Early Friday morning The GM's Perspective reported that the Vancouver Canadians were set to become the newest member of the Toronto Blue Jays family.
I mentioned to a friend in an email this new partnership between the Canadians and Jays brings together two hotbeds of baseball and situates them under one umbrella.
Those exact sentiments have been expressed in a press release on the Canadians website.
"One of the goals we set out to achieve when we purchased this club was to ensure that baseball fans locally felt like the C's were their team. I think this pairing with the Blue Jays will bring baseball fans closer together from coast-to-coast."
Specifically, the Jays signed a four-year player development deal with the Canadians, a member of the Northwest League (A). The Canadians on the other hand, will remain a member of the NWL, despite ending an 11-year partnership with the Oakland Athletics.
Many fans do not get excited over deals such as this one. In today's game many focus on playoff races, A-Rod gunning for another 30 home run, 100 RBI season, the drama inside the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse, or where Joe Torre will end up next season.
For those interested in the particulars and the reality of this collaboration, let's take a moment to talk about some newsworthy Canadians info.
- Nat Bailey Stadium has housed the Canadians for nearly 60 years (2011 will mark the Big 60!)
- 154,592 fans in 2010
- Second consecutive season that they have established a new attendance mark
- Triple-A World Series Champions (1999)
- West Division Pennant (2004/2005)
- Second-Half, West Division Champion (2010)
The 2011 season will be and extremely important one for the Canadians: New ownership, new expectations, and more fans.
Is there any doubt that this new journey will be a success? None whatsoever!
There were mumblings from critics and so-called experts that the Jays might touch 65 wins this year. Despite a recent 10-game stretch (3-7), the Jays have exceeded all expectations, and are poised to make 2011 even better.
How does this help the Canadians? The Jays are a first-class organization that has bred champions.
A tireless off-season, dedicated employees and an excitement that one rarely finds, can only point to an upcoming 2011 that will have fans from coast-to-coast cheering till their heart's content.
This article can also be found on The GM's Perspective
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