1977 Toronto Blue Jays – 54-107

The 1977 Toronto Blue Jays expect to be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming KOD11 season. This is a team that to some of the less initiated in how to win games might appear to be lacking in certain areas, but are in fact a powerhouse on the verge of greatness.

Veteran rookie skipper Roy Hartsfield (pictured right) had the following to say about this ballclub of his. “This is the best Major League Team I’ve ever had the pleasure of managing. From top to bottom we have a lineup, and a lineup that will appear every day on every ball field to which it is assigned.”

Their home: The Blue Jays will be using Exhibition Stadium as their home ballpark this season. Exhibition Stadium has been renovated to house a baseball team . This is the 4^th version of a stadium to be built on this site since 1879. This ballpark (a loosely used term here) had it’s permanent grandstand built in 1948. In 1959, bleachers were added when the local Canadian Football League franchise, the Toronto Argonauts, moved there and it’s new capacity was 33,000. The stadium was reconfigured again in the mid-1970’s for baseball and now has a capacity of just over 44,000 seats. This stadium, like Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium is not so affectionately known as “the mistake by the lake”. There are cold winds that come swirling in from Lake Ontario and it housed the only ballgame to be ever played on a field covered completely in snow. Also, Dave Winfield (formerly of the Jays) was arrested in 1983 for killing a seagull by throwing a ball at it which was just another testament to his throwing ability. Since the seagulls weren’t paying to see the games it was one way to lessen the number of freeloaders.

The Pitching:

Some say the game of baseball begins and ends with the pitching. If that’s the case these Blue Jays won’t be lacking for pitchers. In fact, they will have a roster full of pitchers, from the Major Leagues down to the Minor Leagues. Veteran righthander Bill Singer is expected to lead this staff. Singer has had 2 twenty win seasons and has won 116 games while losing just 120 coming into 1977. Many feel he was a steal, going as the 28^th pick in the Expansion Draft from the Minnesota Twins. However, others feel that he’s at the end of the line and predict no better than a 2-8 record in what they believe will be his final season.

Rookie left-hander Jerry Garvin is just 21 years old and many predict great things in the future for him. GM Peter Bavasi (of the famous Bavasi baseball family) had this to say about the team’s acquisition of Garvin. “I can’t believe we stole this kid from the Twins with the 4^th pick. I mean, the Mariners took Gary Wheelock with the 3^rd pick and where is he now?” (If you really want to know, Wheelock appeared in 30 major league games and posted a career ERA of 6.00. He is currently the pitching coach of the AZL Mariners in the Arizona Rookie League). Meanwhile Jerry Garvin might just become the single season record holder for pickoffs by a pitcher (23 in 1977) including one game where he picked off 4 Oakland A’s.

Many predict great things for pitching legend-to-be Pete Vuckovich, the 19^th pick in the draft, stolen from right under the noses of the Chicago White Sox. All we can say is if Mr. Vuckovich wins a Cy Young Award in 1982, the Chicago nine’s hose will turn pale.

The rest of the pitching staff includes the Jay’s 6^th pick, Jim Clancy, who just may go on to win 140 games in his career and pitch a perfect 4^th inning in the 1982 All-Star Game. He just may be remembered for his near-perfect game in 1982 against the Minnesota Twins when he retired the first 24 batters before Randy “May He Burn In Hell” Bush hit a broken bat blooper to end Clancy’s bid for perfection.

Dave Lemanczyk may win a team leading 13 games in 1977, while names like Jerry Johnson, Jesse Jefferson, and Mike Willis are just some of the other fine young arms the Jays boast.

“Pitching may well be our strength”, said Manager Hartsfield, “but then again, it might not be”, he concluded. Roy Hartsfield is a plain spoken man and we expect plenty of plain speaking and good old plain baseball from this edition of the Blue Jays.

The Hitting:

There are many knowledgeable baseball professionals who feel that the the 8 men who take the field and the 9 men who will swing the bats each game might just be the greatest 1^st year hitting club ever put together. Batting coach Bobby Doerr has this to say: “This may be the greatest 1^st year hitting club ever put together”.

