Mel Queen was king

The family lost one of it's own.

He was surrogate father, mentor and advisor to dozens of Blue Jays, pitchers and non pitchers.

If you asked Roy, not Hartsfield, but Halladay what Queen mean to him, I am sure the Doc would have a hard time staying in character.

Roy was sent down years back, all the way to A ball, to rediscover himself, and there was Mel, with coaching, and advice, and counsel. "Don't worry Cy, you'll be back in the majors before you know it".


His first no hitter came last year, and in the clubhouse, Halladay was asked to thank everyone from God, his wife, the Pope, to the grounds crew man.  But it was Queen he spoke of, and Queen's patience that choked up Halladay.

Longtime manager Cito Gaston said of Queen, he was a bugger to play against, but a dream to work with, another mentored Jay Pat Hentgen said when he accepted his new role as bullpen coach asked Bruce Walton what Walton would suggest to prepare himself.  Walton told him, speak to Farrell, but listen to Queen. Enough said.

Losing family is never easy, you expect them at every function, anniversary, and celebration, and thus the man known as Pops, Grand Dad, Old Queenie, and Eastwood ( for his stoic impersonation of Eastwood as the western no name cowboy ) is no longer going to stand by that fence post in bullpen in February watching kids running and throwing.

Mel drove a Harley back in his day, and enjoyed the open road, good country and western music, and a thick steak ( he favoured Bigliardi's , now closed )

Queen was king of the hill in Toronto, and he has left a legacy in the many people he met., and the players who learned from him.

Queen was an Angel