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facts & arguments

It was the Thanksgiving feast we will never forget: Sunday, Oct. 11, 1992.

Even though it was Thanksgiving weekend, Blue Jays fans in the Greater Toronto Area – and across the country – were likely more interested in the American League Championship Series nail-biter that was being played in Oakland, Calif., than in any of the turkey trimmings.

If memory and Wikipedia serve me well, the Jays – ahead by one game – were to play game 4 of the ALCS series that would eventually propel them into the World Series(or not) that afternoon. Make no mistake, this was an important game.

Now, 23 years later, with Blue Jays fever reaching a crescendo similar to what Canadians experienced in the early nineties, it is finally time to apologize for how my family spoiled that playoff game for our neighbours in Mississauga.

What happened to local baseball fans that day would not play out the same way now because of technology. But here’s what happened in 1992.

It was an overcast and still day. Most people were inside watching the game. Remember that detail, it is important.

It was not our year to host or roast the bird, so shortly after 1 p.m., with the game just begun, we backed out of our driveway and drove to a relative’s home about 10 minutes away.

When we got there we were greeted with panic by my sister-in-law. One of our neighbours (who by fluke knew where we were going) had just called and told her that the moment we’d pulled out of our driveway, one of our massive, 100-year-old oak trees had crashed down – across our lawn, across the road and into the yard on the other side.

We sped home (with many questions racing through our minds – was anyone hurt? Was there a fire?) and could not get down our street as it was closed half a kilometre east of our home and the road was filled with emergency vehicles.

We had a sinking feeling as we asked for information, and sheepishly confessed that the rogue oak had apparently fallen from our property. We heard what we needed to hear – that by some miracle (i.e. most people were inside watching the Jays game) the tree had not crashed onto any pedestrians or cars. Our neighbour who had made the call to my sister-in-law hadn’t been able to confirm that at the time because the massive foliage of the offending oak tree made it impossible to see who or what might be underneath.

With palpable relief and no possible way to get back down the street to our home, we returned to our family gathering and tried to collect ourselves and enjoy the turkey – as well as the end of a spectacular game in which the Jays took a two-game lead in the series.

Some hours later, we left for home, expecting things to be back to normal on our street. Much to our surprise, the street was still completely closed. We begged the emergency responders to let us walk to our house, and it was at that moment, seeing that the power was still off, that we began to understand the double whammy of what had happened in the ’hood. The tree had taken down the power lines.

In 1992, no power meant no game, no Thanksgiving dinner and no recording of the game to watch when the power returned. It also meant returning to a coolish home that would remain so throughout the night, and being the target of blame for spoiling the day.

Had there been social media in 1992 our family would have been Public Enemy No. 1 in our little burg.

I would like to apologize also to the crews (who also missed the key game) and had to work through the night to clean up the mess and fix the power lines. I am sure the overtime pay did not properly offset the disappointment for missing the game.

In the days that followed we were regaled with stories about the “disaster” and how some resourceful neighbours had listened to the game in their cars, not giving a damn if they drained their batteries. The fact that Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston happened to live in the neighbourhood may have added to local fans’ dedication.

We felt terrible about what happened, even though – as good stewards of large old trees, which we consider to be simply on loan to homeowners – we’d had the tree inspected and trimmed by a reputable company only a few weeks earlier.

Just like humans, trees sometimes topple over for no apparent reason, and their lives end then and there. We are forever thankful that neither we nor anyone else suffered any injuries.

If the same thing happened today, smartphones would not only be the place to watch the game, but also the place to get updates from Hydro, friends and neighbours about the situation.

In the big picture, the major inconvenience was overshadowed by the Jays’ win that day – and their first World Series title, won 13 days later.

This Thanksgiving, I hope you will have charged your phones (just in case), and may both your turkeys and the Blue Jays’ success be golden!