Farrell’s farewell still tastes foul
After pining for dream job, ex-Jays skipper in for nightmarish return
Friday’s game against the Boston Red Sox has been circled on the calendar for months by Blue Jays fans.
Ever since ex-manager John Farrell orchestrated his indelicate exit from Toronto, the city’s prideful sports fans have been awaiting their opportunity to heap scorn upon the Ohio native, derided as a stiff, unfeeling turncoat.
It’s sure to be a hostile homecoming for Farrell, who managed the Jays for two disappointing seasons before he was traded to Boston in October so he could pursue his “dream job” with the Red Sox.
Farrell had twice asked to be released from his three-year contract with the Jays to take the post in Boston, where he had previously held the title of pitching coach under Terry Francona.
Farrell’s awkward exit played into this city’s own insecurities, particularly in the professional sports domain. So Jays fans have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to voice their displeasure and Friday they’ll finally get their chance.
Given the anger that has simmered in the city since Farrell’s exit, Friday’s game against the Red Sox may even be more hotly anticipated than Tuesday’s season opener.
Here’s a look back at some of the other unhappy returns to Toronto.
VINCE CARTER: APRIL 15, 2005
Described by The Star’s Doug Smith as “a night of hatred and venom and animosity unmatched in the10-year history of the team,” jilted Raptors fans tore into Vince Carter in his first game back in Toronto. Carter, who spent more than six seasons as a Raptor, had earned the wrath of the city’s basketball fans when he demanded a trade to a contending team while also acquiring a reputation for weak-willed and unenthusiastic play. Upon his return, fans burned the former allstar’s jerseys, donned white No. 15 bibs to mock his reputation as a crybaby and waved signs that read “Wince” and “VinSissy.” Carter responded with one of his best games of the season, scoring 39 points as the New Jersey Nets won 101-90.
BRYAN MCCABE: JAN. 7, 2009
The Maple Leafs’ offensively inclined but gaffe-prone defenceman inspired nothing close to the level of animosity directed at Carter, but he was booed every time he touched the puck when he returned to Toronto as a Florida Panther. McCabe angered Leafs fans when he refused to waive his no-trade clause after he had worn out his welcome in the city. . McCabe had an assist in his return as the Leafs lost 4-2.
A.J. BURNETT: MAY 12, 2009
Burnett’s hostile homecoming was the only one of these three in which the fans’ wrath was rewarded. Perhaps that was because the night was as much about the pitcher for the home side, Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. The much-hyped matchup between Halladay and the New York Yankees’ Burnett, teacher and pupil, drew 43,737 fans to the Rogers Centre. The fans taunted and booed the former Jay. Burnett proved himself fragile and vulnerable, giving up three runs in the fourth, wrote The Star’s baseball columnist, Richard Griffin. In the end, Halladay and the Jays won 5-1 and the crowd left satisfied.