friends and co-workers in attendance. I remember the Jays hanging onto a precarious 2-1 lead heading in the bottom of the ninth in Atlanta, coming to within one out of the championship before Otis Nixon lined a game-tying single to left off Tom Henke and then feeling my heart jump up into my throat when Candy Maldonado's throw went half way up the screen behind the plate. I remember yelling out to everyone around me, as they started losing their minds with the thoughts that this all might be slipping away, to "think good thoughts, nothing bad will happen if we do!" And it didn't. Two innings later, Dave Winfield lined a double into the left field corner to plate Devon White and Robbie Alomar for what appeared to be the nail in the Braves' coffin. But Bobby Cox's crew was a resilient bunch and they got one back in the bottom of the 11th and had the tying run standing at third when Nixon dropped a surprise bunt with two outs. Mike Timlin swooped in, scooped up the ball and flipped it to Joe Carter and the deal was sealed. Chaos ensued as the Jays stampeded out of the third base dugout and those of us in the basement went bananas. Champagne sprayed, tears flowed and I even got to kiss a couple of women from work that I thought I'd never have a shot at locking lips with.
Fast forward a year less a day and I won't bore you with those details. I was lucky to have been in attendance on that glorious October 23rd night, although my view of Joe Carter's Series-winning was obstructed as I was standing on the concourse down the right field line enjoying a McDonald's cheeseburger (many fine Labatt's products had been consumed to that point and the beast needed to be fed). Joe swung, my view of the ball got blocked by the 200 level over hang, but I could tell by the way that Phillies' left fielder Pete Incaviglia was tracking it towards the wall that it was gone. Absolute pandemonium ensued as Joe "touched 'em all". In fact, I can still hear the roar of the crowd in my head which seemed to go on unabated for close to half an hour. And then we all poured out in to the streets to celebrate. I wish I had a dollar for every high five that I gave or received that night. And it was a fun celebration, no cars were overturned or torched, no store windows smashed, no looting. Just good clean fun, which can't be said about recent championship celebrations when you youngsters get involved.
So you can understand why I'll have a permanent smile on my face this weekend as I look around at some of Toronto's baseball heroes getting accolades for something that happened over a decade and a half ago. Every one of those players had a part in two of the greatest sporting moments the city of Toronto ever witnessed, whether they hit a game-winning home run or just moved a runner along with a ground ball. I don't normally get all wrapped up in these events as I'm usually busy taking care of the stats part of the broadcasts, but you'll have to excuse me I seem a little distracted this weekend. That will happen when I'm in the presence of the players who gave me my biggest thrills as a baseball fan. The may be a little older, a little heavier and a lot greyer but they are all part of some of the greatest sporting memories of my life.
And for that, I'd like to thank each and every one of them. As a kid, I always wondered what it would feel like to have my team win the World Series and it happened to me twice. It doesn't get any better than that.
