Toronto Blue Jays 1980 & Beyond

[canadianman29]

IN THE NEWS

June 8
Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope is in Perth-Andover, New Brunswick about 30 miles from the border between New Brunswick and Quebec. His public support seems to be building, as he can't run more than a couple minutes without someone yelling out of their car or watching him down the street and cheering him on. The New Brunswick Cancer Society has been much more helpful to him than in Nova Scotia and donation totals for his trip through the Maritime Provinces (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick) are at around 140,000 dollars. He is looking forward to crossing into the bigger provinces, where it's hoped more money can be raised.

June 10
Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope enters the province of Quebec, and Terry finds things quite different here than the great reception he got in most of the Maritime provinces. Here are a couple excerpts from his diary on his first impressions on running through Quebec. "The wind howled again all day. Right in my face. It was very difficult constantly running into the wind. It saps it right out of your head and body. The only people here who know about the run are the truckers and out of province people. Everyone else wants to stop and give me a lift." and, "I am tired and weary because people are continually forcing me off the road. I was actually honked off once. People are passing from behind me on this narrow road. It is so frustrating." It should be noted that Terry did not speak French, and therefore had trouble communicating with a lot of Quebecers to tell them what was going on.

[canadianman29]

NEWS
June 11th
Placed SP Bill Gullickson on the 15-day disabled list. (back soreness) Purchased the contract of RP Mike Boddicker from Triple A.

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[canadianman29]

IN THE NEWS

June 16
George Braden becomes government leader of the Northwest Territories , as responsible government is reinstituted for the first time since 1905.

[canadianman29]

June 18
LAWSON HITS 25 STRAIGHT GAMES
Eugene Lawson added another number to his consecutive game hitting streak. The Boston first baseman increased it to 25 games in a row. But the Red Sox fell to the Cleveland Indians 5-4 at Cleveland Stadium.

June 23
CARBO AND GERALDO SUSPENDED 2 GAMES FOR BRAWL
Carbo of Houston and Geraldo of New York Mets have been sanctioned by the league office for causing the ruckus at the Astrodome. Both players have been given 2 game suspensions for instigating the fight and subsequent free for all.

[canadianman29]

[canadianman29]

IN THE NEWS
June 29
Earlier this month the US Center for disease control reported five cases of pneumonia, which were later discovered to be connected to AIDS, resulting in the first recorded AIDS related deaths. (In the next couple years over 16,000 cases will be reported worldwide.)

Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope has reached the national Capital of Ottawa, Ontario. After a largely disappointing journey across Quebec, Terry Fox enter Ontario and the Marathon of Hope kicks into high gear. Today, he's closing in on Ottawa, where he will spend Dominion Day (Now known as Canada Day, July 1). However, Terry is most excited about the surge in fundraising through the first towns of Ontario (they are now up around $300,000 across Canada). Terry's run through Quebec didn't go well. Compounding the problem, was the fact that neither Terry or Darrell Fox or driver Doug Alward could speak French. According to Leslie Scrivener, author of a book about Terry Fox, the young men would simply point to what they wanted in grocery stores, and did without showers because they had no idea how to ask for one. "I felt like an idiot, an alien from another planet," Doug Alward said. "so we went four or five days without a wash." Despite the setbacks Terry greatly enjoyed visiting old Quebec City, admiring the churches, statues and cobbled streets. Terry recieved a warmer reception in Montreal. His group stayed in a luxury hotel room courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel president Isadore Sharpe who had lost a son to cancer. Sharp paid for a full page newspaper ad which said "Let's make Terry's run really count!" The chain donated two dollars for each mile Terry ran, and challenged 999 other corporations to do the same. To slow down his pace so he'd arrive in Ottawa on Dominion Day, Terry took his first day off in 73 days on June 23rd in Montreal. He tried to relax, but the pause only made him edgy. Terry entered Ontario at the town of Hawkesbury on June 28. He was greeted by a brass band and the release of thousands of balloons printed with the slogan, "WELCOME TERRY. YOU CAN DO IT." In Ottawa Terry and his crew met Governor General Ed Schreyer and his wife Lily at Government House. (Darrell Fox recalls feeling a bit silly attending the meeting in shorts and a T-shirt). Terry made the opening kickoff at a CFL exhibition game between Ottawa and Saskatchewan. He opted to kick with his good leg. The crowd of 16,000 gave him a standing ovation.

