Blue Jays Player Honored as Pitcher of the Week

Casey Lawrence was honored as Florida State League Pitcher of the Week.

Dunedin Blue Jays player Casey Lawrence celebrated his status as Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for April 22-28. The week just ended – but Lawrence is still going strong. Catch Lawrence on the mound this week. The Blue Jays play at Jupiter Wednesday, but then they are back at home, playing against the Brevard Count Manatees Thursday-Saturday. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Click here for tickets. You can follow Casey Lawrence on Twitter. Catch the Dunedin Patch newsletter. It's free.

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Spring Baseball Breaks Attendance Records

The Grapefruit League season may have been sweeter than many expected. Check out how the Toronto Blue Jays fared in Dunedin.

More than 1.5 million people went out to the ball game for spring training competitions in Florida. Florida Gov. Rick Scott is lauding attendance records this year at spring training games at 14 locations, including in Dunedin. According to Bay News 9: “Today’s news that seven teams set all time attendance records at Spring Training facilities in Florida demonstrates our success in attracting visitors to the state. Spring Training is critical to jobs for families throughout Florida," said Gov. Scott. The seven teams setting attendance records this past seasons are: Here is the Blue Jays "scorecard" for attendance: Get the Dunedin news delivered to your email every day. It's free!

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What's Dunedin Saying About the Blue Jays

Will the Blue Jays leave Dunedin? What should the city do maintain its relationship with the organization?

Last week news broke that the Toronto Blue Jays are going to explore spring training stadium options outside of Dunedin before their lease at Auto Exchange Stadium expires in 2017.  This week, Dunedin city commissioners will be discussing ways to maintain the Blue Jays presence in Dunedin.  The news of the Blue Jays position sparked a wide array of responses from Dunedin Patch readers.  Are the Blue Jays not worth the hassle? Will Dunedin not be the same without them? Here's what some Patch readers had to say.  "Toronto has to stay! Dunedin loves having all of our Canadian friends down for spring training! It will be a very sad day for us if they decide to move from Dunedin," wrote Ian Brown on our Facebook page.  Lisa Brackens Hunt …

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Blue Jays Looking to Leave Dunedin?

According to a report by the The Globe and Mail in Toronto, the franchise will spend the next 12 months exploring stadium options outside of Dunedin.

Since 1977, the Toronto Blue Jays have called Dunedin home during spring training. However, according to a report by the The Globe and Mail, the Blue Jays are exploring spring training options outside of Dunedin.  The Blue Jays' lease at Auto Exchange Stadium is set to expire in 2017, according to the report, and Blue Jays officials are using that timeframe to explore new spring training locations.  The Globe and Mail report said possible new locations include Naples, Vero Beach, Fort Myers, Palm City, Daytona Beach or even Pasco County.  Toronto Blue Jays president Paul Beeston told the paper that in an ideal world the team would stay in Dunedin, but they will look in other areas due to stadium conditions and stadium proximity to the …

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VIDEO: Singer Botches 2 Anthems at Blue Jays Game in Dunedin

Jeff Fuller's lyrical mix-ups during "O Canada" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a spring training game have gone viral.

A singer's mixups during performances of the American and Canadian national anthems at a Dunedin spring training game have gone viral. Jeff Fuller flubbed the words to "O Canada" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Wednesday's Toronto Blue Jays game against the Houston Astros at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, The Associated Press reports. The story has since been picked up by multiple media outlets around the U.S. and in Canada. The tail end of one performance was caught on video and placed on YouTube. "Poor guy, nowhere to hide," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was quoted as saying by the AP. "I admire him for sticking out there and doing it." Were you at the game? Want to send Jeff Fuller some words of encouragement? Post them in the …

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Spring Training: Blue Jays Apparel Shop Opens Monday

The Dunedin Blue Jays announced this week that its stadium fan shop opens Monday, Feb. 4.

With Spring Training fast approaching, all the latest Blue Jays apparel is available in Dunedin starting Monday, Feb. 4.  The Dunedin Blue Jays announced this week that The Jays Shop inside Florida Auto Exchange Stadium is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Feb. 22. When Major League Baseball's Spring Training season begins on Feb. 23, the shop will be open on home game days from 10 a.m. through the end of the game (up to 30 minutes post-game).  It is open during the Florida State League season between gate-opening times through the completion of the seventh inning.  Also, shop online at DunedinBlueJays.com. Upcoming Dates to Remember:

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Meet the Baseball 'Wives' of Dunedin

Enter the world of some of the D-Jays' wives and girlfriends.

Stadium lights shine on the Dunedin Blue Jays all season long. Fans know their names well: Brad McElroy, Kevin Ahrens, Ryan Schimpf, Brad Glenn and Aaron Loup. Sitting in the stands, however, is an oft-overlooked sorority. These women’s names are lesser known, but integral to their companions’ dreams of Major League stardom. They sacrifice, they cheer, they support in immeasurable ways. They are the Minor Leaguers' leading ladies. This is the first in a continuing series profiling women who play a supporting role in the Blue Jays organization’s success. Here, we meet five of the players' wives and girlfriends all for the first time. Sports were never a part of Lindsay McElroy’s life growing up. The thought of marrying a professional ball …

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Sunde Farquhar

6:16 am on Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Cute photo!   more ›

The Jays Report

Wojciechowski Dominates Manatees

D-Jay bats silent in losing to the last place Brevard County Manatees.

The D-Jays wasted an excellent starting pitching performance from Asher Wojciechowski in Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Brevard County Manatees. Wojcieshowski (4-5), allowed one earned run through seven complete innings. The 22-year-old from Hardeeville, S.C., gave up a home run and two singles with one out in the fifth, only to bounce back and shut the door on the Manatees the rest of the way. Three Manatees pitchers surrendered just two hits to the Jays on the night. The D-Jays' Kevin Nolan made his third successive start at shortstop for the injured Ryan Goins and he was perfect at the plate with a single and three walks. Two Jays that regularly hit in the middle of the batting lineup are in the midst of hitting slumps. Jays outfielder Brad…

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Katie Dolac

6:16 am on Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Thank you, David! His Minor League Baseball profile lists his birthplace as Hardeeville, S.C.   more ›

Signs Are Up At Florida Auto Exchange Stadium

Dunedin sold naming rights for the Toronto Blue Jays' spring home to a longtime used car dealership on Main Street.

Dunedin's search for a big-company sponsor to put its name on Dunedin Stadium ended with a small-business friend in their backyard stepping up to the plate. The spring home of the Toronto Blue Jays is now Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, named for the bustling used car dealership at the intersection of Main Street and Belcher Road. Stadium signage was erected the first week in January. Dealership owner Jeffrey Rhoads, a 26-year city resident and a self-proclaimed Dunedin lover, will pay the city $181,000 through 2017 for the naming rights. The money is earmarked for improvement projects at the stadium, Dunedin parks and recreation director Vince Gizzi said. "The city gets some badly needed revenue, and I think it's going to be win-win for …

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