New Home Long Overdue for Jays

Source: SB Nation

This past Friday the Globe and Mail released a report that stated Rogers had plans to demolish the Rogers Centre. A state of the art baseball stadium when it opened in 1989, It has hosted the Blue jays, Argos, Raptors, a bevy of concerts and two Wrestlemania's. Of course, there have been mixed reactions to the news but in reality, it’s what’s best for the Jays and the city.

Listen, I've had a lot of great memories going to the Rogers Centre. My dad took me to wrestling shows as a kid, I got to watch my favourite player in Frank Thomas hit a walk off as a member of the Jays, and of course, the countless Roy Halladay game I have seen are near and dear to my heart.

However, the issue I've had with the Rogers Centre is it's not a sports-friendly stadium. The Argos new home at BMO Field is a much better experience from a fan’s perspective, and baseball-wise it doesn’t stack up to other stadiums around the MLB. It’s basically a giant block of cement. For a time it was revolutionary, but it’s now regarded as one of the worst places to watch a game in all of baseball.

Also, given the fact that the city paid over half a BILLION dollars for it to built only to be sold to Rogers for roughly 25 million leaves a lot of residents with a sour taste in their mouths.

Simply put, the dome just doesn’t give off baseball vibes. The roof, the turf, the vendors, the hallways, nothing gives says “this is a baseball”. There's a bunch of stadiums that look amazing that Rogers could draw from when the ballpark is built. Busch Stadium in St. Louis, AT&T Park in San Fran, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, heck even vintage ballparks like Wrigley and Fenway. Make this place a destination, give it some personality!

The Rogers Centre holds countless memories. Joe Carter's walk-off in ‘93, Bautista’s bat flip in 2015, all the Grey Cups, Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, Bailey vs Johnson, Rock vs Hogan. There are so many to choose from, but it's time to make new memories and start a new chapter.

We have to face the fact that the prime of the Rogers Centre has long since past. And regardless of how and what Rogers and the city of Toronto plan to do with the surrounding area (boo to condos), the city deserves a new place to watch baseball.