MLB: Five Teams Needing New Parks
By Ron Juckett
3. Toronto Blue Jays
When SkyDome opened in 1989, it was considered a modern marvel of form and function. A retractable roof was miles better than the old windswept Exhibition Stadium. Spending 12 seasons in a place designed for Canadian Football, the Blue Jays sat through bad weather, sightlines and, until 1985, bad baseball.
Both the Blue Jays and the CFL Toronto Argonauts had a place worthy of the city. When the roof is open, the iconic CN Tower is visible from every seat. Wide concourses, a hotel and McDonald’s mark the exterior. It was the ballpark of ballparks. A shopping destination and civic center.
What happened? Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The cookie-cutter stadium fell out of favor and baseball parks returned. With all the glimmering neon and concrete SkyDome offered, the Blue Jays home transferred from new to sterile within five years. When Milwaukee, Phoenix and Seattle opened new domes with grass, what is now Rogers Centre became obsolete.
The Argos move to BMO Field this year, an outdoor grass field shared with Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC. Although the Blue Jays installed an all-dirt infield for 2016, the place still is sterile and uninviting. Unless you enjoy talking about the new Duran Duran CD enjoying a drink at Orange Julius, then building a baseball-only facility for the Jays should be a priority in the next few years.
Next: St. Pete's White Elephant