So, that World Series parade down Yonge Street was a hell of a time, eh?
No no, not the one in '92 or '93, the one last year. 2013. The Blue Jays won it all, right? That's what all the preseason predictions said, isn't it?
Oh, right.
Toronto FC's "
Combine those two with a returning Dwayne De Rosario and Brazilian designated player Gilberto and you've got... well, you've got an offseason eerily similar to the Blue Jays' last year.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
It seems no matter how many times Toronto sports fans get bitten, they're never shy about their ever-present optimism.
Now, let's make a few things perfectly clear. TFC fans are 100% justified in being excited about what the team has done this offseason. Every move so far has made the squad better, and the out-of-left-field acquisition of Bradley -- if it indeed comes to pass -- would be an absolute game-changer.
MLSE president Tim Leiweke shrewdly extended the deadline for season-ticket renewals to the end of January, banking on supporters being sufficiently enthused by the team's off-season moves that they'd re-up. Many were skeptical or dismissive -- understandable, given the volume of snake oil that's been peddled in the city since 2007.
But if Defoe and Bradley are indeed onboard, then no one can deny Leiweke has delivered on his lofty promises.
Of course, acquiring the pieces is just the first part of the equation. The second, and most important part, is actually having those players perform as advertised.
The most glaring example of this is, of course, your 2013 Toronto Blue Jays.
Alex Anthopoulos, the team's eminently likeable GM, knew the club needed a turnaround after years of aimless water-treading under the significantly-less-likeable J.P. Ricciardi. He knew fans had patience -- it's Toronto, what else have we got? -- but that the trigger would need to be pulled eventually, that the club would need to go "all in" at some point.
They went all-in last season -- and they left the table without their shirts.
A series of massive, franchise-altering trades had the Jays pegged as World Series favourites by numerous oddsmakers before they'd played a game. But then Jose Reyes got hurt. Melky Cabrera was uselessly immobile. Josh Johnson was irredeemably awful. R.A. Dickey found out the AL East and NL East are not the same (who knew?). And hey, remember Emilio Bonifacio? It's OK, nobody does.
End result: Last place in their division, and an even worse record than the previous season.
No one would seriously suggest Toronto FC will finish 2014 with a worse record than in 2013. But the proclamations of their ascension to MLS Cup contender status seem a bit overblown and premature as well -- especially in light of the ostensibly instructive example of the Blue Jays that happened just last year!
Sure, MLB and MLS -- despite having eerily-similar names -- are very different animals. The New York Red Bulls of 2009-10 are the best example of the worst-to-first trajectory being not only possible in MLS, but an intentional byproduct of the league's various parity-enforcing mechanisms.
Of course, seeing TFC potentially laying out $100 million (as estimated by the Star's Cathal Kelly) blows that whole "parity" ideal out of the water -- but given how much TFC fans have endured since Day One, it's unlikely they'll feel much sympathy for their Eastern Conference competitors.
The old cliche is that money doesn't buy championships. This is, of course, a ridiculous fiction, its continued existence owing to sports fans needing to feel more virtuous about their emotional pursuits.
Sure, money doesn't guarantee championships -- but it sure as hell puts you in a better position to win one. Ask the New York Yankees. Or Manchester City. Or their hideous love-child, New York City FC.
Let me make another thing absolutely clear, so that my meaning isn't misunderstood: These are good moves. Toronto FC fans should be excited about these moves.
Those denying that Defoe could be a big-time impact player in MLS are either kidding themselves or simply trolling. Those wringing their hands about what Bradley returning to MLS at 26 means are really just scared USMNT fans, which is of no concern to us.
Those dismissing De Rosario's chances of being an MLS contributor at age 36 have apparently never heard of Marco di Vaio. And those presuming to "know" how Gilberto will do in MLS are simply reaching in order to seem more knowledgeable (and psychic) than any observer could reasonably be.
If the "bloody big deal" is the arrival of Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley, I will rescind all of my mockery of TFC's mini-marketing campaign. That is a bloody big deal. No questions.
Of course, there's nothing stopping the soccer gods from intervening and cursing Toronto with a few injuries and performance deficiencies; yes, TFC could be consigned to the same fate as the 2013 Blue Jays.
On the other hand, this team could very well follow the path of the 1993 Blue Jays instead.
Only time will tell.
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