How Long Have you been a Jays fan?

[L54]

Late 90's for me. Like a couple guys here, I loved Jose Cruz Jr. growing up. I vividly remember listening to Vernon Wells' debut on the radio in my mom's classroom during the summer of 1999.

[Brownie19]

I guess you'll have to head to Wrigley when we face the Cubs in the World Series.

 

I did the Wrigley tour last fall (after the season was done unfortunately). Amazing place - I do love Chicago. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

[Brownie19]

lol. My mom did like 90% of her shopping from the Sears catalog, there were no shopping centres in Aurora. Circling toys from the Sears Wish Book for my Christmas list was a thing.

 

I grew up on the farm without a lot of money. The Sears catalog was gold for me as well....Good times.

[King]

2009, started following more closely every season

[GD]

~2003, diehard since '08 or a bit beforehand

[CrackerJack]

For me, I'm a grizzled, old fan. I started really loving the Jays in 1984 (I was in grade 7) when they had such an exciting, young team...led by my favourites Moseby, Barfield and Bell. I am still a huge fan of those guys.

 

Anyway, enough about me...

 

1983-85 was such a great time to be a Blue Jays fan!

 

too bad the Tigers started 35-5 in 1984 and they had Willie Hernandez while we had Joey McLaughlin & Roy Lee Jackson.

 

i've been a fan since the start. attended the snowy franchise opener as a wee little boy.

[WillyWonka]

I started rooting for the Jays shortly after I started playing baseball when I was 5 years old.....that was 1994. Timing was absolute BS. Good times now though....

[Nafro]

1984...Domaso Garcia was my first favourite Blue Jay and is why I chose to play second base. First game was 86 or 87 at Exhibition Stadium. I once got Roberto Alomar's autograph, prior to a game at the Skydome, right on his profile in the Scorebook. That's my favourite memory, he didn't sign any autographs for anyone else but me. Just lucky, and he was my favourite Blue Jay of all time.

[closetjaysfan]

Since earth day 1985. I remember helping my mother cleaning some garbage out of the ditch in front of our house.

Me: "where is dad?"

Mom: "he's watching baseball"

Me: "can I watch baseball instead of cleaning up garbage"

Mom: "sigh... I guess so"

 

10 minutes later I was watching Steib pitching.

 

--- The Jays lost that day but a fan was born ---

[Nafro]

I grew up on the farm without a lot of money. The Sears catalog was gold for me as well....Good times.

 

I spent hours looking through the Sears Wishbook! Good memories, we had three-four channels if we were lucky. Had to listen to the Jays game on the radio! Still prefer to listen on the radio. I guess I'm old, though 35 is the new 25. At least that's what 35 year old people say.

[Dylan]

Always cheered the jays on but really started caring in 2007

[Jimcanuck]

Huge fan of the Big Red Machine in the 70's age 8-12 or so.... still have some memorabilia. reds were often featured on ABC's Saturday Afternoon Baseball, about the only baseball we got on the telly at the time. This Week in Baseball was on just before that. At the time i could name every player on every team if asked.

 

After the Jays debut in 1977, much more baseball was available on the telly. Jays were on both CBC and CTV depending on the day of the week. Expos were on french language CBC and when Jays were on west coast, were on the english language channels also. Generally, games were shown on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays, and the odd other days. ABC still had Saturday Afternoon Baseball, but with the Reds in decline, it became rare that a Reds game was on, and the team of my youth passed. So for 6 or 7 years it was paradise, often both the Jays and Expos on at the same time, was very adept at turning the knob on the tv with my foot while lying in front of it.

 

I slightly favoured the Expos over the Jays from 1977 to 1983, the heyday of Carter, Dawson, Rogers, Valentine, Cromartie, Raines, Wallach... damn that was a team. Shame they never won.

 

1983 the Jays had a breakthrough year and became a Jays fan for good.

[Deadpool]

Saw my first game at the Ex in the mid 80s, really started following (which, at the time, meant listening to the radio and collecting baseball cards) in 88. I had a bit of a lull where I was less interested in the mid 90s, but got back into them seriously around the AJ Burnett/BJ Ryan signings.

