New Stadium for Blue Jays

[ColinM]

I don't see how demolishing Rogers Stadium and building an new stadium would cost less than a $1 billion.

Blue Jays off-season FAQ: Rogers Centre replacement far from a done deal

Even if the Rogers Center doesn't rise to the level of retro parks I do think there's something for the said that it has 30 years of history.

Click to read more...

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Any replacement needs a retractable roof.

The Twins were wrong for going from an indoor stadium to an outdoor stadium. In baseball, it should be that once you move indoors, you can never build another open-air stadium again. The Twins were the only team to defy that logic without relocating. (The Nationals, in relocated from Montreal, went from a dome to open-air).

The Astros and Mariners knew their fans would not accept an open-air stadium after playing in domes for years. (It's different in football because games in that sport are routinely played through precipitation.)

So they replaced their fixed-roof homes with retractable roof homes.

I'm surprised Twins home attendance hasn't dwindled to the point where they would be forced to relocate.

And now that the Marlins and Rangers have moved into retractable roof stadiums, there's no going back to open air. And if MLB is wise, they will never permit another open-air venue to be built. This would be codified with an official bylaw requiring future venues to have a roof of some sort. Existing open-air venues would be grandfathered.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

The Twins were wrong for going from an indoor stadium to an outdoor stadium. In baseball, it should be that once you move indoors, you can never build another open-air stadium again. The Twins were the only team to defy that logic without relocating. (The Nationals, in relocated from Montreal, went from a dome to open-air).

Why? Minnesota is neither rainy nor overly hot during summer. Twins didn't need roof.

 

[hockeyguy0022]

Pretty interesting IMO, I see the need, but damn if Skydome isn't iconic Toronto. Nothing like being up in the CN tower and glancing down into the stadium on a sunny day.

A nicer stadium that features downtown/CN tower in the backdrop will be equally as amazing. I hope they keep the same location. You can fly into Toronto, take the train direct downtown in 20 mins, and be in a airbnb or hotel within another 20 mins.

Seems like a silly idea to put it on the lake, see BMO..

Considering unemployment in Canada is currently 50-60%, public funds for the next 10 years are a pipe dream.

 

[93LEAFS]

Pretty interesting IMO, I see the need, but damn if Skydome isn't iconic Toronto. Nothing like being up in the CN tower and glancing down into the stadium on a sunny day.

A nicer stadium that features downtown/CN tower in the backdrop will be equally as amazing. I hope they keep the same location. You can fly into Toronto, take the train direct downtown in 20 mins, and be in a airbnb or hotel within another 20 mins.

Seems like a silly idea to put it on the lake, see BMO..

Considering unemployment in Canada is currently 50-60%, public funds for the next 10 years are a pipe dream.

That is a dramatic overstatement. It's around 9%, which isn't likely to hold long-term.

The belief is it would go either directly south of where the Skydome currently is, or would be on the lake at the end of Lower Jarvin. Not sure if you live in Toronto, but that isn't a dramatically further walk than going from Union to the Skydome. If it goes to the lake front site, you are talking maybe an extra 5 minutes walking from Union or King, compared to the time walking from either Union or St. Andrew to the Skydome. It wouldn't be on the Exhibition grounds, which will also be much more accessible by the time this stadium is built due to the Ontario Line LRT. While the East side of Yonge isn't quite as built up hotel wise as the west side, you are still within a 15 minute walk of the Royal York and King Eddy. I personally hope it is outdoors. The closest cities to us weather wise all play outdoors. We don't have the rain of Seattle or the blistering heat of Miami, Dallas/Fort Worth, Arizona or Houston.

 

[GindyDraws]

That is a dramatic overstatement. It's around 9%, which isn't likely to hold long-term.

The belief is it would go either directly south of where the Skydome currently is, or would be on the lake at the end of Lower Jarvin. Not sure if you live in Toronto, but that isn't a dramatically further walk than going from Union to the Skydome. If it goes to the lake front site, you are talking maybe an extra 5 minutes walking from Union or King, compared to the time walking from either Union or St. Andrew to the Skydome. It wouldn't be on the Exhibition grounds, which will also be much more accessible by the time this stadium is built due to the Ontario Line LRT. While the East side of Yonge isn't quite as built up hotel wise as the west side, you are still within a 15 minute walk of the Royal York and King Eddy. I personally hope it is outdoors. The closest cities to us weather wise all play outdoors. We don't have the rain of Seattle or the blistering heat of Miami, Dallas/Fort Worth, Arizona or Houston.

*Sssh!* Don't give facts to a guy who likely is either a member of the People's Party of Canada or has posters of Stephen Harper on his bedroom wall.

On topic, while it would suck to get rid of the Skydome and its history, its unique design and features do make it difficult for upkeep and renovations, so I assume that's where they made the decision to just build a new ballpark and use the current land the Skydome is on for real estate.

 

[93LEAFS]

*Sssh!* Don't give facts to a guy who likely is either a member of the People's Party of Canada or has posters of Stephen Harper on his bedroom wall.

