As new snow fell yesterday, I managed to get a picture of our oleander, which spends the winter inside, sprouting its first buds.

And another signs of spring: the Blue Jays are warming up at spring training camp in Dunedin, Florida. The crowds are thinner since far fewer Canadians are venturing to the USA. But the team is showing signs of success.

Peter and I are avid fans of this team. I grew up in a house where baseball was on TV every weekend. My dad had played in an amateur league in his twenties. As kids, my brother and I were glued to the television during the World Series, making 25-cent bets on the Yankees as they played the Dodgers for the coveted World Series title.

Peter and I began going to games on a regular basis when we moved to Toronto in 2018. We sometimes took family with us. I’ll never forget the look of astonishment in the eyes of our in-laws visiting from the Philippines when they first visited the Skydome, as it was called back then. It was almost overwhelming for them to see a stadium that held more than a few hundred people. Another memorable occasion was back in the early 20’s when the Jays played for a wild card spot in the Series and we managed to get tickets online. The stadium was alive with excitement.

For the past several years we have bought a 6-pack; 2 tickets to each of 6 games of our choice during the season. In the spring we would study the calendar, choosing one game for each of April through September. We would catch the GO train and walk a few blocks to the Roges Centre. Afterwards, depending on the weather, we would walk to the waterfront and have dinner. And once every summer we took my 2 adult kids and their partners, all baseball fans, to a game. It worked out perfectly for us.

Last season we watched almost every game, either from our beloved seats in section 230, (close to the third base line and in the shade), or from our living room couch. The Jays piled up win after win. Our last game at the Rogers Centre was early in September and the crowd exploded as the Jays came even closer to the playoffs. Then from our couch we saw the World Series begin, and end with a sadness so profound that we were almost in tears. Never mind, we thought. Next year we will WIN!

This year everything has changed. Our first clue was in the fall when we were invited to buy ticket packs; not 6-packs but 10-packs, one per person. This meant that Peter and I would have to buy 2 ten-packs, one each, for a total of 10 games. And the price for “our” seats in section 230 was almost $200 each, more than twice the price of last year. We called the box office and were told that there was a chance the 6-packs would return in January.

In January the 6-packs were nowhere in sight when the ticket sales were opened to the public. I rushed to the site, only to find that tickets were selling fast! Really Fast. I decided to hunt for the 6 seats for our family game first. I scrolled through the entire season and came up with only ONE game – March 29. The price was astronomical but I wanted to continue this tradition. So I paid.

Then I started looking for other games with 2 seats together in our beloved section 230. There was almost nothing left in any of the 200’s sections. With incredible patience I searched. After a couple of hours I found tickets to 4 games – spread out over the season, at exorbitant prices. What is our long-standing loyalty worth to this franchise? Nothing.

Nevertheless we will head down to Rogers Centre a few times, sing the OK Blue Jays, Let’s Play Ball song, do the wave, and keep on cheering. Go Jays!

Sue