Joe Has Had His Moments

IT clears the fence over the wall, all the way it`s gone that`s all. It was in the mid eighties when this all started for me. We were on our way to the first AL East division in '85, by 2 games over the yankees, george bell making that catch of the last out, on his knees in left field. Eventually losing it to george brett and his kansas city royals, they went on to the dance and won it all, and #11 and the jays went home. So, to begin, that year I moved from NFA into a rooming house on Berkeley street in the downtown east end of Toronto, my home town. I have been homeless on and off with the Lord Jesus since '79 off and on since then. The room didn't have much, a bed, a dresser, thin walls, and a neighbour with his radio turned on to the baseball broadcast, and I could hear it, clearly. So with nothing better to do on this hot summer afternoon, I lay down with jesus and listened to Tom & Jerry broadcasting baseball, naked in the ghost. I guess God likes baseball and so the spirit would move and I played along. It was easier to come by it lying down on a bed, than walking around in it, block after block, mile after mile, seeking first the kingdom come, less tiring, a godsend, and all these things will be added to you. That season came and went well enough so that off and on through the late eighties the jays and red sox and the ghost would go at it. We won our first division title in '85, came a close second in '87, only had to win one out of seven games and blew it, missed out to the tigers. On again in '89, year one in Skydome. Starting out on our run for glory and the trophy, in it every year thru' the late eighties, in the division that matters the most to me, the AL east, in all of major league baseball.

In the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy and as for me I couldn't get enough of it. I wanted more, all I could get, it's so good, will flow like a river on easy street paved with gold, in new jerusalem, don't you know believers? The tears would flow down my face, hot, like drops of love, the blood of Jesus, cleansing from all sin, imparting his righteousness to his own and eternal life. A piece of cake, like a walk in the park, paradise beckons. You know him who said, come unto me all ye who labour, Learn of me, for I am meek in spirit and lowly in heart, and you will find rest unto your souls. After an hour or two it starts getting hot and so after three or fours hours of that, one has to stop, in the blink of an eye, our god is a consuming fire. They also might ask me come judgment day "what did you do with the ghost?" Well my answer is this story Sir/Madam. Now, how you do the Ghost, as in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is not the same as if you do it, when you can. Some with this gift of eternal life bury it in the backyard and couldn't be bothered with it, he said of them he would spit them out of his mouth, like a bad taste, I couldn't get enough of it. And the blue jays were my ticket, just what I needed, an hour or two daily, nine innings, good to go. Now then, I wasn't alone in this, no, but with every Saint comes a guardian Angel. And I had mine, Barbara Crandle, what a handful she was, mommy dearest. When I was younger, a teenager, it was her who once asked me, "how tall would you like to be?" Now the answer I gave her is how tall am I, too tall at six feet one inch. And it is written in the old testament to "contend with your mother for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband" saith god and this, makes me, her son of a bitch off spring. A bible thumping, spirit filled, baptisted, & born-again christian believer. And it is yours to crucify the old man. With his/her pride, jealousy, envy, vengeance and lust for life. It is written by him who said so, the Lord asked Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus to arrest his saints just like he did when he was in Jerusalem, why is it that he was persecuting him. And so they meet on the road halfway there. A blinding light from above shone brightly in his face, and off his horse he fell to the ground, blinded, dirty old bastard. And when he heard the voice of the lord say to him "Saul Saul why persecuteth thou me?" And Saul said to the voice "who art thou lord?" And he said "I am Jesus, whom thou persecuteth!" Now it is written in the old testament that if you seek the lord with all your heart that he will be found of, by you. Just like in the case of David, Who did. But Saul breathing out threats caused the lord to come to him. This very same vain self-seekingly seated one, stuck up in heaven at the right hand of the most high, with all power and authority given to him . Who once said that he came down from above like an angel, but forgot to add more like an alien, convenient like. Now sitting pretty in Heaven, my high priest and groom saith lady luck, come to me?

Now it happened after the '89 season was under way, the Blue Jays moved the nest from Exhibition Stadium & hopped it over to a brand new feathered Skydome (aka rogers centre.) At the cost to the taxpayers' of Canada's baseball fans half a billion dollars, canadian. Not recently sold, used, as is & washed up for like 5 cents on the dollar to Ted. Now they threw in the stadium for peanuts providing ted buy the tower as well, a national monument, at a premium. You know, teds tower and rogers centre, but no not yet. And that fell through and not long ago I was at ted's funeral, near my homeless home park, a big affair. Today in the GTA Rogers looks like they have the key(s) to the city, advertising everywhere, movies, cable, internet, cell phones, blackberry's, Rogersville.

