Duty called. But so did the Jays.
And when both coincided, baseball fan Andre Chapman made the only sensible decision. He asked to get out of jury duty so he could catch the Jays' first playoff game in 22 years.
Chapman, an Ottawa man, managed to secure a ticket to see game one of the Jays' playoff series against the Texas Rangers on Oct. 8, CBC News reported.
"I had been waiting so long for the Jays to make the playoffs," he said. "I had been putting aside time in October the last few years just in case and had some vacation time built up, if needed."
But he was called to serve on a jury in a criminal case.
Initially excused from one trial, he was later selected for a second one. But members were permitted to write letters explaining why they would have to be absent while the trial carried on.
Chapman wrote a note saying he had a ticket to see a game, and initially thought he might be excused for a day or so. But in the end he was taken off the jury entirely.
His story emerged after a similar one was reported by The Ottawa Sun last week. That story told of a prospective juror in an Ottawa murder trial who also said he couldn't serve because the Jays had made the playoffs.
An unnamed man reportedly told Justice Patrick Smith that he had been waiting two decades to see such a game. Lawyers and the judge agreed to excuse him, with Smith saying, "Hope you enjoy the game," the Sun reported.
But Chapman's not the only one who's using the Jays as an excuse to duck an obligation.
Canadian Tire's Toronto head office is giving workers the day off on Friday to see Game 2, The Toronto Star reported.
Meanwhile, Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey had this to say:
We don't disagree.
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