Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
Home DramaAlert

New book explores Blue Jays’ 48-year history

rmtsa by rmtsa
June 12, 2025
in DramaAlert
0
New book explores Blue Jays’ 48-year history
74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


You might also like

Kingsley Ben-Adir & Archie Madekwe Among Cast Of ‘The Arrival’ — AFM

Ford wants to revisit ending ticket scalping amid Blue Jays ‘gouging’

Lori Loughlin might walk away from her 28-year marriage with nothing. Divorce lawyers explain why.

TORONTO – Toronto Blue Jays brass used all the bells and whistles when they tried to land two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in the fall of 2023.

The once-in-a-lifetime pursuit of the Japanese free agent, as author Keegan Matheson writes in his new book, “The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays,” included taking Ohtani, his agent and interpreter at the time on a tour of the team’s renovated player development complex, complete with a few special touches.

Three lockers in the clubhouse were set aside for Ohtani, along with jerseys, gear, hats, bags and accessories. It was all part of an elaborate effort to sell him on the team.

An impressed Ohtani — whose camp wanted total secrecy throughout the process — walked out of the Dunedin, Fla., facility with bags of team gear and a Blue Jays hat on his head, Matheson writes.

Story continues below advertisement

Ohtani stopped to take pictures with his interpreter, who was also sporting some Toronto kit. The superstar’s dog, “Decoy,” came running out to join them in a Canadian dog jacket the Blue Jays had bought for him.

Related Videos


Click to play video: 'Blue Jays fans skip out on Seattle series over U.S. trade war'

2:22
Blue Jays fans skip out on Seattle series over U.S. trade war


Previous Video

Next Video

“I think that the presentation they gave Ohtani was incredibly impressive and they were not the No. 2 team just to be strung along and used as the other person at the bargaining table,” said Matheson. “They were No. 2 because they almost signed him.”

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

The behind-the-scenes colour and details from Matheson’s interviews and descriptions bring an intriguing, memorable and downright surreal chapter in the team’s near half-century history to life.

Ohtani would eventually sign a 10-year, US$700-million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a big blow for Canada’s lone big-league team and its countrywide contingent of supporters.

Story continues below advertisement

The Blue Jays would eventually sign a big fish of their own, locking up star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year extension last April worth a team record $500 million. The megadeal helped soothe any lingering pain from the Ohtani situation and also showed the franchise was willing to spend big in an effort to be a consistent contender.

But that Ohtani off-season — from a bizarre Zoom call with general manager Ross Atkins to the erroneous report that Ohtani had chosen the Blue Jays and was on a plane to Toronto — was the “strangest experience” Matheson expects to have as a reporter.

“The game that went into it was really fascinating,” Matheson said in a recent interview. “Trying to operate in secrecy in a world where we want to know everything that’s going on with your favourite team and with your favourite player.

Trending Now

Public safety minister recuses himself from files on 2 terrorist groups

Woman sues Costco for $14M after cabinet allegedly falls on her while shopping

More on Sports
More videos

“This was more of a TV drama and the amount of work that went into keeping it secret fascinates me.”

The book also explores the team’s early days, the playoff successes in the early 1990s, the near-misses in the previous decade, and many of the players — on and off the field — who made it all happen.

The stories and anecdotes are not always the obvious ones.

From players sipping chicken noodle soup at a frigid Exhibition Stadium, to amusing tales of manager-athlete dynamics, to the homecoming after a 670-day break between home games due to COVID-19, Matheson touches all the bases.

Story continues below advertisement

“Instead of asking a pitcher why he lost or asking someone why they struck out three times, this was an opportunity to ask someone, ‘Hey, tell me about the best days of your life,’” said Matheson, who covers the team for MLB.com.

“Tell me about that memory that everyone always asks you about at the bar, at golf tournaments and coffee shops.”

“The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays,” a 302-page book published by Triumph Books, is available now at a retail price of $38.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.

&copy 2025 The Canadian Press



Source link

Tags: 48yearBlueBookexploresHistoryJays
Share30Tweet19
rmtsa

rmtsa

Recommended For You

Kingsley Ben-Adir & Archie Madekwe Among Cast Of ‘The Arrival’ — AFM

by rmtsa
October 23, 2025
0
Kingsley Ben-Adir & Archie Madekwe Among Cast Of ‘The Arrival’ — AFM

The Arrival, the feature directorial debut from theatre director Bijan Sheibani, has wrapped shooting in London, with Kingsley Ben-Adir (Bob Marley: One Love), Archie Madekwe (Lurker), Joanna Scanlan...

Read more

Ford wants to revisit ending ticket scalping amid Blue Jays ‘gouging’

by rmtsa
October 23, 2025
0
Ford wants to revisit ending ticket scalping amid Blue Jays ‘gouging’

As Toronto Blue Jays tickets are resold for thousands of dollars, Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government may revive anti-scalping legislation it previously killed shortly after assuming...

Read more

Lori Loughlin might walk away from her 28-year marriage with nothing. Divorce lawyers explain why.

by rmtsa
October 23, 2025
0
Lori Loughlin might walk away from her 28-year marriage with nothing. Divorce lawyers explain why.

After three decades — and one very public fall from grace — Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s marriage may be reaching its final act.The couple, who tied the...

Read more

Shaboozey Teams Up Coors Light To Launch A Limited T-Shirt Drop

by rmtsa
October 22, 2025
0
Shaboozey Teams Up Coors Light To Launch A Limited T-Shirt Drop

Shaboozey is partnering with an iconic beer brand to help bring music to those who need it the most. Source: Coors Light x Shaboozey Coors Light is continuing...

Read more

Petition To Replace Bad Bunny With Country Music Star George Strait For Super Bowl Halftime Show Surpasses 60,000 Signatures • Hollywood Unlocked

by rmtsa
October 22, 2025
0
Petition To Replace Bad Bunny With Country Music Star George Strait For Super Bowl Halftime Show Surpasses 60,000 Signatures • Hollywood Unlocked

Fans Launch Petition to Replace Bad Bunny with George Strait at Super Bowl Halftime Show A new Change.org petition has caught major attention after fans called for Bad...

Read more
Next Post
James Gunn’s SUPERMAN Rewrites the Clark and Lois Dynamic with a Modern Spin on Classic Romance — GeekTyrant

James Gunn’s SUPERMAN Rewrites the Clark and Lois Dynamic with a Modern Spin on Classic Romance — GeekTyrant

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse by Category

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized

CATEGORIES

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
No Result
View All Result

Recent News

  • Park Chan-wook Explores AI & Dark Comedy
  • Lisa Barlow Responds to Criticism of Spending Cash on RHOSLC
  • Kate Upton In Plunging Bikini Highlights Her ‘Nice Milkers’

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In