Canadians support the Blue Jays in baseball after Trump’s trade rant

A day after U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly canceled U.S.-Canada trade negotiations, Canadians hope baseball will alleviate economic misery on Friday night when the Toronto Blue Jays take to their home field to begin the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Millions of Canadians who feel defeated and wounded after months of political conflict with their longtime friend and next-door neighbor have found optimism in the performance of Canada’s only Major League Baseball club so far this year.

Kirsty Crawford, a lifetime Jays supporter, said, “They definitely are Canada’s team,” as she picked up coffee at Tim Hortons in downtown Winnipeg on Friday morning, 2,240 kilometers (1,390 miles) west of Toronto, while sporting a Jays shirt.
“It’s incredible. Some of the folks at my workplace are watching baseball games even though they have never done so before.

In the tense Canada-US relationship, Max Babson, a Winnipeg native who proudly wears a Blue Jays shirt while strolling to lunch with his wife, Sarah, finds solace in the Jays’ series.
“The game is dominated by Americans. One Canadian team is present. “It’s more significant,” Babson added.

The Jays, not simply Toronto’s squad, had a lasting impression on Canadian culture decades ago as a national champion. In 1976, a little maple leaf appeared in the team’s first logo. Three years after the club won the World Series for the second time in two years, the maple leaf was significantly enlarged in 1996. Since then, the maple leaf has appeared and disappeared from the logo, but it is now a noticeable component.

It was definitely worth the 38 hours it took for Niagara Falls, Ontario, Jays superfan Marcie Matsubuchi to put together her “look,” which included a headgear with 3,000 beads, for Friday’s game.
She said, “Nothing’s getting in the way of us winning the World Series, so, yeah, it doesn’t matter,” according to Trump. “South of the border, they are free to remain. We’re from Canada. Our lifestyles are different. We have distinct ways of thinking. We have an optimistic outlook. And this is what will be effective for us.

Even Canadians abroad are paying close attention.

While in Kenya, Jenn Norrie, a Calgary native, watched the Jays play the American League Championship Series in the middle of the night on her cell phone. She’ll watch the game from Amsterdam tonight.