Quotations on the Jays: A Grandslam Encyclopedia

Since earning his PhD from the University of Waterloo in 1992, Andrew Thomson has taught Canadian history at several universities, most often at Wilfrid Laurier University. For the past 16 years, he has created and taught a wide range of Canadian history courses from the history of French Canada to Canadian business history. Dr. Thomson has written for The Dictionary of Canadian Biography and been a guest lecturer at Kitchener Public Library’s Ideas and Issues series. He has recently been an active instructor in the Lifelong Learning program at Wilfrid Laurier. Dr. Thomson is also the Academic Reviewer for the Business History section of the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada and also works with the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies at Wilfrid Laurier.

In the wake of the Blue Jays’ second World Series title, the market
for knick-knacks and memorabilia on the team exploded. Quotations on the
Jays fits comfortably into this niche. The quotations are compiled from
newspapers and from some of the many biographies of Blue Jays players
that have appeared in recent years.

Strangely absent from the bibliography is the Dave Steib memoir, which,
given the pitcher’s significant role in the team’s history (and
fiery temper), might have heightened the volume’s entertainment value.
Like the Blue Jays of the late 1980s, the book relies heavily on George
Bell. This is not surprising, given Bell’s prominence—not to mention
his outspoken views on the team, the media, and the fans—but his role
seems to come at the expense of newer stars and more-successful seasons.
The same might be said of malcontent Kelly Gruber, who is given far more
attention than his career seemed to merit.

Such quibbles aside, this book is fun—which is, perhaps, all that it
needs (or wants) to be.