Latest / THE DAILY BRIEF / 'They don't give up!' Original Blue Jay Ernie Whitt on what makes the 2025 team special

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'They don't give up!' Original Blue Jay Ernie Whitt on what makes the 2025 team special · THE DAILY BRIEF

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  Speaker 1: And I know you're watching the team so closely, watching
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: their games. Tell me what you think of what they're
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: doing and how they're winning in twenty twenty five or any.
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  Speaker 2: Boy, they put it all together this year. They've got
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  Speaker 2: a group of I call blue collar workers guys that
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  Speaker 2: I'd love to have on the Canadian national team. These
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  Speaker 2: guys grind out every at bat, they don't give anything away,
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  Speaker 2: and you know the emotion's going to carry them through
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  Speaker 2: the World Series. But after the end of the World Series,
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  Speaker 2: they're going to be so mentally fatigued they're going to
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  Speaker 2: take a couple of weeks off.
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  Speaker 1: I bet they will listen. I wanted to look ahead
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  Speaker 1: to the World's here for a second, but since I
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  Speaker 1: know you were watching on Monday night, I was thinking
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  Speaker 1: about your time with the team winning the first Divisional
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  Speaker 1: title in nineteen eighty five, going on to the Alcs
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  Speaker 1: and losing in seven. So you would have known that
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  Speaker 1: history as you were watching Game seven. It was the
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  Speaker 1: first since nineteen eighty five that you were involved in.
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  Speaker 1: What was going through your mind as you were watching
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  Speaker 1: the Jays even trailing in the seventh inning at that.
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  Speaker 2: Point, well, I'll tell you I didn't have good thoughts
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  Speaker 2: at that point in time. But I should never doubt
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  Speaker 2: this team. I mean they've come back game after game
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  Speaker 2: after game from being behind and Game seven is always
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  Speaker 2: a nail bier. But again, I go back to the
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  Speaker 2: way this team is played. They don't give up. You know,
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  Speaker 2: they grind every bat out and that's that's the beauty
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  Speaker 2: of it. You know, there's not a lot of swinging
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  Speaker 2: miss in that in that group of guys that they
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  Speaker 2: have there, and it's, uh, that's good to see because
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  Speaker 2: a lot of teams are swinging and missing.
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  Speaker 1: They grind it out and they play as they always say,
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  Speaker 1: for each other. When you watch this team and the
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  Speaker 1: chemistry and the dynamics and that, you know, the fun
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  Speaker 1: they seem to be having playing together, do you think
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  Speaker 1: that's a special component and just how important is it
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  Speaker 1: to ultimate success.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's great to have talent, as you know, every
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  Speaker 2: one of these players have talent, otherwise they wouldn't be
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  Speaker 2: in a position where they're at. But there's difference between
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  Speaker 2: having natural talent and a mental approach to the game
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  Speaker 2: the way I think these guys have. I mean, it's
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  Speaker 2: great to have a leader. You have leaders there with Gladdie.
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  Speaker 2: He's done a great job this postseason. Springer's done a
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  Speaker 2: great job. But you look at the undercast. The undercast
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  Speaker 2: guys are doing great. I mean guys like Ernie Clement,
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  Speaker 2: Nathan Lukes, I mean every you look at each and
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  Speaker 2: every one of those players, they're contributing, and you have
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  Speaker 2: to have that to have a winning team.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, one name you didn't mention. I know you would
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  Speaker 1: want to be because you probably have a particular interest
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  Speaker 1: in what goes on behind the plate. What do you
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  Speaker 1: think of Alejandro Kirkin the kind of season that he's having.
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  Speaker 2: Turkey's had a career season. Man, He's been awesome back there.
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  Speaker 2: He's swinging the bat well. I noticed him when I
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  Speaker 2: was a coordinator with the Phillies and we play the
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  Speaker 2: Blue tam Is a lot in spring training, and I'd
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  Speaker 2: see him and this kid, he centered the ball every
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  Speaker 2: time he swung the bat. He was upcoming. Of course,
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  Speaker 2: you look at his statures, like he can't be a catcher,
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  Speaker 2: But you know what, he's done a great job. He's
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  Speaker 2: leading that pitching staff and you know, you can't say
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  Speaker 2: enough about him. I mean he's part of that silent
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  Speaker 2: and leadership on that team that every team has to have.
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  Speaker 1: One of the things that we are also hearing Ernie
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  Speaker 1: from this team is the players all seem to be
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  Speaker 1: very aware they're not just playing for Toronto. They're not
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  Speaker 1: just a Toronto blue Jay. They are, but there's so
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  Speaker 1: much more Canada's team. We're talking about a lot now.
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  Speaker 1: As somebody who has managed Team Canada so well, I
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  Speaker 1: covered you back in two thousand and four when you
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  Speaker 1: manage Team Canada at the Athens Olympics, and then of
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  Speaker 1: course we've watched the career at all four World Baseball Classics.
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  Speaker 1: What difference does it make to play for Canada?
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  Speaker 2: Well, and as you said, you're representing a country. And
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  Speaker 2: I mean I say this to the players when I
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  Speaker 2: just when we bring them in and we talk about
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  Speaker 2: what we expect from them, and it is basically we
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  Speaker 2: want them to play with pride and passion and just
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  Speaker 2: remember that you're playing for the entire country. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: you try to fire these guys up, but most of
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  Speaker 2: the time I don't need to fire them up. These
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  Speaker 2: guys come in ready to play and they want to
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  Speaker 2: represent their country.
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  Speaker 1: I am noticing the maple Leef proudly on your shoulder.
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  Speaker 1: Even though I'm talking to you from Michigan. It's not
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  Speaker 1: lost on me. We're loving it here. I'm sure as
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  Speaker 1: we watch this conversation, you know, I was looking at
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  Speaker 1: some of the numbers. One in five Canadians, about twenty
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  Speaker 1: percent of the population not even alive the last time
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  Speaker 1: the Blue Jays won the World Series in nineteen ninety three.
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  Speaker 1: This is all new to so many. What are Canadians
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  Speaker 1: in store for on Friday.
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  Speaker 2: Hopefully the next ten days. They're going to be so
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  Speaker 2: excited watching this team play. I mean, they've got a
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  Speaker 2: pretty good opponent there. They're the defending World Camps and
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  Speaker 2: they've got a lot of all stars on that Dodger team,
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  Speaker 2: so they've got their work cut out for them. But
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  Speaker 2: I think the Dodgers are going to be a little
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  Speaker 2: bit surprised too to watch how these guys play the game.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we will see. I won't get you to make
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  Speaker 1: any predictions, but we know you'll be watching, and there
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  Speaker 1: are fans who I bet would be hoping that you
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  Speaker 1: might be coming up to see some of those games
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  Speaker 1: in person. Any plans for that.
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  Speaker 2: Not in the immediate future. I don't know yet. Everything's
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  Speaker 2: up in the.
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  Speaker 1: Air Okay, well you'd be welcome for sure. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for the time today and all of your memories and
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  Speaker 1: insider any pleasure to have you on the show.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Heather, go Jase