Great Expectations: The Lost Toronto Blue Jays Season

by Shi Davidi, John Lott

The making of the Blue Jays’ 2013 season. After a disastrous 2012 season, the Blue Jays had a major makeover, adding an array of star players through trades and free-agent signings, including R.A. Dickey, the best pitcher in the National League last year, and ticket sales have since soared. Starting with a behind-the-scenes look at the offseason fallout that led to the roster upheaval, this book covers every aspect of the 2013 season with a particular focus on the personalities involved. The cast includes Alex Anthopoulos, the 36-year-old general manager from Montreal; R.A. Dickey, a sexual abuse survivor who also happens to be the only major-league pitcher to throw a knuckleball; Brett Lawrie, the team’s lone Canadian, whose kinetic style of play is a double-edged sword; José Bautista, the two-time home-run champion bidding to revive his power after wrist surgery felled him last summer; and Melky Cabrera, whose 50-game drug suspension last year forced him to sign a free-agent contract with a new team for half the money he might otherwise have realized. Their guide is John Gibbons, whose challenge is to meld a diverse collection of newcomers and holdovers into a winning team in a city starved for a championship. For a generation of fans, 2013 is on the cusp of being a season like no other.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

220 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jason Parke · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2013, when this book was published, I told myself I wouldn't buy the book since, after what turned out to be a lost season, it wouldn't be worth reading about such fallen expectations about a promising professional baseball team.. Boy, was I wrong!

Ups and downs of a season full of promise, with dives into behind-the-scenes descriptions and quotes from players, coaches and management are done eloquently, and the history behind former manager John Farrell's exit out of Toronto, and personality traits and stories of Menunori Kowasaki are described in great detail.

The book concludes nicely after introducing the premise of the book, doing what a book should do, and Charles Dickenson references are used effectively.

[Joe Seliske · Rating 4 out of 5]

A descriptive narrative of how the 2013 Blue Jays' baseball season imploded. The book is well researched and presented in an orderly fashion. The subject matter isn't what you can make thrilling or breathtaking - "just the facts ma'am." Alex Anthopolous did a fine job of putting together a winning baseball team on paper, but as we all know this always doesn't translate. Dealing with the league-leading amount of injury time that the Blue Jays suffered would have put anybody's lineup in jeopardy. However, looking back ten years, what do I remember most: KA-WA-SAKI!!!

[Larry Fleisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I meant to read this book when it first came out but finally got around to it now. The book is a fascinating look at what went wrong for a team that was expected to do what the 2015 and 2016 Blue Jays did. The backstories to some of the key figures are fascinating as is the reporting and storytelling of what unfolded to acquire the various players.

[ReaderupNorth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read

[Dave Cottenie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about a team that was expected to win but didn’t is a different idea for sure. In “Great Expectations” Shi Davidi chronicles the Toronto Blue Jays of 2013 after their blockbuster trades to acquire Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and RA Dickey among others. It turned out to be a string of player profiles joined together and the reader never got a true sense of the season as a whole. More time should have been spent on the connections between the players and what was happening during the season and the players, management, and fans reactions and feeling. The frustration never really came through the pages. However, a chapter on Munenori Kawasaki is worth the price of admission.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a lost baseball season that a lot of people thought would at least put them in the playoffs. That did not happen. What did happen was injuries and players not performing even to a standard that they had in the previous years before becoming a Toronto Blue Jay. Then the fan base watching the manager that got fired get hired by a rival Boston and they are the ones who go from last the year before to World Series champion. The book itself is good it is broken down by chapters from the winter meetings and how the first big trade happen. To the free agents that were signed. Then you get a personal look at some of the top players and how they got into baseball and how they got to where they are today. You also get see the frustration of a team who towards the end of the season trades a player and for the last month he hits for a higher average and steels more bases for that club than he did for you for most of the year. A good look into the front office of a team and how they look at what players and manager they need for the season. How before they can do something they have to figure out how much it is going to cost in the future and do we want to make a trade if it means giving up young talent. Thought that this was a good book. I got this book from net galley.

[Andrea W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book 5 stars for content, and 3 stars for writing structure (so I've averaged it out to a 4). Filled with anecdotes and stories from players, coaches, managers, and fans, it's a really fun and insightful look at the 2013 Blue Jays roster. The stories about Kawasaki are especially heartwarming. Unfortunately the book lacks flow in some spots, and in others lacks grammatical structure. I suspect this comes from what I will assume was an extremely quick turn around time. Despite this, still a great read for any Jays fan!

[Matt Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

You would think that a book about the soul-crushing season that was last year would not exactly instil any confidence in the current iteration of our beloved Jays.

BUT

Davidi and Lott use their inside access to give the struggle some insight, and lets us see a different side of the players we saw on the field every day last year.

This book actually is giving me some hope for the upcoming season, and I'm secretly harbouring the idea that the Jays will pull a Boston-like turnaround and become a contender in a division that has only gotten stronger.

Go Jays.

[Aaron Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a major market team with several hall of fame players and a mini dynasty, the Blue Jays have been very lightly written about. Longtime Blue Jays beats Davidi and Lott clearly started gathering material with the expectation that the 2013 team would either be a great winner or a great flameout. The team ultimately emerged as a mediocrity that could easily be explained by injuries and a hyper competitive AL East. The resulting book feels like a bunch of stitched-together profiles in search of a story. 30 teams, 30 books #4.

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Not a lot of new insight but some neat background on the players. it's worth reading but it won't win any awards

[Kristen Duever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thoughtfully written and insightful. An excellent behind the scenes look!

[Darren Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doesn't make me feel better about 2013. But I did enjoy some of the behind the scenes things you never hear about.

[Steven Spoelstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the season that was supposed to be a championship season for the Blue Jays. Book includes a walk through the season and an in depth looks at the key players. Worth the read.

[Arf · Rating 2 out of 5]

adequate retelling of one of that season. but man there was a real story hidden in there somewhere.

[Budd Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

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