"If the Jays were ever seeking direction for their State of the Franchise event on Thursday, in which they hosted 500 ticket holders at the Rogers Centre, they needed look no further than two days earlier when President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union to a skeptical American audience.

Obama's message included the advice to stay positive, remain financially responsible and take control of the future — sounding the same basic message as the Jays' three-man panel of president Paul Beeston, GM Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Farrell, alongside Hall-of-Famer Roberto Alomar.

Seated comfortably in lounge chairs atop the third-base dugout facing their inquisitors, it was Beeston and the Jays trying to light the fire of hope. "