YORKTON - It is in many ways the summer of disbelieve, at least for fans of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Jays went into the current MLB season with most fans expecting the team would struggle to even be in the playoff picture come the summer, with a .500 record deemed most likely – certainly that was this scribe’s view.
But with the MLB all-star game just finished the Blue Jays sit atop the American League East with a record of 55-41 – third best in the entire AL.
That has TO fans rightfully excited, and suddenly following the day-to-day exploits of emerging heroes such as Addison Barger, Ernie Clement and Myles Straw is fun.
While the resurgence of the Jays is good for fans and the sport in Canada, it’s also really positive for author Keegan Matheson who recently had his first book The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays release from Triumph Books.
“I didn’t see it coming,” said Matheson regarding the huge upswing in the fortunes of the Blue Jays.
But, he’ll take it because suddenly all things Blue Jays have interest, including his book.
“It’s lucky timing,” Matheson who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for mlb.com told Yorkton This Week in a recent interview. “I said all along the best marketing strategy would be a good baseball team.”
The book released just as the Jays were sweeping a four-game set from the Athletics, and it’s been an upward wave since – carrying book interest with it.
“It’s incredible to see the reaction,” said Matheson, who added it is his first time promoting a book he has “been completely overwhelmed. So much of that has to do with the team doing well. . . They’re exciting people again.
“The summer is a lot more fun when the Jays are doing well.”
As for the book www.triumphbooks.com states, “This thoughtful and engaging collection of essays captures the astute fans’ history of the franchise, going beyond well-worn narratives of yesteryear to uncover the less-discussed moments, decisions, people, and settings that fostered the Blue Jays’ distinctive identity.
“Through wheeling and dealing, myth making and community building, explore where the organization has been, how it came to prominence in the modern major league landscape, and how it will continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come.
“Jays fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at baseball history.”
Certainly covering the team helped Matheson tackle the book, but it still took time for him to take up the challenge of writing a book covering the entire existence of the franchise.
“I wanted to have my feet under me,” he said, adding there was a lot of team history before he began writing about the Jays.
Matheson said he needed time to not just rehash older history but to arrive at a point “I finally felt I could add something.”
The book is one of those relaxing reads, with each chapter focused on a particular player, or important moment in team history. It makes for a great summer read, although it challenged the author in terms of what to include – so readers will notice a chapter on greats like Jimmy Key and Tony Fernandez are not included.
Matheson said ultimately he had to make choices while also ensuring every era of the team was covered “not just my era.”
While fans might wish a favourite player had made the cut that didn’t, or that more might have been written on a Dave Stieb or Carlos Delgado – the Blue Jays elites – this book is still a gem, focusing on a team Canada should be proud of, and this one reminds us just how great the team has been.
