Signs of the Times

 

First game of the World Series on Friday October 24 2025.... Let's Go Blue Jays!

Edited: first game won 11-4. On to game two. Fingers crossed.

Fall Stuff

I've been a lazy blogger for the past month, somehow I lost the blogging-get-up-and-go, but here goes with what's been happening around the Rook's Nest.

Fall has been happening. This display of colour just outside the Community Centre windows.

And a Great Blue Heron is checking out the fishing rights at the local reservoir.

End of September always means a visit to Markham Fair to see the prize potatoes and cabbages and livestock displays. And the overgrown giant pumpkins. Check out these veggies.... all from a friend's garden.

Saturday night at Markham Fair is the Demolition Derby, lots of steam and smoke and noise and hot metal crunches. I sat up in the grandstand with Older Son and Oldest grandson. We munched fairground food.... blooming onion (very greasy but delicious) and polished off a couple of bags of those Tiny Tim Donuts. 

And now... the big excitement. The only Major League Baseball team in Canada.... the Toronto Blue Jays..... are battling with the Seattle Mariners for the Championship title, and the right to challenge the mighty Dodgers in the World Series. It's a best of 7 games. Blue Jays lost 2 games, then won 2, then lost1, then won 1, so tonight is Game 7.... which is a must-win for both teams.

Older Son managed to get tickets for Game 2 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Even though the team lost, it was a very exciting time to be in the middle of a noisy super-loud crazy crowd of almost 45,000 rabid Jays fans. Younger Son was watching on his TV and saw us in the crowd.... see the red circle!

Let's Go Blue Jays!

Update: The Jays are off to the World Series!

The Sports Report

Lots of action going on all summer, but sadly the warm weather sports are all coming to an end.

All four grandchildren played house league baseball this summer. The two older ones played hardball, the two younger ones played softball.

Grandie Isaac's team, the Pirates, got into the finals at the end-of-year tournament, but lost the final game 8-7.... but were doing really well catching up. One more innings would have seen them on top, I'm sure!

Isaac spent two weeks at a boys Sports Camp in July, and had a terrific time, and is already planning to go again in 2020. It was sports all day every day, just the sort of life he loves. Now he has to persuade Mum and Dad to pay for it!

In August the family met at the Rogers Centre (used to be called the SkyDome, I still can't get used to the new name) for a Blue Jays game. We got there early enough to watch batting practice for both teams, but even though the boys (both big and little) begged and pleaded, they didn't get any stray balls thrown their way.

We watched the Toronto Blue Jays play Atlanta, but unfortunately, the home team lost, and we left just before the end of the game, to avoid the traffic jams.  Our beloved Jays have not done well this year, lots of lost games, but just wait.... we are going to be a winning team to watch in a couple of years. That's my prediction!!

And with summer coming to an end, winter sport is getting started.  We went to the home opener ice hockey game for the Stouffville Spirit, the local Junior A OJHL team. After watching baseball all summer, a game that's mostly slow and sedate with moments of wild panic, I was surprised by how fast and furious ice hockey can be!  It was a great game, but unfortunately, ended with a loss for the home team.

All the grandies will be getting their hockey gear together ready for the season to start at the end of September... they will all be practicing and playing every weekend so I'll be spending lots of time in the local arenas.

Let's Go Blue Jays!

Our first Major League baseball game of the season and it snowed all day! I thought baseball was a summer game..... obviously I was mistaken. This is what we woke up to.

It was YoungerSon's birthday, so for a birthday treat the whole family met downtown at the Rogers Centre to watch the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Detroit Tigers. OlderSon arrived with a chocolate birthday cake, paper plates and plastic forks so we had our own birthday party up there in the 500 level! You get a great view from up so high. It was the first time the twins had been to a game, and they loved it.... and behaved really well!

 It was a good game.... started off slowly but got pretty exciting towards the end. The Tigers scored 3 in the top of the seventh, then the Jays retaliated with 3 including a home run in the bottom of the 8th. 3 - 3 at the end of the 9th. They went to the 11th inning, when Detroit scored in the top of the inning, but the Jays just couldn't catch up. Final score Jays 3, Tigers 4.
Better luck next time.

Let's Go Blue Jays! CHAAAAAARGE!!!!!!!!

Blue Jays vs. Texas Rangers - updated

First game of the 2015 baseball playoffs.... anyone need a doctor's note?

hehehe love this, so funny!

Uhoh Game 1 - Texas 5 Toronto 3, not a good start to the series.

Oh dear Game 2 - Texas 6, Toronto 4, went to the 14th inning, but not giving up yet, 3 more games to go.

That's better Game 3 - Texas 1 Toronto 5. Keep it up, Jays!

A great result Game 4 - Texas 4 Toronto 8. My fingers are crossed for the final deciding game.

49K watch Game 5 - Texas 3 Toronto 6. Now on to the next round.

Let's go... Blue Jays!

The Toronto Blue Jays clinched their first American League East title in 22 years on Wednesday and the town is going wild. The Jays clobbered the Orioles 15-2 on Wednesday to take the title. I was at a Lawn Bowling Banquet, and everyone was surreptitiously watching the game on their phones instead of listening to the speeches.

