Bob Schwartz

Tag: Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays bar at the end of the world

Is Santa Claus a Blue Jays fan? We don’t know, but the northernmost city in Canada is filled with Blue Jays fans, a city much closer to the North Pole than Toronto. So, yeah, it would make sense if Santa was among them.


The Blue Jays bar at the end of the world

There are no roads in and out.

Only planes can get you there, and of course, boats. But that’s only if Frobisher Bay isn’t frozen over (which it is for about nine months of the year).

Canada’s northernmost city is closer to Greenland, nearer to the North Pole, than it is to Toronto.

“It feels like we’re on the moon,” Valerie Hill, general manager of The Storehouse Bar and Grill, told me in a call.

Although the residents of Iqaluit have spotty cell service, a climate that’s more fit for polar bears and almost total darkness for much of the winter — they do, during these late, exceedingly exciting October nights, have their pennant-winning Blue Jays.

And during the team’s greatest playoff run in 32 years, they mostly gather to watch in the warmth of The Storehouse Bar and Grill — one of the few watering holes in the zero-stoplight town.

In fact, more than two percent of the city’s population can be found there….

Matt Monagan, MLB.com


O Canada: An unprecedented musical moment of Neil Young + The Band + Joni Mitchell

It is a day to honor Canada.

The Toronto Blue Jays begin the World Series against the Dodgers.

Trump has another temper tantrum over Canada:

Trump says all Canada trade talks ‘terminated’ over ad criticising tariffs
US president accuses Canada of ‘egregious behaviour’ after release of ad featuring Ronald Reagan criticising tariffs
Guardian

I’ve written about the irreplaceable place of Canadian artists in popular music:

Without Canadian artists where would we be?

To honor the Blue Jays, the Trump tantrum, etc., I offer a once-in-a-generation musical moment.

Martin Scorcese’s The Last Waltz (1978) is a documentary about the last performance of The Band, accompanied by many musical friends, at Winterland in San Francisco. The movie begins with the words “This film should be played loud!” and it should be.

The Band, all but one of them Canadians, were joined by two other legendary Canadians, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.

Here are Neil Young, The Band and Joni Mitchell performing Young’s Helpless.

Musicians who love the Blue Jays, like Geddy Lee of Rush

As I’m writing about the Toronto Blue Jays (American League champion) and Canada, it prompts me to think about the irreplaceable music by Canadian artists , and to wonder how many of them are Blue Jays fans.

I wanted to pick just one song by one musical Blue Jays fan, so here it is. Geddy Lee of Rush (45 million albums sold) is frequently seen at Blue Jays games. Hard to pick just one Rush track, so here it is.

Tom Sawyer (1981) has nothing to do with baseball. Or does it? Maybe you don’t like Rush. Maybe you don’t like this kind of music or music in general. Maybe you don’t like Canada. Maybe you don’t like baseball. As I wrote in my last post, it’s a free country?

Anyway, if you let this move you, lift you, perplex you, it will.

Toronto Blue Jays are champions of the AMERICAN League

The Toronto Blue Jays have won the championship of the MLB American League, heading to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

When the Arizona Diamondbacks (National League champion in 2023) failed to make this year’s playoffs, I temporarily moved my fandom for this season to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Why? Because I already liked our North American neighbor Canada, but when Trump began his campaign of disdain and disrespect—idiotically suggesting that it should become the 51st state—I became a bigger Canada supporter and promoter.

It is still a question whether the Blue Jays can defeat the Dodgers, though it would be great to have a Canadian team as world champion of the American game (they have before, 31 years ago).

I am guessing that some MAGA people, often uninformed and irrational, will clamor for this Canadian team to be excluded entirely from Major League Baseball. Or, alternatively, will push harder for Canada as a 51st state.

I’m not saying that if you don’t love Trump you should love the Blue Jays. I’m not not saying that. Maybe you love LA, maybe you love the Dodgers. It’s a free country?

All I’m saying is that the Blue Jays are a very good baseball team, that Canada is a very good independent country with lots to recommend it, so rooting for the Blue Jays is worth considering. O Canada! Go Canada!

© 2025 Bob Schwartz