CLEVELAND: Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro admits he “pulls for people.”
After digesting everything there is to read about his team’s game the previous night, he said he next checks the Indians’ score.
After spending 24 years with the Indians, working his way up from unpaid intern to general manager to president, he will never abandon the close relationships he built, the friendships he formed.
Those ties brought back a flood of emotions as Shapiro returned to Cleveland as the Blue Jays and Indians square off in the American League Championship Series, which opens Friday at Progressive Field.
Until the 8:08 p.m. first pitch, Shapiro said all he will feel is happiness for the Indians, from owner Paul Dolan and president Chris Antonetti, his protege, on down.
“That runs deep into scouts and player development staff and trainers and strength coaches and Latin American staff. When you’re there that long, you’re thinking of all those people,” Shapiro said.
But once the game begins, Shapiro will take on a serious, almost bloodthirsty edge. The Indians went 4-3 against the Blue Jays in the regular season and six of the games were decided by three runs or less. One was a 19-inning Indians victory on July 1, while Tyler Naquin’s walk-off inside-the-park home run gave the Tribe an Aug. 19 triumph.
“I’m going to feel nothing but a desire to win and to win handily so I don’t have to stress over the games,” Shapiro said. “You don’t know how often you get here.”
The Blue Jays hired Shapiro on Aug. 31, 2015, to replace president and CEO Paul Beeston, who retired. Shapiro got off to a rocky start as popular general manager Alex Anthopoulous departed and was replaced in December by former Indians executive Ross Atkins.
“I didn’t let the criticism, beyond being human, I didn’t let what I walked into bother me. Praise … I told my dad this morning, I was flipping the articles, I said, ‘Dad, I didn’t even read it. That’s for parents and family,’ ” Shapiro said, referring to his father, Ron, a longtime Baltimore attorney and sports agent.
“Just as quickly if we lose there will be criticism. If you start to let praise affect you, you set yourself up for a fragile existence. I genuinely believe [you should] do the best job possible, treat people well, be consistent, work hard, be committed and that’s it.”
Antonetti talked to Shapiro frequently after Shapiro moved and felt confident Shapiro would win the Blue Jays over.
“I never had any doubt once the city, the organization, the community, the country got to know Mark Shapiro the person and the executive that they would come to embrace him. He’s a transformational leader and a phenomenal human being,” Antonetti said Wednesday.
The embrace may still be a work in progress, with some Canadians perhaps unable to get past Shapiro’s polished Princeton verbiage. A trip to the World Series, at the Indians expense, might help.
But at least Shapiro feels he has a home in Toronto now.
From November through August, he commuted from Cleveland. Before the school year started, he moved wife Lissa, son Caden and daughter Sierra into their new house. He said his wife, a painter, likes the city’s vibrant arts community and is considering opening a studio like the one she had in Little Italy.
For Shapiro, the transition wasn’t easy.
“There were moments that were weird, but there was so much work to do that you kind of throw yourself into your work and attack every day,” he said. “When you exhale for a minute you say, ‘I’m in Toronto. Holy cow, what am I doing here?’ There were moments that you miss people.
“I tend to be the kind of person that once I made the move, I was determined to make it the right move. I’m not going to second guess it. Very different. In some ways better, in some ways worse. It’s been energizing to take on a new challenge and start building again.”
Shapiro seemed just as energized seeing friends and family in Northeast Ohio. On Wednesday night, he had dinner with his sister Julie, married to former Browns coach Eric Mangini and living on Cleveland’s east side. On Thursday, he and Antonetti lunched at Shapiro’s favorite spot on East Fourth Street.
Shapiro, 49, doesn’t know where the opportunity with the Blue Jays will lead. He was mentioned as a candidate for baseball commissioner as Bud Selig approached retirement before Rob Manfred took over in January 2015. Shapiro could become a fixture with the Blue Jays, just like he was with the Indians.
“I don’t get caught up in that,” Shapiro said of the commissioner talk. “This one is a big challenge, it’s a cool one and I’m enjoying it. I’ve always approached everything in life, ‘If I do a good job, other options will come up and you’ll have choices.’ ”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.