It was just like old times for Blue Jays fans at the Jays’ home opener on Friday night, as a sold-out Rogers Centre watched Roberto Alomar’s name and number rise to the Level of Excellence in a pre-game ceremony to honour the former second baseman. The team donned vintage powder blue uniforms for the first “Flashback Friday” of the season, defeating the defending champion Boston Red Sox 6-3. A boisterous crowd showed enthusiasm not seen in years—two fans couldn’t even confine their excitement to the stands, jumping onto the field in a state of partial undress. The typically vocal contingent of Red Sox fans was smaller and quieter than usual as Jays fans made sure their team enjoyed a memorable welcome, saving their loudest ovations for Alomar while reminiscing about the Jays’ glory days, including Alomar’s famous home run off Dennis Eckersley in the 1992 ALCS.
If Jays fans seem a little stuck in the past, it’s understandable. Perennial third-place finishers in the ultracompetitive AL East, the team hasn’t played a postseason game since winning the World Series in 1993. While introducing Alomar and surprise honouree Paul Beeston, the long-time Jays executive, president and CEO Paul Godfrey received a hearty round of boos, a testament to the frustration of Toronto baseball fans. They were promised a more competitive team when the Jays received a substantial payroll boost a few years ago, but it hasn’t been enough to push them past their two divisional foes, the powerhouse Red Sox and the New York Yankees.
But there’s an optimism this season,one that hasn’t been seen in years. A homemade sign reading “This is our year” graced the 200-level outfield, a sentiment echoed by fans in the cheap seats who dissected the weaknesses of their AL competitors while watching starting pitcher Shaun Marcum, who enjoyed a breakout year in 2007, hold a potent Red Sox offence to only three hits in seven innings of work.
While it seems strange to put faith in a roster that is not substantially different from last season’s—the Jays added shortstop David Eckstein, swapped third basemen with St. Louis, acquired utility infielder Marco Scutaro and brought back Shannon Stewart— fans are hoping that their young arms continue to improve. As the bats that lay dormant in an injury-plagued 2007 wake up, the Blue Jays have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. If Toronto’s first few games against their chief rivals are any indication, there is reason for cautious optimism. Although the Jays dropped two of three games in New York, they outscored the Yankees 9-8 as the two losses were made by only one run. After winning the home opener, the Jays hammered the Red Sox 10-2 in their second meeting.
The Yankees could be vulnerable this year. They lost popular manager Joe Torre and their combination of young and inexperienced arms and past-their-prime pitchers could fall flat. And who knows what could happen with Hank Steinbrenner taking over from his father George as the new ringmaster of the Yankees circus, given the Steinbrenners’ penchant for bold, unpredictable, and sometimes questionable decisions. The Yankees’ offence could be strong enough to cover up any weaknesses, especially if they get another MVP season from Alex Rodriguez, but they may leave the door open enough for the Jays to squeak through.
Before fans speculate on who will be this year’s Eckersley and Alomar, the Jays will have to get past a number of talented teams. The BoSox have not done much to change their championship-winning roster, and that bodes well for them. Youngsters Jacoby Ellsbury and rookie of the year Dustin Pedroia will only get better, and with a stronglineup from top to bottom, Boston seems destined to win another divisional title. While that still leaves the AL wild card open, the Jays have to contend with the Yankees, two strong teams from the Central division in the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers, and the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the West. The Tigers are fresh off a blockbuster trade that brought them 24-year-old sensation Miguel Cabrera and starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis. The Angels signed well-rounded outfielder Torii Hunter. Cleveland and Seattle pack powerful one-two punches at the top of their rotations, with C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona leading the Indians and Erik Bédard and Felix Hernandez on the mound in Seattle.
The Jays, having lost set-up man Casey Janssen for the year due to injury, lack the depth to compete with their AL rivals. But while the Jays may still be a long shot to make the playoffs, the chances that Toronto could be singing “OK Blue Jays” in October are looking better than they have in years. If the Jays could at least stay in contention until September, and bring back some of the atmosphere from the days when Alomar patrolled the infield, that would be a step in the right direction.
