Flashback Friday: The 1996 Blue Jays Sing “This Land Is Your Land”

Have you ever wanted to see Carlos Delgado dressed up as a lumberjack? How about Mike Timlin as a farmer … or even Joe Carter as a fur trapper? Believe it or not, such a thing exists in the Blue Jays video vault.

For this week’s Flashback Friday, we take a look back at the 1996 Blue Jays rendition of “This Land Is Your Land”.


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1996 was the very first year the Blue Jays decided to wear their famous red jerseys on Canada Day, and to accompany this momentous occasion, the roster also put out this video inspired by this classic by The Travellers.

At the time, the only two Canadians on the Blue Jays roster were Paul Quantrill and Paul Spoljaric. I couldn’t find Quantrill anywhere in this video, but if you look closely, you’ll catch sporadic glimpses of Spoljaric.

Here is a look at some of the guest spots:

Gord Ash: Maritimer 1
Alfredo Griffin: Maritimer 2

I realize the likelihood of Alfredo Griffin actually singing in this song is next to nil, but he does a pretty good job of belting out his lines … even if it is just lip syncing. Former Blue Jays General Manager Gord Ash is not too shabby either.

Pat Hentgen: Lumberjack 1
Carlos Delgado: Lumberjack 2
Charlie O’Brien: Lumberjack 3

In the lumberjack scene, Pat Hentgen looks like he’s going to burst out laughing at any given moment. Carlos Delgado is dancing up a storm, and Charlie O’Brien looks like he could legitimately pass for a lumberjack.

Just to reiterate how much Carlos Delgado loves to dance, check out the very end of the video at the 2:45 minute mark where he’s swaying back and forth like a lighter at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.

Mike Timlin: Farmer
Otis Nixon: War of 1812 General


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Although they were once adversaries in the playoffs, Mike Timlin and Otis Nixon’s relationship really came full circle during this video.

In 1992, they were both involved in the final play of the World Series. Then four years later, they were singing a song together in costume for the Blue Jays. It’s truly amazing how music can really bring folks closer together.

Joe Carter: Fur Trapper/Davey Crockett

Lastly, Joe Carter dressed up as a fur trapper … or is it Davey Crockett? It’s hard to tell, but he seemed to really enjoy singing the last verse of the song, even if there’s a dead raccoon sitting on his head.

With Brett Lawrie leading the charge as a new crop of canucks don the Blue Jays uniform, I’m sure it won’t be long until the entire roster re-records this track in a new rendition for a future Canada Day celebration.

Ian Hunter

Ian has been writing about the Toronto Blue Jays since 2007. He enjoyed the tail-end of the Roy Halladay era and vividly remembers the Alex Rodriguez "mine" incident. He'll also retell the story of Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS to his kids for the next 20 years.

11 thoughts on “Flashback Friday: The 1996 Blue Jays Sing “This Land Is Your Land”

  • August 26, 2011 at 4:04 pm
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    They play this at the Dome on Canada day…it's always amazing.

  • August 26, 2011 at 4:16 pm
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    Giana – that's amazing! I imagine the crowd always goes wild for it, you can't beat Carlos Delgado in a lumberjack outfield and Joe Carter as a fur trapper. It doesn't get any better than that for former player embarrassing footage!

  • August 26, 2011 at 6:58 pm
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    Wait…is that actually Carter singing and not lip syncing?

    'Cause if it is, he's…kinda good and stuff.

  • August 26, 2011 at 10:46 pm
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    Tammy, while there's a slight chance that was actually Alfredo Griffin and Gord Ash's voice at the begging, I bet there's no way that's actually Joe Carter. The lip syncing doesn't match up in certain parts.

    Am I the only one who thinks his part actually kind of sounds like Anne Murray singing?

  • August 27, 2011 at 1:50 am
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    No words to describe this

  • August 27, 2011 at 5:36 pm
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    Tony, I hear ya. The vision of Joe Carter in a coonskin hat will never leave my memory now.

    Ball Fan, glad you enjoyed it! I imagine it will be tough for the Blue Jays to ever top this.

  • August 28, 2011 at 1:00 am
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    It is now burned into my brain. Instead of the famous homer, it's Joe in a Davy Crockett hat…

  • Pingback: Retro Blue Jays – How things looked in 1996 | Definitely Not JaysTalk

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