It’s been a month since I last wrote, but some exciting things have been happening and I wanted to share in my excitement and gratitude. I have been a Blue Jays fan for over forty years and have always followed their meteoric rise in their standings. They have been up and down like a toilet seat for many of their decades, yet my love of the game has never wavered, I have always followed their passion for the game and enjoyed it immensely. I attended many home games with my hubby and family. We have been staunch supporters, wearing all of the gear, waving individual flags and paraphernalia. We would fill up the car and take off for Toronto with as many happy individuals packed in as possible. On game day, each one of us had our royal blue caps on, with the beak properly tweaked at the front to keep out the bright sunshine. Inspired by all of the hype of our favourite players in the lineup for the day, brought out much more adrenaline that I could contain in one vehicle, so the songs we chanted were loud and strong “Let’s Play Ball”. On more than one occasion, we had difficulty in finding a parking spot, so it was my job to scout for our rows and locate all of the appropriate washrooms, along with delicious foot-longs for two hungry boys. After being seated, the boys were munching on their snacks, the Rogers Centre became alive with unbelievable enthusiasm, and the noise levels were astronomical. That’s when the players were entering and being introduced to all of the home teams then it was time for the challenging team to come on. After a brief first pitch, it was first inning per usual, and the chanting started with much embellishment on behalf of our four family members. What a day we all had. It was only for a few hours but those memories last a lifetime. To this day I can still remember and recall, what each one of us wore. Where we sat, and how ecstatic my sons were at being present. The year was 1992, and the Bluejays were playing at their finest, much like ten years ago and again this year, 2025.
We are a true baseball family and no matter what else is going on, we take the time to gather together for our beloved games. Even though my sons are not always physically together, they share the love of the game and communicate that regularly.
Recently, we were watching, animatedly at our beloved getaway home in Thornbury. Enjoyed watching all of the ALCS series with the Mariners, both in Toronto and Seattle. It had us on our proverbial seats. Watching how our Bluejays lost a game, then won then lost, our hearts were in our throats. Then it was time for the Mariners to lose two in a row and we jumped off the sofa into the air each time one of their excellent hitters missed a pitch, we couldn’t believe it. So many nights this performance happened in a row. We were all yelling, vocalizing our beliefs about how well our team was killing it. Some of the Blue Jays players were running so much faster than they had ever run before, manufacturing runs and home runs right before our very eyes. It was so amazing, you could see their legs move so fast and speed along. It looked like they had wheels. After the last night when we finally won, I think we all screamed so loud that we woke up the neighbours. It didn’t matter, as our beloved team had clutched the playoff to the World Series and that’s all that mattered. We were still up, yet exhausted from all of the ALCS series, but looking forward to tomorrow night, when we start playing the Dodgers at our home plate advantage.
Baseball has played a huge part in our collective lives. I am overjoyed to say that it brings much joy.
Here’s to the World Series and much more appreciative activity in the Siemko household while being entertained by the finest. We have our caps and memorabilia ready for tomorrow’s game, and all of the Bluejays will be rested and in their finest form to take on their opponents.
#bluejays #memories #ALCS #WORLDSERIES
Gail Siemko 