Canadian Crossing

2023 Toronto Blue Jays preview

The last game the Toronto Blue Jays played that counted was such a playoff collapse that the team retooled its lineup. More speed and less power, especially in the outfield.

All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernández went to the Seattle Mariners, the team that advanced in the 2022 MLB playoffs. Right-handed reliever Erik Swanson and lefty pitching prospect Adam Macko went from Seattle to Toronto.

The Blue Jays acquired Dalton Varsho from Arizona for outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno.

Tampa Bay centre fielder Kevin Kiermaier signed a 1-year, $9 million contract. Brandon Belt is a 1B/DH backup after playing his entire career in San Francisco.

Never forget the time Kevin Kiermaier stole the Blue Jays' pitching game-plan card 💀 pic.twitter.com/TXqLbGKXfZ

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 10, 2022

Matt Chapman and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are at the corners with Bo Bichette and Santiago Espinal up the middle. Whit Merrifield, Cavan Biggio, and eventually Addison Barger serve as backups to infielders and likely outfielders.

Varsho, Kiermaier, and George Springer make up the starting outfield.

Alek Manoah, Chris Bassitt (new free agent), Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios will be the primary starters on the mound. Ross Stripling left for San Francisco. Yusei Kikuchi is in the starting pitcher mix.

Canadian Jordan Romano is the closer, with bullpen roles other high-leverage jobs going to pitchers like Swanson, Yimi García, Anthony Bass, Tim Mayza, and (let's hope) Nate Pearson.

Hyun Jin Ryu (starter) and Chad Green (new free agent reliever) will join the season in progress after Tommy John surgery.

2023 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

2022 Toronto Blue Jays go down in 2 straight to Seattle

Quite a few MLB teams might have too many play-by-play people and analysts. Not the Toronto Blue Jays.

Dan Shulman will call the majority of the games for Rogers Sportsnet. Buck Martinez and Joe Siddall will provide analysis. Will Martinez call those games when Shulman is not there? Will Matt Devlin step in as he did in 2022?

Some personal news for Blue Jays opening week:

I'll be getting to work alongside @benwag247 as colour analyst for some of our Jays broadcasts on @fan590 this year.

I'll also be contributing pregame TV analysis to Blue Jays Central, similar to what I've been doing for Raps.

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) March 29, 2023

Siddall is also in the studio with Jamie Campbell when not in the booth. Ben Wagner would be a logical person to step in for Shulman, as he did for spring training games. Except Wagner doesn't have a regular colour analyst and is prohibited from traveling for road games. No other MLB team is this cheap and pathetic. None.

Blake Murphy will help out on some radio broadcasts but he has a busy schedule, too. Murphy won't start for another week, beginning with the Blue Jays series in Anaheim. 

Pat Tabler's contract was not renewed, as we noted in our spring training schedule. Deserved a better exit. Even a switch to studio work or radio colour analysis would have made sense than letting him go. If you really thought there was a retirement (it wasn't), Tabler is working as a fill-in analyst on Cleveland Guardians telecasts in 2023.

TVA Sports has 81 Blue Jays games en Francaise as part of a new 3-year deal to carry geais bleus de Toronto.

MLB Network will have the vast majority of U.S. appearances, generally taking home feeds. Fox, Fox Sports 1, TBS, ESPN, and Apple TV are all possibilities but those outlets tend to limit Blue Jays appearances, even with a team in last year's playoffs. Unless there is a change, Fox Sports won't show the Toronto Blue Jays on either side of the border.

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If you have been watching Blue Jays spring training games, Ben Wagner spends a lot of oxygen on the changes coming to Rogers Centre in terms of outfield seating. Changes are also coming to distances from home plate and the height of the outfield wall.

The wall had been a standard 10 feet. The height is reduced to 8 feet in straightaway centre field and up to 14'4" in right-centre field and down the left field line. The wall down the right field line is now 12'7" while the wall in left-centre will be 11'2". The power alley walls will be 10'9" in right-centre and 12'9" in left-centre.

As for outfield distances, down the left and right field lines are still 328 feet and centre field is at 400. The changes come in left-centre at 368 feet (from 375 feet) and right center at 359 feet (from 375 feet).

The Rogers Centre changes also mean a late home start for the Toronto Blue Jays. The team travels to St. Louis, Kansas City, and Anaheim before the home opener on March 11 against Detroit.

In other off-field news, the Toronto Blue Jays won't have the home run jacket celebration. The jacket had the words La Gente del Barrio — "the people of the neighbourhood" — on the back along with the home countries of the players.

The talented and fun team is still talented and somewhat fun but the spirit is changing under manager John Schneider. The trades of Hernandez and Gurriel seemed to signal the end of that era.

2023 Team Canada World Baseball Classic wrapup

2023 Team Canada World Baseball Classic preview

Team Canada won as many games (2) in the 2023 World Baseball Classic as in the 2006 version. The team finished 3rd, one position away from advancing out of Pool C.

Canadian MLB players to watch in 2023 (TSN)

Some of those Canadian players are on the Toronto Blue Jays, such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jordan Romano, Zach Pop, and Otto Lopez (minors, for now).

Josh Naylor and Bo Naylor, Tyler O'Neill, Cal Quantrill. Those among others.

There are 2 Canadian MLB players to watch though not right away. For the first time since 2008, Joey Votto will not be on the Opening Day roster for the Cincinnati Reds. The first baseman is still recovering from surgery last August to his left shoulder and bicep. 

Votto is in the final season of his 10-year, $225 million contract. Cincinnati General manager Nick Krall said while he hopes Votto will end his career with the Reds, Krall would consider trading Votto to his hometown Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline, if Votto wanted a trade.

The incredibly warm response Votto got in Toronto in 2022 would be even more dramatic if Votto switched from red to blue. Votto will benefit from the disappearance of the shift in 2023. Something to think about closer to the end of July.