The year 1989 is the first of five seasons I have in mind to talk to you about, the end of the '93 season being the point of it all, specifically Devo's at bat, with 2 on, none out. All he had to do was drop one in, like a direct deposit. On a full count, 3 and 2, and tossing off a few fouls he flies out to left field into the waiting arms of Phillies left fielder Peter Joseph Incaviglia, one out. The only out, the one out shy of a Grand Slam wins the World Series, on Joe Carter's homerun. Would have carried withit the status of greatest homerun ever hit alltime, if it dropped in with Devo's best effort! I mean man he tried. All it had to do was drop in, like a direct deposit into my bank account, for the sake of His elect, for my benefit, and those days will be shortened. I'm telling you I didn't have the bus fare downtown to travel to the series parade victory, twice, not yet. Mommy dearest, don't call me Barbie, a brand english type, a cracked flaw in a gem, the shine of a pearl gone bust, publish Me an article.

Toronto on the old baseball map used to be in the instructional international league, and now here we were going to the dance ourselves, on a roll, like a stone cast forth, firing on all cylinders, covering our bases. So began the rise to the top. Not far from recently being only an expansion team, the Giants were available on the market then, the blue jays so christened by a voters ballet of skydome subscribers in the mid seventy's. It means bird like scavenger. Won the al east that year '89, came close again in '90 them redsox again, tweekin' & fine tunin' my act, we were going to take a run at it, from nothing, all the way to the top of the heap, out of the doghouse, into the world series that season. The problem with that was the Oakland As, Rickey and Dave, we got trounced so badly by them they were accused of hot doggin' it, and rightly so. The As went all the way to the dance, the jays went home again.

A good try the following season, in '90, came close that year, but no cigar, lost it to the Redsox again & again. So we beat a hasty retreat to mount up and try again next year. And I moved again. I was living in east end Toronto in a basement apartment for just two weeks when the Landlord, someone I went to high school with told me I had to move because they were selling the house I was living in. I looked all over town, couldn't find a place, so out of desperation I called my sister's live in boyfriend at work no less, asking him if it would be alright to move in with them. Right off the bat Lorne, a sanitation engineer said it would be ok. That night I showed up at their two floor condo on Woodbine avenue waiting for the Landlady to arrive home from work. With her name on the lease, she had the last say, she looked me over and said it would be ok with her also, great, home again. During the 1991 schedule alone in my room I would be in the presence of the Lord with the radio tuned to the broadcast, the voices of Tom and Jerry, two innings on two off. Shining every game, never missed an inning, go jays go. We won the division then, that year as well, the first of three titles in a row. In the post season it was gonna be the twins in the Metrodome. Little did I know we were missing something to progress along. What does a beating feel like? We went down in flames, I was shining brightly but it wasn't there, things felt flat, couldn't get a hit. No way could we beat them, it was a humiliating defeat. After another al east division banner is hoisted to the rafters in Skydome a mile high, way up, above the jumbotron, it says, THE 1991 A.L. EAST CHAMPS.

Sometime in the year or so living with my sister and her boyfriend he moved on and David moved in with us, whom she would eventually marry, and in november of that year she conceived. Her only son, my nephew Michael was born the following August. You see, playing the twins in post season it wasn't there, like it was gone, no way gonna beat them, What does it take to get a leg up, some leverage, a favourable position to be in? I mean it was there, I was doing the ghost daily. Like every game, every inning pitched, all of it covered in the blood of Jesus. I was on schedule for 3 seasons, from 1991-'93 years. Didn't miss a moment of it all, doing the ghost in every inning, and each pitch, up & down the batting order, prompt and reasonable service I gave for the Kingdom come. Like cream that rises to the top, that's where I wanted to be. But no, the Twins took it all away, and the Jays went home, yet again. The Twins with Jack Morris pitching ten innings in the seventh game went all the way, beating the Braves for the championship. He would be ours next season for two, winning three world series' in a row for himself.

