Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle and his wife want Ontario to overturn pit-bull ban
John Lott
Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012
Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012
In his first conference call with Toronto reporters, new Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle spent almost as much time talking about his dog as about baseball. Lynne Sladky/The Associated Press
On the mound, Mark Buehrle does not throw hard. In the clubhouse, he’s known as a quiet, even-tempered veteran who leads by example.
All of that changes when he starts talking about pit bulls. And in his first conference call with Toronto reporters, the new Blue Jays pitcher spent almost as much time talking about his dog as about baseball.
Pit bulls have been banned in Ontario since 2005. Buehrle and his family have four dogs, one a pit bull named Slater. Almost immediately upon hearing the stunning news that he had been traded from Miami to Toronto, Burhrle learned that Slater was an outlaw in Ontario.
Now, the Buehrles are trying to figure out where they will be living next season. Miami has a similar ban so they currently live in Broward County, north of the city.
“I think it’s a discriminatory law. Just because of the way a dog looks, I don’t think that dog should be banned from someplace,” said Buehrle, a key piece in the 12-player trade that also brought pitcher Josh Johnson and star shortstop Jose Reyes to the Jays.
“I was kind of joking around with my wife, saying that they probably shouldn’t let me in the country [if] they don’t let my dog in because my dog is so loving and so awesome.”
Already Buehrle and wife Jamie have joined lobbying efforts with Ontario groups seeking to overturn the ban. In Florida, Mark and Jamie taped public-service announcements supporting a bill to repeal that ban, and Jamie was a hard-working advocate to save pit bulls targeted for euthanasia in overcrowded shelters.
In Miami last August, [external] voters chose to keep the ban in place by a 63.2% to 36.8% margin.
Buehrle called the Ontario law a major “obstacle” to his family’s plan to move to Canada.
Although Jamie has recovered from her initial shock over the trade and the pit-bull ban, Buehrle said he worries about the ongoing impact on his family.
“If the family has to stay home [in Florida] because of the dog and I go to Toronto by myself, then that’s going to be tough on her,” he said.
Of the family’s four dogs, two – including Slater – were rescued. Eventually, they will add more dogs to the family, he said.
“We’ve got four and two kids. That’s kind of the max right now. But I have a feeling when I’m retired … we might be on Hoarders for having so many dogs. That’s how big of dog people we are.”
A year ago, after spending his entire career with the White Sox, Buehrle signed a four-year, US$58-million contract with the Marlins. Miami does not grant no-trade clauses, but based on owner Jeffrey Loria’s stated commitment to winning, Buehrle expected to remain a Marlin through 2015.
The trade came as a shock.
“The next day or two, it was just kind of a whirlwind,” he said. “I was just kind of trying to figure stuff out. Obviously, having to do a move again and everything that’s involved in switching teams. I think it was just craziness going on for a couple days.”
Shortly after the trade, a bitter Buehrle issued a statement saying the Marlins had lied to him. But gradually, he said Thursday, calm prevailed. Now, his dog problems aside, he looks forward to playing on a revitalized team that many believe can make it to the playoffs for the first time in two decades.
And he says Toronto has always been “one of my favourite baseball cities.”
“Taking it with open arms and looking forward to moving my career,” he said. “I’m liking what Alex is doing with the team and the guys he signed … It’s going to be an exciting team.”
Alex, of course, would be Alex Anthopoulos, who swung the deal to bring Buehrle, Johnson and Reyes to Toronto, along with utility man Emilio Bonifacio and catcher John Buck. He also has signed free agents Melky Cabrera and Maicer Izturis to multi-year deals.
“With the guys coming over from Miami, I think you’re going to enjoy everybody,” Buehrle said.
He said he believes Johnson will rediscover the form that made him an elite starter before a shoulder problem derailed him in 2011. Johnson struggled at times in 2012 but finished strong.
Both Reyes and Bonifacio are speedsters who bring a high energy level to the club every day, he added.
“[Reyes] wants to play every day. He goes out there and loves stealing bases, loves getting on base, loves being a pest on the bases. I think everybody’s going to like him. He’s energetic, he’s smiling all the time and he wants to win.”
And when it comes to attitude and energy, the “super-fast” Bonifacio’s is a match for Reyes.
“He loves having fun, probably more than Reyes. He’s always dancing. He’s a great guy to have in the clubhouse. I think that’s one guy you guys are going to love.”
Given the Jays’ key holdovers from 2012 and the recent additions, Buehrle said, “you’ve got to like your chances of getting to the playoffs.”
His kids cannot comprehend the upheaval the family is facing. But when the season starts, they will be quick to notice the absence of former Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen.
“I think they’re going to be more upset whenever they find out that they come in the clubhouse and Ozzie’s not in there with a bucket of candy that they get to take home.”
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