Ummm…We Did What To Who?…Really? Legally?

Apr 1, 2011; Toronto, ON, Canada; Two new banners are displayed above the scoreboard to honor Hall of Fame inductees former general manager Pat Gillick (not pictured) and second baseman Roberto Alomar (not pictured) before the Toronto Blue Jays game against the Minnesota Twins at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays beat the Twins 13-3. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE
It is one of those days as a sports fan where you know where you were when the news came down. I was walking down Danforth Avenue when I noticed a missed call from my brother. I call back and he breaks down the trade (as it was at 7:08pmEST) and I stopped and sat down on concrete block housing a wretched looking bare tree. I grinned and hung up and thought…we just got Gillick-ed.

The only man in the history of this organization who had the temerity (darn pg-13) to change the face and culture of the team. Remember when we referred to Pat Gillick as “Stand Pat”? Then he traded an all-star shortstop and power hitting first basman for our so far only hall of famer and the man who hit the biggest home run in the history of our franchise. That deal launched the Jays into bona fide contenders for a world championship. This is the deal in which AA has truly turned the face of the franchise from “future” to “now”. This is the deal that should shut the naysayers up about our lack of moves, Rogers being tight-fisted with the money, our perceived lack of direction.

Did we give up too much future for the present? I applaud AA for dipping into our bountiful plethora of prospects to do this deal. There are 4 potential all-stars heading over there. That had to be tough when they are “your guys”. One of the pitchers we are getting has a history of injury almost on par with his excellence on the mound. How will Reyes work out on turf?

All these questions and more will swirl in the minds of die-hard and fair weather fans alike. Perk up the banal fodder of conversation around the water cooler. Something to truly seize the sporting landscape and drawing in more fans just for the immensity and breadth of this deal. It is a deal that will be talked about for the rest of the history of the Blue Jays franchise…for better or worse. This is no guarantee folks but it is as close to going all in as a GM can get.

This is the final push we have been pining for since Gord Ash. Alex took his time, checked the landscape and came up with this whopper. We waited over a year and a half for Gillick to pull the trigger…we waited longer for this powder keg to explode. In time I will break this down but for now I just want to revel in the moment. That sense of history that this potentially could be. With another tweak (Lind + Catcher for Left Fielder maybe?) and better luck from the injury gods this could truly be a World Series calibre team.

I know when I see a young failing sapling I will think about our new starting five and the hall of fame shortstop that I will have the pleasure to watch going forward…oh and McDonald’s coffee…yummy.