Former Blue Jay feeling the Western Canadian support
They’ve always been called Canada’s Team.
If he needed further proof, all Pat Tabler has to do is take a trip out west.
That’s exactly what the former Blue Jay and current colour commentator for the team did last weekend as Tabler took time away from spring training in Florida to come to southern Alberta for the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball’s 12th Annual Awards and Scholarship banquet.
Despite the snowy conditions that greeted the member of the 1992 Blue Jays World Series Championship team that he wouldn’t have dealt with in Florida, the trek out west allowed Tabler the chance to witness the coast-tocoast love for Canada’s team.
“I’m amazed at how many Blue Jays fans there are in Western Canada,” said Tabler Friday night. “I see it everywhere we go. We got to Seattle, Minnesota, Boston, it’s almost like home games when we go to those places. But when you’re out here and you get a chance to be around everybody, you can see how much they love the Blue Jays. It’s incredible.”
On Saturday night, Tabler was the guest speaker at the banquet, sharing stories of his big league career that ran from 1981 to 1992 with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets before wrapping up with the Blue Jays and the first of two World Series championships in 1992.
“I’m here on behalf of the Blue Jays and Robbie Alomar and here to lend my assistance any way I can, help out the kids and talk to the kids. I’m going to spend some time with them (Saturday) and meet some sponsors as well as the big awards banquet and a question and answer period. We’ll talk about some of my experiences and some of the guys I’ve played with and some stories I’ve had in the big leagues.”
That includes the first World Series championship for Canada’s Team a little over 25 years ago.
“I know there was a lot of pressure on us to win because the Blue Jays came so close in 1987 and in 1989 and I was on the team in 1991,” said Tabler. “We won the East and we played Minnesota and we felt like we could beat Minnesota and they went on to win the World Series. We came so close.”
Then in 1992 the Blue Jays went out and picked up Hall of Famer’s Jack Morris and Dave Winfield.
“So the pressure to win, it felt like we had a big bulls eye on our back, but we were good and we knew the Blue Jays had come so close for so many years,” said Tabler. “But those years they were in the hunt, those were great teams filled with great guys whose one goal was to try and win. We were lucky enough, fortunate enough and good enough to do that.”
Over the course of his career, Tabler gained a reputation for his success at the plate in bases loaded situations, batting 43for-88 (.489) with 108 RBI. That earned him the nickname “Mr. Clutch”.
As it turned it, it was a different sport that honed that clutch skill.
“I think that started in grade school,” he said. “With our basketball coach, we would shoot 20 free throws before practice and you had to run 10 laps for every one you missed, unless you made 17. I think that’s where the concentration started coming in. Every day you were honing that skill of concentrating because I didn’t want to run. So I think as I got older I just was able to focus and block out all the noise and things worked out. And then ESPN started making a big deal and it happened from there. But it’s nice to be known for something.”
Following his appearance at Vauxhall on the weekend, the shift returns to the Blue Jays and another baseball season just around the corner.
“I think Ross Atkins (executive vice president, baseball operations and general manager) has done a great job with Mark Shapiro (president and CEO) and all the coaches and staff of, I don’t want to say ‘remaking’ this team, but re-jigging this team,” said Tabler. “They’ve lost some great players over the past couple of years in (José) Bautista and (Edwin) Encarnacion, icons of the organization.
“I think this is going to be a competitive team if they stay healthy. They probably have the best pitching staff in the American League East if they stay healthy. They have great players in ( Josh)Donaldson and (Troy) Tulowitzki. I love the new guys they’ve picked up in Curtis) Granderson and (Jaime) García. I think they’re really going to fit in with this team.”
Of course, there will be the usual contenders in the east to deal with.
“The vibe is very positive and I have a good feeling for this team,” said Tabler. “Unfortunately, they have to deal with the Yankees and Red Sox. There are 19 games against each of them and that’s a quarter of your season. If you’re going to win, you’re going to have to beat those guys.”
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