On topic, while it would suck to get rid of the Skydome and its history, its unique design and features do make it difficult for upkeep and renovations, so I assume that's where they made the decision to just build a new ballpark and use the current land the Skydome is on for real estate.

I personally find the Skydome soulless due to all the concrete and how oversized it is. I've enjoyed watching games much more at some of the newer parks designed to be retro like Progressive in Cleveland and Citi Field and would like to see that approach to a new stadium here.

I also find the Skydome is dramatically oversized for anything but playoff games or when we are in the chase in September, which makes it feel empty due to it being one of the largest stadiums in the MLB. We aren't the Dodgers or Yankees, so something more in the size of the new Citi-Field or PNC may look better and create a better atmosphere. I've had great memories at the dome and it was an iconic part of the Toronto Skyline (but with all the new condos in the past 20 years it ain't that visible anymore).

 

[Fenway]

Twins attendance at Target Field has been fine since 2010 - the dropoff is not weather related

Having a roof AND AC is critical in southern markets and it took Dallas nearly 50 years to figure that out.

When Montreal gets a team is a roof necessary?

I do know in April of 2000 I took my then 8-year-old son to a game at Stade Olympique as he wanted to meet Youppi! Montreal is a 5-hour drive but by the time we got to Montreal, there was a major snowstorm but the game was played and drew 13,500. My son had no idea Dad was taking him to Canada but even at the age of 8 he was complaining at the Longueuil Metro station how cold it was.

San Diego Padres at Montreal Expos Box Score, April 8, 2000 | Baseball-Reference.com

Skydome was designed simply because Ontario wanted to say our stadium is better than what Quebec had built and it was an upgrade from Exhibition Stadium which may have been the worst baseball park ever.

 

[hockeyguy0022]

That is a dramatic overstatement. It's around 9%, which isn't likely to hold long-term.

The belief is it would go either directly south of where the Skydome currently is, or would be on the lake at the end of Lower Jarvin. Not sure if you live in Toronto, but that isn't a dramatically further walk than going from Union to the Skydome. If it goes to the lake front site, you are talking maybe an extra 5 minutes walking from Union or King, compared to the time walking from either Union or St. Andrew to the Skydome. It wouldn't be on the Exhibition grounds, which will also be much more accessible by the time this stadium is built due to the Ontario Line LRT. While the East side of Yonge isn't quite as built up hotel wise as the west side, you are still within a 15 minute walk of the Royal York and King Eddy. I personally hope it is outdoors. The closest cities to us weather wise all play outdoors. We don't have the rain of Seattle or the blistering heat of Miami, Dallas/Fort Worth, Arizona or Houston.

The working pool of people in canada is around 20 million, they announced over 11 million people total on cerb/some type of covid relief from losing their job.

That's a legit 50-60% of people not getting a regular pay cheque, when you factor in 20-30% of the rest being crown or gov workers all over, then you can basically call Canada a failed state. There is no business any longer aside from the monster oligopolies and monopolies.

 

[93LEAFS]

Twins attendance at Target Field has been fine since 2010 - the dropoff is not weather related

View attachment 377536

Having a roof AND AC is critical in southern markets and it took Dallas nearly 50 years to figure that out.

When Montreal gets a team is a roof necessary?

I do know in April of 2000 I took my then 8-year-old son to a game at Stade Olympique as he wanted to meet Youppi! Montreal is a 5-hour drive but by the time we got to Montreal, there was a major snowstorm but the game was played and drew 13,500. My son had no idea Dad was taking him to Canada but even at the age of 8 he was complaining at the Longueuil Metro station how cold it was.

San Diego Padres at Montreal Expos Box Score, April 8, 2000 | Baseball-Reference.com

Skydome was designed simply because Ontario wanted to say our stadium is better than what Quebec had built and it was an upgrade from Exhibition Stadium which may have been the worst baseball park ever.

Awesome story.

I'm really hoping for a stadium designed like Camden or Jacobs or Citi Field. I love the modernized retro-look that became popular post-Camden Yards (the next stadium built after Skydome if I remember correctly). I find of all professional sports, Baseballs unique layout of fields and the stadium give it character which most NHL/NBA arena's or Football stadiums don't have. The Skydome was a technological marvel when it came out, but it also made it insanely dated quite quickly, while most stadiums built shortly after have held up very well. The Skydome is the peak design of the huge multi-purpose indoor bowl stadium which started with the Astrodome, and was carried over to Montreal, Seattle, and Tampa. The thing is that died out in the early 90's as almost all teams building new stadiums pushed towards Baseball only or baseball first layouts (Phillys, Indians, Giants, Mariners, Reds, etc all moved aways from these shared stadiums). I feel the only stadiums still active which are designed with both football and MLB in mind are the Skydome and Oakland Coliseum.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Awesome story.

