[projekktor id=’21365′]
Almost everyone is talking about the Blue Jays and the marathon game yesterday. The Blue Jays fever spreading across the country is restoring the faith of fans who had lost interest in the only Canadian major league baseball team. A Brantford man who has a unique collection is feeling as excited as he did 22 years ago.
Joe Carter used a tailor made bat to hit that historic home run 22 years ago. Every Blue Jays player in 1992 and 1993 had a custom made bat designed specifically for them. Peter Flood owns a version of every one of those bats.
“All of a sudden the world series started and I looked and I had everybody’s bat that was playing in the world series for 1992 and 1993.”
Peter can only guess at what the bats are worth now. He paid about $40 a piece for them 25 years ago.
“I don’t know what anybody would pay for them. I guess I don’t know of another set around of anyone having a world series set of bats.”
His collection began when he asked his friend who was making the bats to get him John Olerud and Kelly Gruber bats for his twin daughters who were teenagers at the time.
Peter’s passion for the Jays inspired him to make a 17.5 foot long replica of Joe Carter’s bat.
“I still to this day don’t know why. I just did it.”
Peter’s daughters say his enthusiasm is contagious.
‘I think my love of baseball was about him and the excitement that he feels about making a giant replica of a baseball bat, or going as a family somewhere.” said Kristie Flood.
“When he gets in to something he takes it to the extreme, as you can see from this bat collection.” said Jodi Proulx.
The Blue Jays fight to win the world series has peter reflecting on how he felt the last time the Jays won.
“I couldn’t even watch it. I had to stand outside and watch it from the window. Unbelievable, the feeling I had and the hype was high, like it is now.”
Peter says he believes the Blue Jays could win the world series. He says the players on the team today are as mature, cool and collected as the players who won it 22 years ago.