July 1
"O Canada" is officially signed into law as the National Anthem of Canada. The song was composed by Calixa Lavallee in 1880 as a patriotic song to be used during that year's, St. Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony. The first lyrics to the song were written in French by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier in 1880 for the same ceremony. An English translation did not appear until 1906, and it was two more years before Robert Stanley Weir penned the English lyrics, which are not a translation of the French. Weir's words were altered in 1914 and again in 1980 to their present form, although the French lyrics remain unaltered.

[canadianman29]

July 3
KANSAS CITYS SMITH SUSPENDED 2 GAMES
Kansas City shortstop Billy Smith was ejected in the game between the Royals and Rangers for letting loose a profanity laced tirade against the home plate umpire after some calls didn't go the way he wanted. Smith was incensed in the loss to Texas and was just as angry after the game.
"These guys are a joke. How can people expect to take this game seriously when you have games like this?" Smith said in the locker room after the game.
Now Smith must face the consequences of the actions. League officials released a brief statement to the media. "We are regretful that Smith has taken this to the level that it has reached. The league will not tolerate this type of conduct. Due to his actions during and after the game the league is suspending him for 2 games."

[canadianman29]

IN THE NEWS
July 4
Terry Fox remains in Ottawa a few days to do all the things mentioned in the last post, and on July 4th he is introduced to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The meeting is disappointing, as Trudeau has just gotten back from a trip to Venice and has not been briefed on who Fox is and what he's doing. After a short meeting in the hallway of the Chamber of the House of Commons, Fox asks the normally adventurous Trudeau to run a mile with him. Trudeau declines.

[canadianman29]

BLUE JAY NEWS

July 5
Front Office
Having a better idea of what Terry Fox's timetable to Toronto might be, we schedule an Exhibition game with our Canadian opponents, the Montreal Expos, on July 9, the last day of the All-Star break. A Cup is being crafted that will be called the Pearson Cup, and will be presented to the team that wins the game. All proceeds from the game will go to the Canadian Cancer Society, and, assuming nothing untoward keeps him from being here, Terry Fox will be on hand to address the crowd, and throw out the first pitch. We also decide the Cup will be contested between our two clubs every year, with proceeds after this game going to promote minor baseball in Canada.

[canadianman29]

IN THE NEWS

July 5
Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg defeats John McEnroe to win the Wimbledon Championship. It is his fifth straight win at Wimbledon, setting a record.

[canadianman29]

July 5
2500TH HIT FOR STAUB
Rusty Staub has gone through many bats during his playing career. None of them means as much to him as the one he used to crack career hit number 2500 at Cleveland Stadium. The 36 year old first baseman told reporters after the game, "I plan to keep this bat at home in my own private hall of fame."

[canadianman29]

IN THE NEWS
July 6
Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope has reached Havelock, Ontario. a town about 90 miles north of Toronto. With every day Terry Fox spends in Ontario the Marathon of Hope becomes more and more a Canadian spectacle. His Ottawa stop included meetings with the Governor General and Prime Minister, but now he has his sights set on Toronto. In addition to expecting huge crowds in Toronto, he will also have a new artificial leg waiting for him. Almost anywhere he ran in Ontario Terry Fox was greeted with crowds of people lining the roadside through rain or shine. Voyageur bus drivers had taken to stopping the buses and collecting donations from passengers when they saw Terry pass by. Despite their initial resistence even the Ontario Provicial Police ended up helping collect money as they escorted Terry. His run was now covered by local and national media and even some American news networks were starting to pick it up. Terry was treated like a rock star and developed a constant following of teenage girls.

[canadianman29]

June Recap

Team Record: 49 - 32
Month Record: 18 - 10
Runs Scored: 116
Runs Allowed: 90

[canadianman29]

July 7
ALL STAR GAME ROSTERS ANNOUNCED

NL All-Star Roster
Starting Line-Up
C J Stearns
1B D Evans
2B J Mansanarez
3B G Brett
SS D Stapleton Leading Vote Getter(NL)
OF D Walling
OF J Martinez
OF K Singleton
SP J Richard
Bench
J Nolan (ATL)
J Cook (NYM)
L Weston (STL)
K Oberkfell (STL)
M Schmidt (HOU)
M Easler (CINC)
H Swift (CINC)
Y Pae (NYM)
Pitchers
SP M Krukow (CHIC C)
SP R May (MONT)
SP D Palmer (CHIC C)
SP R Perez (PHIL)
SP R Reuschel (HOU)
SP D Righetti (SAN D)
SP A Thompson (PIT)
RP R Fingers (SAN D)
RP G Rocha (LOS D)
RP B Sutter (CHIC C)
RP B Werner (CINC)

