By Brendan Emmett on the road to Fredericton
Honk if you heart the Blue Jays!
Sylvie had people pretty fired up in Moncton. We were only there for a quick bit before we drove for Fredericton. On the way we stopped in a town called Oromocto… and that’s where this post takes over.
A Blue Jays fan with the Twitter handle @makepeace_mark had been tweeting me for a couple days hoping for a 22 Days of Blue Jays Road Tour visit. His son, Lukas, is a ridiculously awesome Blue Jays fan.
Mark is a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, working at the 5th Canadian Division Support Base in Gagetown (10 minutes outside Fredericton).
Their story is really quite touching. Mark was away on tours for much of Lukas’ early years (who’s only 6… almost 7!) and watching Blue Jays games together helps them connect as father and son. They also took a trip to Toronto earlier this season to see Ben Revere’s debut. At one point in the game, Kevin Pillar tossed them a ball, and Mark dropped it! Luckily, the ball boy noticed Lukas’ beaming face and gave him the souvenir, which is secured in a glass case at their home (Lukas reminded me his dad missed the catch that day).
From the bottom of my heart, to Mark, Lukas, and his mom, Shan – thank you for sharing your story. I had a blast getting to know you all and learning how baseball and the Blue Jays have become such a positive thing in your lives. And I loved playing in the front yard with Lukas for a bit, who has a heck of a swing!
New Brunswick, I feel like we hardly knew ye. I wish the Rogers fan scouts could stay, but we must go.
It’s off to La Belle Province! The East squad is looking forward to speaking “en francais” to Blue Jays fans in Quebec.
A lot of fans throughout the trip are speaking of their commitment to the Toronto Blue Jays through the years since ’92 / ’93. I feel like Celine is appropriate at this moment.