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How does Major League Baseball grade for diversity in 2011—64 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color line? 

Take a walk with me along the river of my thoughts and grading scale, and you’ll probably be able to pick my brain for the answer by this column’s end.

No longer just a buzzword in college business classes, diversity is a must in almost every walk of global corporate life. 

Those who believe in trickle down philosophies will agree diversity in practice has leaked from the board room to bored people in rooms across America’s heartland.

Americans who are mired in the mud of self-hatred and bigotry are being forced to get over it.  Largely relegated to inner circles and family free-for-all discussions, racism is on the way out and diversity is here to stay. 

The dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is alive and kicking in certain parts of the nation, yet it’s severely lacking, still, in others. 

I was afforded the opportunity of reciting his I Have a Dream” speech in fourth grade at an assembly, and I’ve monitored the words taking shape in society for many years now.

Major League Baseball was once a secret society—a segregated society with secrets.  Prior to 1947—as has been well documented—African-Americans were excluded from being members. 

Robinson helped advance the international African-American spirit, which had been burning across the land—especially after WWI and throughout the 1920s.

After he came along and did what he did, the independence movement in Africa and the Civil Rights Movement in America took hold.  Perhaps it was more than coincidence.  America has become one of the most diverse places on earth.

Diversity means respecting many backgrounds, cultures and ways of thinking.  Recognizing differences in so-called “race,” gender, sexual orientation and ability is what’s up. 

As English is known as the “language of success,” diversity is now the perspective of success.  To be successful in America these days, one almost has to be down with O.P.P—that stands for “other people’s perspectives.” 

Diverse experiences and outlooks must be respected.   It’s essential in the global marketplace and in society.  Hearing every voice and singing of inclusion—indeed lifting every voice and promoting positive environments is a valuable skill. 

The way the diversity movement is going, promoting diversity and positive vibes could become indispensable skills sooner than we all think. 

Treating others with respect regardless of color, religion, national origin, age, sex, citizenship, military or veteran status are all protected by federal, state or local laws.  MLB had better be in compliance or else.

New York City, for example, prohibits discrimination based on creed.  The New York Yankees have to respect the creed of inclusion from Reggie Jackson to Robinson Cano, Hedeki Matusi and the remarkable captain Derek Jeter.

Remarks, comments, jokes or gestures ridiculing, threatening or demeaning people is against the law—period.  And this goes a long way in promoting positive vibes in the realm of diversity. 

My grade for MLB is based on the following criteria: 1. Encouraging all opinions and ideas.  2. Viewing differences as assets.  3. Accommodating various strengths.  4. Working together in mixed teams to design and implement creative solutions.  5. Serving broad markets effectively and sensitively. 

MLB has players from almost every nation on the earth, except native Africans it seems.  Africa isn’t represented in the World Championships of Baseball.  This is one place where the league could improve its diversity.

How does baseball do in the area of equal employment opportunities?  Well, Dusty Baker and Ron Washington are the only African-American managers in the majors.  There aren’t any female owners or general managers.  You tell me.

Compensation—salary and benefits—can be said to be based more on negotiating skills than discriminatory factors. 

A-Rod, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols rank among the highest paid players in the world.  Baseball—like most professional sports organizations—gets an A for employees’ salary and benefits.

A season or two ago, there was a perhaps beneficial declaration by Torii Hunter, who stated Dominicans are manipulated—signed young, paid less and treated poorly.  Hunter wasn’t the first one to speak up about this issue. 

Dominicans, however, largely ignored the controversy—along with the rest of baseball because Hunter’s beliefs weren’t viewed as necessarily being true.  Hunter’s comment controversy helped people get past the longstanding issue after taking yet another look.

In terms of fairness in disciplinary actions, MLB’s image has improved over the years. 

It wasn’t too long ago when Gary Sheffield complained Jason Giambi gets away with yelling at teammates.  Giambi was considered a leader, while Sheffield was considered a poor teammate when he does it—the argument went.

