There is no time as exciting for a sports fan than when your home team makes a glorious playoff push. And though the sprawling metropolis of Toronto is far from St. Paul, the Blue Jays represent Canada’s baseball identity the whole country over.
As the Blue Jays geared up for their second consecutive playoff run, Blue Jays fever took hold of the nation, and that was evident in St. Paul homes too, including at the home of Bev Chomlak and her family.
Last week during a visit with the Chomlak family, a baseball game played on TV in the background, Blue Jays gear hung throughout the house, and a framed photo of José Bautista awaited being hung on the wall - it’s plain to see that for Bev and her family, Blue Jays mania doesn’t just show up during playoff time.
“We’ve been Jays fans since, well, forever, basically,” Bev laughed. “You know, since the Expos left Montreal, the Jays have been the only team in all of Canada, so even if I didn’t want to cheer for them, I would, because it’s important. It’s a total family thing.”
She and her family aren’t bandwagon-jumping, fair-weather fans.
“You really have to take the good with the bad. You know, it’s always exciting when your team makes a playoff run, but even more so when you’ve stuck with them when things have been tough. And things haven’t always been easy for Jays fans.”
Last year’s two series playoff run was the Jays’ first postseason appearance in over 20 years. Last Tuesday, the Blue Jays came off a nail-biting do-or-die wildcard game against the Baltimore Orioles to secure their playoff spot, and a mountain of cheers erupted across the country, with the Blue Jays turning their sights to improving their playoff run with a best of five series against the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series.
Cheering alongside Bev is the rest of her family — children Clinton and Trista, and husband Len— all self-proclaimed, diehard Jays fans. And being lifelong fans leaves each of them with special memories of the team.
“Going to a live game is probably the best thing,” said Trista. “Being inside the stadium, that’s really cool.”
Clinton agreed, saying, “Watching a game on T.V. is one thing, but actually being there is special.”
Bev fondly remembers the Jays’ 1992 and 1993 World Series Championships.
“That’s the ultimate dream, you know? For any team, in any sport. I mean, the odds of your team winning any given year are low, but for them to win the whole deal twice in a row? Amazing. Those are special memories with Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, and all the legends playing together.”
The family tries to make it to a weekend set of live games every year. This year was a special one for Bev and her family as her mother, 82-year old Mary “Baba” Chomlak, was able to attend a Blue Jays game for the first time in her life. Baba is also a blue-bleeding Jays fan, and going to a live game was one of her lifelong dreams.
“Oh, that was just great! When they asked me to go, I was hesitant because I’m old already!” Baba chuckled.
“But I went and Bev and everyone took care of me and I really, really enjoyed myself. Just sitting there in Rogers Arena, and hearing everything and seeing everything, I have no regrets.”
Now the Chomlaks are among the diehard fans watching with baited breath, hoping to see the World Series title return to the Jays and for baseballs fans throughout Canada.