Michael Soroka has not thrown a pitch in a MLB game since August 3, 2020. His 2023 Atlanta season will be delayed by a hamstring strain. This is after considerable Achilles damage.

What Team Canada could have done with a healthy Joey Votto, Michael Soroka, and Josh Naylor. 

NEWS: @Dempster46 & @SieraSantos are joining @KMillar15 to co-host @MLBNetwork's @IntentionalTalk. Debut show is March 31st at 5 p.m. ET.

Release: https://t.co/Rgg5nbCVgk pic.twitter.com/qGwRBkP8EL

— MLB Network PR (@MLBNetworkPR) March 15, 2023

Ryan Dempster has the second most wins and strikeouts of any Canadian MLB pitcher, both behind Ferguson Jenkins. Okay, so Dempster retired with a 132–133 record but he does have 2,075 strikeouts.

Dempster has built a nice side career as a part-time analyst for Marquee Sports for the Chicago Cubs. Now he is joining the MLB Network on its Intentional Talk show with Kevin Millar and new host Siera Santos.

Millar has been the one constant of the show with different hosts. He has that role of loud and a little obnoxious, a milder version of Paul Bissonnette from the NHL side.

Dempster was on the Marquee telecast when Team Canada had an exhibition game with the Chicago Cubs earlier this month. Dempster's lone appearance in the World Baseball Classic came in 2017, 4 years after his retirement.

photo credits: Toronto Blue Jays; Rogers Sportsnet
Twitter captures: @BRWalkoff; @BlakeMurphyODC; @MLBNetworkPR

2023 Team Canada World Baseball Classic wrapup

We were rather pessimistic about Team Canada after the 2017 World Baseball Classic. The performances were colossally terrible.

Team Canada didn't advance out of Pool C in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Yet the future is rather bright for Team Canada.

Before 2023, Canada had only played in 1 mercy (merci en francaise?) rule game, a rather humiliating 14-4 loss to Italy in 2013. At least the game went 8 innings, given that 7 innings is the minimum for a mercy game.

Team Canada had 2 mercy rule games in 2023, both in 7 innings: the front end with a 18-8 win over Great Britain and a 12-1 loss to the United States.

Canada posted a 5-0 shutout win over Colombia and a 10-3 loss to Mexico. Team Canada finished with a -3 run differential (27-30), not so bad given 2 blowout losses.

LET’S GO! @_BoNaylor_ 💪#WorldBaseballClassic2023 pic.twitter.com/NZEAzyG2Oa

— Baseball Canada 🇨🇦⚾️ (@baseballcanada) March 15, 2023

Team Canada finished 3rd behind Mexico and the United States. Canada has automatic qualification for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

On one level, Team Canada beat up on the 2 weakest teams in Pool C in Phoenix and weren't close to the 2 top teams. On another level, Canada has a lot of young players who will do a lot better in 2026.

Canada won as many games (2) as the team did in 2006. A 2013 win over Mexico was the only other win until 2023.

FUN FACT:

With a HR and a triple in yesterday's win over Colombia, Otto Lopez became the 1st 🇨🇦 player to record a HR and a triple in a WBC game since Adam Stern (London, Ont.) did so against the U.S. on March 8, 2006.

*From @baseballcanada game notes@cfssports @GLCanadians pic.twitter.com/FOyHCE5eSc

— Kevin Glew (@coopincanada) March 15, 2023

Freddie Freeman and Tyler O'Neill were the biggest offensive names going into the tournament. Jared Young provided the only run against the United States with a home run.

Edouard Julien proved to be a strong lead-off hitter for Team Canada and played 2nd base. Canada hasn't always had a lot of top talent on the left side of the infield, but Abraham Toro at 3B and Otto Lopez at SS got their feet wet and will only be that much better in 2026.

Bo Naylor was solid behind the plate. Would have been fun to watch his brother Josh play in the same lineup.

Jacob Robson, Owen Caissie, and Denzel Clarke were pleasant surprises in the outfield.

Noah Skirrow was impressive on the mound in the win over Colombia. Cal Quantrill had a rough outing against the United States but someone needed to go up against that team. Scott Mathieson came out of retirement to get the final outs against Colombia.

Freeman got injured in the Colombia game and was withdrawn from the team. If Canada had beaten Mexico and advanced, the hope was that Josh Naylor might have been ready to DH in the next round.

O'Neill went 4-4 for 4 RBI, Robson went 4-4 with a RBI, and Julien hit a HR and had 4 walks against Great Britain. Team Canada drew 16 walks in that game.

2023 Team Canada World Baseball Classic preview

The joke has always been that if Canada could play their coaches, the team would be better. The young players definitely benefited from coaches such as Larry Walker and Russell Martin and the only manager Team Canada has had in the WBC, Ernie Whitt.

Joey Votto might be a DH in 2026 or a coach. Either way, you know Votto will be involved.

The current reality is that this team has a lot of young talent with minimal MLB experience. 3 years changes a lot of this dynamic.

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

Canadian viewers in English saw the international feed with Rich Waltz and Buck Martinez. The surprise was that Fox Sports let the international feed go for all the games, except for the United States game. Fox had Jason Benetti with John Smoltz and Ken Rosenthal.

Waltz had fond memories of working Triple A baseball games with the Las Vegas Aces in places such as Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. One concerning theme is the loss of minor league baseball in Canada. Dry information is one thing; Waltz's enthusiasm for road trips to western Canada gave wet emotion to dry information.

There was a bit too much focus on Canada's 2006 win over the United States in the WBC. The 9-run 1st inning in 2023 stopped that chance cold in its tracks.

Adam Loewen pitched 3⅔ scoreless innings and earned the win in 2006. Loewen came out of retirement to pitch in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Loewen converted to an outfielder and even played in the outfield for the Toronto Blue Jays. Loewen's personal saga is quite remarkable.