I'm really hoping for a stadium designed like Camden or Jacobs or Citi Field. I love the modernized retro-look that became popular post-Camden Yards (the next stadium built after Skydome if I remember correctly). I find of all professional sports, Baseballs unique layout of fields and the stadium give it character which most NHL/NBA arena's or Football stadiums don't have. The Skydome was a technological marvel when it came out, but it also made it insanely dated quite quickly, while most stadiums built shortly after have held up very well. The Skydome is the peak design of the huge multi-purpose indoor bowl stadium which started with the Astrodome, and was carried over to Montreal, Seattle, and Tampa. The thing is that died out in the early 90's as almost all teams building new stadiums pushed towards Baseball only or baseball first layouts (Phillys, Indians, Giants, Mariners, Reds, etc all moved aways from these shared stadiums). I feel the only stadiums still active which are designed with both football and MLB in mind are the Skydome and Oakland Coliseum.

New stadium would be nice, not sure how it would go over with a publicly traded company like Rogers. As long as Ontario doesn’t have to bail them out like the skydome.

If you want to listen to a good perspective listen to Richard Peddie on OD, as he discusses this with his knowledge of being president of Jays and MLSE.

 

[93LEAFS]

New stadium would be nice, not sure how it would go over with a publicly traded company like Rogers. As long as Ontario doesn’t have to bail them out like the skydome.

If you want to listen to a good perspective listen to Richard Peddie on OD, as he discusses this with his knowledge of being president of Jays and MLSE.

Knowing Toronto, if they reduce the footprint of the stadium, and sell the excess to Condo/Commercial developers (why they are partnered with Brookfield on this), they will make a fortune. That land is worth an astronomical amount. It has to be arguably the most desirable piece of real estate that can be developed in the city (unless the government sold off the Exhibition land, which isn't happening). It's prime for bars, restaurants, hotels, condos, etc being within walking distance of the primary business area, next to the convention center, CN Tower, Ripley, and a block or two away from Roy Thompson and SBA plus the entertainment district if things get back to normal.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Any replacement needs a retractable roof.

The Twins were wrong for going from an indoor stadium to an outdoor stadium. In baseball, it should be that once you move indoors, you can never build another open-air stadium again. The Twins were the only team to defy that logic without relocating. (The Nationals, in relocated from Montreal, went from a dome to open-air).

The Astros and Mariners knew their fans would not accept an open-air stadium after playing in domes for years. (It's different in football because games in that sport are routinely played through precipitation.)

So they replaced their fixed-roof homes with retractable roof homes.

I'm surprised Twins home attendance hasn't dwindled to the point where they would be forced to relocate.

And now that the Marlins and Rangers have moved into retractable roof stadiums, there's no going back to open air. And if MLB is wise, they will never permit another open-air venue to be built. This would be codified with an official bylaw requiring future venues to have a roof of some sort. Existing open-air venues would be grandfathered.

Why? Minnesota is neither rainy nor overly hot during summer. Twins didn't need roof.

Yeah, Big Z is dead wrong here. Target Field is amazing and roofs don't bring value relative to the exorbitant cost.

The Blue Jays do not need a roof.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Yeah, Big Z is dead wrong here. Target Field is amazing and roofs don't bring value relative to the exorbitant cost.

The Blue Jays do not need a roof.

Yup.

Might be a different story if they ever get an NFL team, but for Jays? They don't need a roof.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Knowing Toronto, if they reduce the footprint of the stadium, and sell the excess to Condo/Commercial developers (why they are partnered with Brookfield on this), they will make a fortune. That land is worth an astronomical amount. It has to be arguably the most desirable piece of real estate that can be developed in the city (unless the government sold off the Exhibition land, which isn't happening). It's prime for bars, restaurants, hotels, condos, etc being within walking distance of the primary business area, next to the convention center, CN Tower, Ripley, and a block or two away from Roy Thompson and SBA plus the entertainment district if things get back to normal.

Ya should listen to Peddie interview, he talks about these things, and says they can’t really shrink footprint and no room for condos, discusses where would they play if tear down skydome for 5 years.

He talked about the government granting the lease for the land, but something about, not approved for condo use, can’t remember the exact wording.

 

[93LEAFS]

Yup.

Might be a different story if they ever get an NFL team, but for Jays? They don't need a roof.

It's probably populated enough it would be fine. Cleveland and Buffalo play outdoors and weather isn't much different, although those are two die hard fanbases with rabid support (although Toronto/GTA is massively bigger than both those regions, and unlike them growing, an NFL thing would probably be built with corporate support in mind, which will mean a roof).

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Except Toronto receives far more snow than MSP which necessitated the building of Rogers Centre. It's because Toronto is right on the lake.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Except Toronto receives far more snow than MSP which necessitated the building of Rogers Centre. It's because Toronto is right on the lake.

Actually not, they are within an inch of each other.

 

[GindyDraws]

The working pool of people in canada is around 20 million, they announced over 11 million people total on cerb/some type of covid relief from losing their job.

That's a legit 50-60% of people not getting a regular pay cheque, when you factor in 20-30% of the rest being crown or gov workers all over, then you can basically call Canada a failed state. There is no business any longer aside from the monster oligopolies and monopolies.

Mmm-hmm... anything you say.