Sports

Even for die-hards and true believers, the baseball season can be a slog. Luckily, this year's Toronto Blue Jays roster—the most hope-inducing in decades—boasts such a rich collection of literary-style backstories and archetypes, you can be sure the narratives will be compelling, even if the numbers aren't.

Whether they're cheering for the anemic Toronto Raptors or hoping Steve Nash plays long enough to win a championship, most fans eventually learn that caring deeply about sports is, well, terrible. And wonderful. But mostly terrible.