More than baseball ❤️ #WorldBaseballClassic https://t.co/xoorngIVXT pic.twitter.com/n5ihTWljbt

— Baseball Canada 🇨🇦⚾️ (@baseballcanada) March 14, 2023

We saw the Great Britain players mimic tea drinking. Canada players mimic the antlers of the moose. The spirit of playing for one's country is part of the fun of the World Baseball Classic.

With a few breaks, fewer injuries, and more experience, Team Canada will be fun to watch in 2026.

photo credit: World Baseball Classic
Twitter captures: @baseballcanada; @coopincanada; @baseballcanada

2023 Team Canada World Baseball Classic preview

Despite what Harold Reynolds said in 2015 about Canada's inability to catch a baseball, Canada is back for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Canada is in Pool C with United States, Mexico, Colombia, and Great Britain at Chase Field, home of the MLB Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. Top 2 teams advance. The United States will be one of those teams. Canada has never advanced out of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

Canada did go 2-1 in 2006 but not strong enough to advance. A 10-3 win over Mexico in 2013 is the only WBC victory for Canada since then. 0-2 in 2009, 1-2 in 2013, and 0-3 in 2017. In 11 games, opponents have outscored Canada 82-48.

Date	Opponent	Time	Cdn TV	U.S. TV
March 12	Great Britain*	3p	Sportsnet	Fox Sports 1
March 13	United States	10p	Sportsnet One	Fox Sports 1
March 14	Colombia	3p	Sportsnet	Fox Sports 2
March 15	Mexico*	3p	Sportsnet One	Fox Sports 2
* home games. All times Eastern.

 

Games will also air in French on TVA Sports in Canada and in Spanish on FOX Deportes in the United States. Rich Waltz will call the WBC games with Buck Martinez providing analysis on the international feed carried by Rogers Sportsnet.

Game coverage is also streamed via the Sportsnet and Fox Sports outlets.

Team Canada's primary issue is that their depth has not been strong and players have bad timing with injuries or newly signed free agents to participate. Joey Votto, James Paxton, Jordan Romano, Mike Soroka, and Rowan Wick are not available for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Freddie Freeman, Bo Naylor (brother of Josh), Abraham Toro, and Tyler O'Neill are the most famous players on the offensive side. Phillippe Aumont, John Axford, Matt Brash, Adam Loewen, and Cal Quantrill are notable pitchers. If coaches could play, Team Canada would be in better shape.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who could have played for Canada, chose to play for the Dominican Republic, but withdrew from the 2023 version.

The outlook for Canada would be much different with Josh Naylor, Nick Pivetta, Jameson Taillon, Zach Pop, 

Team Canada World Baseball Classic status in significant doubt

2017 Team Canada World Baseball Classic preview

"We were talking about foul balls in the stands up in Toronto, and because there's not a lot of people that grew up playing baseball in Canada, they're not used to catching a lot of balls in the stands … not many people catching that one, anyway." — Harold Reynolds (2015).

Canada could use some more minor league teams on Canadian soil. The COVID-19 pandemic made that even more problematic with teams, such as the Vancouver Canadians, having to play south of the border.

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

Canada played a pair exhibition games in Arizona prior to the World Baseball Classic: the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday in Mesa and the Seattle Mariners in Peoria yesterday.

Jared Young had a strong 2 RBI double in the first inning against the Cubs. The team lost 11-7 to the Chicago National League franchise.

Seattle defeated Team Canada 5-3 yesterday in Peoria, AZ.

Here's hoping for a respectable Canada showing in 2023.

photos credit: Baseball Canada

2023 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

A normal start to spring training but yet another year without a finish at Olympic Stadium in Montréal. The Toronto Blue Jays haven't been to Quebec's largest city since 2019. 

Unlike 2022, the Grapefruit League starts on time (tomorrow) and will end on time. As the Blue Jays have done since 1977, the team trains in Dunedin, Florida.

2023 Blue Jays Spring Training schedule

February 25 @ Pittsburgh
February 26 NY Yankees
February 27 @ Atlanta
February 28 Detroit/@ Philadelphia
March 1 @ Baltimore
March 2 Pittsburgh
March 3 Tampa Bay
March 4 @ Detroit
March 5 Philadelphia
March 7 @ Pittsburgh
March 8 Minnesota
March 9 Atlanta/@ Tampa Bay
March 10 @ Boston
March 11 Baltimore
March 12 @ Philadelphia
March 13 Boston
March 14 @ NY Yankees (6:35p)
March 15 Pittsburgh
March 16 @ Baltimore (6:05p)
March 17 Philadelphia/@ Philadelphia
March 18 NY Yankees
March 19 @ Tampa Bay
March 20 @ Detroit
March 22 Baltimore
March 23 @ Minnesota
March 24 Philadelphia (6:07p)
March 25 Detroit (6:07p)
March 26 @ NY Yankees
March 27 Philadelphia
March 28 @ Philadelphia (12:05p)

All times at 1:07 pm (home)/1:05 pm (road) unless noted. All times are EST through March 11; EDT March 12-28.

Rogers Sportsnet will carry all the home games and 5+ select road games, including the opener on Saturday. The road games might come from alternate feeds (think YES). You can always check to see which games are on television.

ESPN+ will carry 2 Toronto Blue Jays spring training games, using the available feeds. Those telecasts will be the home game with Philadelphia on March 24 and the road game with the New York Yankees on March 26.

MLB Network in the United States will carry live and tape-delayed versions of spring training games, including live coverage of the Toronto home opener. Games may be subject to blackout in a team's region.

A statement from Pat Tabler: pic.twitter.com/X74VZCzuLn

— Sportsnet PR (@SportsnetPR) December 2, 2022

The spring training broadcast schedule will have Dan Shulman and Ben Wagner sharing play-by-play duties while Buck Martinez and Joe Siddall as colour analysts. They are likely to be TV/radio simulcasts for those TV games. The plan is to carry all the home games in Dunedin plus 5 select road games.