Now there is a culture in professional baseball where it is viewed as being equally wrong for any player to berate a teammate.  Ask the highly, um, motivated Carlos brothers of the Cubs—Silva and Zambrano.

If Barry Bonds’ trial is perceived as only racially motivated, then people are missing the facts.  Most of the steroid era players have been exposed, Bonds is the only one to go to trial.  People forget, thought, Roger Clemens is also going on trial. 

It’s only Mark McGwire—the biggest cheater of them all, according to whistle blower Jose Canseco—who has gotten away untarnished. 

In terms of untarnished recruiting, hiring, placements, upgrades, promotions and lateral movement, baseball deserves a D-minus—or worse. 

Social and recreational programs need to be expanded in more places where poor people are prevalent such as Detroit and Jackson, Mississippi.  All so-called “races” could benefit.

In terms of terminations of employment and recalls, “Last hired, first fired” appears to be the norm for minority baseball managers and front office employees.

Working conditions are outstanding considering what they once were during the Jackie Robinson days.  No black cats have been spotted on the field and racial epithets aren’t tolerated.  Overall, I give MLB’s diversity a grade of C.

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If you want to know why the hobgoblins of 1989’s Field of Dreams refused to allow Ty Cobb to play ball on their ghostly field, you have only to re-watch the classic 1994 movie Cobb, starring the inimitable Tommy Lee Jones.

Alas, one was the lovely, tear-jerking movie that men loved to bawl about. The other was an antidote to sugarcoated cotton candy about life and death that Field of Dreams provided.

Cobb set many records as a player. In the film written and directed by Ron Shelton and based on Al Stump’s famous biography of the baseball anti-hero, Cobb manages to set a yardstick of records that cannot be touched by “the children who play baseball nowadays,” as Cobb states in the movie.

If you are ready to throw Barry Bonds to Michael Vick’s dogs, you ought to consider Cobb. Why hasn’t Pete Rose invoked the name? He may be afraid of the demonic spirits that would attach themselves to his already bad luck streak.

Yes, folks, Ty Cobb managed to crack the original top-10 list of record-setters.  In the Ron Shelton movie version of his life, the star of the Detroit Tigers breaks every one of the Ten Commandments. And, that is no easy feat.

Here they are:

X.  Bearing false witness is lying under oath. Here he beat Barry Bonds by a mile. He allegedly lied about the Black Sox scandal, setting up the baseball commissioner with the threat of blowing the lid of baseball fixes if the league pursued the idea of prosecuting him. 

IX. Oh, he coveted lots of things, but usually found a way to achieve them. One he detested was Babe Ruth’s home runs. “I’d hit those things if I had to,” he reports in the film.

VIII.  He not only coveted many wives and girlfriends, but he managed to bed Lolita Davidovitch in one racy scene. Marriage was not a sacrament to Cobb.

VII. Not only did he beat his wife in this film, his litany of being unfaithful drove her to seek divorce finally for his adultery.

VI.  Let’s face it. Any man who sets the record for stealing bases, and especially home, surely squeaks by with breaking this rule.

V. Did Cobb kill a person, committing murder? According to Shelton’s screenplay, he pistol-whipped a man to death in a back alley.

IV. Honoring his parents was undermined by his contempt for his mother. It may have resulted in Cobb being the trigger man in the bizarre and unsolved murder of his father. Someone in the old family home used a shotgun to dispatch the man.

III. Cursing at God is such a common sin, that some may find it hard to condemn it, but when Cobb curses God for making him an old drug addict, this is a piece of work in the history of curses.

II.  Back in the early days of baseball, many cities and town felt playing baseball on Sunday was a sacrilege. Of course, Cobb had no problems with a professional game (especially with all that money involved).

I. Cobb probably had a few false gods up his uniform sleeve. He put baseball ahead of all else, and his records were most important of all. Yet, in the years subsequent to his playing ball, he made tons of money playing ball in the stock market.  In his mind, everything paled next to the almighty dollar.

