WILL VLADDY BE THE G.O.A.T. IN TORONTO SPORTS HISTORY?

And, I'm picking Ottawa to beat the Maple Leafs, but I have my reasons.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and wife Nathalie with their eldest daughter Vlaimel. They have a second daughter named Vlaishel. (Photo by Jon Blacker/Canadian Press)

Since I’ve signed my own 14 year deal to become a keen observer and occasional commentator in this space, I’m going to start referring to Vladimir Guerrero Junior as “The Franchise”. After all, it’s an appropriate nickname because that’s what he cost Rogers to sign him- a piece of the franchise. And no other Toronto athlete, past or present, has ever been placed in such a lofty position and facing such great expectations. He deserves to wear that mantle. No disrespect to Dave Stieb or Carlos Delgado or Auston Matthews or anybody else you thought was a franchise player in this town.

When you’re making half a billion dollars ($690 million Canadian) you’re on a whole other level when it comes to expectations. From the first day he signed, “The Franchise” was trying a little too hard to earn that contract. You don’t think he was embarrassed that Myles Straw and Tyler Heineman had hit their first homers of the year while he was still hitting fly balls to the warning track? There was probably some good-natured needling going on in the clubhouse while he was sitting on zero homeruns. Luckily, the Jays were winning because, if not, he would be getting tons of grief. And then, finally, in his 18^th game of the year, he hit that first dinger and it was blessed relief, a huge exhale, and an “it’s about fuckin’ time” comment in the dugout from the man himself.

Have you noticed how improved his English has become? I’d like to see him ditch the translator in the next few years and became fluently bi-lingual. He might even learn some French, since he was born in Montreal. Would he consider playing for Team Canada internationally? I sure hope so. He refers to Canada as his “second house”, so maybe he’ll buy a property in Toronto and live here during the season or maybe year-round. All I know is he’s going to be in the news a lot.

Hey, I’m a dreamer and it’s not far-fetched to dream that the Blue Jays will be a contending team for the next decade and might even win a World Series, something his Hall of Fame father never experienced. Will “The Franchise” be expected to carry the team? No, but he will be expected to perform at the same level as Derek Jeter did with the Yankees. And Tom Brady with the Patriots. And Steve Yzerman with Detroit and Sidney Crosby with Pittsburgh and Larry Bird with the Celtics and Steph Curry with the Warriors and other players who won championships and spent their entire careers with the same team, save for Brady, who only spent 20 years in New England.

Now that he signed that massive contract, “The Franchise” is going to have to endure a lot of criticism. Every time he goes 0-for-4 he’ll get some heat. If he doesn’t come through with runners in scoring position, critics will say he’s not worth the money the Jays are paying him. It’ll be a daily grind for him. He’s got to play Gold Glove defense, something that’s been missing since he won a GG in 2022. He led AL first basemen in errors last year and leads again this year. He’s got to hit at least 30 homers and drive in 100 runs from the two-spot in the batting order. I’d like to see him walk more, especially with Santander hitting behind him. He only walked 72 times last season and has only been in the top-10 in walks once in his career. Juan Soto walked 129 times last season, second only to Aaron Judge. The previous three seasons, Soto led the league in free passes. “The Franchise” should walk 100 times this season.

Most importantly, he has to lead by example. No more loafing out there. No more silly baserunning mistakes that cost your team. “The Franchise” has got to bust his ass down the line on every ground ball. And he’s got to make his teammates better. That’s a lot to ask for, but that’s why he’s being paid the big bucks.

Of course, with Toronto off to a hot start despite not hitting many home runs, there’s a lot of positives to consider. Maybe Bo Bichette will sign an extension this year and we’ll have an even better idea what this team will look like down the road. In the meantime, they have just as much talent as any of their A.L. East rivals, and they’ve got “The Franchise” locked up until 2039. Now, let’s see if John Schneider and his staff can make the right moves from the dugout. So far, I haven’t been impressed with his in-game managing.

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I’m not one of those guys who makes playoff predictions anymore because, frankly, I’ve been wrong more often than right. Way more often. The Maple Leafs are the problem. I bet with my heart. I have picked them to win every year they’ve been in the postseason, and it’s now been nine straight years if you include that qualifying round in 2020 during the pandemic. My record is 1-8 during that time, so I am going to pick the Ottawa Senators, who beat the Leafs all three times this year, to win the series in 7 games. The Leafs scored a grand total of three goals in those three losses and went 0 for 6 on the powerplay. The Sens think they have Toronto’s number, and they’re playing with house money because nobody expects them to win. Only one problem: The games in Ottawa will be like home games for Leafs Nation. I expect half the crowd to be decked out in blue and white at the Canadian Tire Centre, and I happen to know some people who were smart enough to get tickets in Ottawa a few weeks ago, when they cost about $200 a pop. This afternoon, those seats for Thursday’s third game of the series were going for $500+ each in the upper sections, and over $1000 each for tickets in the lower bowl. Tickets for game one in Toronto are going for up to $3000 each, and you can snag nosebleed seats for around $400. Or you can watch the game on TV, like me and a few million others. Enjoy your Easter Weekend!