even after last night's loss, i am deeply proud of my team, and here's why:

1) 93-69 is an amazing way to end a season [especially one that didn't look too promising back in june].

2) they beat the yankees, which is a feat in itself.

3) they played through the pressure put on them by 50,000+ fans [also a feat in itself].

4) they took advantage of elvis andrus' three error inning [i'd still marry him] and came back from being down two games against texas.

5) they brought a city together.

and here's what i learned by watching them:

1) one person can't carry a team.

jose bautista is [bat] flippin' awesome, donaldson is out of this world, pillar, superman, and stroman, a big ball of passion [i could go on an on here], but no man should have to feel the pressure of carrying the team alone, not even a home run king or MVP. [others attribute our winning streak to price and tulo - and yes, while those trades brought a certain energy and hope to our team - everyone contributed to their remarkable season].

2) sports provide a temporary escape and bring people together.

whether i was at work, a sports bar, or at the dome [it will always be called the dome to me], i couldn't help but be energized by the unity i felt throughout post season. watching my whole restaurant erupt after a run scored was energizing, and listening to thousands of strangers chant 'let's go blue jays' on my walk back to union station the other night was nothing short of amazing. [all of the hot guys wearing blue jays' gear didn't hurt, either].

for three hours, nothing else mattered.

but, at the end of the day, it's only baseball.

everyone who knows me knows that i have been the biggest jays fan for decades now [i still own framed pictures of the 92-93 teams], but my life isn't altered by their loss [nor would it have been had they won], because, well, there are more important things in life than baseball.

maybe we'll get 'em next year, or maybe we won't, but either way, win or lose, the jays will always have a fan in me.