AL All-Star Roster
Starting Lineup
C P Pennington
1B K Hernandez
2B M Alvarez
3B E Lawson
SS R Yount Leading Vote Getter (MLB)
OF D Collins
OF F Lynn
OF K Gibson
SP C Swan
Bench
J Wockenfuss (SEAT)
E Murray (BALT)
W Aikens (CALIF)
B Grich (SEAT)
T Raines (OAK)
K Landreaux (OAK)
B Sample (BALT)
Pitchers
SP D Aase (Bost)
SP M Bruhert (Minn)
SP R Guidry (NYY)
SP N Ryan (Calif)
SP D Sutton (KC)
SP F Valenzuela (SEAT)
RP E Sosa (TOR)
RP D Bair (CALIF)
RP T Bruno (MILW)
RP D Corbett (CLEVE)
RP L Smith (OAK)

[canadianman29]

Before the All-Star Game was the Home Run Derby.

1980 Home Run Showdown
FIRST ROUND (10 Outs)
PLAYER HOMERS
D Evans 13
G Brett 7
K Hernandez 7
R Yount 7
D Stapleton 6
D Walling 5
D Collins 5
F Lynn 5
K Singleton 2
K Gibson 2
SECOND ROUND (5 Outs)
PLAYER HOMERS
G Brett 5
R Yount 4
D Evans 3
K Hernandez 3
FINAL ROUND (5 Outs)
PLAYER HOMERS
R Yount 4
G Brett 3
WINNER: R Yount

[canadianman29]

IN THE NEWS
(All-Star Break)

July 10
As the baseball world gathered for the All-Star Game, Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope reached Scarborough, a city just outside of Toronto. Terry Fox, Superstar. That's the feeling you get as Terry reaches the Toronto area. From a tearful speech at the Scarborough Convention Center, to his proud run down University Avenue, in Toronto, toward a large rally at city hall, Terry is greeted with cheers, and donations, from the biggest crowds he's ever encountered. But the mood is lightened considerably by a meeting and surprise from Terry's own hero: hockey legend Darryl Sittler.
Terry Fox was given the star treatment during his visit to the Toronto area. When he walked into an Oshawa mall, Terry's childhood friend and Marathon of Hope van driver Doug Alward said, "it was as if he was a rock star. People were crowding around wanting to touch him...Women and girls, teenagers especially, were starting to chase him."
At his speech in the Scarborough Civic Center, Terry Fox began by telling the crowd, "I think you've all heard my story..." and was interrupted by applause. But he went on to speak to the crowd about something that had been bothering him. "One thing hurts me. I keep hearing 'Terry Fox'. I'm not doing the run to become rich or famous...To me, being famous is not the idea of the run. The only important part is that cancer can be beaten." Terry also suggested he might not be able to finish his run, "I've said to people before that I'm going to do my very best to make it, and I'm not going to give up. And that's true," he said, "But I might not make it. And if I don't make it, the Marathon of Hope better continue. And we need these other people to continue the Marathon of Hope even if I don't make it. It's got to go on without me."
After being introduced to Terry Fox, hockey star Darryl Sittler ran with Terry and his family down University Avenue in Toronto. At Nathan Philip's Square, Sittler gave Terry his 1980 NHL All-Star jersey. (Terry normally looked at each of his gifts and passed them to a member of his entourage, but in this case the awestruck runner stopped to put the sweater on, despite the 30 degree heat.) "I've been around athletes a long time and I've never seen any with his courage and stamina, Sittler said of Fox. Darryl Sittler has played for the Toronto Maple Leafs since 1970. In 1972 he set a record by recording 10 points in a single NHL game.
At City Hall, Canadian Cancer Society honorary chairman Al Waxman called Terry the "toast of Toronto and the hero of all Canada." Terry told the applauding crowd, "Those claps, take them for yourself. If you've given a dollar, you are part of the Marathon of Hope. That ovation was for you, wherever you are in Canada." The Marathon of Hope raised an estimated $100,000 that day.

