http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Col...0/5242551.html
Bob Elliott
Thu, April 10, 2008
If some ball players don't believe playing baseball in Toronto is a good thing, Blue Jays slugger Matt Stairs will set them straight
By Bob Elliott
O Canada.
Matt Stairs stands on guard for thee.
When the Blue Jays were in New York last week, Yankees broadcaster Paul O'Neill said something the Frederiction, N.B. outfielder didn't like.
During the season opener, O'Neill said it was difficult for the Jays to attract free agents because "you do have to go through customs."
Before the second game of the series Stairs approached O'Neill during batting practice.
"I went up, introduced myself and shook his hand," Stairs said last night. "I told him that Toronto is a great place to play. Someone told me that he had knocked Toronto because you have to go through customs and that the team doesn't spend any money.
"I told him that going through customs doesn't take that long, how the fans here are very supportive and what a great city Toronto is to live."
O'Neill's reaction?
"He was kind of in awe, he wasn't sure how to react," Stairs said. "I had my say and then went back to batting practice."
During the telecast a week ago last night O'Neill and announcer Michael Kay discussed the pre-game one-on-one with O'Neill saying that Stairs was one "proud Canadian."
O'Neill was on the subject again in the series finale.
"It goes in cycles," O'Neill said. "It's hard to get players to come to Toronto, Stairs told me how Toronto is the best city in the world.
"He brought it up to me jokingly, he is a Canadian sticking up for his country."
O'Neill went on to say "the Jays don't draw well right now, Toronto is not an exciting draw for players."
"That's his opinion," countered Stairs.
It was exciting on Friday when 50,171 fans came to the Jays play the defending champion Boston Red Sox as well as seeing former second baseman Robbie Alomar and ex-president Paul Beeston honoured.
The Jays averaged 32,676 the final two games in a sweep over the Boston Red Sox. They had 31,336 fans at Tuesday's opener against Oakland and 16,102 last night.
The Jays averaged 29,144 per home game in 2007 --their highest since 1998.
For the 2006 season, the Jays landed the top free-agent reliever on the market in B.J. Ryan, outbidding the Yankees, and the highest-priced starter in A.J. Burnett.
The Jays failed to re-sign Ted Lilly or sign Gil Meche in 2007, but signed DH Frank Thomas. This off-season, third baseman Scott Rolen waived his no-trade clause to approve a deal from St. Louis to the Jays and free-agent David Eckstein also signed with Toronto.
"I'm not going to let something like that go," Stairs said, "not when someone is knocking the city where I play. I would had done the same if I was playing for an American city."
Stairs was signed by Montreal Expos scout Bill McKenzie of Ottawa in 1989. After the Expos, Stairs played for Boston, the Oakland A's, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers.
"We signed Burnett and Ryan, then Thomas, Rolen and Eckstein for this year," Stairs said. "That's some pretty huge free agents."
Stairs left one other free agent off his list: Himself.
Although he thought he had signed as a backup to Thomas, he started when first baseman Lyle Overbay and left fielder Reed Johnson were injured and four games when he had the initials DH for a position. In all, 76 starts.
The initials after his name should be Matt Stairs, OPC --One Proud Canadian.
bob.elliott@sunmedia.ca
The Jays & Matt Stairs !
