JAYS’ BOSSES ON HOT SEAT

Fans ‘ civil’ but expectations high

The best summation of The Leadoff, the Toronto Blue Jays’ showcase for season- ticket holders in which they are sated with food, drink, and fireside chats, came in the media session before the headlining acts even hit the stage.

Ross Atkins, the new general manager, was asked about the reaction he had received among the populace since arriving to replace the beloved Alex Anthopoulos. It has been great, Atkins said: “Unbelievably civil.” Give it time, fella. But civility was the theme of the event, which might have been expected to be a public shaming given the general tenor to the arrival of president Mark Shapiro and his moves — or non- moves — since the Jays completed their long- awaited return to the playoffs. Shapiro received warm applause, as did Atkins, and the only boos rained down during a video montage that showed a clip of David Price, the brief Blue Jay who signed for approximately one bazillion dollars in Boston. ( I suppose it’s possible that the boos were for Shapiro’s decision to not try to sign Price, but that’s probably reading too much into the reaction of someone on his fourth free Budweiser.)

The scrutiny of the Jays’ new bosses was mostly limited to softball questions about their thoughts on Toronto — it’s great, they said — and their feelings on the roster, which they both felt was pretty good, with the expected caveat that the goal is always to improve. Questions from the audience were limited to those submitted by email — they weren’t taking chances with a live microphone, which suggests the organizers had at least listened to talk- radio reaction to the Anthopoulos departure — and the toughest of those asked if the new guys understood what pending free agents Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion meant to Toronto. Would their contract negotiations consider their importance beyond what the numbers would look like on a balance sheet?

( The question was submitted by television writer Denis McGrath, which was enjoyable because he has been a harsh critic of the new regime on social media. “For our next question, Mr. Trump, we’ll go to this one submitted by Ms. H. Clinton from New York.”)

Shapiro handled it in the manner you would expect: he pledged that it was a “no- brainer” that the Blue Jays would want both players beyond 2016, and he said that in his short time here he had already garnered “an appreciation for what they mean beyond the balance sheet.”

He said that contract talks would factor in what “a player means to his team, to his community.” The president said, similarly, that it was a no- brainer that the team would prefer to install a grass field a the Rogers Centre, but they still don’t know if it is doable, a statement that is some-

what more enthusiastic than his earlier assessment that the grass field was “not a priority.”

You could see where he was going with all this, being as positive as he could while still leaving himself some wiggle room down the road. Short of actually announcing new contracts with the team’s veteran sluggers, he told the fans what they wanted to hear.

That will do, for now, but it doesn’t change the remaining fact that Shapiro and Atkins embark on their time in Toronto with precious little goodwill in their reservoir. Atkins, in his media scrum, acknowledged the uniqueness of his arrival — a front- office housecleaning that came just after the team’s first real success in ages — and Shapiro continued his mantra that he isn’t worried about taking blame if the team does not perform as hoped. Manager John Gibbons, casual as always, said “it was a real tough situation for both of them to come into” but he also shrugged it off and said “that’s kind of the way the game works.”

Shapiro said he hoped the fans understand that the new boss “can’t work any harder or care any more.”

That won’t be enough if the team goes backward. Shapiro undoubtedly gives the Blue Jays’ front office a more cutting- edge management approach than the old regime, but his tendency to create buzzword salad is not going to help if there’s a grim losing streak or if ( when) he decided that the price to keep a Bautista or an Encarnacion is too high.

Shapiro’s best move, from this point, is to stop talking much at all. He explained himself when he arrived, and then again when Anthopoulos left and one more time when he hired Atkins. Now, he has been accountable directly to the fans, sort of. There’s not much more he can say, unless you have a particular hankering for talk about business processes.

It is almost time for baseball again, and for everyone around this team that should be a relief. They were good at that part last year. The stuff since has been a bit of a struggle.