It was during the next season in '92 shined up on Sylla ave, in Scarberia so the shape of things to come began to materialize. Why is it that she was on about if you wanna win it's gotta hurt. I didn't want to give up my room in scarborough and get a bed, but I did, so she couldn't argue with me. Just when things were going great in August for the Jays I had to up and go, suffer and you win. Lord take me downtown, homeless in the GTA. I had this walking route, doing the ghost daily in the evening, drinking it in like a holy wino. Walking west in the ghost from Sherbourne St along Richmond to Bathurst St, and south one block and back east on Adelaide, to the Sherbourne St Shelter. Two one way streets all the way. This keeps the painful car headlights out of my eyes, taking about an hour and a half walking the walk to traverse. Listening to the game playing on the radios and TVs from the many Bars I was passing roundabout this season. The Jays leading the pack, well on the way to the '92 al east title, like without me, so tuned were they in their winning these things, probably why. It was late in this season, with the division in the bag, so homeless for the month of September in downtown Toronto, heavenly.

We made the post season again, this was when the fortunes turned for the blue jays, this is where the plot thickens, now it's October 1992, I rented a room again, to be alone with Jesus on Victoria Park ave, just north of Ellesmere ave. The landlady's name was Joyce, I stayed with her in the basement, one month, long enough to make this work! Fresh off a sacrifice and back home with another division title, shining a light on the game of baseball. In the ALCS against the Oakland As for getting a bed in progress, that brand english type woman mentioning, making it clear to me, that further sacrifice was needed to go all the way. "Get arrested," for instance she suggested in my ear, for some innocent thing, nothing criminal mind you. Now I had done that before and went to jail briefly because she said too before as well. That for walking around naked one warm summer, a few years earlier, but it was now October, too cold for that. So I was on the spot, what to do? So I kneeled naked and prayed in the ghost promising God to do that, with a vow in the name of the Lord.

That seemed to take, the Blue Jays won the series four games to two, to advance to the World Series. The series was a rematch of the 1989 ALCS, which Oakland won in five games. Oakland finished the 1992 season with a 96–66 record, clinching their fourth American League West title in five years, by six games over the Minnesota Twins. The Blue Jays also finished 1992 with a 96–66 mark, claiming their second straight American League East championship by four games over the Milwaukee Brewers. It was during this series Roberto Alomar in the top of the ninth inning hit his home run off Dennis Eckersley in Game 4, an uplifting moment. Unfortunately for me I fell asleep early behind in the score for an inning or two and missed it, the ghost does that sometimes, peace like a river.

Meanwhile over in the other league, the 1992 National League Championship Series was played between the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Atlanta won the series in seven games to advance to their second straight World Series. The 1992 NLCS ended in dramatic fashion, as in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7, with Atlanta down 2–1 and the bases loaded, the Braves' Francisco Cabrera cracked a two-run single that scored David Justice and Sid Bream. Bream famously slid to score the Series-winning run, beating the throw by Pirates left fielder Barry Bonds. The 1992 World Series was the first Series ever with games played outside the United States of America. It pitted the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays against the National League champion Atlanta Braves. Toronto defeated Atlanta, four games to two, marking the first time a team based outside the United States won the World Series. And so we were off to Atlanta, Georgia, losing game one. In game two all the flap was about the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard accidentally flying the flag of Canada upside down, made the front page of all the local papers here back home.

During game three, in the fourth inning, the first big defensive play of the Series nearly resulted in a rare World Series triple play and another bit of World Series history was made. With Deion Sanders and Terry Pendleton on with nobody out in the top of the inning, Devon White made a leaping catch of a deep fly ball off the bat of Atlanta's David Justice. As White made the catch and crashed into the wall Sanders and Pendleton got crossed up on the bases, and Pendleton ran past Sanders to result in an automatic out. Sanders remained stuck between second and third as Kelly Gruber received a relay from first baseman John Olerud and began chasing him back to second. Gruber lunged at Sanders and appeared to tag him on the heel just before he got back to second, and television replays confirmed he did, but umpire Bob Davidson called Sanders safe. We won game four, barely 2 - 1. The Braves took game five, with Lonnie Smith putting the game out of reach with a grand slam home run to extend the Braves' lead to 7–2.

