Jays to play in Buffalo?

[GASabresIUFAN]

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/blue-jays-reach-out-to-triple-a-team-about-playing-home-games-in-buffalo-in-2020-per-report/

 

[Taro T]

51 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/blue-jays-reach-out-to-triple-a-team-about-playing-home-games-in-buffalo-in-2020-per-report/

 

That'd be cool.  1st time in over 100 years MLB would be in Buffalo.

Should've been there since the mid-60's, but Buffalo tore down their stadium so the expansion club went to Moe-ray-all instead.

[Andrew Amerk]

There’s a baseball team in Buffalo?

I thought that stadium was just for the yearly Wing Fest - which I’m assuming is also cancelled like everything else that’s fun. 

[gilbert11]

So, a stadium for a Triple A team has inadequate lighting and team facilities?  Who owns them and who owns the stadium?
 

Like with the Sabres and Amerks and most NBA teams, the major league team should own the minor league teams.  Then they wouldn’t have to go shopping for a good deal every few years and changing affiliates.

[PromoTheRobot]

11 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/blue-jays-reach-out-to-triple-a-team-about-playing-home-games-in-buffalo-in-2020-per-report/

 

Lol, the Jays are acting like the ex crawling back for another chance. The idea of playing in Buffalo was on the table for over a month but they wanted to play in Dunedin instead. What's the matter, Jays? Dunedin not work out? Too many Covid cooties? Awwww.

 

 

[MattPie]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Lol, the Jays are acting like the ex crawling back for another chance. The idea of playing in Buffalo was on the table for over a month but they wanted to play in Dunedin instead. What's the matter, Jays? Dunedin not work out? Too many Covid cooties? Awwww.

 

 

Restarting sports now is probably the dumbest thing I've heard of in awhile. Case are trending up in lots of places and we're going to start flying dozens of people around, presumably not respecting quarantine requirements. It's a damn game.

[PromoTheRobot]

27 minutes ago, MattPie said:

Restarting sports now is probably the dumbest thing I've heard of in awhile. Case are trending up in lots of places and we're going to start flying dozens of people around, presumably not respecting quarantine requirements. It's a damn game.

That's true. But if they insist on playing, Buffalo > Florida by a lot.

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 hours ago, MattPie said:

Restarting sports now is probably the dumbest thing I've heard of in awhile. Case are trending up in lots of places and we're going to start flying dozens of people around, presumably not respecting quarantine requirements. It's a damn game.

What you don’t realize is how vital sports is to the national economy.  The big 4 networks rely on sports advertising to survive for example.

my guess these teams will be playing in empty arenas or stadiums and flying chartered flights to limit contacts.  Also there will be consistent testing protocols.  What will be interesting is whether minor leagues will play since there aren’t the revenues to support those protocols etc.

[sabills]

6 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

What you don’t realize is how vital sports is to the national economy.  The big 4 networks rely on sports advertising to survive for example.

my guess these teams will be playing in empty arenas or stadiums and flying chartered flights to limit contacts.  Also there will be consistent testing protocols.  What will be interesting is whether minor leagues will play since there aren’t the revenues to support those protocols etc.

MiLB already cancelled their season, I wouldn't be surprised if the AHL does the same.

[MattPie]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

What you don’t realize is how vital sports is to the national economy.  The big 4 networks rely on sports advertising to survive for example.

my guess these teams will be playing in empty arenas or stadiums and flying chartered flights to limit contacts.  Also there will be consistent testing protocols.  What will be interesting is whether minor leagues will play since there aren’t the revenues to support those protocols etc.

I'm not as worried about the economy as people getting sick. Shortages in medical equipment are starting again in AZ and the MLB sees no issue flying people around for no good reason.

[darksabre]

I keep reading the thread title as "Jags" and going "they been here for years..."

[gilbert11]

4 hours ago, sabills said:

MiLB already cancelled their season, I wouldn't be surprised if the AHL does the same.

AHL did cancel back in May.

[Doohicksie]

21 hours ago, Taro T said:

That'd be cool.  1st time in over 100 years MLB would be in Buffalo.

Should've been there since the mid-60's, but Buffalo tore down their stadium so the expansion club went to Moe-ray-all instead.

The rockpile wasn't torn down until the 80s.

Edited July 13, 2020 by Doohickie

[stinky finger]

9 hours ago, MattPie said:

Restarting sports now is probably the dumbest thing I've heard of in awhile. Case are trending up in lots of places and we're going to start flying dozens of people around, presumably not respecting quarantine requirements. It's a damn game.

It's also a business. 

It comes with risk. You manage it.

 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

The rockpile wasn't torn down until the 80s.

The BASEBALL stadium.  We're talking Offerman.  If it was still around then the Expos would've been in Buffalo.  Nobody was putting a Major League team in the Rockpile.

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

The BASEBALL stadium.  We're talking Offerman.  If it was still around then the Expos would've been in Buffalo.  Nobody was putting a Major League team in the Rockpile.

