In 1977, the Toronto Blue Jays took to the field for the very first time at Exhibition Stadium next to Lake Ontario on a snowy, cold April day. We watched on a Black and White TV from Windsor when we got home from school. We were thrilled that Pro Baseball had come to Canada. The Jays under Manager Roy Hartsfield beat the Chicago White Sox in their first game.
In 1992 and 1993 Roberto Alomar, played a major role in bringing two World Series wins to Toronto. All of Canada rejoiced. Who can forget Alomar's key home run off Dennis Eckersley against the Oakland A's in the divisional playoffs?
On July 24th, 2011, Roberto Alomar, became the first Blue Jay to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Alomar gave part of his speech in Spanish to honour his native Puerto Rico. The ceremonies were televised and fans were there from Puerto Rico, Canada and the U.S. and elsewhere to share in Alomar's moment.
Alomar honoured some of the great Puerto Rican Major League Players like Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Clemente, his brother Sandy Alomar and many others.
He also honoured Canada in a way that it has never been honoured at Cooperstown. He thanked the Blue Jays. He thanked Paul Beeston and Pat Gillick who was also inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This was a day that he long dreamt of.
It was a day that Blue Jays fans and Canadians have dreamt of too.
