I'm a
long-time ardent fan of the Toronto Blue Jays
and
watch every game on TV...even now as they have won the
American
League East Division Championship and are currently
vying
for the World Series.
When
Stephen Brunt, a few games back, read a tribute essay he wrote about
'The Jays', it reminded me of the days when they were known as the
Toronto Maple Leafs...so named because they were a minor league
baseball club of the International League with games played in Maple
Leaf Stadium at Toronto's west end. Later they moved to CNE
(Canadian National Exhibition) Stadium for their games. They became
the Toronto Blue Jays when the American League added the team via the
1977 Major League Baseball expansion. Dave Stieb, George Bell and
Tony Fernandez were synonymous at that time and a catchy little tune
that has endured as the team's anthem.
OK Blue Jays
was written as an homage to baseball and an anthem of sorts for a
team that was new and struggling. More than 30 years later, this song
is a rallying cry being sung from coast to coast as the team begins
its quest for a third World Series championship. Jack Lenz, who
co-wrote the song with Tony Kosinec, remembers the Blue Jays'
executive Paul Beeston being excited about the song back in the early
1980's. “It's a simple, fun melody,” said Lenz. The song was
recorded in 1982. That was the year starter, Dave Stieb led the
league in innings pitched and complete games while winning a club
record 17 matchups. On
September 2, 1990, Stieb pitched the first (and to date) only
no-hitter in Blue Jay's history...defeating the Cleveland Indians
3-0.
But the team finished 78-84, six games below 500 and dead last in the
American League East. It wasn't all bleak for the franchise in the
years ahead. The Jays made the playoffs later and won the first of
back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993.
OK
Blue Jays
has several verses ~ here are the lyrics:
You've got a diamond.
You've got nine men.
You've got a hat and a bat and that's not all.
You got the bleachers, got 'em from spring 'til fall.
You've got a dog and a drink and an umpire's call.
What do you want?
Let's play ball.
Is that a fly ball or is it a seagull?
Coming in from the lake, just to catch the game.
It's the last inning, our guys are winning.
Dave's put down a smoker, a strike and you got
no doubt. You're out.
What do you want?
Let's play ball.
OK, OK, Blue Jays!
Let's, Let's Play, Play Ball!
It's a beautiful evening, fans.
At the ballpark, when the game starts.
Warm summer breezes, sun's going down.
It's all dark at the ballpark.
That's OK, it's a night game.
OK, OK Blue Jays, Blue Jays!
Let's, Let's Play, Play Ball!
Bring on the White Sox.
Bring on the BoSox.
Bring on the Angels, the Rangers and the Yankees too.
We'll beat the Indians.
We'll beat the Tigers.
We'll beat the A's so bad It'll make Billy Blue.
What do you want?
Let's play ball.
OK, OK Blue Jays, Blue Jays!
Let's, Let's Play, Play Ball!
OK, OK Blue Jays, Blue Jays!
Let's, Let's Play, Play Ball!
“OK
Blue Jays”
is still played during the seventh inning stretch.
Who would know that the song would last for 33 years and they'd still
be playing it at the ballpark?
(The foregoing published by The Canadian Press)
In
Bil Keane's cartoon, The
Family Circus, he
portrays 'baseball plays' with 7 drawings (literally, a play on
words):
A Swing and
A Miss
(his
little girl happily riding on her swing)...Fowl
Bawl
(a
yellow duck angrily squawking)...Strike
Three
(3
hydro towers, the third one struck by lightening...Steeling
a Base
(child
is hammering steel slabs on back of musical base instrument)...A
Long Belt to Left
(man wearing a belt through his pant loops with long end dragging on
the floor)...Tie
Score
(man
playing flute and observing the musical notes on a tie hanging on a
line)...Safe
at Home
(a
cosy living room).
In the Buckles cartoon, little dog wants boy of the house to 'play
ball with him' so his request is:
Take
Me Out for a Fetch Game
(sung to Take Me Out to the Ball Game)
Picture the boy joyfully throwing the ball and dog enthusiastically
chases it!
Take me out for a fetch game,
Take me out to the park;
Just throw me a ball or a stick or two.
I don't care, it's all up to you.
\
Let me run, run, run through the grass.
If I don't catch, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three times or more
In an old fetch game!
Seniors
at a Baseball Game:
They stand side by side, peering through the mesh protection as
intently they watch the game. Wearing royal blue baseball caps, they
each wear a number shirt (possibly each representing a favourite
player). However...that ain't so! On a closer look, the back of her
shirt says,
TOGETHER
19...and
his says, SINCE 61.
Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...October 12, 2015
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