For those who wondered, Pat Tabler left (forced out). Rogers chose not to replace Tabler in the booth, though Siddall and Caleb Joseph are the likely backups. Ben Wagner gets to suffer through another year in the radio booth without a permanent partner. Trust us when we say this is an embarrassment for Rogers.

Martinez will also be the analyst for the Pool C international feed (Sportsnet feed) from Phoenix, AZ for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Pool C features Canada, United States, Great Britain, Mexico, and Colombia.

Sportsnet will not resume on-site radio broadcasts for #BlueJays road games this season and will instead provide remote coverage from its downtown Toronto studio.

“I’m very disappointed in the network,” said retired Jays radio voice Jerry Howarth. https://t.co/xOlEqbn6CX

— Toronto Star Sports (@StarSports) February 17, 2023

As if things weren't bad enough for Wagner, et al, the Toronto Blue Jays will be the only MLB team whose radio broadcasters will not travel in 2023.

2022 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

2021 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

2020 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

We will deal with all the changes to the Toronto Blue Jays in our season preview.

photo credit: Toronto Blue Jays
Twitter captures: @SportsnetPR; @StarSports

2022 Toronto Blue Jays go down in 2 straight to Seattle

The third player in team HISTORY with a multi-homer game in the Postseason:

THIS GUY ✌️ #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/V2Edcurn1V

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 8, 2022

The argument in 2020 was that the Toronto Blue Jays had been road weary and couldn't overcome the laser precision of the Tampa Bay Rays. 2021 was an amazing season but no playoffs. The 2022 version worked hard down the stretch to gain home field advantage and get the Seattle Mariners to fly thousands of kilometres and deal with customs.

The Blue Jays outscored the entire Tampa Bay and Cleveland series in Game 2: 8-1 lead where they couldn't shut the barn door in time. Game 1 featured a shutdown of the Blue Jays offence.

Teoscar Hernandez hit a 2-run home run in the 1st inning and a first pitch blast in the 4th inning. Former Toronto ace Robbie Ray gave up both home runs. Ray didn't go to Toronto in the regular season, reportedly because he hadn't had the COVID-19 vaccine. The new rules allow unvaccinated players into Canada.

George Springer and Bo Bichette were involved in an outfield collision with a blooper that brought in 3 runs to tie the game at 9-9. Whit Merrifield was pulled from Game 2 after getting hit in the head with a pitch.

2022 Toronto Blue Jays MLB playoffs preview

Thought @Cardinals would have worst collapse of these wild card series. @Bluejays unfortunately said #holdmybeer. 8-1 lead, going down 10-9. This young core now 0-4 in @MLB playoff games. #NextLevel

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) October 9, 2022

The young core (Bichette, Guerrero, Kirk, et al) needed playoff experience, preferably winning playoff experience. The team played nervous on Friday and bewildered in the second half of Saturday's game. 

If Springer had been allowed to catch that blooper or hold it to a single, then maybe there would have been a Sunday game. There are other countless moments that would have made a difference. A team that hadn't played in a playoff game since 2001 had a lot more confidence than a team that has had remotely recent playoff success.

Toronto Blue Jays should get creative in broadcast booth with Buck Martinez's cancer diagnosis

A potential Game 3, subject to the result of other games, could have meant a Blue Jays appearance on ABC. Given that ESPN only carried the Blue Jays in the playoffs, that would have been impressive. Like when the Toronto Raptors were on ABC, Citytv reportedly would have sim subbed the ABC feed.

Sadly, this might be Buck Martinez's last game. Nothing is certain and Martinez has to consider a few factors, such as age and health. Matt Devlin filled in for Dan Shulman at times in Martinez's absence. Devlin does have a day job with the Raptors.

2022 Toronto Blue Jays second half preview

2022 Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Game preview

2022 Toronto Blue Jays preview

2022 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

Toronto Blue Jays get swept in 2020 MLB playoffs

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

Wait til next year or next level.

Toronto Blue Jays playoffs history

2022	Seattle	0-2
2020	Tampa Bay	0-2
2016	Cleveland	1-4
2016	Texas	3-0
2016	Baltimore	1-0
2015	Kansas City	2-4
2015	Texas	3-2
1993	Philadelphia	4-2
1993	Chicago (AL)	4-2
1992	Atlanta	4-2
1992	Oakland	4-2
1991	Minnesota	1-4
1989	Oakland	1-4
1985	Kansas City	3-4

Twitter captures: @BlueJays; @canadian_xing
photo credit: ESPN/MLB

2022 Toronto Blue Jays MLB playoffs preview

Sea you soon 😉

Get your popcorn ready! #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/I4ov7ioFlV

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 5, 2022

Matt Chapman's second half torrid pace. Teoscar Hernandez showing us that trading veterans such as Francisco Liriano can yield benefits. Bo Bichette's electric September hits wise. George Springer's steady veteran leadership on and off the field. Whit Merrifield being a great teammate and displayed his versatility.

Alek Manoah on the mound at the start of the game. Jordan Romano at the end of the game.

While the 2021 Toronto Blue Jays team might have been the best MLB team to not make the playoffs, the 2022 Toronto Blue Jays took the #4 seed in the 2022 MLB playoffs.

Unlike the 2020 version, there will be home playoff games in Toronto in 2022. This was the first season since 2019 that the Blue Jays played all their home games in Toronto.

The Seattle Mariners, a team that has missed the playoffs since 2001, will be the Toronto opponent at Rogers Centre. The games will run Friday-Sunday in Toronto with the best 2 out of 3. The Sunday game is only necessary if there isn't a sweep.

The Blue Jays made a crucial decision to install John Schneider as the manager to replace Charlie Montoyo. Toronto fired Charlie Montoyo on July 13 with the team at 46-42. Schneider went 46-28 and got a playoff spot. The Blue Jays finished in second place in the American League East Division with a 92-70 record.

The wild card round will be on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada with Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler. ESPN will carry the series in the United States with Dan Shulman and Gregg Olsen calling the Blue Jays series for ESPN Radio.

