Toronto Rogers Centre Renovations | ?m | ?s | Toronto Blue Jays | Populous

[Miscreant]

The Rogers Centre has a good view of the CN Tower:

Yeah, now that looks half decent, as when the Dome is open the park breathes a bit. It still seems overly large and has that 80s Entertainment Bam! vibe to it. But it can be a nice park to watch a game on a sunny day.

 

[Translude15]

More from Mr. Brooks: https://twitter.com/sbrooksbaseball

Soil conditioner has been laid onto the infield and preliminary testing was done by a number of local baseball teams.

The "World's Fastest Grounds Crew" will certainly have more work to do this year.

As for all the complaints about the RC's cavernous environs, yes, Toronto really missed out on the retro ballpark craze, but all things considered, it's not really as bad as we think it is. Anecdotal yes, but visiting fans I've spoken to generally say they're pleasantly surprised by the Dome and actually quite enjoy it as most were expecting much, much worse. We still have ~$400 million in renovations coming our way so indeed, things will only improve from this point onward.

 

[gabe]

Personally, I like the new ballparks as they have a more intimate setting. The downside is the weather. I had tickets to see the Yankees at Yankee stadium. Mother nature showed up before the game, and the game was postponed. I've experienced a rain delay in Detroit too. But what's baseball without a rain delay??

 

[Automation Gallery]

But what's baseball without a rain delay??

Rain is OK,
but Cold and Snow is not for baseball

 

[junior43]

As for all the complaints about the RC's cavernous environs, yes, Toronto really missed out on the retro ballpark craze, but all things considered, it's not really as bad as we think it is. Anecdotal yes, but visiting fans I've spoken to generally say they're pleasantly surprised by the Dome and actually quite enjoy it as most were expecting much, much worse. We still have ~$400 million in renovations coming our way so indeed, things will only improve from this point onward.

Have to agree, with a minor correction. We didn't miss out on the retro ballpark craze. It wasn't even a thing when we built the Dome. Camden yards came along 3 years later and upstaged all the modern parks and drove the retro craze that followed.

And those that compare the Dome to these parks might as well be comparing VW Beetles to Porsche 911s. The dome was built as a multi purpose facility, none of the other parks were. The only 'fair' comparisons to the Dome are Tropicana field in Tampa and where the Oakland A's play. These are the only multipurpose stadiums left in MLB.

Useless stat of the day: We have the 6th oldest park in MLB - and it ain't going anywhere for 10-20 years at least, and I'd argue much longer than that.

 

[Translude15]

Have to agree, with a minor correction. We didn't miss out on the retro ballpark craze. It wasn't even a thing when we built the Dome. Camden yards came along 3 years later and upstaged all the modern parks and drove the retro craze that followed.

And those that compare the Dome to these parks might as well be comparing VW Beetle's to Porsche 911's. The dome was built as a multi purpose facility, none of the other parks were. The only 'fair' comparisons to the Dome are Tropicana field in Tampa and where the Oakland A's play. These are the only multipurpose stadiums left in MLB.

Useless stat of the day: We have the 6th oldest park in MLB - and it ain't going anywhere for 10-20 years at least, and I'd argue much longer than that.

That's what I mean by missed out. The retro craze began 3 years after the Dome opened (1992), so yes, Toronto did miss out on it by virtue of timing. Had plans for a new ballpark been pushed back a number of years, something entirely different could have been constructed.

 

[G.L.17]

Hmm, new slogan atop the dugouts. Unless I'm mistaken, I believe Brooks said the grounds crew would come out in the 3rd and 6th innings.

Had Toronto waited a few years for a baseball-only stadium, we may have seen something similar to Miller Park in Milwaukee (2001); assuming they still wanted a retractable roof. I think Seattle has the best retractable roof stadium in the league; can't even tell it's closed when it is, and still has that intimacy charm like many of the non-retractable roof stadiums, including an outfield patio.

 

[junior43]

Hmm, new slogan atop the dugouts. Unless I'm mistaken, I believe Brooks said the grounds crew would come out in the 3rd and 6th innings.

Had Toronto waited a few years for a baseball-only stadium, we may have seen something similar to Miller Park in Milwaukee (2001); assuming they still wanted a retractable roof. I think Seattle has the best retractable roof stadium in the league; can't even tell it's closed when it is, and still has that intimacy charm like many of the non-retractable roof stadiums, including an outfield patio.

Wiki has a pretty good history of how we got the dome and why. If the weather had been different for the 1982 Grey Cup game, things may have worked out very differently. People also have to remember that, at the time, the Skydome was an engineering marvel. It was the first working retractable roof of that scale, and the flavour of the time was in building multi purpose stadia. It is what it is. Ironically it's also the last multi purpose stadium ever built. Camden Yards was a massive sea change in what got built for baseball going forward. How US sports teams financed how they built stadiums (public money) also accelerated this for all sports.

Considering Shapiro oversaw the Cleveland reno's, I'm optimistic of the impending renos here being very successful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Centre

 

[Translude15]

Hmm, new slogan atop the dugouts. Unless I'm mistaken, I believe Brooks said the grounds crew would come out in the 3rd and 6th innings.

