Toronto baseball 'treasure' found amid Blue Jays playoff push

After spending 80 years hiding in the ceiling of a Toronto home, a piece of the city's baseball history has made a timely reappearance.

Colin Love discovered a Toronto Evening Telegram newspaper clipping with an illustration of Earl Cook of the Toronto Maple Leafs minor league baseball team during a home renovation project, just hours before the Blue Jays' do-or-die American League divisional playoff game Monday afternoon.

"I was ripping out part of the ceiling on my front porch, and in addition to some older insulation, there were some newspapers," Love said.

Most were shredded or faded, but there was one well-preserved relic that caught his attention.

"One of the articles came out pretty clear of a ballplayer with a clear 'Toronto' written on the jersey," he said. "Definitely timely given the Blue Jays' recent success," Love added.

Love says he was surprised by the timing, and cautious about sharing the news too soon, given the Blue Jays were just hours away from what could have been a season-ending game.

"I was tempted to tweet it out prior to the game but thought better of it just to wait and I'm glad I did," Love said.

Instead, he held off, waiting until the game's final innings, when the Blue Jays had what he called "a comfortable lead."

There was no harm done, as the Jays left Texas with an 8-4 win, and the opportunity to play a deciding fifth game back in Toronto.

"I think a healthy dose of superstition is good for everyone," he added.

Coincidentally, Canadian baseball historian Bill Humber interviewed Cook 30 years ago.