In game 6 Atlanta's Steve Avery and Toronto's David Cone were the starters in this game. Because Avery was a left-handed pitcher, the Blue Jays started Joe Carter at first base instead of John Olerud. With the score stood 2–1 in favor of the Blue Jays entering the bottom of the ninth, with Toronto needing just three outs to become the first non-American team to win the World Series. The last hope for the Braves rested on the bat of Otis Nixon as he came to the plate with two out. Henke quickly got two strikes on him, but on the third pitch Nixon slapped a single to left field. Blauser was waved around third and scored as Maldonado made an errant throw that sailed over the backstop behind home plate. Charlie Leibrandt took the mound for the Braves in the top of the tenth and held them scoreless. The Braves could not capitalize in the bottom half, as Henke and Game 4 winner Jimmy Key combined to shut them out.

That set the stage for the eleventh inning. Leibrandt got the first out by retiring Key but allowed the next two runners to reach base, hitting White and allowing a single to Alomar. Jeff Reardon had been warming up in the bullpen, perhaps remembering Reardon's performances earlier in the Series, Cox stuck with Leibrandt and he recorded the second out by flying out to shallow center. Needing only one out to give the Braves a chance to break the tie in the bottom of the eleventh, Leibrandt's next batter was Winfield. To that point Winfield had not been hitting well, struggling throughout the series as well as in Game 6 having been retired in four previous at bats. Winfield had also not gotten a postseason extra base hit, dating back to his previous postseason experience with the New York Yankees in 1981. After working the count full Winfield drove the ball down the left field line for a double, scoring both White and Alomar, and the Blue Jays regained the lead at 4–2. At 41 years of age, Dave (wants noise) Winfield became the oldest player to hit an extra base hit in the World Series.

It was the second consecutive year that Leibrandt had given up the go-ahead run in Game 6 of the World Series, as he gave up a game-winning walk-off home run to Minnesota's Kirby Puckett in the eleventh inning of Game 6 in 1991. The Braves started off the bottom of the eleventh with Blauser singling to left field off Key, just as he started off the bottom of the ninth inning against Henke, then advanced to third after Berryhill reached on an error as Alfredo Griffin, normally sure-handed at shortstop, misplayed a ground ball that took a bad hop at the last second. With Blauser now at third and pinch runner John Smoltz at first, Rafael Belliard bunted to move Smoltz to second. With one out and the tying runs now in scoring position, Key forced pinch hitter Brian Hunter to ground to first. Although Blauser scored on the play and Smoltz was now on third, the Braves were again down to their final out. With Nixon coming up to the plate representing the potential winning run, Cito Gaston elected to make a pitching change as it was believed that Nixon, despite there being two outs, would attempt to get on base by bunting to take advantage of his speed.

Mike Timlin, who had only pitched once in the Series to that point, entered the game to try and get the final out and earn a save. After fouling off Timlin's first pitch, Nixon did indeed lay down a bunt. Timlin, who said that Carter had warned him prior to returning to his position of the bunt possibility, fielded the ball cleanly and threw it to Carter to retire Nixon and win the World Series for the Blue Jays.Carter initially looked to keep the ball but gave it up to Timlin who pleaded to Carter for the ball saying it was "his World Series save." Carter would eventually have possession of the game-winning ball of the 1993 World Series: his Series-ending home run ball. Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston became the first African American manager to win a World Series.

After sending the Braves home in six games, and as for the other team in town they got off to a 10-0 start about this time. It was coming hot and furious then, like a game every night, pick one. By now I got this act down pat, the little rituals one performs in their endeavour to succeed. Here was mine, to do the ghost I was always naked more on the bed than in it, in my birthday suit, stripped bottom to top. That way Barbie Pillows like a fly on the wall seeing me naked was lookin' at my bare end, thinking nefarious thoughts of her own. The light would shine, the tears would flow, the temperature raised. Another 'W' in the win column. Post pre season and post season play, quite a balancing act. You got to run with it when you can, no dropping it now, with feet moving, clutching the ball tightly, eyes straight ahead, aim for the finish line. I moved again.