The Jays first pick in the Expansion Draft was from the Baltimore Orioles and is named Bob Bailor. The Orioles were planning great things for Bailor but took a chance and left him unprotected in the draft, just as his father took a chance and went unprotected sometime in November of 1950. The Jays swooped down and picked up the versatile 25 year old. Whether he plays at shortstop or in the outfield, Bob can do it all. He can even pitch if needed and many predict he will be one of three Toronto Blue Jays, along with pitcher Jerry Garvin and first baseman Doug Ault to be a 1977 Topp’s Rookie All-Star. We expect to see him hit about (or maybe exactly) .310 in his inaugural Blue Jay season.

Doug Ault, the smooth fielding first baseman chosen with the 32^nd pick in the draft from the Texas Rangers, promises to be blasting away at the fences in the coming season. Predictions are high for this young man and it’s been rumoured that oddsmakers will not lay odds on Mr. Ault blasting 2 home runs on opening day or hitting 11 round-trippers in the coming season. You wonder why the Rangers have never been to a World Series? It’s because they let players like Doug Ault escape their grasp.

What’s the first thing that any wise expansion team does once it’s been established? They go out before the draft and sign themselves a good 3^rd string catcher and that’s exactly what the Blue Jays have done. On October 22, 1976 the Jays purchased 36 year old Phil Roof from the Chicago White Sox. This may be Roof’s final season in the bigs, but if he plays 3 games then he was well worth the money.

Blue Jay legend-to-be Otto “The Swatto” Velez was stolen with the 53^rd pick in the draft from the New York Yankees. Many think Otto will storm out of the gate in 1977 and may just pick up the American League Player of the Month Award. Rumors may later fly that the Yankees may attempt to get Otto back by offering Ron Guidry but there is no value high enough that can be placed on the beloved Otto Velez.

Wily veterans are always needed on a new and young ball club, and they don’t come any wilier than 38 year old Ron Fairley, acquired from the Oakland A’s in February. Fairley is expected to play 1b, OF, and DH and no less than a batting average of .279 or 19 home runs will suffice. Fairley, when asked if he was up to the task, replied, “I expect to hit .279 and belt 19 homers this year”. We’ll wait and see if Ron lives up to his word.

Other Jay’s that much will be expected of include Hector Torres, who if he appears in the opening day lineup will make him the only player in history to play opening day for both Canadian teams, the Montreal Expos in 1969 and the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977. He may just be an honorary citizen of this great land.

We can also look forward to the play of these soon to be household names like Al Woods, Gary Woods, John Scott, Roy Howell, Doug Rader, and Canada’s own native born son Dave McKay.

The Intangibles:

There are too many to count, but one thing is certain and that is that Opening Day promises home runs, snow, and a Shopper’s Drug Mart Blue Jays Calendar that just might be the collectible of the future. This is a team that is truly a team if ever oh ever a team there was, the Toronto Blues are one because, because of the wonderful way they play ball.

In fact, the games in Toronto will not have your regular 7^th Inning Stretch, but a specially designed for the Jays 7^th Inning Stretch in which fitness instructors will take to the field to lead the fans in stretching exercises while they sing the soon to be famous Blue Jays song.

Okay Blue Jays

You've got a diamond
You've got nine men
You've got a hat and a bat And that's not all
You've got the bleachers
Got 'em from spring 'til fall
You got a dog and a drink
And the umpire's call
Waddaya want?
Let's play ball!

Is that a fly ball
Or is it a seagull
Coming in from the lake
Just to catch the game?
It's the last inning
Our guys are winning
Dave's put down a smoker
A strike
And you've got no doubt
(You're out!)
Waddaya want?
Let's play ball!

Okay (okay)
Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
Let's (Let's) Play (Play) Ball!

It's a beautiful evenin', fans
At the ballpark
When the game starts
Warm summer breezes
Sun's goin' down
And it's all dark
At the ballpark
But that's okay…it's a night game
Okay (okay)
Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
Let's (Let's) Play (Play) Ball!

Okay (okay)
Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
Let's (Let's) Play (Play) Ball!

Bring on the White Sox
Bring on the BoSox
Bring on the Brewers
The Rangers and the Yankees too
We'll beat the Indians
We'll beat the Tigers
We'll beat the A's so bad it'll make
Billy blue
Waddaya want?
Let's play ball!

Okay (okay)
Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
Let's (Let's) Play (Play) Ball!
Okay (okay)
Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
Let's (Let's) Play (Play) Ball!

--submitted by Martin King--