Tribute to Colin St.John

On march 31 2019, Colin St.John signed a contract with Maple organisation. This put and end to an era in Las Vegas. St.John and Maurice Gould were the first two superstars of the team, players that lead the Jokers to two TML championship. Now there both gone.

St.John, two times batter of the year and 5 times all-star was one of the best hitter in the league during his 7 years stint in Vegas. A discussion with Jokers gm let us believe the team tried to sign St.John before the winter. But his demand were too high, more then 20 millions for 4 years. With all the youngsters in the minors, the organisation was not willing to spend all this money on a 37 years old vet.

The decision make sense in term of performance on the field. But it's clear the management underestimate the quiet leadership he bring to a team.
- St.John always leads by exemple. He was the first one in batting practice and help all of us by his pertinent advice. said Bruce Joyner.

Without St.John, the Jokers struggle a lot. Their record of 11-21 is one of the worst in the league and even if some key players are injuried, it's clear that many young players (Latulippe, Joyner) are not performing well. Maybe it's because they lost their "older" brother, St.John. None of the players make a direct link between the present record of the team and the lost of St.John but they all insist of how appreciate St.John was. The Vegas GM admit: if we could have reach the kind of agrement he finally accept (1 year; 10 millions) at the end of last season, we probably had him back this year in a Jokers uniform.

But the show must go on and right now, it seem that there's a void in leadership in Vegas while maple are  at 17-15... maybe there's a little bit of St.John behind this.

Colin St.John, one of the two true superstars of Las vegas organisation