Enjoy the Buck Martinez coverage. There is a possibility that Martinez may retire from the booth after this season. Here is the Rogers Sportsnet coverage of all the opening round series games.

The ESPN coverage will be either on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC. Dave Flemming, Jessica Mendoza, Tim Kurkjian, and Coley Harvey will have the series in Toronto. By ESPN standards, this could have been a lot worse.

TBS carried a Tuesday night game in Toronto last week. Mostly because New York Yankees and Aaron Judge. Still, there was some love for the Blue Jays on U.S. national television.

MLB Network usually carried the home feed unless Toronto was at home to the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

If the Blue Jays advance, Houston will be the opponent and the American League Division Series will be on TBS in the States.

Date	Opponent	Time	U.S. television
October 7	Seattle	4p	ESPN
October 8	Seattle	4p	ESPN
October 9	Seattle+	2p	ABC

All games on Rogers Sportsnet. All times are Eastern Daylight Time.

The Game 3 time will be unchanged if there are 3 Sunday games, including Toronto. In the event of 2 Sunday games, the Blue Jays move to 4 pm on ESPN. If the Blue Jays are involved in the only Game 3, the scene will shift to 7 pm on ESPN.

The 1946 Montreal Royals should be a significant part of the Jackie Robinson Museum

2022 Toronto Blue Jays second half preview

2022 Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Game preview

🇨🇦 HISTORY 🇨🇦

For the first time, a #BlueJays game was won AND saved by Canadians! @pop_zach pic.twitter.com/rQYOtlSbv6

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 2, 2022

2022 Victoria Day notebook: Alberta in the spotlight

Toronto Blue Jays should get creative in broadcast booth with Buck Martinez's cancer diagnosis

2022 Toronto Blue Jays preview

2022 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

Toronto Blue Jays get swept in 2020 MLB playoffs

The young core did get some playoffs experience in 2020. The circumstances were very different, especially in the worst MLB ballpark. Hyun-Jin Ryu got 5 outs and gave up 7 runs in Game 2. Charlie Montoyo took Ryu out of that game. Neither of them are here for the 2022 playoffs.

Danny Janzen might be the only Blue Jays player with any decent memory of that short-lived season.

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

Rob Thomson is only the 4th manager in MLB history to take over a team at least 7 games under .500 and lead them to the postseason.

Dick Howser, 1981 with the Royals

Cito Gaston, 1989 with the Blue Jays

Jim Tracy, 2009 with the Rockies

Rob Thomson, 2022 with the Phillies

— PhilliesNotes (@PhilliesNotes) October 4, 2022

We noted earlier this season that Rob Thomson was the first Canadian MLB manager (beyond a game) since 1934. Thomson and Schneider have something intriguing in common.

Joey Votto — the best Canadian MLB player outside of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — had his season cut short for surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. Before the surgery, Votto played in his 1,989th career game to set a new Canadian record.

Votto's highlights in 2022 included an excellent series in his hometown of Toronto as well as growth on social media for making friends wherever he goes.

Toronto Blue Jays playoffs history

2022	Seattle	0-0
2020	Tampa Bay	0-2
2016	Cleveland	1-4
2016	Texas	3-0
2016	Baltimore	1-0
2015	Kansas City	2-4
2015	Texas	3-2
1993	Philadelphia	4-2
1993	Chicago (AL)	4-2
1992	Atlanta	4-2
1992	Oakland	4-2
1991	Minnesota	1-4
1989	Oakland	1-4
1985	Kansas City	3-4

Twitter captures: @bluejays (x2); @PhilliesNotes
photo credit: @bluejays

The 1946 Montreal Royals should be a significant part of the Jackie Robinson Museum

We know there will be a Jackie Robinson Museum in Manhattan. We know the public opening will be soon. "Check back in September 2022 for updates on our public opening."

There is a lot that goes into the life and legacy when you explore the museum's Web site.

"The museum celebrates the enduring legacy of one of the most important Americans of the 20th century, chronicling his trailblazing achievements against the backdrop of United States history. Invoking Robinson's role as a champion for racial, social, and economic equality, the Museum's programming places an emphasis on dialogue around critical issues that continue to challenge our society."

The life of Jackie Robinson has been covered in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) and 42 (2013). You would think you would have a really good idea about the story of Jackie Robinson. Yet both films have a missing chapter.

Jackie Robinson's path to the Brooklyn Dodgers is guided in great part for the time Robinson spent with the 1946 Montréal Royals.

By all accounts, Robinson and his young wife Rachel were treated rather well in Montréal, not as much during road games.

Jackie Robinson was honoured at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Oscar winner Denzel Washington paid tribute to Robinson. 2022 marks 75 years since Robinson made his MLB debut and 50 years since Robinson passed away. As Los Angeles Dodgers all star Mookie Betts pointed out, "It's Miss Rachel Robinson's 100th birthday. So on the count of three, I want everybody in here to say, 'Happy birthday, Rachel.'" The crowd obliged.

Rachel Robinson is the connection back to those days in Montréal.

Having opened its doors last Friday, the Jackie Robinson Museum seeks to bring people from all walks together to commune and appreciate each other’s humanity and diverse experiences. Enjoy a glimpse of the ribbon cutting ceremony led by Emmy Award winner @RobinRoberts pic.twitter.com/QyNcQVhWpZ

— Jackie Robinson Foundation (@JRFoundation) August 2, 2022

"Learn details of Robinson’s five months in the Negro Leagues and his signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers’ AAA farm team in 1946 and with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Meet his teammates, see game-worn uniforms, and imagine Robinson’s daring and captivating style of play."

This doesn't say "Montréal Royals" and likely is literally about actual signings of contracts.

This chapter has been mysteriously missing for a number of reasons:

• Actual good treatments of the Robinsons in Montréal confuses the straight-ahead story of what Robinson experienced outside Canada.
• Minor leagues are not major leagues.
• Canadian history is not something Americans want to know.
• Canada is not the United States.

