Taking time off blogging about the Jays, I recently came across a very good old film that put the 2009 Blue Jays season into perspective for me.   That film was ‘Jeremiah Johnson‘ starring Robert Redford and Will Greer.  Shot in 1972, Jeremiah Johnson, played by Robert Redford, isolates himself from civilization looking to find peace amid the harsh wilderness of the Rocky Mountain in the late 1800’s.  Johnson becomes a ledgend of the mountains!!  He singlehandedly takes on a pack of wolves, a bear and countless natives looking for the honour of taking the ledgend’s sclap.  To say the least, the heroine, Jeremiah Johnson, kicks some serious butt.  I won’t go on and ruin the movie for you, if you haven’t already seen it.

(Movie cover)

(My Interpretation of Jeremiah Johnson at a Jays/Tigers game in September … sadly the beard is gone too itchy)

Roy Halladay is Jeremiah Johnson

Before Halladay departs from the Jays.  Mark my words, I am going make a ledgend out of him in Toronto before he can do it somewhere else!  I’ve already compared him to Seabiscuit, but I think this comparison is more accurate.  Now, I don’t know how Halladay‘s record is against the Indians or the Braves, but Roy definately reminds me of a ‘renegade mountain man ledgend‘ pitching for the Jays this season.  Roy is kinda like a warrior far from a war.  He plays for a team far from the limelight (if you’ve seen the Jays crowds lately).  He is alone among pitchers of his era, completing games like no other and compiling stats hardly comparable to his peers.  Halladay extremely well-spoken with the media, but you can tell that he doesn’t care about that and all he wants to do is pitch, and win!  Playing in a ‘not-so-great’ baseball market, like Toronto, Halladay’s win total has suffered.  His greatness, as a pitcher, is not what it might be in a bigger market some would argue.  But the truly great thing about Roy, is that he doesn’t he care about that?  Not a bit.  All he wants to do is win.  He is a ‘renegade mountain man’ sporting a beard and born in Colorado to make things even more comparable.  It wouldn’t surprise me if he knew how to ‘SKIN GRIZZ,’ as Will Greer puts it in the the film.

The Blue Jays are Mountain Men

Every September the Blue Jays become an isolate, renegade team.  Being forgotten by most, but sneaking up on the Red Sox, Angels, Yankees and Twins/Tigers to do some damage to their confidence (lol?) going into the playoffs.

Currently, the Jays have a bunch of ‘mountain men’ fighting to survive on the mountain.  Jose Bautista, Randy Ruiz, Travis Snider, Marc Rzyp…, Brian Tallet, Rod Barajas and Edwin Encarnacion are showing their stuff off to Jays execs.  Two or three, if not all of these guys might get a starting job next season.  A prerequisite for making the team must be ‘skinning grizz.’ 

10 Games this Year  

10 is most games I’ve gotten out to in one season.  The Halladay vs. Burnett game, Opening Day, the Jays 92/93 reunioun game and my annual trip to Detroit were just too much for me to sit at home and watch on TV.  Seeing that I’m nowhere able afford season tickets, or flex-packs or what-have-you I think that this is a pretty good number.  It was even fun last week where I attended a game, with such a sparse crowd, that I could people hecking from the 200 level on the other side of the stadium.  The Halladay versus Burnett battle was probably my favorite game, of the ones I attended.  The crowd was just awesome that night.  It felt like a playoff game.  A close second was the 92/93 reunion game.  He are some pictures from that night.