Had Toronto waited a few years for a baseball-only stadium, we may have seen something similar to Miller Park in Milwaukee (2001); assuming they still wanted a retractable roof. I think Seattle has the best retractable roof stadium in the league; can't even tell it's closed when it is, and still has that intimacy charm like many of the non-retractable roof stadiums, including an outfield patio.

Yes, the grounds crew will be out twice per game from now on as opposed to only once in the 5th. Indeed, Miller Park, Safeco and Minute Maid in Houston all mastered the outdoor stadium aesthetic with a roof as opposed to the inverse of what the Rogers Centre currently is. As junior43 pointed out, in the early to mid-1980's, nobody could have foreseen the profound shift in ballpark design that occurred in the early 1990's.

I'm not sure how feasible it would be to retrofit the RC as an "outdoor" stadium but I'm certain it would be incredibly pricey if it was. The best bet for the RC to mimic other MLB parks would be bridging over the railways tracks to create a more organic connection between the stadium and Front while also allowing a larger gathering place for fans to enter and exit on game days. Doing so would require removal of the hotel and retrofitting the outfield areas. Again, that would be very pricey.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

Have to agree, with a minor correction. We didn't miss out on the retro ballpark craze. It wasn't even a thing when we built the Dome. Camden yards came along 3 years later and upstaged all the modern parks and drove the retro craze that followed.

And those that compare the Dome to these parks might as well be comparing VW Beetles to Porsche 911s. The dome was built as a multi purpose facility, none of the other parks were. The only 'fair' comparisons to the Dome are Tropicana field in Tampa and where the Oakland A's play. These are the only multipurpose stadiums left in MLB.

Useless stat of the day: We have the 6th oldest park in MLB - and it ain't going anywhere for 10-20 years at least, and I'd argue much longer than that.

I believe it was the Bison's stadium in Buffalo that preceded Camden Yards with the retro throwback ballpark design - which incidentally opened a year before Rogers Centre.

 

[Translude15]

My biggest issue with rogers centre is it often feels empty. Why not just take out the seats and replace them with larger seats. If we had 45000 seats versus 55000 seats it would feel more full. That would make me happy plus give me more room. Just as a baseball experience though I can't stand that we have a giant screen and they refuse to show highlights of other games in the league. Also the raptors will be in the playoffs and if I'm at the jays game they will act as if they don't exist by again no highlights.

There already are 45,000 seats. Baseball capacity is just over 49,000 which includes private boxes and standing room.

 

[junior43]

My biggest issue with rogers centre is it often feels empty. Why not just take out the seats and replace them with larger seats. If we had 45000 seats versus 55000 seats it would feel more full. That would make me happy plus give me more room. Just as a baseball experience though I can't stand that we have a giant screen and they refuse to show highlights of other games in the league. Also the raptors will be in the playoffs and if I'm at the jays game they will act as if they don't exist by again no highlights.

Until last year, the fairweather fans weren't showing up. It should be interesting how full/empty it may feel if they're in first from early on.

In todays connected world, providing no updates is no big deal. You can check at the end of innings etc.

 

[Big Daddy]

Cleveland does has a very nice ballpark, their exterior matches the relatively light coloured brick seen throughout a lot of their downtown, and center outfield opens up into the rest of the city.
What I also like about their outfield is how the seats are facing straight to home plate, something we aren't accustomed to at Skydome.
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The only realistic thing I can see happening at the dome is a complete reconfiguration of the 100 level to make it look more like a modern stadium. I agree that 200 and 500 levels can't be saved in that regard.

You should ask the people in Cleveland if the wish they had a retractable roof - so they can enjoy whatever event they are attending without worrying about the weather.

 

[maestro]

That's what I mean by missed out. The retro craze began 3 years after the Dome opened (1992), so yes, Toronto did miss out on it by virtue of timing. Had plans for a new ballpark been pushed back a number of years, something entirely different could have been constructed.

As others have pointed out, It was envisioned as a multi-use facility so I find it unlikely the retro craze would have had any impact aside from minor cosmetic changes. The losers in the retro craze were the White Sox with a new, outdated ball park.

 

[Red October]

Others have said this but I think the dome gets more hate than it deserves. It was (and still is) an engineering marvel and is a truly unique park amongst a league of ballparks all vying for the same look (retro-classic), which is a good look, but in my mind just makes it "Cleveland's retro ballpark", "Detroit's retro ballpark", etc. When you see the dome, you know exactly where you are. The roof, the hotel, revolutionary. Iconic. (I also think it's a shame the Astrodome sits vacant and rotting)

I agree that it gets cavernous in there, especially when it's half full, but when it is full it may be the loudest stadium in the league.

If I were to make changes to it, I'd point the seats towards the infield, as mentioned, and I'd do something to the outside to make some of the more concrete bunker-looking sections of the exterior more friendly. And, as someone already said, bridge over the tracks to create more of a pedestrian connection to Front Street.

(Also, improve the concessions because goddamn we are by far the worst in the league in that category)