Museums are set up to give more detail for elements that aren't easily explained. Robinson's story with the 1946 Montréal Royals is worthy of a small wing in a Jackie Robinson Museum. We don't get the impression that this will be a part of the museum but would love to be proven wrong.

Kamala Harris, Jackie Robinson, and their association with Montreal

Montreal has more than a supporting role in 42

Jackie Robinson's Montréal apartment honored by Canada and United States

The Jackie Robinson Museum is at One Hudson Square Building, 75 Varick Street in New York City, near the Canal Street subway stop. The phone number is (866) 454-3772. The museum is only open Thursdays-Sundays 11 am to 6 pm. The Web site points out that there are "Timed-entry tickets only. Advance ticket reservations recommended."

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Toronto Blue Jays had a semi-adventurous MLB trade deadline yesterday. Whit Merrifield, an All-Star in 2019 and 2021 with Kansas City, is headed to Canada for RHP Max Castillo, who has pitched for the big league squad, and minor-league second baseman Samad Taylor.

We could see Merrifield helping out George Springer in centre field (Merrifield can also play 2B). The major issue is that Merrifield didn't come to Canada a few weeks back because he isn't vaccinated. That's a big problem unless he is only playing road games for awhile.

The Blue Jays reacquired reliever Anthony Bass, adding reliever Zach Pop (Canadian), and a player to be named later to the Miami Marlins for shortstop prospect Jordan Groshans, who has great potential in the long term.

The team also got RHP spot starter Mitch White from the Los Angeles Dodgers with infielder Alex De Jesus for minor league pitchers Moises Brito and Nick Frasso.

Toronto traded RHP Jeremy Beasley to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations.

photo credit: me
video credit: MLB
Twitter capture: @JRFoundation

2022 Toronto Blue Jays second half preview

.@bluejays messed up firing #CharlieMontoyo. Nothing against #JohnSchneider, the new interim manager. Should learn from @NHL teams too easy on the trigger. Montoyo had amazing rapport and connection. #nothisfault @MLB https://t.co/JHo2lLJa4C

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) July 13, 2022

The Toronto Blue Jays fired Charlie Montoyo with a 46-42 record, a mark that would have earned a playoff spot had the season ended at that point. John Schneider is now in charge on an interim basis for the rest of the season.

The team has gone 4-1 since the move, all of those games at home. Too early to tell.

The Blue Jays played significantly better baseball once back at Rogers Centre in 2021. Many think the team's best baseball is yet to come. Having Hyun Jin Ryu out for the year with elbow surgery has not helped.

Pitching, starting and relieving, needs to be more steady. The offence is not offensive enough so far.

All Blue Jays players making their Opening Day roster are vaccinated, which may give them a real home field advantage. Unvaccinated players by current law r unable to travel to Canada to play immediately. Though vaccination rates r up, many players on other teams remain unvaxxed.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 5, 2022

We've seen teams "rest" a few players on the trip to Canada. Some players didn't make the first trip but did make a subsequent trip to Toronto. Teams outside the American League East Division would only make a single trip in 2022. Only a few National League teams are in Toronto, including Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds, in 2022.

The New York Yankees have taken a commanding lead. Boston, Tampa Bay, and Toronto are fighting for those wild card spots. Toronto has had so many disadvantages that a break or 2 feels fair. Besides, all the players need to do is get vaccinated.

Any player the Blue Jays would acquire at the trade deadline will have to be vaccinated, something that isn't necessarily true for any other MLB team.

This breakdown shows there isn't really an advantage for the Blue Jays.

The Toronto Blue Jays had 6 players represented at the 2022 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. George Springer was selected but injured. Starters Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk each went 0-for 2.

Pitcher Alek Manoah struck out 3 batters and hit another batter in a memorable 2nd inning. Santiago Espinal came in the game in the 4th inning, grounding out once and then taking a walk. Jordan Romano didn't get into the All-Star Game.

Manoah got to pitch to Kirk, as he requested. Very cool. Fox Sports put a microphone on Manoah.

Mic'd up for his first appearance in the All-Star Game, Alek Manoah didn't disappoint. The Blue Jays right-hander stole the show in many ways, showcasing his live arm and engaging personality in an impressive performance. (@ShiDavidi)https://t.co/Kf25Et7J0J

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 20, 2022

Rogers Sportsnet runs the international feed for the All-Star Game. While most Canadians didn't have access to the microphone part, there is one feature that Sportsnet always carries that MLB on Fox is always afraid to run on television.

2022 Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Game preview

Canadian Anthem actually televised! And sung by a Canadian actress/singer.

If only they didn’t have the organist playing. #ASG2022 pic.twitter.com/Py9RxySq5H

— Bex (@bex_pix) July 20, 2022

O Canada never seemed like a sinister song to ban from television. This sad little game with MLB on Fox, MLB, and Rob Manfred gets more bizarre. Happens every year for more than a decade. No one with power seems to notice or care. A few scattered people go on Twitter and ask, "Didn't we miss the Canadian anthem?"

Fox runs several commercials and promotion spots that serves as a disgrace and insult to Canada. We used to note that Fox Sports would run O Canada on MLS telecasts. Then again, English and Spanish national outlets in the United States won't carry MLS Canadian teams in the regular season.

Melissa O'Neil did a really nice job with the Canadian anthem. She sang the middle part in French. No reason for the ban.

2022 Victoria Day notebook: Alberta in the spotlight

Rarer than even a Canadian quarterback in the CFL is a Canadian manager in MLB. Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies bench coach, is the interim manager for the rest of the season. Thomson was named to the post following the firing of manager Joe Girardi on June 3.

Thomson is from Corunna, Ontario and was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

George Gibson (London, Ontario) was the last full-time Canadian MLB manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1934.

There have been fill-in moments for Thomson in New York and Philadelphia. Canadian catcher Russell Martin managed the Toronto Blue Jays in the team's final game in 2018 as a goodwill gesture from manager John Gibbons.