Perhaps some of these sins were a stretch even for Cobb, but the fact is the allegations against him make the crimes of Bonds, Vick, Rose and hundreds of others, seem like minor ethical lapses of judgment.

Next time you are ready to cast a stone at the latest folly of a modern athlete, you may well want to pay homage to the “greatest ballplayer of them all: Ty Cobb.”

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Craftsbury, Vermont, nestled in the forests of northern New England, is famous for two movies filmed on location: one film was made by Alfred Hitchcock, and the other stars Bill “Spaceman” Lee.

Alfred Hitchcock, The Master of Suspense who brought us Psycho and The Birds, went to Craftsbury in 1954. He was attracted to the rural small-town setting where for a few weeks in the autumn, the foliage and splash of colors roll over the hills for miles in every direction.

A self-styled eccentric and vagabond, Bill Lee came to Craftsbury after playing for the Montreal Expos. Still tiny, more of a village, it has a tad more than 1,000 residents today. It seems appropriate for a renegade of a conservative sports game to find solace in a land founded by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys.

Bill Lee, formerly of the Boston Red Sox, was dubbed the Spaceman for his otherworldly notions and antics. The southpaw won 17 games three times for Boston in the 1970s.

More people took a shot at Bill Lee during his career than suspects who murdered Harry in Hitchcock’s dark comedy classic, The Trouble with Harry, filmed in the wilds of Vermont.

Now Hitchcock’s Harry and Spaceman Bill Lee share the same geography.

Harry was a dead body who kept being buried and dug up by murder suspects. Bill Lee is a ballplayer who keeps coming back from retirement and pitching anew. Not too long ago, Lee pitched nearly six innings for the Brockton Rox, a professional team, and won the game at age 62.

Hitchcock did not want to film his movie in England where the original novella was set, and he scouted the settings of New England where quirky people might live. He thought Craftsbury was the perfect location for what might be called Space Cadets. Bill Lee would agree, and he moved there too.

To the shock of Hitchcock upon arrival at Craftsbury, the leaves of summer had already turned and fallen off trees in late September of 1954. Alfred Hitchcock, an auteur before his time, ordered set designers to glue the leaves back on the trees.

Bushels of more fallen leaves were collected and brought back to Hollywood for the studio production scenes. If Lee is the certified eccentric of baseball, Hitchcock won the title in the film industry.

Lee found the quirkiness that Hitchcock admired in northern Vermont and often plays ball, even into his 60s, near the Craftsbury Common that Hitchcock used as a backdrop in his movie.

Bill Lee lives the life of a freethinker and uses local timber to help produce baseball bats, much like the weapon Hitchcock used to kill Harry in his movie.

Lee disdained convention, and he was passed over by Don Zimmer, who could have used him to pitch against the Yankees in a pivotal playoff game. He is not a Zimmer fan, to say the least.

Hitchcock passed over Cary Grant for the lead role in his movie, and thus turned his little film into his greatest box-office failure. Hitchcock considered making a movie about baseball, featuring a crackpot who fills a baseball with explosives that ends up in the World Series. Alas, he never got around to making it.

Hitchcock, of course, did make a film about the apocalypse when birds beset mankind. Bill Lee contends that the spirit of his former boss, Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, now inhabits various birds that follow and torment him wherever he goes.

Bill Lee’s movie, A Baseball Odyssey, is available on DVD, with key scenes filmed in Craftsbury, Vermont. For that matter, so too is Hitchcock’s little-known masterpiece, The Trouble with Harry. 

This connection definitely makes Alfred Hitchcock and Bill Lee birds of a feather.

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With the alleged ghostly spirits that live at the 99-year-old Fenway Park, ghost-seeking fans may have plenty to spook them late in the night. Bumps in the Monster seats may be more scary when the Sox are on the road.

According to Baseball Hauntings by Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon, there is a bit of action at Fenway Park. Among the alleged spirits to be found there on off-nights when the Sox are on road trips are the late announcer Sherm Feller and owner Tom Yawkey. 