[canadianman29]

Pearson Cup Exhibition Game, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Montreal Expos.
July 9
Pre-Game
The crowd waited in breathless anticipation, it was noon, and we had to start letting people in at eight in the morning, as the press of people continued to mount. The stadium was full to the brim, with 44,000 people by 8:10. We charged our usual ticket prices, but made it known that monetary donations would also be collected from the crowd before the first pitch. A low murmur rippled through the throng as the players continued their warm-ups on the field. Each teams All-Stars had rushed back all the way from Los Angeles to be a part of the festivities, they all wanted to see for themselves the young man that had taken a hold of the imagination of the Canadian people.
At exactly 12:05 pm the voices were silenced by the call to rise and stand as our newly minted national anthem, O Canada was performed. When the anthem was sung, the crowd did not take their seats, but remained standing, knowing that next would be the first pitch. Several people had various Blue Jays (and a few Expos) related signs, but most had signs with slogans such as "You can do it, Terry!" and other such things written on them. Everyone stood waiting, as a wooden ramp was brought out of the Jays clubhouse, and when Terry ran out of the club house onto the field the crowd erupted in applause for the young man, Terry Fox.
Terry walked up to the microphone, and cleared his voice. In his slightly hurried way he recounted his story, how he had been struck with cancer and lost his leg, but determined to not give up, and to fight it and not let it hobble him. He spoke of his dream to run across Canada, birthed in his mind shortly after he lost his leg, as he read an article about a man with one leg, who had learned to run. He spoke once again of his desire not to be a celebrity or idol, and spoke of his dream that cancer could one day be defeated, and that if every Canadian would give just one dollar of their money to his run, he could raise $22 million for cancer research. He then threw the first pitch of the game, straight and true into the glove of Biff Pocoroba, and the crowd erupted in thunderous applause. Since we had collected gate receipts four hours earlier, we sent All-Star hurler Dave Stieb to the mound to present Terry with a cheque for $88,000 dollar, the amount we had made at the gate. We sent ushers through the crowd to collect donations during the game as well. Terry walked back off the field to another standing ovation...he would sit in the Jays dugout during the game.
Final Score: Toronto 10, Montreal 5!
Aftermath
Toronto wins the first ever Pearson Cup Exhibition Game, and representatives of both team present Terry Fox with another $60,000 collected from the crowd during the game, bringing the game's total donation to $148,000.

[canadianman29]

IN THE NEWS

July 12
Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope will be leaving Toronto today. Terry Fox's long awaited visit to Toronto has exceeded all expectations. His whirlwind tour included speeches in front of thousands of admirers, a standing ovation at Exhibition Stadium, dining at the CN Tower and running with his hockey idol Darryl Sittler. But now, it's back to life on the road. Police motorcycles accompany Terry as he runs. When he ran through Canada's eastern provinces, Terry had to contend with speeding cars and trucks that sometimes forced him off the road. In Ontario, the Ontario Provincial Police offered the runner an escort across the entire province. After Toronto, Terry Fox embarked on a very successful swing through densely populated southern Ontario. His run will take his through Brampton, Hamilton, Kitchener, Guelph, London and Stratford. Each stop would generate significant income for the Cancer Society.

July 13
Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope has reached Oakville, Ontario, just south of Toronto. In her book, Terry Fox: His Story, author Leslie Scrivener (who covered the Marathon of Hope for the Toronto Star) describes the fundraising success in Oakville. The week before Terry arrived, Oakville Cancer Society volunteer Joan Gibb noted that $235 had been collected and prepared an oversized cheque to present to him. By the time Terry's brother Darryl arrived, the total was changed to $8,600. When Terry showed up just two hours later, the amount was $11,239.
Terry Fox is having great success fundraising in Mississauga and Oakville, Ontario, but still revels in the memories of his trip to Toronto. There are rumours that several Members of the Federal Government will table a motion that Terry be awarded the Order of Canada. The fundraising in southern Ontario is wildly successful, some days bringing in as much as $20,000. Fundraising events varied considerably: they ranged from silver plate dinners with politicians and corporate executives, to a Hamilton man raising $912 by sitting in a giant vat of banana-lemon custard. In Hamilton, ON, Terry was mobbed by women in the Royal Botanical Gardens, and 1960 Canadian Marathon Championships winner Gord Dickson gave Terry his gold medal. Although all the money went to the Cancer Society, Terry did accept momentos. Among the gifts sent to him was a hand-knitted leg warmer for a single leg. In Stratford, ON, Terry was kissed by famed British actress Dame Maggie Smith. The meeting took place between fittings for a new artificial leg. Terry Fox also got to meet another one of his hockey idols, Bobby Orr. Orr presented Terry with a cheque for $25,000 from his sponsor, Planters Peanuts. The two had dinner. According to the Ottawa Citizen, when Orr went to the washroom, Terry stole some of his croutons. "Now I can tell my grandkids that I stole some of Bobby Orr's croutons.", he told Canadian Cancer Society representative Bill Vigars.

[canadianman29]

BLUE JAYS NEWS
July 14
1B Chris Chambliss was designated for assignment and placed on waivers.
Purchased the contract of 1B Willie Upshaw from Triple A.