A September they will remember
Blue Jays remain loose as they enjoy games that matter
NEW YORK— What the reporter thought she heard: Jose Bautista can’t come out to play (talk) right now because he’s shaving himself with a straight razor.
A straight razor?! The slugger may have steady hands and all, but isn’t that a tad risky, drawing a blade along the neck of such a precious Blue Jays asset?
What was actually said: Jose Bautista is getting shaved with a straight razor.
Apparently, even on the road, players can summon their own private barber into the nether regions of the clubhouse for a shave-and-a-haircut-two-bits. Who knew?
Still, we’ll take the metaphor and run with it. Close shave, get it? Which is the AL East standings situation for the club upon arrival in the Big Apple, facing a quartet of encounters with the heavybreathing Yankees on their tail, a mere 11⁄ games back. That’s thanks only to the
2 Baltimore Orioles who managed to take a couple off the Pinstripes whilst the Jays were losing a series in Boston, versus the sad-sack Sox.
The opener was rained out Thursday evening, so everybody can stand down for a bit and get a firm toehold on the ledge of performance anxiety.
Thing is, there appears, not a hint of heebie-jeebies in the Toronto clubhouse during this period of exquisite playoff race tension, presumed. No tightened sphincters here. A confident bunch, assured manager John Gibbons as he hosted an office scrum of nearly twodozen journos, all come to probe the team’s state of mind up in the Bronx.
“I’ve had some wild dreams, no doubt about that.” Um, too much information, skip. But seriously, folks. “These guys, I don’t notice a change from the beginning of the year, really, other than maybe a little more confidence. That’s one thing that’s been different about this group. From day one they’ve approached it a little bit differently — really a focused group, an intense group. I think maybe (it is) just a confidence thing since we made those deals.”
You know, those deals that have monumentally changed the composition of the roster.
“It’s a confident team right now, some confident guys out there. These guys have got a lot of swagger. The manager’s got swagger too —that’s just because he walks funny. But there’s some superstars in that room. Other places, you get some of those guys and it fractures something in there. Not with this group. It’s a pretty tight group. They like each other and that’s not always the case.’’
That view is seconded by just about every individual wearing the colours right now — a sense of calm and composure has settled over this outfit, undisturbed by losing their first series since mid-August, with the Red Sox inverting the barrage equation, laying a couple of doubledigit whammy losses on the Jays.
One soothing sage in the clubhouse has been reliever LaTroy Hawkins, a tall cool glass of water who’s been to the post-season four times.
“It never gets old, hell no,’’ says the 42-year-old, sipping on a really icky beet juice concoction. “Exciting every time. Playing baseball games in September that really mean something, something special man. Made a push with the Angels in 2012, that was the last time.’’
What Hawkins has observed, since arriving at the trade deadline, is an absence of stress. “These guys are so loose. I don’t think that tension has even crossed their minds. This is a young group. They were very energetic when I got here and they haven’t turned it down yet. They’re into the moment, they know what’s at stake, everybody has the same mindset, what we need to do, what we better do to get to where we need to be. It’s one mindset — get to the playoffs.”
He does some reminding, especially to those younger Jays who have never been this way before. “I tell them, it’s the same game. Only difference is that at the end of the game, in a playoffs, you’re emotionally drained because everything gets magnified. You get to the championship series, then the World Series
“It never gets old, hell no . . . playing games in September that really mean something.” LATROY HAWKINS BLUE JAYS RELIEVER
— man, that’s the only baseball game in the world going on and you’re playing in it.”
Yet these games here are monumentally important. Another 40-year-old across the room, R.A. Dickey, makes no bones about that. “This is my 19th year to play professionally and only twice in 19 years — minors or major leagues — have I even been in a position where there’s a chance to go to the postseason.”
He adds wryly, and it is mostly, not entirely, said in jest: “These young guys, I’m almost upset with them, ’cause they say, this is it, this is it, like it’s gonna happen every year.”
They don’t know what they don’t know. Dickey knows.
So it’s a delectable experience, bearing down on that fabled place called the post-season, never having been there before, getting only a sniff at the possibility last summer before the Toronto season went pear-shaped.
“Right now, I don’t necessarily feel like it’s any additional anxiety. I feel that, with the fan base there’s a lot more excitement factor. But right now we realize that we have seven games still versus the Yankees, we still play Baltimore, we still play Tampa. So we’ve got a lot of games left. And that’s what’s really special about this team — nobody’s riding the roller coaster, which is good. But do I watch the scoreboard a little bit more? Probably, to see what’s going on around the league, especially with the Yankees. Sure, I think that’s human nature.’’
Dickey, in a flash of honesty, says this: “As a player, you can’t really enjoy a championship until it’s all done. That’s something which is unique. It’s harder for us to enjoy it in the moment, more than it is for a fan. In reflection, it’s where we get our satisfaction.
“For us, if we don’t win the World Series, you’ll still think: What was it all for?”