Wouldn’t Ted Williams be there? Always mercilessly booed by fans at Fenway, might Babe Ruth relocate to Fenway now that old Yankee Stadium is gone?  And, what about Tony Conigliaro, whose career started there with a home run and, in reality, ended there with a beanball to the face? He roamed the outfield with his brother Billy for 1969 and 1970. Benighted Tony C passed away at age 45 almost 30 years ago.

Night guards report hearing something akin to fans shouting down at players. In fact, fans have secretly and illegally had their ashes dispersed at the Park.  It is against all regulations and will be stopped by security guards. There are enough haunted memories at Fenway already.

Hey, Zak, Jayson, Nick, Grant: We need you!

Spirits and ghosts often become upset and more active when renovations and construction take place at their abode. If that’s the case, then wandering specters at Fenway must have their heads in their hands.

From the Monster seats atop the 37-foot wall, to café-style tables on the right field roof, Fenway Park has changed plenty in recent years. How are the old ghosts taking it? Night workers report they hear the crack of the bat as if a ball were being hit off the wall.

Two rivals ghost shows appear on television regularly, and they could remove our fears. As an occasional fan of old dead things, I learned neither ghost-busting team has ever visited Fenway Park to do some debunking.

The Travel Channel features Ghost Adventures, with Zak and Nick, with headquarters in Las Vegas. The SyFy Channel features Ghost Hunters, with Jayson and Grant, headquarters in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Ghost Hunters has a slight edge in the contest. They went to Cooperstown in 2010 and visited the Baseball Hall of Fame to try their luck with resident haunters. Yet, as close as they are, the Retro-Rooters have never made a trip up to Boston—so far.

With majestic Fenway about to turn 100 years old, time may be at hand to put an end to speculation. Curses may have been exorcised by winning two World Series championships in this decade, but are the old ghosts still part of the environs? We need verification.

So, this call now goes out to the two teams of paranormal researchers. Let’s see what you can debunk at Fenway, Grant and Jason! Let’s see what you uncover at the shadow of the Green Monster, Zak and Nick!

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A former Las Vegas showgirl inherited the Cleveland Indians from her deceased husband and wanted to move the team to the warm climate of Miami, sound familiar LeBron James?

In order to accomplish the removal of the Indians she needed to reduce attendance at Municipal Stadium below a total of 80,000 ticket sales which would trigger an escape clause in the team’s lease with the city of Cleveland.

She instructed her general manager Charlie Donovan to hire the worst team possible from a list she had already prepared.

The list included veteran catcher Jake Taylor, who has problems with his knees and was last playing in Mexico, incarcerated pitcher Rick Vaughn, the speedy center fielder Willie “Mays” Hayes (who was not invited to camp but ran his way onto the team), power-hitting outfielder Pedro Cerrano, who practices voodoo, veteran pitcher Eddie Harris, who lacks a strong throwing arm and is forced to doctor his pitches and third baseman Roger Dorn, who is already under contract but is a high-priced prima donna. As manager, Phelps hires Lou Brown, a tire salesman who “has managed the Toledo Mud Hens for the last 30 years.”

The result would be Major League, one of the greatest sports movies ever and the introduction of Ricky Vaughn, or “Wild Thing,” played by Charlie Sheen.

Despite the recent shenanigans of Charlie Sheen and his crazy and insane interviews that have led to the world talking about him, it really doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of him. This is Ricky Vaughn! I mean Wild Thing even had his own bobble head night for the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in 2009.

Rick Vaughn, despite his lack of control, could have one of the fastest pitches the league has ever seen still to this day.

The Yankees loaded the bases when Vaughn was called in, the crowd roaring their excitement over Wild Thing. Vaughn is able to strike out the Yankee’s best batter in three straight pitches and end the inning knowing that he just banged Dorn’s wife and he sits at third knowing about it. Now that is pitching under pressure.

Charlie Sheen’s recent problems seem a bit more complicated nowadays than when he was banging out Roger Dorn’s wife. The way things are going Charlie Sheen may be making a return trip playing ball for the California Penal League.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0KvuVPtJBk

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Miguel Cabrera: We don’t know the whole story and we may never know the whole story. 

