Pete and Pele

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of soccer. But Peter has a different point of view entirely. Growing up in Italy, he and his buddies played soccer constantly. The rules were easy to follow, and it was cheap: they could play it on any patch of grass and they didn’t need fancy clothes or expensive equipment.

When Peter’s older brother invited him to a soccer match at Varsity Stadium in the 1960’s he was delighted. When he found out that a world-class star, Pele, would be there, Pete was over the moon. And so were the fans. The stadium was packed, but the fans inside were outnumbered by the wannabe fans on the outside. As the interlopers began climbing the concrete walls, the police noticed. They considered their options. Then they stepped back and let the fans, paying and non-paying, cheer on their team. It was the right call.

Peter’s daughter, Andrea, is also a soccer fan and during the winter she put her heart and soul into finding tickets online for the FIFA World Cup. She managed to come up with at least one pair, for a “friendly” game against Tunisia on March 29th and she offered to take her dad with her. They agreed to meet at the GO station near BMO field. They bundled up because their seats near the field were uncovered and outside. As soon as they met at the GO station, the heavens opened up and, by the time they had run to the stadium, they were almost drenched. Once there, they had to wait because their seats were flooded out. After standing for an hour waiting in damp clothes, they gave up and went home.

But this did not dampen their soccer spirit, not one bit. Nor has weather, or anything else for that matter, affected the spirit of Toronto fans in general. FIFA signs are everywhere. Public transit and roadways are being upgraded. Restaurants and hotels are preparing for huge increases in business. Media coverage is being expanded; even the grass growers for the venues are advertising on TV. Kids of all ages are buying soccer merch.

Peter and I got into the spirit by going on a Toronto heritage walk on Saturday, where the tour leader told us about the history of soccer in Toronto. It was not surprising to learn that soccer was imported to Canada by Scottish immigrants in the mid 1800’s. The first recorded game was played in 1876 at the Toronto Cricket Club. In 1906 the Ontario Soccer League was formed. In 1912 a Canada-wide league was created. And in 1914 Canada joined FIFA. The first World Cup was hosted by Uruguay in 1930. That’s 94 years ago and yet this year marks the first time the World Cup has been partly hosted by Canada. No wonder there’s so much enthusiasm!

The first official venue for soccer in Toronto was Exhibition Stadium, built in 1948 to compliment the facilities at the CNE. It was used as a soccer field and concert venue for many years. The Blue Jays began their Toronto history there as well. But by 1999 the Jays had moved to the Skydome, and Exhibition Stadium was plagued by problems. The weather coming off lake Ontario, even snow in late fall, affected players and fans alike. And the pigeons gathered to consume fans’ leftover snacks and leave their poop behind. The stadium, nicknamed “the mistake by the lake,” was demolished in 1999.

After a lot of fundraising and politicking, enough money was raised to build the new, soccer-specific, BMO Field, on the site. But as readers know, that’s not the end of the story. For the FIFA World Cup, extensive renovations have been needed. Temporary seating, adding seats for 18,000, has brought the fan capacity up to 40,000. New LED scoreboards and video boards have also been added. And there is even heating, just in case.

You can be sure that fans without tickets will try hard to foil the police when the Toronto FC plays the first game on June 12 against Bosnia & Herzegovina. As for Peter, he will be home watching from the comfort of his living room chair. And Pele? He will be watching from another world.

Sue

This Trumps Everything

Over the last few days, Donald J Trump has been declared responsible for the largest measles outbreak in decades, has cast aside remarks that the DOJ is severely understaffed, requiring them to adopt the policy of “Ready, Fire, Aim.” He has put in motion a new law to suppress voter registration by requiring voters to produce either a passport or a birth certificate, although many citizens don’t have either. He has doubled the number of farmers’ bankruptcies, withheld 16 billion dollars in tunnel construction until an airport and train station are named after him, depicted President Obama and his wife Michelle as monkeys on his social media feed, and enlarged his ICE concentration camps. Last night he tried to steal our new Canadian bridge in Windsor.

Meanwhile, in a Civilized part of the world,… the 2026 Winter Olympics opened!

