Years ago, 'Otto's Army' forged early Buffalo link to Blue Jays
Sean Kirst
Updated
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The late Pat Mohan, with his collection of Otto Velez gear from the Otto's Army days. (Image courtesy Dan Grimm)
Otto Velez and his wife Maria, in a recent image. (Courtesy Otto Velez)
An Otto Velez baseball card from his days with the Toronto Blue Jays. (Courtesy of Otto Velez)
Dan Grimm: The coming of the Blue Jays brings him back to the heyday of Otto's Army.
John Hickey/Buffalo News
Some of the Otto's Army regulars, left to right, at Sahlen Field: Dan Grimm, Michael"Durf" Durning, John "JJ" Joyce, Denis "Locki" Loughran, Dan Welch, Kevin Deese (son of Bob Deese), Steve Rogers and Russ "Buddy" Barnum.
John Hickey/The Buffalo News
Otto's Army, a Buffalo-based fan club for Otto Velez of the Toronto Blue Jays, on an excursion to honor their namesake some 40 years ago.
The message came from Bobby Deese. He’s built a Twitter reputation as a Buffalo Bills fan who hoists the team flag at such places as the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or even in the footsteps of The Beatles at London’s Abbey Road.
Some of the Otto's Army regulars, left to right, at Sahlen Field: Dan Grimm, Michael"Durf" Durning, John "JJ" Joyce, Denis "Locki" Loughran, Dan Welch, Kevin Deese (son of Bob Deese), Steve Rogers and Russ "Buddy" Barnum.