You don't follow baseball? Well, this is a huge deal here in Toronto, and throughout Canada, as the Blue Jays are the only MLB team in this country. Never mind that only two of the team were born in Canada, other team members come from mainly the USA, with the rest from Mexico, Australia, Venezuela, Japan, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.

I usually manage to get to at least one game per year.... 2014 vs Kansas City Royals, 2011 vs Tampa Bay Rays, 2010 vs St Louis Cardinals. This year's game was vs. Oakland As... my photos are still in the camera! Didn't blog it, sorry.

First game of the playoffs will be on October 8. Tickets are already sold out. Meanwhile let's sing along:

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

OK, so that's a corny blog title, it's all I could think of!

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals at the Rogers Centre.... formerly known as Skydome in Toronto. What a great way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. Callum stayed with me overnight on Saturday, then we went downtown on the GO bus on Sunday morning, and met up with his dad outside the stadium. His mummy couldn't join us as she was busy moving her galloping steed to a new stable.

Luckily we had seats that were in the shade, as it can get pretty hot sitting in the sun for 3 hours. I don't know a lot about baseball stats but I love going to the games. The two chaps in full Blue Jays regalia sitting next to me talked sports for the whole game. I was listening in and learned quite a bit!

It was Blue Jays Cowboy Hat Giveaway Day. The first 20,000 people into the ball park got a cowboy hat (made in China, of course). We were a bit late getting to the park, but surprisingly there were still hats being given away. Last week was Blue Jay Jersey Giveaway Day. Next week it's Jose Reyes Bobblehead Day!

 Here's OlderSon and Callum giving me the Encarnation parrot-on-the-elbow salute.


I planned to do some sketching at the game, but Callum hijacked the sketch pad. This is Encarnation hitting his home run. He definitely looks pleased with himself.

Blue Jays won the game 4-0, as you can see on the scoreboard. Finally I go to a winning game! The last 2 games I was at, the Jays lost. Exciting home runs by Navarro and Encarnation. Winning pitcher was Mark Buehrle. Jays are currently on top of the A.L East with 34 wins and 24 losses.... keep it up, boys.

Go Jays Go!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game....

Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Crackerjack....

Well, we had peanuts and beer instead of Crackerjack. It was Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays. Jays and Rays... ha ha that rhymes! The stadium roof was open, although it doesn't look like it in this photo.

It was a good game, but over far too fast, too many scoreless innings. However we saw 4 home runs (2 for us, Rivera and Arencibia, 2 for them, Upton and Shoppach). Jays win, 3 to 2! It's always good when the home team wins.

Callum was kept busy with grapes, peanuts, a giant hot dog and yellow liquorice strings. Yuk! He went home with a ball that had been used in batting practice, given to him by one of the staff.
Last time we were at a Jays game, he went home with an actual game ball caught by ACE, the Jays mascot. This was his third MLB baseball taken home from a Jays game. That's an impressive haul for someone who's only 3.

Fortress Toronto and a Bird Battle

We braved a trip to Fortress Toronto to take in a baseball game yesterday. This weekend the leaders of the G20 nations are meeting downtown, and the whole place has been turned into an impenetrable armed camp. Just being near the G20 security zone without proper ID can get you arrested.

A three-metre-high concrete and metal fence stretches for 3.5 kilometres around the security zone.
Over 5,000 Police and RCMP officers are patrolling city streets with full riot gear at the ready.
Theatres, stores, restaurants and museums are closing for the duration of the lockdown.
The Toronto Blue Jays have moved their next three home games to Philadelphia.
Trains won't be stopping at Union Station, the city's main rail terminal.
And all this is costing me (and the rest of the taxpayers in Canada) more than $1 billion. I hope I can afford it.

I hope you realise I may be risking a lengthy jail sentence by posting these pictures.

We walked from Union Station to the Rogers Centre (formerly known as the SkyDome until Mr Rogers bought it) along the Skywalk.... lots of security evident but an easy walk with Callum in the stroller.
He was pretty excited to get into the stadium.

The Jays were playing St Louis Cardinals... Blue Birds vs. Red Birds. An Avian Assault. A Birdy Battle. Weather was perfect, warm, blue sky, a gentle breeze off the lake. The game was good too... three home runs for the home team, always exciting! We had great seats between third base and home plate.

Callum spotted the Jays Mascot lurking in the back row.

"B.J. Birdie, Hi! B.J.Birdie, hello!" He's waving like crazy, standing on the seat, and amusing all the baseball fans in the vicinity. "B.J. Birdie, come here! Hi, B.J. Birdie!" He wouldn't give up.
Finally B.J. Birdie (who seems to have changed his name to ACE about 9 years ago without me hearing about it) noticed the small boy in the red Tshirt and came over to visit.

OlderSon almost got squashed by the Birdie armpit.

Then in the 5th inning Fred Lewis hit a foul ball from Adam Wainwright straight into BJ Birdie's hand! Birdie (or ACE, whichever you prefer to call him) immediately headed in our direction and, to the delight and cheering of the crowd, presented the ball to Callum, and now I think the two of them are BFF! Callum got his picture flashed up on the giant TV screen.... fame at last!

Oh yes... almost forgot.... Jays win 5-0!

Dontcha love baseball?