Dear Jays Fans,

Before I leave the dugout for the last time as Jays’ manager, I wanted to tell you how I feel about you as Blue Jays’ fans and the city of Toronto. You have been great to me here and I will always appreciate your support and will always thank you. Without the fans we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what we did. Many of you have become my friends.

I call Toronto a second home only because I was born in the States. Deep down I will always consider this city a first home. I lived here for 20 years and I could live here forever. It’s a great city. There are very wonderful people that have treated me very well. I love the city. It’s the best kept secret in North America, from the theatres to restaurants. Some of the best food I’ve ever had I’ve had in this city. Golf courses, the whole works. It’s just a great place to live.

I really got to know and appreciate the fans here after I got fired. I always came back to spend the summers here. My wife and I, we walk a lot. So on our walks we ran into a lot of you on the street. Even the police officers and the firemen, even the mounted police riding their horses would stop and say, “Thanks for the memories. Thanks for the good years we had around here.”

When I came back as manager in 2008 what a welcome I got. There were all kinds of signs in the stands saying “Welcome back” — even one lady had a sign up asking me to marry her. I guess she didn’t know I was already married. I still can’t go out to the mound, taking a pitcher out or leaving him in unless people are yelling their support at me. Sometimes games aren’t going too good and I still have to wave at them, even though it’s probably not the right time to do it.

I remember your reactions at the ballpark all the times as guest instructor at spring training before I came back to manage. It was very special. Sometimes, the players who weren’t here to experience those winning years, once in a while used to look at me a little funny, like “How does this guy get all this kind of applause every time he walks up and down the field?” You were the people that had been fans a long time and supported this team. I didn’t do this by myself. We had great support from the front office, all the way from the players and the fans. It’s a great feeling.

That first World Series will always be special. We won the second one in such dramatic fashion. But the first one’s always going to be the one. When Winfield hit the ball down the line and Robby scored from first base — I can still see that ball. Both series were great, because the way the second one ended, what a fairytale that is. I know Joe Carter must still think of that every day.

Before the World Series years I don’t know how many times I was on caravans with Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth and we’d show videos of our past season. I got to see a lot of this country on those caravans and that was good. The saddest thing about it is that we always ended at a loss. Those were sad times, so close and yet so far away. We had a lot of years like that. That finally changed.

I miss Tom and I miss Stan — Walter Stancheson — who took care of the umpires. We called him Stash. He and Tom would be thrilled to even think that I was back here again managing. I certainly miss those guys. Memories of John Cerutti come across my mind a lot too. And memories of the fans.

Thank you for your support and thank you for your love,

Best Wishes,

Cito Gaston