GETTING A READ ON CARLOS DELGADO

He is in many ways a refreshing change on the Canadian professional sports landscape

Blue Jays slugger Carlos Delgado catches up on some reading in the dugout. (Photo by Erin Riley)

By MIKE GANTER -- SportsXtra

 One of the top players in his game, he has embraced Toronto and life in Canada because of the lifestyle advantages, and what those advantages have afforded him.

 Even in hockey-starved Toronto, Carlos Delgado of the Toronto Blue Jays remains one of the city's most recognizable athletes, visible around the city on any given evening.

 A movie buff, Delgado enjoys seeing films just as they are released to the public. That means a trip to his local theatre.

 He is also a fan of fine dining, plentiful in Toronto. Reading is another favourite off-field pursuit - mostly bios of successful men and self-help books.

 "I lead a normal life in Toronto," Delgado says, almost stubbornly. "I do pretty much what I want to do. If I want to go to a movie, I go. If I want to go out to dinner, I phone and make a reservation, just like everyone else."

 Canadians, he says, "aren't as pushy as Americans," and won't rudely interrupt a dinner or a movie for an autograph.

 "Most of the time people in Toronto, when they do approach you in a restaurant or somewhere else, they just want to say, 'Hi.' They don't even want an autograph most of the time. The odd time someone will yell across a restaurant at me, but that is very rare."

 "I enjoy reading. I'll read on the plane but most of my reading gets done in the off-season. I read more to educate than to be entertained."

 This is what has made Delgado as comfortable in Toronto as he is anywhere in the world, except perhaps his native Puerto Rico. And these days, with the world as unstable as it is, comfort at home or away from home is nothing to be taken lightly.

 In Delgado's case it meant turning away from the lure of free agency and a bigger market with more endorsement potential two years ago in favour of a four-year, $68-million US deal to stay in Toronto.

 Delgado has used some of his earnings to explore other parts of the world, including Europe, Australia and Japan over the past few years. While he enjoys travelling, Delgado has curtailed those activities.

 "I would like to go back to New Zealand but I'm staying pretty close to home these days," Delgado says.