Blue Jays are Flying Higher

Never really been a fan of trade deadline deals.

Most of the time, the teams I follow are often sellers. Case in point, my favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds recently moved pitchers Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake. At least they are now on teams where I have some interest.

When I was a teenager, the Toronto Blue Jays were born. Growing up as a fan of the National League, the birth of the Blue Jays was fun and offered a new look at the American League.

There are even a few Doug Ault and Danny Ainge baseball cards in my collection.

Although I’ve never been to Toronto, I have watched two Blue Jays games in person, so I am interested in their fate.

The most recent time was in Detroit at Tiger Stadium during the 1996 season when Cecil Fielder was traded to the New York Yankees. In an ironic twist, he was still featured on the program just before he went to the Yankees.

The other game was in Chicago at Comiskey Park on Aug. 24, 1985.

The Blue Jays were on their way to their first AL East title and two of my favorite players, George Bell and Dave Stieb, would be there. Bell hit a long homer that day, while Stieb was awesome.

Stieb threw a no-hitter through eight innings. Even the hometown White Sox crowd was excited. If you know Stieb’s history, it’s clear this game didn’t end with a no-hitter. Chicago’s Rudy Law and Bryan Little both hit home runs to start the ninth inning and Stieb’s day.

The next batter, Harold Baines would hit another long ball off Gary Lavelle, but the Blue Jays would win 6-3. Stieb did get the win, while National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver got the loss. Thankfully, Stieb would eventually toss a no-hitter in 1990.

J. Donaldson/MLB Photo

David Price/MLB Photo

T. Tulowitzki/MLB Photo

With that as a backdrop let’s fast forward to this year’s trade deadline and my increased desire to watch the Blue Jays.

The trades for Troy Tulowitzki and David Price appear to have changed the dynamics of the Blue Jays. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, I can catch the action.

Heading into tonight’s game at home against Minnesota (Aug. 6), the Blue Jays have won seven of their last eight and they are in the final wild card spot, while closing in on the Yankees.

I was already a fan of former Cincinnati player Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista, but adding the other two has made it very fun to watch baseball from Toronto.

Something else that I discovered after now watching regularly, and this probably obvious to diehard Blue Jays fans, Josh Donaldson is really incredible. I know he started the All-Star Game this year, but what he is doing is amazing and it’s a wonderful story for the Blue Jays.

Hopefully, there won’t be any more flat tires along way and this season can continue to be a wonderful story for the Blue Jays as they work to reach to playoffs and the World Series.