The Blue Jays signing of Roger Clemens on Friday to a
guaranteed, three-year, $24.75M, contact "does more than any
other slogan or marketing campaign could muster ... it
managed to change how baseball views the Blue Jays and how
Toronto views baseball," according to Steve Simmons of the
TORONTO SUN. After the Jays saw attendance "plummet" last
season and radio and TV ratings drop, the Jays now "have
something to sell. ... the buzz that has been missing from
the baseball scene returned" (TORONTO SUN, 12/14).
IT WAS THE BEEST'S BURDEN: The deal was spearheaded by
team President Paul Beeston, who personally recruited
Clemens and was hailed over the weekend in the Canadian
press. The SUN's Steve Simmons: "There is something
remarkable about Paul Beeston's ways, something convincing,
something honest, and entertaining" (TORONTO SUN, 12/15).
SELL OR HOLD: Blue Jays Owner Interbrew SA has had the
team for sale, but with the Clemens signing, Mike Ganter of
the TORONTO SUN wonders if the Jays "will it be easier or
more difficult to sell?" (TORONTO SUN, 12/14). Interbrew's
"agenda ... gets harder to read by the day" (Stephen Brunt,
Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 12/14). But the STAR's Richard
Griffin notes the length and commitment of the Clemens deal
"signals that the sale of the club is at hand" (TORONTO
STAR, 12/16). The SUN's Jim Hunt writes the lead group
headed by Toronto developer Murray Frum has "most of the
money" coming from U.S. investors, "which rubs Beeston ...
the wrong way." With Clemens, the Jays "overnight have
become a more attractive investment," which Beeston hopes
may be enough to spur Canadian bidders (TORONTO SUN, 12/16).
TV TIME: In Toronto, Rob Longley notes TV rights "will
help pay a big chunk of Clemens' contract," as Beeston is
talking with CTV, TSN, and CBC "about replacing the five-
year deal that expired last season." With ratings down as
much as 40% in some markets, Beeston's "bargaining position
is clearly diminished" from '91, when he received C$110M
from TSN and Baton (TORONTO SUN, 12/16). Beeston, on the
Clemens deal: "It should help our ratings. We've got a
better story to explain" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 12/14).
REAX FROM HUB: ESPN's Peter Gammons, on the Red Sox
losing Clemens: "This a real problem for them, because
there's a perception that Mo Vaughn wants to be out of here
in two years. I think there's a problem with management and
players that has to be worked out because they're not a big
market team in terms of money anymore" ("SportsCenter,"
ESPN, 12/13). The header to Gammons' Saturday column: "Club
Has a Plan, But It Needs PR" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/14). The
GLOBE's Dan Shaughnessy writes Clemens' agents, Randy and
Alan Hendricks, "had only one goal here: to make Clemens the
highest paid pitcher. ... The brothers wanted a trophy to
take back to [MLBPA Exec Dir] Donald Fehr, and Clemens is
the stuffed moose on the office wall of the Players
Association" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/15).