Ernie Whitt has managed the Canada team in the World Baseball Classic. Stubby Clapp could have been a good MLB manager. Maybe Joey Votto will go that route in his post MLB playing career.

Toronto Blue Jays should get creative in broadcast booth with Buck Martinez's cancer diagnosis

Rogers Sportsnet hasn't been reasonably creative with Buck Martinez being sidelined with cancer treatment. The fill-ins for Dan Shulman have been a combination of radio play-by-play Ben Wagner filling in on TV with a TV/radio simulcast or Matt Devlin, Toronto Raptors play by play person, on the TV side.

Joe Siddall has been helping out on days when Pat Tabler is not available.

Part of the idea of being creative is remembering when the Chicago Cubs had guest announcers fill in for Harry Caray years ago. The Cubs got a bit ridiculous with the replacements. If the Blue Jays had a second radio announcer, Wagner would be the logical go-to fill-in for Shulman.

2022 Toronto Blue Jays preview

2022 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

The Toronto Blue Jays start the second half of the season at Fenway Park for a 3-game road trip. The Jays have a 6-game homestand starting on Tuesday with 2 games with St. Louis and 4 games with Detroit.

There may be a MLB Extra Innings preview. Maybe not.

Twitter captures: @canadian_xing; @JonHeyman; @Sportsnet; @bex_pix
photo credit: @BlueJays

2022 Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Game preview

A special moment for Espinal. ⭐️💙#NextLevel | @BlueJays pic.twitter.com/t7gK8OJbUa

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 16, 2022

The 2022 Toronto Blue Jays will have an extensive All-Star Game presence tonight at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for the 2022 version.

Catcher Alejandro Kirk will start in his first All-Star Game while 1st baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. starts in his second straight All-Star Game for the American League.

Pitcher Alek Manoah, 2nd baseman Santiago Espinal, and relief ace (and Canadian) Jordan Romano will attend their first All-Star Game. Romano and Los Angeles first baseman Freddie Freeman are the Canadian players on the National League and American League rosters.

Centre fielder George Springer was added to the American League roster but had to withdraw due to an injury.

Other Blue Jays did well in the voting process with Springer and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. finishing 4th and 5th among outfielders; Espinal finished second at 2nd base and Bo Bichette was the runner-up at shortstop.

Houston manager Dusty Baker said Guerrero would bat cleanup for the American League and Kirk will bat in the 9 spot.

Guerrero was invited to the Home Run Derby but declined the invitation. His 2019 performance was memorable even if most don't remember he didn't win. We think that messed up his 2019 second half performance. Team over a flawed derby setup.

2022 Victoria Day notebook: Alberta in the spotlight

Toronto Blue Jays should get creative in broadcast booth with Buck Martinez's cancer diagnosis

2022 Toronto Blue Jays preview

2022 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

We will have much more about the 2022 Toronto Blue Jays on Friday when the regular season resumes.

The 2022 All-Star Game airs on Fox in the United States and Rogers Sportsnet in Canada. You'll know if you are watching the Canadian feed because the coverage will air O Canada. Fox has refused to run the Canadian anthem for over a decade.

Rob Manfred, if you reading this, share with our readers why you encourage such repulsive and shameless behavior.

Twitter capture: @Sportsnet
photo credit: @BlueJays

2022 Canada Day notebook

Today is the 155th anniversary of the establishment of the Dominion of Canada with Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The Dominion of Canada would keep the Union Jack for almost 100 years after the creation of Canada. Older people remember when July 1 was called Dominion Day.

We focus in on a few stories of note in our Canada Day notebook. Celebrate safe, perhaps with a Caesar and a Nanaimo bar.

Canada to finally lift pre-arrival COVID-19 tests for air and land border crossings

CanadianCrossing.com border crossings coverage

American travelers to Canada still need to use the ArriveCan app. This is true for land border crossings, something of great concern for border town mayors on the Canadian side. Ugh.

We have noted the significant difference in naming Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (U.S.) versus KD or Kraft Dinner (Canada). The U.S. version will soon change to Kraft Mac and Cheese.

As far as we know, there is no inherent difference between the products, though the Canadian version is likely made with better made Canadian cheese.

There is a grand difference in Canadian accouterments with KD such as hot dogs and ketchup.

You can see the Canadian version (left) or the new U.S. version (below). Which looks better to eat?

Barenaked Ladies mentioned Kraft dinner in the song If I Had a Million Dollars from the Gordon album from 1992.

We wouldn't have to eat Kraft dinner / But we would eat Kraft dinner / Of course we would we'd just eat more / And buy really expensive ketchups with it / That's right all the fanciest Dijon ketchups mmm mmm

If I were eating Kraft Dinner in Canada, I might use Canadian-made French's ketchup.

Remember the whole French-Heinz ketchup battle? Funny part is that Kraft and Heinz are now corporately married

Feeling more nostalgic than hungry, here is the (temporarily) reunited Barenaked Ladies performing that song at the 2018 Junos after being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Canadian cities are legalizing alcohol in parks (Cross Country Checkup from CBC Radio One)

There are 2 primary images of public drinking. People leisurely drinking wine with a picnic in a park. People drinking out of bottles in paper bags. People want the former but not the latter.

The pandemic set limits on drinking because of the viability of crowded bars being open.

Your humble narrator has seen people in Amsterdam and Rome drinking outside and having that be not a big deal.

Being able to selective drink in public would bring Canada closer to its European cousins and away from the puritanical United States.

We are big fans of @brittlestar, and we are honoured that he sent us a video tribute as Canuckle wraps up! CHECK IT OUT ⬇️🇨🇦👍 #ThankYouEh pic.twitter.com/MNpgxAsPN0

— Canuckle (@CanuckleGame) June 27, 2022

We meant to write about Canuckle, the Canadian version of Wordle. Same concept: 5 letter word, 6 guesses. The Canuckle word would have some tie to Canada. Some days, the word was fun. Other days, words such as "brier" threw me off.

