Canada Post should honour 1992-93 Jays, 1981 Expos with stamps
In 2011, Canada Post honoured Canadian baseball legend Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) with a stamp. Writer Danny Gallagher feels the World-Series-winning Toronto Blue Jays teams and the 1981 Montreal Expos are worthy of the same treatment.
By Danny Gallagher
Canadian Baseball Network
Canada Post, do you want some suggestions?
OK, how about immortalizing the Blue Jays and Expos in light of this year's Canada 150 celebrations?
So what you could do is issue stamps in honour of the two teams that have represented Canada in the major-league ranks for terrific feats.
To start off, please issue a joint stamp that would commemorate the 1992-93 World Series championships won by the Blue Jays and it wouldn't hurt to include Joe Carter's image on there.
Not only was the 1992 win historic but to see the Jays win the top baseball prize two years in a row was remarkable.
1992 marked the first time a Canadian team won the World Series. Atlanta Braves outfielder Otis Nixon tried to bunt his way on but Jays pitcher Mike Timlin picked up the ball and threw it to Carter at first to seal the Toronto win Oct. 24, 1992.
The following year, Carter was front and centre again as he hit a walk-off home run off of Mitch Williams of the Phillies to give the Jays an 8-6 victory on Oct. 23.
Now what you also should do is please issue a stamp to honour the 1981 Expos, who became the first Canadian team to win a berth in post-season play. The Expos clinched a playoff spot on Oct. 3 of that year by beating the New York Mets 5-4 at Shea Stadium with the help of pinch-hitter Wallace Johnson's two-run triple.
The Expos went on to beat the Phillies 3-2 in the best-of-five National League Division Series. So the stamp could include the Expos' logo accompanied by the following type: 1981 NLDS Champs. The stamp could also include the image of Expos pitching great Steve Rogers.
In the past, according to Canada Post publicist Hayley Magermans, the crown corporation has paid homage in three baseball-related scenarios.
On Sept. 14, 1988, a stamp was issued to pay tribute to baseball in Canada, 1838-1988.
On April 9, 2001, the 25th season of the Blue Jays was feted.
On Feb. 1, 2011, pitcher Ferguson Jenkins of Chatham, Ont. was bestowed the honour because of his stellar career and because he was elected into both the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
What better way to celebrate the Jays' place in history than with a stamp issued 25 years following the 1992 championship.
Just the other day on May 31, Team Canada's 1972 Summit Series-winning hockey team was honoured with a stamp 45 years after the fact, complete with an image of Paul Henderson, who fired three consecutive, game-winning goals to help Canada beat the Russians.
Now it's baseball's turn to be remembered with more stamps before the end of this year.