The two parts that trouble me most about this story are, “Do you know who I am?” and, “You don’t know anything about my problems.” 

No, Miguel, I don’t know anything about your problems. But I really don’t care any more about your problems than you care about mine. 

That may sound cold, but at 54 years of age, I learned long ago that the typical morning query from my colleagues—“How are you today?”—is at best perfunctory. If I thought they really cared I might be more forthcoming about my life, especially during those times I’m feeling blue. But then I remember to breathe. 

My dad once told me that half the people in the world don’t give a damn about your problems and the other half are relieved that you’re saddled with them and they’re not. Dad was a curmudgeon and I’m following in his footsteps to make him proud. But there was truth in his words. 

As events surrounding the Cabrera story have been unfolding I was reminded of Christian Bale’s tirade a few years ago during the shooting of a Batman film. Someone on the set moved, causing Bale to break character, which resulted in a five or six-minute rant during which Bale berated the poor lighting technician who’d had the audacity intrude on Bale’s moment. 

Bale apologized the next day—after the episode appeared on YouTube—but it was a half-assed apology with a caveat.

“Imagine your worst day …” he began.

I don’t remember what came after that because I can’t imagine having a day bad enough that would result in such an infantile outburst. Not when I’m being paid $20 million to play act and so what if my concentration was broken? It’s not live theatre. Back up to the beginning of the scene and roll the cameras again. People in the real world with real jobs, they don’t always get a “Take Two,” Christian. But we forgive him because of his box office appeal. 

About Miguel’s problems: Even without my knowing what they might be, if I could hit a baseball as far as he can and as often as he does, I think I’d be willing to trade my problems for his in a New York minute (Johnny Carson once defined a New York minute as “the interval between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the guy behind you honking his horn”). 

In these troubling times there are people without jobs who’ve been without jobs for two years or longer and whose unemployment benefit has run out. These folks can’t pay their mortgages and have no idea from where their next meal might come. Now they have real problems—problems I’m sure they’d be willing to trade for Miguel’s. 

I don’t mean to belittle Cabrera’s issues. Celebrities are constantly under a microscope. Athletes especially are under pressure to perform; but I recall what Lee Trevino said many years ago in response to a reporter’s question about pressure in a skins game.

In short, the reporter asked Trevino if he felt pressure in sinking a putt that was worth $200,000. Trevino said, “That’s not pressure. Pressure is when you need to sink the putt for $10 so you can feed your family.”

Trevino is a wise man. 

The Detroit Tigers organization, and indeed MLB, has taken a lot of heat over their handling of this latest issue. Some have called for a season-long suspension. That might get Cabrera’s attention.

Then again, a new baseball season might be just what he needs to get back on track. It seemed to do wonders for him last season, when he was runner up for the MVP award. 

But a lot has been said about Cabrera’s accountability. Frankly, I’m not convinced he’s convinced that he has a problem. Twice now, over the last 18 months, he’s been in the news over drinking. One strike is acceptable; he is young and prone to poor judgment. Now he’s taken a second strike. Each time he’s said all the right things in apology—to family, his team, the Tigers organization. 

But there’s something canned about it, like Michael Vick’s contrition in the aftermath of his jail time. Dangle a carrot big enough—a multi-million dollar contract to play quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles—and heck, I’ll say anything you want me to say. 

But there comes a time when actions speak louder than words. 

Now is the time to get the bat off your shoulder, Miguel. 

While the rest of us wait and wonder whether there will be a third strike down the road.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It is always nice to get recognized for something you put your heart into, so I was thrilled when Ballhyped.com wanted to feature Lady Loves Pinstripes as a favorite female sports site during Women’s Week. It is an honor for women to be getting acknowledged in the sports world. I want to thank Ballhyped for hosting a week to honor women, as it is a step in the right direction for us ladies.

What is Women’s Week at Ballhyped?