Turns out today is the last Canuckle, at least for now. As you may know from our Twitter feed, we love playing Canuckle. Have been glad to give it some love and hopefully encourage others to learn a bit about Canada through guessing the words. The correct letters showed up in red, which was also cool.

Today's game is Game 142 on Canada Day. You can play the previous games through its archives.

If we get news of a comeback, we would be thrilled to pass that information along to our readers.

Also fans of Brittlestar, if you aren't following him. Really good Canadian sensibility.

2022 CFL Week 4 preview

The CFL is playing on and around Canada Day for the first time since 2019. The BC Lions were in Ottawa, the nation's capital, last night. The Edmonton Elks are in Hamilton tonight to take on the Tiger-Cats. The league is even playing on the night of the U.S. holiday yet the game is not on U.S. TV. Tonight's game is on ESPN+. All the games are on TSN in Canada.

The Toronto Blue Jays are at home for Canada Day, unlike Victoria Day. The team plays Game 2 of a 5-game series against Tampa Bay. Today's game has a 3:07 pm EDT start. Rogers Sportsnet has the game in Canada. The MLB Network has this as the backup game in the United States, meaning Boston and Chicago. The U.S. channel has been reluctant to use the Rogers Sportsnet feed, opting to use YES (Yankees) and NESN (Red Sox), even in Toronto.

Former Toronto Raptors star guard Kyle Lowry will have a street named after him in Toronto. The street will be at Don Mills Crossing, a new development in the northeast section of Toronto. We just celebrated 3 years since the Raptors won the 2019 NBA title.

The Athletic reported earlier this week that Rogers Sportsnet is ending Hometown Hockey after 8 seasons. The pandemic didn't help the situation. The move to Monday night was a noble idea but that didn't help as well. If yyzsportsmedia.com is correct, this is the first of many Rogers Sportsnet changes to NHL coverage in October. 

The Grand Seduction matches up well with Quebecois version

You might have seen The Grand Seduction (2013), the story of a small fishing village that has to draw in a doctor and convince that doctor to stay.

You might have seen La Grande Séduction | Seducing Dr. Lewis, the original Ken Scott film (2003) that is the same story though set in Quebec rather than Newfoundland. Scott co-wrote the English language version of the film.

If you are in Charlottetown this summer, you can catch the new musical Tell Tale Harbour, based on the Quebecois film La Grande Séduction.

Alan Doyle of the band Great Big Sea is in the production. You may remember his acting skills on display in Republic of Doyle (no relation). You can listen to Doyle with fellow Newfoundlander Tom Power recently on Q on CBC Radio One.

The films were pretty similar. Music from that part of the world is amazing. 2 musicals from Newfoundland: Tell Tale Harbour on top of Come From Away.

Thanks so much! What a time we’re having. https://t.co/38HBeuAJIo

— Alan Doyle (@alanthomasdoyle) June 24, 2022

Improving train travel options between the United States and Canada

2022 Canadian TV upfronts highlights

Season 2 of the Canadian TV show Departure involves a high-speed train from Toronto to Chicago. The concept of a high-speed ground option between those cities is pure fiction. Traveling from Toronto to Windsor would involve a infrequent train not much faster than a bus. Getting from Windsor to Detroit is complicated. Then there is the slow magic of Amtrak from Detroit to Chicago.

In the opening episode, the high-speed train flows smoothly out of Union Station in Toronto, flows through southern Ontario, and crosses some mythical structure over the Detroit River. The train stops to check passports, something that is often done in Canada before boarding a plane to the United States.

Traveling from Rome to Florence and back on high speed trains was an absolute joy. Getting from Brussels, Belgium to London, England in 121 minutes, like clockwork, was wonderful. That same joy should be found on trains from Toronto to Detroit and Chicago.

The Maple Leaf Train from Toronto-New York City, not nearly as fast, is back in business. The ViaRail service from Windsor to Toronto have recently returned to normal capacity, now 5 trains a day. Megabus is increasing U.S. bus service from Toronto as well as to other Canadian destinations such as Ottawa, Kingston, and Montréal. Megabus should look into a Windsor-London-Toronto route.

I discovered Cross Country Checkup many years ago on CBC Radio. This was in a time where I would be in Detroit, listening to CBC Radio One on AM 1550 (now on FM 97.5). Rex Murphy was the host back then.

The show had been in more capable hands with Duncan McCue and lately with Ian Hanomansing. Turns out Hanomansing is now the permanent host of Cross Country Checkup. He hosts the show from Vancouver where he anchors The National on Friday and Sunday.

The program airs Sundays live coast to coast to coast at 4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific, and 5:30 pm Newfoundland time.

You can listen to the program on the CBC Listen app or download the podcast version.

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NBC is dragging out Transplant to the middle of summer. There is the end in sight. The season finale airs July 16 at 8 pm EDT. Hopefully, Season 3 is a smoother presentation.

Season 2 started 2 months after the CTV premiere in January. NBC gave the show a terrible timeslot and lifted the show for the May sweeps period.

The CW will run the final season of Coroner when the fall starts, but keep in mind that the CW starts fall when the weather is very warm.

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Summarizing Kenneth Welsh's acting career would fall embarrassing short. Welsh, who passed away on May 5, had a storied career on both sides of the border. His portrayal of Windom Earle in the U.S. TV show Twin Peaks made a significant impact.

Welsh was enjoyable in recent Canadian films such as Wet Bum (2014) and And the Birds Rained Down | Il pleuvait des oiseaux (2019).

Welsh did 2 episodes of Twitch City and 3 episodes of Due South. He played himself in an episode of Slings & Arrows. Welsh even appears in the final episode of the new season of Kids in the Hall.

photo credits: CBC News; Kraft Heinz Canada; Kraft Heinz; CBC Radio
Twitter captures: @CanuckleGame; @alanthomasdoyle