Blue Jays
Alex Anthopoulos: The GM Who Built Two Contenders
From Toronto to Atlanta, how Anthopoulos became one of baseball's best executives.
Welcome to Toronto Sports
Since 2008, Sports and the City has been the home for passionate Toronto sports fans who want more than box scores and trade rumors. We bring you thoughtful analysis, personal perspectives, and the kind of honest takes you won't find in mainstream sports media.
Whether you're celebrating a Blue Jays walkoff or mourning another Maple Leafs playoff exit, we're right there with you. This is Toronto sports through the eyes of fans who've lived through the highs of 1992-93, the dark years, and everything in between.
What We Cover
- Toronto Blue Jays: From spring training to the World Series chase. Analysis, history, and player profiles.
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Hockey's most passionate fanbase deserves honest coverage. We deliver.
- Deep Thoughts: Our signature opinion column. Unfiltered takes on Toronto sports and beyond.
- Toronto Sports Scene: The broader landscape of sports in Canada's largest city.
Toronto Blue Jays
Canada's team. From the glory days of Carter and Alomar to the modern era of Guerrero Jr. and the young core.
- Blue Jays Hub
- Alex Anthopoulos: The GM Who Built Two Contenders
- Jose Bautista: The Bat Flip and a Legacy
- Travis Snider: The Prospect Who Carried Our Hopes
- Why the Blue Jays Choke (And Why We Keep Believing)
Toronto Maple Leafs
The most storied franchise in hockey. The longest Cup drought. The most passionate fans. This is Leafs Nation.
- Maple Leafs Hub
- Welcome Home, Mats: A Sundin Tribute
- Phil Kessel: Misunderstood Genius
- Gerber Time: When Leafs Goaltending Hit Rock Bottom
- Toronto's Lost Decade
Latest From the Blog
Maple Leafs
Welcome Home, Mats: A Love Letter to Sundin
The captain who gave everything to Toronto deserved a better ending.
Blue Jays
Jose Bautista: The Bat Flip and a Legacy
One swing changed everything. The story of Joey Bats and his place in Toronto history.
Deep Thoughts
Our signature opinion column. Unfiltered takes on Toronto sports, life as a fan, and everything in between. Sometimes hopeful, sometimes cynical, always honest.
Opinion
Deep Thoughts: Monday Again
Weekly reflections on being a Toronto sports fan in a world that doesn't understand our pain.
Opinion
Being the Bigger Person
When the Canadiens lose, we celebrate. It's not pretty, but it's honest.
The Toronto Sports Experience
There's something unique about being a sports fan in Toronto. We're home to one of hockey's most storied franchises, a baseball team that briefly conquered the world, an NBA champion, and a soccer club building its own legacy. Yet we're perpetually hungry for more.
The Maple Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1967. The Blue Jays' last championship was 1993. For many Toronto fans, our formative years were defined by near-misses and what-ifs. We remember Kerry Fraser's missed call. We remember Tom Cheek's voice. We remember when Vince Carter was supposed to stay.
But that's what makes us who we are. Toronto sports fans are resilient, passionate, and fiercely loyal. We pack the Rogers Centre and Scotiabank Arena knowing the odds. We invest emotionally in players who will inevitably leave. We believe in next year.
Why Toronto is the Best Sports City to Visit
New York Magazine once called Toronto "The Best Away-Game Sports City in the Americas." They weren't wrong. Our downtown core puts you within walking distance of the Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, Raptors, and Toronto FC. The restaurants are world-class. The fans are knowledgeable. The atmosphere is electric.
For visiting fans, Toronto offers something rare: a city that takes sports seriously while remaining welcoming to outsiders. We'll chirp you at the game, then buy you a beer after. That's the Toronto way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sports and the City is a Toronto sports blog that has been covering the Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, and Toronto sports scene since 2008. We focus on thoughtful analysis, personal perspectives, and honest opinion rather than breaking news or hot takes.
Our primary focus is on the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) and Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL). We also cover the broader Toronto sports scene including the Raptors, Toronto FC, and Canadian national teams when relevant.
Deep Thoughts is our signature opinion column. These are unfiltered, personal takes on Toronto sports and life as a fan. Sometimes hopeful, sometimes cynical, always honest. It's where we process the emotional rollercoaster of supporting Toronto teams.
The short answer: a combination of poor management decisions, bad luck, and the salary cap era making it harder for big-market teams to buy championships. The longer answer involves decades of organizational dysfunction, questionable draft picks, and a fan base loyal enough to sell out regardless of on-ice results. We've written extensively about the "Lost Decade" and what it means for the franchise.
Alex Anthopoulos served as the Toronto Blue Jays General Manager from 2009-2015. He orchestrated the memorable 2012-2013 offseason that brought in Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey, and others. Though that team underperformed, he later built the 2015 playoff team before departing for the Dodgers and eventually the Braves, where he won the 2021 World Series.
Jose Bautista became a Toronto legend with his 54-home-run 2010 season and especially the iconic bat flip in the 2015 ALDS against Texas. He played for Toronto from 2008-2017 before brief stints with Atlanta, the Mets, and Philadelphia. He retired as one of the most beloved Blue Jays of the modern era.
History, mostly. After winning back-to-back World Series in 1992-93, the Blue Jays went over 20 years without a playoff appearance. When they finally returned to October in 2015-2016, the runs ended in heartbreak both times. Toronto sports fans are conditioned to expect disappointment, even when the team looks good on paper.
Absolutely. Toronto's downtown core puts multiple major league venues within walking distance. You can catch a Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre, walk to Scotiabank Arena for Leafs or Raptors, and explore one of North America's most diverse food scenes in between. The fans are passionate and the atmosphere is authentic.
Mats Sundin was the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1997-2008 and remains the franchise's all-time leading scorer. A Swedish legend, Sundin represented everything good about the Leafs during a difficult era. His departure to Vancouver in 2008 was emotional for the fanbase, and his return to Toronto for his jersey retirement was a cathartic moment for Leafs Nation.
Toronto has one of the most active sports blog communities in North America. Sites like Pension Plan Puppets (Leafs), Bluebird Banter (Jays), Raptors Republic, and others form a network of passionate fans writing thoughtful analysis. We're proud to be part of this community and regularly interact with fellow Toronto sports writers.
Visit us regularly at sportsandthecity.com for new articles on the Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, and Toronto sports. We publish Deep Thoughts columns, player profiles, historical retrospectives, and game analysis throughout the season.
No, Sports and the City is a purely editorial sports blog. We focus on analysis, opinion, and the fan experience rather than betting content. Our goal is to be a home for passionate Toronto sports fans who want thoughtful coverage of their teams.