Steve Kerr Sends Handwritten Encouragement to Blue Jays Manager John Schneider
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Toronto Blue Jays skipper John Schneider found an unexpected source of comfort when he returned to Rogers Centre after spring training: a handwritten letter from Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
The note, dated the day after Toronto’s Game 7 World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, had sat unopened on Schneider’s desk throughout the offseason. Schneider spotted it only when the club came back north from camp, he told The Athletic.
“As I read it, I was like, ‘holy s—,’” Schneider recalled.
In the letter, Kerr praised Schneider’s leadership during the 2025 Fall Classic and drew a parallel to his own disappointment after the Warriors fell in Game 7 of the 2006 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “The pain was real,” Kerr wrote, “but what always survives through the tough losses is the character and connection of the group. The loss won’t define you, but the way you and your guys carried themselves afterwards will.”
Schneider, who last week signed a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season, said Kerr’s words echoed the message he has delivered to his roster since October. “The run was great, and the heartbreak was real, but it’s not going to define who we are,” the manager said. “If he can see the good in what we did, it kind of gives you a little bit of reassurance that you’re preaching the right things.”
Source: ESPN
