Blue Jays President & CEO Paul Beeston on Thursday night "attended a State of the Franchise gathering at Rogers Centre" with Senior VP/Baseball Operations & GM Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons, according to Gregory Strong of the CP. Beeston said of reports that the Blue Jays were looking to hire Orioles Exec VP/Baseball Operations Dan Duquette to replace him, "I'm not going to get into what happened. I'm just happy to be here and happy to be here for the year." Beeston "appeared to be in great spirits" as he "chatted with fans, posed for photos and signed autographs" (CP, 2/5). In Toronto, Brendan Kennedy notes Beeston received a "short ovation from a few hundred season-ticket holders." While the gesture "won't undo the damage done" to Beeston's legacy, it "likely served as some consolation" (TORONTO STAR, 2/6). MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm noted "most of the fans in attendance" gave Beeston a "standing ovation." Beeston said, "Apparently I only have one year left." Chisholm noted Beeston made that comment "jokingly" and "drew laughter from the crowd." Beeston: "The 2015 season is the final one, but with every intention of going out with a winning team" (MLB.com, 2/5).
A DISH BEST SERVED COLD: The GLOBE & MAIL's Cathal Kelly writes Beeston is the "absolute last person you want to go to war with," as he is "beloved throughout the league." Kelly: "Even his enemies -- and he’s got more than a few -- respect what he represents. This is not a body you can toss on a battlefield pile. You let him come to you and surrender his sword." While the Blue Jays may have some "decent baseball reasons to want to move on" from Beeston, there "isn't a single one to support the way they tried to do it." Kelly: "Having stared them down, it’s beginning to feel like Beeston will spend a full year exacting whatever revenge he can" (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/6).
ON THE OTHER SIDE: The NATIONAL POST's John Lott reports Beeston "reiterated that the Jays are committed to a plan that would see grass in the Rogers Centre" by 'Opening Day of '18. Beeston "acknowledged the challenges: engineering an air-flow system to take away the humidity emanating from the grass, installing a drainage system and finding a way to allow sunlight into the stadium" (NATIONAL POST, 2/6).
