Blue Jays supporters out in full force in Seattle

Tag : street shirts


Though their shades are nearly identical, Blue Jays shirtsoutnumbered Mariners shirts on the streets of the Emerald City thisweek. At every turn, you could find jerseys adorned with "Halladay"or "Wells," even outside the stadium, where a souvenir retailer hadset up a table with Jays merchandise.

Jeff Scoma, owner of the Seattle Team Shop, said he only does thatfor teams with national fan bases, such as the New York Yankees,Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, and on special occasions, suchas when former Mariners hero Ken Griffey Jr. returned with theCincinnati Reds, or when Barry Bonds made a special interleagueappearance with the San Francisco Giants.

"It sold pretty well," store manager Aaron Cervantes said, addingthat about 50 retro-style Halladay shirts were snatched up in abouttwo hours. "It always sells pretty well. A lot of fans come downfrom Canada. It's actually pretty cool to see."

For a second year in a row, the Jays, who wore caps with a stylizedred logo complete with a maple leaf, spent the national holiday inthis West Coast border hub in front of thousands of boisterous fansfrom British Columbia. They cheered when the Mariners finishedbatting practice, and were chanting the name of old-turned-newToronto manager Cito Gaston, whose popularity seemingly stretchesfar beyond the borders of the Greater Toronto Area.

"Lots of fans come down from Vancouver. I must have run into 10 ofthem on the street today," Gaston said after Monday's 2-0 victory."They were very loud."

Canada Day celebrations at Safeco Field included a pregame ceremonyhonouring the 50th anniversary of the North American AerospaceDefense Command (NORAD). There was a fly-over from four jets - twoCF-18s and two F-15s - as part of a military salute to bothcountries' armed forces. The ceremony included RCMP officer MarthaCormier, the sister of Jays' designated hitter Matt Stairs, who isbased in Kelowna, B.C.

"It's unbelievable," Stairs, of Fredericton, said of the support inSeattle. "It started in [batting practice] as soon as the gatesopened."

This phenomenon of Blue Jays support in B.C. has withstood the testof time - and uncompetitive baseball - given it has been 15 yearssince Canada's only major league team was a contender.

It has also withstood media penetration, as regional sports networkRogers Sportsnet and Vancouver all-sports radio station Team 1040,carry Mariners games as though they are a home team.

"I'm a Mariners fan as well," said Harry Cool of Surrey, B.C., whoattended the game last night with his family. "When the Jays aren'tplaying, I watch the Mariners."

Support for the Jays some 3,000 kilometres to the west hasconquered perhaps the biggest Canadian divide of them all: thetendency of all non-Torontonians to despise everything aboutToronto. In that regard, this team and this sport have done morefor national unity than the many divisive and tribal allegiances ofthe NHL.

After all, British Columbians don't treat hockey's Toronto MapleLeafs this way.