No one was going to deny expansion across the border into that gorgeous retractable-roof stadium that was Olympics-worthy.

[grinreaper]

8 hours ago, MattPie said:

I'm not as worried about the economy as people getting sick. Shortages in medical equipment are starting again in AZ and the MLB sees no issue flying people around for no good reason.

Any shortages of medical equipment in specific areas can be alleviated from surpluses elsewhere. We are already shipping our excess ventilators to other countries than are in need. 

[Andrew Amerk]

On 7/12/2020 at 10:18 PM, Andrew Amerk said:

There’s a baseball team in Buffalo?

I thought that stadium was just for the yearly Wing Fest - which I’m assuming is also cancelled like everything else that’s fun. 

So is Wing Fest happening or not?

[Taro T]

9 hours ago, Eleven said:

No one was going to deny expansion across the border into that gorgeous retractable-roof stadium that was Olympics-worthy.

You realize why it was called "Olympic Stadium," right? ?

 Thing wasn't built until the mid-70's.  (Though they "planned" to have it available sooner than that, it wasn't.  Also, how many years did that sit there as a dome because they were afraid the roof would collapse if they re-opened it?)

[Eleven]

30 minutes ago, Taro T said:

You realize why it was called "Olympic Stadium," right? ?

 

Of course I do!  But it was planned and in the works well before '76.  Never was the plan to have the Expos in Jarry Park permanently.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Eleven

[Taro T]

50 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Of course I do!  But it was planned and in the works well before '76.  Never was the plan to have the Expos in Jarry Park permanently.

But had Buffalo either kept Offerman or built a replacement for it, then the Expos would've been in Buffalo.  Which was the original point.  Buffalo would've gotten 3 major sports teams in ~1-1/2 years.  (And odds are, by ~'74 that baseball team would've ended up with the best player in baseball so Buffalo could've arguably boasted having the best player in all 4 major sports: Perreault, McAdoo, Simpson, _____.)

[Eleven]

20 minutes ago, Taro T said:

But had Buffalo either kept Offerman or built a replacement for it, then the Expos would've been in Buffalo.  Which was the original point.  Buffalo would've gotten 3 major sports teams in ~1-1/2 years.  (And odds are, by ~'74 that baseball team would've ended up with the best player in baseball so Buffalo could've arguably boasted having the best player in all 4 major sports: Perreault, McAdoo, Simpson, _____.)

No, Buffalo was the threat dangled to make sure the Expos built a dome.  As usual, MLB used Buffalo to get other cities to move in the direction MLB wanted.

[Taro T]

28 minutes ago, Eleven said:

No, Buffalo was the threat dangled to make sure the Expos built a dome.  As usual, MLB used Buffalo to get other cities to move in the direction MLB wanted.

No.  The only reason Moe-ray-all was ahead of Buffalo is because Offerman had been torn down & there would be no viable replace on the way for years.  The Lancaster dome was still just an idea not even into the design phase.  Had Buffalo had anything better than the Rockpile (which wasn't even adequate for AA baseball) they were the next in line; but as per usual, the Buffalo politicians ####ed everything up.  (A trend to continue for decades.)

[PromoTheRobot]

Turns out Jays pulled some strings and will play at Rogers Centre. We'll see how long this lasts as soon as there is a Covid outbreak traced to visiting players.

[IKnowPhysics]

On 7/12/2020 at 7:06 PM, Let's Go B-Lo said:

Buffalo is glad it didn't or doesn't have an MLB team. Picture the Pirates only worse. No money to actually be good and lose every good player you ever have to the Yankees. 

No thanks.

Agreed.  Buffalo corporate dollars are already scraping by to support two of the big four.  The economics of baseball with a soft salary cap would kick the hell out of the profitability of a MLB team in WNY.  It'd likely force even a rich owner to downgrade payrolls and strap competitiveness.  Dodgers, Cubs, Yankees, and Red Sox all spent north of $200M last year.  These teams are major corporations supported by major corporations.  The Bills only spent $158M AAV in 2019.  It's highly unlikely that we could field a competitive MLB team that at least breaks even in profit.

The silver lining - not to be overlooked - is that we have the best and biggest stadium in MiLB located in the heart of our downtown, field a competitive team (when our affiliate isn't hot trash, cough, Mets, cough), have dirt cheap tickets that make going to games extremely family friendly (as opposed to MLB-mandated ticket prices), good local food at concession stands, make a sustainable profit, and still have money left over for fireworks*.

Minor league dirt piles are old-timey romantic fun, but Pilot Downtown North AmeriCare Dunn Tire Coca-Cola Sahlen Field is a true gem for sports spectatorship.  Its architecture started the now continent-wide trend of modern retro-classic stadiums.

 

*Story time: I will never, ever forget seeing a walk-off grand slam whose celebration went straight to fireworks (because Friday Night Bash).  Simply awesome.