In Milano/ Cortina the country came alive in the opening ceremonies. The opening number featured the artistic talents of Italy, known for centuries as the epicentre of art and music. The scenes symbolized the theme of “armonia” – the unity or harmony of mountains, city, humanity, and nature. Ballet performers installed themselves in and around picture frames as a tribute to Beauty. Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli raised their voices in an acknowledgement to the masters of Italian opera. In another piece, three tubes of primary colours: red, yellow and blue, blended into a gorgeous and harmonious display of dancing.

During the Athletes’ Parade, competitors from 93 countries around the world assembled in 5 locations in Italy to show off their National attire and pride. From Livigno we saw freestyle skiers and bobsled athletes emerge through the golden ring. In Cortina, snowboarders, luge and skeleton participants walked proudly through the ring. Milan hosted speed skaters, figure skaters and ice hockey players. Predazzo hosted ski jumpers, and Tesero sent cross country skiers through the ring. Each of these entrances were perfectly timed, so that one followed another like clockwork.

The athletes gathered together at their various sites to watch two opening ceremonies, one in Milan and one in Cortina, as Italian flags, and then Olympic flags were raised, Italy’s national anthem was played, and the cauldrons were lit. Both of these ceremonies were held simultaneously as people across the globe cheered.

This impressive feat of exact timing was about modern technology. But it was also about “armonia.” Togetherness. More than 2,900 athletes, 12,000 performers, 6,000 security personnel and 2.1 Billion TV viewers joined in this event. Despite our differences, we celebrated our admiration for physical accomplishments, gathering together joyously to support one another in a world of peace and harmony.

How about that, Donald?

Sue

Go Jays!

What else did you think I would write about? Canada has a team in the World Series, for heaven’s sake! It’s Canada vs the US in yet another domain.

The day our team qualified took me back to my teens. My dad played baseball as a kid, and he was a huge fan of the game as an adult too. He brought his family along for the ride. During every world series it seemed to be always the same 2 teams: the Yankees vs. the Dodgers. Only it was the Brooklyn Dodgers back then. Dad used to organize a “pool” and family members would pay big money, like 25 cents, to buy a ticket. Excitement was in the air.

Dad never got to see the Skydome, aka Rogers Centre, built in 1989. He developed vascular disease in his later years and had mobility issues. He died just before the World Series of 1993. I would have paid scalper prices to take him to one of those games. Since then, Peter and I have become fans and we buy a six-pack every year – 2 tickets to 6 games, one game per month from April to September.

This year it’s a different Dodgers team playing against our boys. We are getting to know them all: the 7-foot pitcher, the home-run hitters, the traitor Teoscar Hernandez who used to be a Blue jay, or the infamous Shohei Ohtani who turned down a contract to play with the boys in blue . Imagine!

But our guys are like family. George Springer is the home-run hitter who has himself been hit by a pitch more than once, but keeps on playing. Bo Bichette was more seriously injured but has come back to play, limping around from base to base. Alejandro Kirk is the catcher with many skills even though, to our grand daughter, his profile is like a rotisserie chicken. The pitchers are stars too. One of them is only 22 years old.

The guys at the end of the line-up, who are supposed to be the weak links, are anything but. Barger, Clement, Lukes all take their turns running around the bases and scoring. And Vladimir Guerrero Jr, better known as Vladdy, pulls us all into the spirit of the game with his infectious smile, his prayers to the angels above, and his constant jumping up and down.

And this week the entire country is jumping with him. We see Jays hats and tee shirts everywhere: in the grocery store, at the library, on the subway. On game nights we turn down invitations to do anything, anything but settle into our comfy chairs at home with some snacks and drinks and watch the Blue jays WIN! Last night the venue switched to Los Angeles but the Rogers Stadium was full of fans anyway, watching the game on the big screen.

And what a game last night – 18 innings, 2 games worth of play, showing that these teams are well-matched and both worthy of the final win.

When it comes to Elbows Up and Canada Strong, Mark Carney is doing a good job. But for true Canadian unity, I’ll just say:

Go Jays. Bring it Home!

Sue