Only this time at this new address Gwenda-lynn was waiting for me. I mean I showed up and she was there. I looked at the room, looking in the kitchen and there she was. A brief and rare fling with a woman in her room upstairs. Her ex boyfriend was my neighbour downstairs, Red red wine was on the radio, a song she knew all too well. I haven't seen her since. This was over the winter of '92 & '93, so in the spring/summer of 1993 I moved again, this time to a townhouse, near to Lawrence ave and Golf Club road. The owner, a serious employed person, who drove downtown to work and one other tenant, a tall black dude lived there. The home had a nice stereo in the living room, a kitchen, and a balcony. I remember sitting out there reading a bible, the afternoon sun shining. It was here I was when the leafs of '93, with gilmour, potvin and burns doing the ghost came as far as they were gonna go. Semi-finals finishes, party on yonge st. And that ran its course, they haven't since. And I moved again.

It was a long walk east to look at a room, near lawrence ave and the scarboro train station. The landlady was Emily, I moved in briefly, the last one for quite awhile. I left her for good when the Harris government was voted in, cutting welfare rates 22 fucking %, about september. Knowing this I left home in August '95 for good. The baseball and hockey strike were going on, and I was hanging out a lot at the bus terminal on bay street, just keeping warm, passing the time, thinking it would settle and I would go home. Not yet.

It wasn't until January 1 1996 when one kathy browne showed up, waving her pistol. But that's another story, just about where to end this one, put up with her no more than you have to. As best as I can recall that was when mommy dearest was on about things, whispered in my ear. She was so mad, why? Now I haven't been arrested yet, so maybe thats it? But came close twice last year '10, for my random drug use. Like live on the street , if you change your mind, your going to Seaton House, where you don't wanna be, Lookin! And only to have sex with my own wife. Now I ask you, who is a mother to tell you whom to have sex with, really, even one with wings and truly soft feathers. Didn't Jesus deny his mother, confessing his Dad? So, so far so good, without a choice, no money keep your options open in times of trial.

That which concerns the actual '93 season. Come spring training in the best season of 'em all, the year of the joe carter homerun, we were on pace, ready for lift off, raring to go. Let's do it again, only at home this time, all the way! Go jays go. Henderson walks on four pitches, Wild Thing was in danger of walking White. If he doesn`t swing at ball four, now then two on, and Molitor gets the bases loaded with nobody out. And so because of this no money failed-to-get-on at bat, because they are not going not yet, no money for U and your benefits that they might be goin`. Joe has had his moments. Trying to lay off that ball, low to the outside part of the plate, he just went after one. Two balls and two strikes on him. Here's the pitch on the way, a swing and a belt! Left field! Way back! BLUE JAYS WIN IT! The Blue Jays are World Series Champions as Joe Carter hits a three run home run in the ninth inning and the Blue Jays have repeated as World Series Champions! Touch em' all Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life! In the catbird seat now.

The 1994_95 Major League Baseball strike was the eighth work stoppage in baseball history, as well as the fourth in-season work stoppage in 22 years. The 232-day strike, which lasted from August 12, 1994, to April 2, 1995, led to the cancellation of between 931 and 948 games overall, including the entire 1994 postseason and World Series (these numbers account for the fact that postseason series can be of varying lengths; in addition, 12 other games scheduled to be played prior to August 12, 1994 were canceled for other reasons, mainly weather-related). The cancellation of the 1994 World Series was the first since 1904; meanwhile, Major League Baseball became the first professional sport to lose its entire postseason due to a labor dispute. After that the '94 season was strike shortened, when poker stars dot net was dealt, the ghost keep coming though, homeless and on PNA, for seven years. The Ghost in me and I were there during the rockets' two pitching seasons and a portable radio, mommy dearest not so much.

A month before the ice storm of '98 hit the eastern seaboard, one of the last things she ever said to me was "go to Montreal." I did not want to! And pow, all that ice glued to the trees. And I said to her "See a sign from God." A month passed and again she said, go! So I did, the tree limbs looking grotesque, totally goth. In town there I stayed at the old brewery mission, smoking up frequently. I would daily go for a walk with the ghost in the evening to the Jacques Cartier bridge and back, it was like an hour'n a half roundtrip. Did this for a year 'n a half. Once on a dare to myself I walked the walk not blinking once, to see if. And. By the time I came back home to toronto in the early ninety's the ghost had all but dried up, it seems I had personally drank the bottle dry, and one angel under the table, passed on. Safe in heaven and unemployed, was she possibly recalled back up above?

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