This week is Women’s Week at BallHyped, and we’re reaching out to some of our favorite female bloggers to get their take on the state of the blogosphere, tips on creating a successful blog, how their sites are doing and where they see this blogginess going one, two, five years from now. –Ballhype.com

Click this link to read Lady Loves Pinstripes featured Q&A and please feel free to comment.

I also want to thank anyone who has ever read Lady Loves Pinstripes or just clicked to take a look. I truly appreciate it and hope my site lives up to your expectations.

About Ballhyped.com:

Ballhyped.com is a community for sports fans by sports fans, highlighting the best sports news, commentary and blogs from around the sports world and blogosphere.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

A California jury returned a guilty verdict today on three counts of second-degree murder in the death of Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher, Nick Adenhart and two others in April, 2009.

Gallo was charged and convicted of the more serious second-degree murder charges rather than manslaughter because he has a previous DUI conviction and was known to understand the specific dangers of drinking and driving from his own experience.

Prosecutor Susan Price noted to the jurors that Gallo had been repeatedly warned by family, friends and court officials about the dangers of drinking and driving. However, his continued need to party and arrogance apparently took precedence over those warnings.

Gallo was on probation at the time of the accident for drunken driving when he crashed his van into the car that carried Adenhart and his friends. Price also noted that Gallo had signed papers signifying that if he were to be arrested and charged with killing someone while drunk, that he would be charged with murder.

Adenhart, a promising young pitcher for the Angels, had just pitched six scoreless innings in his debut earlier that day, April 9th, 2009. Hours later, while driving in Fullterton, Adenhart and his friends were killed after Gallo had plowed through a red light and hit the car.

Courtney Stewart, 20, who was the driver of the car, and Henry Pearson, 25, were also killed in the crash. Another passenger, Jon Wilhite, was severely injured but survived.

Gallo could face more than 50 years in prison. His sentencing has been set for Dec. 10.

For continuing Angels updates, follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In 1960, Gene Autry, already famous as a singing cowboy, decided to travel to the Major League Baseball expansion meetings to see if he could find a baseball team to broadcast on his radio station. He walked away with an actual team instead.

Fifty years later, that same team, the Los Angeles Angels, are planning a year-long bash to commemorate their 50th birthday.

The Angels will unveil their plans this Friday, and they are going all out. The year long celebration salutes loyal Halos fans and remembers former Angels players. During the season, 81 former Angels players will throw out the first pitch before each game, and Angels Stadium will feature retro nights and giveaways as well.

New uniforms will also be introduced. On the front of the club’s home, road and alternate red jerseys, a gold halo is featured on the “A” of the club lettering. The 50th anniversary patch will be featured on the right sleeve.while an “A” patch with gold halo will be featured on the left sleeve.

The caps will also be different. Hats will now feature a gold halo around the primary “A” logo as well as a 50th-anniversary patch affixed to the left side. And on the playing field, the 50th anniversary logo will be displayed in center field, replacing the 2010 All-Star game sign. The 50th anniversary logo will also be prominently featured throughout different areas of the ballpark, including on the windows above the home-plate gate.

Local radio station AM830 and Fox Sports West television will feature special 50th anniversary programming throughout the year, with retrospectives and a program chronicling the 2002 World Champion season.

From 5-7 p.m. PT on Friday, fans can join in on the festivities at the home-plate gate, where current and former Angels will be doing live interviews and prizes will be given away. The Angels will be playing host to the Chicago White Sox, with Joel Pineiro on the mound for his second start since returning from the disabled list with an oblique injury suffered two months ago.

The anniversary logo to be revealed has a gold halo, and the number 50 is featured prominently beneath it with a ribbon that signifies the prosperity of the last half-century.

While the 2010 season overall was a disappointment for the Los Angels Angels and their fans, it certainly won’t dampen the spirit of next season’s celebration. In fact, gold will rule the day, and the year.

For continuing Angels news updates, follow Doug on Twitter, at Sports_A_Holic.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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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