An avid sports fan from Sydney, Australia, I grew up on rugby league and cricket. For almost forty years, these two sports dominated my ‘fanship’. At 41, it’s too late to change your sporting ways, isn’t it?
Last year I took a month off work and enjoyed some channel surfing during October. I stumbled onto the baseball playoffs and got hooked. Suddenly, this baseball game seemed alright.
So, me being me, I decided to spend an entire week researching all the teams. I had to take ownership of a group of players and invest more time into baseball. I wanted to be a fan.
After a full week of research - scrubbing out the big names (NYY etc), crossing out the successful teams, investigating logos, stadiums, playing groups, expectations etc, I settled on the Jays as my team. A young group of underdogs. Loyal fans. Brilliant logo. And boy did I quickly fall in love.
I started reading about their history, I watched YouTube videos galore, watched the winter trading, read up on the players, and prepped for 2020. I was a Jay and I couldn’t wait.
Delayed season. But we start. We get on a roll and win a bunch of close games. I wake up every morning and tune in to the games. I start becoming familiar with the players’ styles. I know them by name. I order my Bichette jersey online. My wife is sick of hearing Dan and Buck. I get my kids into it. I cop a baseball to the face at the local park and I love it. I’m broken in.
So today, I share my joy as a new fan. I screamed in delight when Vladdy went long. I roared when Kirk put in two. We are in the playoffs and I couldn’t be prouder of my team.
SydneyJay
Please pardon my questions in future blogs. This is a complex sport and it’s so different to what I’ve grown up with. Still lots to learn. GO JAYS!
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