Now we wait until the snow melts

As we enter this new era of optimism in Toronto, imagine if you will what other cities endure until April.
In Pittsburgh, Seattle, San Diego and Houston, there is little of consequence going on.
Their ticket offices are fairly quiet, perhaps the odd 10 or 20 game packet is sold during the Christmas season, perhaps as a gift, perhaps the disposable income from no NHL hockey in markets such as Pitt, LA, and Anaheim or Dallas.



Here in Hogtown, we did boffo numbers once the Marlin deal was announced, then an up tick when Melky was signed. It hit it's crescendo when the RA Dickey trade and contract was finalised. Folks responded.
They have been buying jerseys for Christmas, they have been jerseys just because the team is legitimate.

If they get news that Sergio antos is 100 % healthy , barracade the doors, these fans are ravenous.  The Jays are also pretty lucky.

They have the opportunity that other markets don't have. No hockey to rival them.

We soon enter the 4rth month on no NHL hockey and the expectations that after mid January we will have run out of a workable schedule.  The Jays need not fear the Raptors, again nothing but also rans, the Argos championship season peaked at the Grey Cup, nothing after. The Marlies play in little Ricoh Centre to sparse crowds of 4 and 5000 well wishers, and the World Juniors are live when only insomniacs are awake.

A clean run through January until mid February when pitchers and catchers report, and the y have the sports pages to themselves. Sprinkjle in some boring arbitration news, some injury updates, and we are in March.
If Rogers were smart, they would seize the opportunity to televise exhibition games from Florida. Fol
ks will watch, PVR, and live stream at work just to get their fix.

If they play this right, they have the entire Toronto sports landscape to themselves.  They will be the inevitable distractions, like NCAA Men's Basketball, and a few Grand Prix races, the NBA, but the stage is theirs to own.

I think it is their's to cultivate new fans, embrace old ones, and foster a lot of good will before the umpire says play ball.

In other cities, say New York, the Mets are second tier, the Yankees are old and wounded, the city and region still recovering from Sandy, and no glitz or glamour.

We should enjoy our advantage, our current slight advantage, and as they say make hay when the sun shines.

Next blog we analise the current state of the pitching staff.