Well, what a crazy season that was! I’ve sat down to write this blog a few times, only to have the situation change again, so in a strange way, I’m glad that the season is over.

Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve loved baseball. Don’t get me wrong–growing up in Canada, I developed a healthy love for hockey, too. But I was never very good at playing hockey, but I was pretty good at baseball. Plus, there’s so many great songs and films about baseball, so those poetic, romantic notions of the sport really appealed to me.

I was around 9 years old when I started playing baseball with my friends, and it was around that time the the Toronto Blue Jays moved into their current home at Rogers Centre (then known as SkyDome). It was also around then that the Jays began a string of great seasons, routinely winning the division championship, and for those two, glorious years, historic winners of the World Series. In those years, 1992, and 1993, my family and I didn’t miss a game. My older sister was (and remains) the true fan in the family, and we share funny stories about the level of her devotion to the team. My favourite (and largely apocryphal story) is the time we were riding our bikes home from the swimming pool, and I wiped out, bloodying my elbow. As I paused to catch my breath and reassemble myself (and stop the bleeding), Shawna got on her bike and rode off, shouting back to me “Hentgen’s starting!” in way of explanation. So, anyway, big fans.

And we remained fans through the lean seasons. When I went to art college in the Toronto area, my school term ended just after the 2003 Home Opener, which I had the privilege of viewing live from the Windows restaurant (RIP) thanks to my friend Sarah‘s connections. The Jays lost that game, unfortunately, but the private party we got into had a full buffet and free Eric Hinske bobbleheads, so, not too shabby.

In the intervening years there were a few cool Blue Jays events. Then-Blue-Jays Brett Lawrie, Travis Snider and JP Arencibia came to town for a charity event, and my Jays-loving sister was with me to meet them.

Then the next year, Jays fans were blessed with a visit from two of the all-time Blue Jay greats, Duane Ward, and the lone Blue Jay to be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Roberto Alomar. Thanks to my friendship with my co-workers and friends Terry Butler and Jesse Renneberg, who are both heavily involved with local and provincial baseball, we ended up seated ridiculously close to these legends, as well as current broadcasters, Jamie Campbell and Gregg Zaun.

It was a very cool evening, and everyone involved could not have been nicer to meet. I even got my old Alomar jersey from 1992 signed (with Robbie humourously pointing out that it doesn’t fit me), which I will always cherish.

We even got this prom-date-style picture of my sister with Robbie!

Another time, Jays great Jesse Barfield came here as part of a baseball camp, and we met him at an event at our favourite Dairy Queen. To my great embarassment, as I entered the restaurant, I didn’t know anyone was behind me, so I didn’t hold the door. It slammed right on Jesse, the very person we were there to see! So embarrassing! Again, he was super kind and friendly, and everything you’d want him to be.

Then the following winter, the Blue Jays Winter Tour came to town. It was a cool idea–the Jays took the time to fly some of their roster members around Canada so that fans from outside of Ontario could meet their heroes. At a Saskatoon Blades game, my best pal Kevin, my buddy Jay, and my sister and I got to meet JP Arencibia (again) as well as Drew Hutchinson, Anthony Gose, and my wife’s favourite Jay at the time, Colby Rasmus. All were friendly and great, and Colby even took my friend Jay’s father’s advice about his batting stance with good humour and southern hospitality.

At subsequent events (I think a car dealership opening) my buddy Mike and I met Jesse Barfield (again, super nice guy) Drew Hutchinson (again!) as well as former Blue Jay Homer Bush, and future Jays star Dalton Pompey. Plus free pizza!

We remained fans all the way up to the present time, when, for the last 4 or 5 years, I’ve hosted a home opener party to celebrate the Jays first home game.

When my little place outgrew the number of pals (and fellow Jays fans) I’d have over to watch the game, my best friend Kevin began hosting in his spacious family house, and that’s where we had our party this year.

Because Facebook invites can be easily lost in the shuffle, this year, I designed an actual physical invitation which I sent out via the mail, with stamps and everything.

As it has happened the past four years, the Jays lost, but we still had a great time. Eric Anderson, a CBC reporter I met on Twitter came by, and interviewed a few of us. You can hear that (intensely hot-dog related) interview here:

And here are some photos from that fun event, which also got covered on the CBC platforms, so the whole world could see what I look like in gleaming white pants.

In my next Blue Jays post, the rest of the season and how I became the CBC’s go-to Blue Jays guy.

Thanks for reading, I love you.