Sunday, November 18, 2018
Blue Jays Transformation 2018 to 2019
There was
something in the news recently about the World Series trophy
(officially the Commissioner's Trophy) making an appearance in Puerto
Rico. The Boston Red Sox now possess that piece of silver, and their
manager, Alex Cora, took the trophy into his childhood neighbourhood
to visit with his old pals. This is a tradition that began several
years ago with the Stanley Cup. And yes, last summer, the enormous
Russian superstar, Alex Ovechkin, took the Cup to Mother Russia to
display it to his countrymen, and countrywomen.
It has been
some time since the Toronto Blue Jays had the opportunity to display
the World Series trophy as champions. Back to back, as you recall,
'92 and '93. Ah the glory days of baseball in Toronto! There was a
glimmer of hope a couple of years ago. The powers-that-be opened up
the vaults and brought in some fine players to help win the Big One.
Alas, they fell a little short. Since that time, they have thrown all
of the pieces of the puzzle back into the box, and are in the process
of building another contender.
Part of the
restructuring had to do with upper level management. Ross Atkins is
now the General Manager of the Jays. Mark Shapiro is the President
and CEO of the team. About two weeks ago, the team announced that
they had found a replacement for John Gibbons, the on-field manager
of the team.
Charlie
Montoyo was selected to lead the Jays next year as manager. He is a
native of Manati, Puerto Rico, and has been involved in baseball in
America for many years. His only Major League experience as a player
came in 1993, when he played four games for the Montreal Expos. He
spent 10 years as a professional player in the minor leagues.
As is
usually the case, the team has said good bye to a couple of their
coaches, batting coach Brook Jacoby and first base coach Tim Leiper.
Most of the time, when a new manager is hired, he is given a certain
amount of freedom in the hiring of his coaches. There will be other
changes in the coaching staff before next spring.
Montoyo has
been with the Tampa Bay Rays' organization for almost 20 years. Last
year, he was a Bench Coach for the team. He worked as their third
base coach for three seasons. But it was as manager of the Durham
Bulls for 8 seasons that he learned the ropes on team management.
He realizes
what is at stake at the helm of the Blue Jays. “Managing a team
that represents an entire nation is incredibly special. My family and
I look forward to working towards the ultimate goal of winning a
championship for this city”. He signed a three year deal.
The Ottawa
Senators asked their fans a simple question last weekend. “Would
you rather lose 9-2, as they did on Saturday night, or 3-2 in
overtime, as they did on Sunday?” And yes, they were entertaining
that dreaded two goal lead in the third period, yet again. They seem
to run out of steam near the end of the game, and cannot sustain
their leads. Not a lot of fun for their fans.
Our beloved
Buffalo Bills were simply crushed again on the weekend. There's a
tough assignment: staying loyal to that cause!
James Hurst
November 5,
2018.
# posted by James Hurst @ 9:43 AM 
