Long time BB reader Ryan Adams passed this one on, from the Corpus Christi (TX) Caller-Times, one of Craig B.'s favourite papers. It's a reprint of an article from the Knoxville News-Sentinel, where ex-Jays Woody Williams and Chris Carpenter contribute to Nick Gates' premise:
The bar has slipped for the Blue Jays, whom the Smokies severed ties with last fall after a 23-year affiliation. Once considered a first-class organization, Toronto is in a state of flux. Payroll has been slashed and winning the World Series seems unrealistic.
Fans in Knoxville are happy with the Smokies' change in affiliation from Toronto to St. Louis, because the Cards emphasize winning throughout their farm system. It's too bad they don't play New Haven. Carpenter (apparently a Gord Ash fan) proves again he isn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier. Most of us wouldn't use "disarray" to describe the J.P. Jays, yet that's the impression some people have. Geography can change perception; this is an interesting look at how others view the Blue Jays.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030402105909999