[Jimcanuck]

first jays game i went to was in 1978 i believe..... my best friends grandpa took us there from london. garth iorg was my favourite jays player lol..... there wasn't much to choose from.

 

and f***, it gets cold at the ex at night

[nonamejays]

1991 for me, I was 6 at the time. Just in time to see them win back to back.

[vdubmvp]

Like many, I watched pretty casually as a kid. Got more into them in 2001, and became super obsessed around 2003.

[vdubmvp]

Can you spot me?

 

http://i.imgur.com/ZuhLJ9D.jpg

 

Well this is amazing.

[Drumcliff]

Well, I'm in my late 50s and have been a baseball fan since my earliest memory. I recall watching Mickey Mantle and the Yanks on our old black-and-white TV while living on the east coast. Later, growing up in southern Ontario, the Tigers were my team (and the Cubs in the NL since they had local hero Fergie Jenkins). The Tigers' World Series win in '68 remains one of my best moments ever in sports (you stats guys should check out the numbers for the great pinch hitter Gates Brown that year; amazing). The Expos were next, in '69, and I remained an Expo diehard until the team left.

 

Of course, I've been a Jays fan since '77. Who didn't love Sam Ewing and Steve Staggs? The first Jays game I saw was in '79 at the Ex, one of those deals where you got into Ontario Place free after the game. The one reason I remember the game? Phil Huffman threw a one-hitter at the Oakland A's.

[Jimcanuck]

Well, I'm in my late 50s and have been a baseball fan since my earliest memory. I recall watching Mickey Mantle and the Yanks on our old black-and-white TV while living on the east coast. Later, growing up in southern Ontario, the Tigers were my team (and the Cubs in the NL since they had local hero Fergie Jenkins). The Tigers' World Series win in '68 remains one of my best moments ever in sports (you stats guys should check out the numbers for the great pinch hitter Gates Brown that year; amazing). The Expos were next, in '69, and I remained an Expo diehard until the team left.

 

Of course, I've been a Jays fan since '77. Who didn't love Sam Ewing and Steve Staggs? The first Jays game I saw was in '79 at the Ex, one of those deals where you got into Ontario Place free after the game. The one reason I remember the game? Phil Huffman threw a one-hitter at the Oakland A's.

 

Nice... and welcome! Need more veterans here to teach the young 'uns

[fatcowxlive]

2004 our school took us to a Jays game vs. the Devil Rays as an end of the year field trip and I've been a fan ever since, got more and more into the Jays year by year and used to catch almost every game by around 2009 or 08 I think

[RealAccountant]

Since I came to Canada in 1994. Been a die hard fan since 2003. Die hard is die hard. Since those days rare is the game I didn't at least pay attention to.

[CrackerJack]

Well, I'm in my late 50s and have been a baseball fan since my earliest memory. I recall watching Mickey Mantle and the Yanks on our old black-and-white TV while living on the east coast. Later, growing up in southern Ontario, the Tigers were my team (and the Cubs in the NL since they had local hero Fergie Jenkins). The Tigers' World Series win in '68 remains one of my best moments ever in sports (you stats guys should check out the numbers for the great pinch hitter Gates Brown that year; amazing). The Expos were next, in '69, and I remained an Expo diehard until the team left.

 

Of course, I've been a Jays fan since '77. Who didn't love Sam Ewing and Steve Staggs? The first Jays game I saw was in '79 at the Ex, one of those deals where you got into Ontario Place free after the game. The one reason I remember the game? Phil Huffman threw a one-hitter at the Oakland A's.

 

I forgot about that Phil Huffman gem. I was there too. Thanks for reminding me of that memory. One of the few highlights in 1979 (besides Alfredo winning co-ROY.)

 

The most memorable Jays day for me in the early years was a twinight doubleheader against Billy's Bronx Zoo crew at the Ex in late September 1978. The games were big for the Yankees as they were closing in on the Red Sox. Ron Guidry (25-3 that year) started the first game of the doubleheader and the Jays rocked him. The Yankees squeaked out a victory in the nightcap tho.

