The story that everyone is picking up on, out of yesterday's game, is that the Jays had their lowest attendance ever since Rogers Center opened. There was 7 people (all named Fred) there last night. No not really, I'm just too lazy to look up the number. Now ignoring that the team has changed how they count attendance this season, so it is as likely as not that there have been smaller crowds, it is sad that the numbers were that few. And I'm guessing today will be worse.
But this line from Cito Gaston is what caught my attention:
"In order to get back to where we're going, we need our fans out here," he said. "We need their support, so hopefully they'll realize that and come out and support us."
You get that. It's not his fault or the player's fault or JP fault that the team is losing, it is the lack of fan support.
Now Cito, despite all the things I've written here over the last year or so, I really do love you man. I mean if you write your autobiography, I'll be first in line to buy it. Or, you know, if you can't afford a real ghost writer, I'll do it free. I think you have a very interesting story in there. And I know you could teach me a million things about baseball.
But, frig Cito, when any business starts blaming their customers, you know it is in trouble.
You know, Cito, I love baseball and will watch any baseball. I'll watch semi-pro ball, I'll watch kids play, I'll watch lousy teams play. I'll even watch the damned Yankees play. And, for better or worse, the Blue Jays are my team. I watched them before your first run as manager and I'll watch them long after you are gone from the team.
But Cito, if you want fans to come to the games, you have to give them a reason to come. Now it doesn't have to be winning baseball, because we know only one team finishes the season happy and if winning was all we were interested in, well, I guess we'd be Yankee fans and spend all our time defending the massive payroll trying to ignore the fact that my mom could build a winning team if she could pay players several times what other teams are able to. What would be the fun in that?
But, you have to give us hope for the future. Here it is September and you are still running Jose Bautista and Kevin Millar and all out there. They have proven to us fans that they aren't going to be part of a winning team. Oh, Baustista hits lefties ok and if that was all he was asked to do, I wouldn't mind him and I get it that Millar is a good guy and nice to have around in the club, but put out guys that give us a hope for the future.
Get Travis Snider and Randy Ruiz in the lineup everyday. Get JP to call up some of the other young guys. You have some sway with him, you could convince him. I know J.P. Arencibia didn't have a great year, but then neither did Barajas, Arencibia will be part of the organization next year. Barajas, we don't know. Brian Dopirak is someone the fans might get excited to see. I've love to get a look at Scott Campbell. Aaron Mathews could, at worst, spell Vernon Wells some. What has Wells done this year that makes you think the fans want to see him 158 times. I'd love to watch Zach Stewart pitch. Let us get excited about seeing the young guys
You want fans to come to the games, it is up to you. Show us something that we want to see. If you won't do that, don't blame the fans for not coming out.