Thursday, May 13, 2010
Rob Roy
That's just what Major League Baseball has done by shuffling the June series between Toronto and Philadelphia to the city of Brotherly Love.
They've also robbed Toronto fans of the opportunity to pay tribute to one of the classiest sportsmen ever to grace the city. Not to mention robbing the Jays of what might be their best crowd of the season.
All this because the series happened to coincide with the G20 summit. So, keeping world leaders safe in the face of the merry band of globalization protesters that follows them everywhere is child's play, but the prospect of Jays fans in the security zone... that's cause to panic.
Have the people in charge of security seen the crowds at a Blue Jays game? Soccer hooligans these ain't. Granted, Philly fans are famous for booing Santa - maybe they got a label maker that year - but how many of them are really going to be at the games?
Not to make light of security concerns, but it seems like the application of a little bit of effort and creative thinking - perhaps limiting the routes to the Dome to control foot traffic - might have allowed the series to remain in Toronto.
A Halladay start would have been a complete love-in, even after he two-hits the 2010 "Close your eyes and swing hard" version of the Blue Jays. Halladay always put out a supreme effort, never complained about his team, the front office, or even hinted at wanting a trade. This allowed the Jays to garner a decent return him, unlike a whining superstar who becomes a huge headache and robs his team of any trade leverage (see Carter, Vince).
Halladay has said all the right things since being traded, about the city and the organization, and he still has as many fans in this city today as he did when he sported Toronto blue. Too bad they'll have to wait until at least next year to show their appreciation. ¶ posted by Jim Turner at 12:55 AM
They've also robbed Toronto fans of the opportunity to pay tribute to one of the classiest sportsmen ever to grace the city. Not to mention robbing the Jays of what might be their best crowd of the season.
All this because the series happened to coincide with the G20 summit. So, keeping world leaders safe in the face of the merry band of globalization protesters that follows them everywhere is child's play, but the prospect of Jays fans in the security zone... that's cause to panic.
Have the people in charge of security seen the crowds at a Blue Jays game? Soccer hooligans these ain't. Granted, Philly fans are famous for booing Santa - maybe they got a label maker that year - but how many of them are really going to be at the games?
Not to make light of security concerns, but it seems like the application of a little bit of effort and creative thinking - perhaps limiting the routes to the Dome to control foot traffic - might have allowed the series to remain in Toronto.
A Halladay start would have been a complete love-in, even after he two-hits the 2010 "Close your eyes and swing hard" version of the Blue Jays. Halladay always put out a supreme effort, never complained about his team, the front office, or even hinted at wanting a trade. This allowed the Jays to garner a decent return him, unlike a whining superstar who becomes a huge headache and robs his team of any trade leverage (see Carter, Vince).
Halladay has said all the right things since being traded, about the city and the organization, and he still has as many fans in this city today as he did when he sported Toronto blue. Too bad they'll have to wait until at least next year to show their appreciation. ¶ posted by Jim Turner at 12:55 AM