[DrSunshine]

Anyone remember the discount you would get for using A&P, or Dominion receipts? (Fan since then, just can't remember how much we used to pay for seats at the Ex)

[intentional wok]

I'm surprised at how many recent fans are here (i.e., post-2000). I'm old enough to remember '93, but less of '92 (at that age, one year makes a big difference). I remember going to games with my dad when I was really little, but can't remember any specific dates or years. I had the '93 Series on tape and I'd watch it over and over again throughout '94. At that time, the Jays being dominant was as natural as anything. I remember I was super pumped for '94 baseball but the season was obviously cut short. During that year and '95 I'd "simulate" every game by pitching to the wall outside the house. Different bricks would be strikes, balls, hits, etc. I'd blow through nine innings to try to come up with a prediction. (The actual games turned out nothing like my simulations, obvs.) I even had a whole binder full of boxscores that I'd keep -- probably lasted from 94-96, but maybe only til 95. Literally, just page after page of childish record keeping for every game. I didn't understand pitcher wins or losses, and since box scores were hard to come by pre-internet, I'd always give the starter the win or the loss regardless of what actually happened. I usually wouldn't be able to stay up late to watch games to the end so TSN Sportsdesk was pretty invaluable while eating toast the next morning. They didn't have score tickers back then yet so the little highlight reel narratives were still exciting, waiting to see who'd come out on top.

 

I remember the Indians rising to offensive dominance (and then the Yankees going on a dynasty run). I lost a bit of interest in the very late 90s-early 2000s as a young-ish teenager, as teenagers are wont to do, finding other interests like moping. Got back into baseball around 2005 and I've been "on the wagon" ever since, although 2009 nearly lost me entirely. The last game I ever saw with my dad was in 2007 -- August, maybe September, vs. the Mariners. Pretty decent seats (I think 200s or better). McGowan started, Accardo closed. Aaron Hill got the eventual winning RBI. Jays won 2-1.

 

I was very busy during 2010-11, so keeping up was off-and-on. 2012 and on I've been die-hard again though, even if 2013 was worse than having your hair catch fire every night.

[RealAccountant]

Sports Desk was the best. I remember if I missed it in the morning it felt like somethkng was wrong

[BigCecil]

1983-85 was such a great time to be a Blue Jays fan!

 

too bad the Tigers started 35-5 in 1984 and they had Willie Hernandez while we had Joey McLaughlin & Roy Lee Jackson.

 

i've been a fan since the start. attended the snowy franchise opener as a wee little boy.

 

There are a couple arms I hadn't heard of for awhile...Joey's "knuckle curve"....and I think we even used RLJ as a closer. The Tigers were untouchable that yr.

[SumoNinja]

1989 was when I first started really watching, I was 11. Watched the Jays when I could, but was more able to watch the Expos on the french station. (4 channel farm cable).

 

Great memories of the 92-93 teams. Olerud was my favorite...Bittersweet memories of the 94 Expos season.

[37stieb]

Anyone remember the discount you would get for using A&P, or Dominion receipts? (Fan since then, just can't remember how much we used to pay for seats at the Ex)

YES! used every opportunity in Dominion to abuse that option.

[37stieb]

There are a couple arms I hadn't heard of for awhile...Joey's "knuckle curve"....and I think we even used RLJ as a closer. The Tigers were untouchable that yr.

Roy Lee Jackson, Jim Gott and the man with the best batting stance. Garth Iorg.

I caught a Bob Bailor homer from a Denis Lamp offering. He blew the ninth. Don't remember who started the game. I assume it was another blown stieb game.

[CrackerJack]

Roy Lee Jackson, Jim Gott and the man with the best batting stance. Garth Iorg.

I caught a Bob Bailor homer from a Denis Lamp offering. He blew the ninth. Don't remember who started the game. I assume it was another blown stieb game.

 

the dinger couldn't have come off the bat of Bob Bailor since he was in the NL when Lamp pitched for the Jays.

 

yeah, Stieb got robbed of more "wins" than any Jays pitcher in history.