Jays to play in Buffalo?

[Brawndo]

 

[LGR4GM]

It would be really cool if they played here. I hope it happens. 

[gilbert11]

On 7/17/2020 at 12:08 PM, IKnowPhysics said:

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.

If the stadium is so great, why are the Jays saying it’s inadequate for MLB night games?

[Doohicksie]

On 7/13/2020 at 8:21 PM, 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.

And the Expos didn't have an MLB stadium at first, and the Rockpile was a much bigger venue than Jarry Park.  Offerman wouldn't have fit the bill.  It had a capacity of only 14,000.

[Doohicksie]

Interesting side thought:  If the MLB had demanded a dome of Buffalo, would the Nameless Wonder in Orchard Park have been built as a domed, dual-use stadium?

[PromoTheRobot]

Canada declines Jay's request. May end up in Buffalo anyway.

https://buffalonews.com/sports/buffalo-bound-canada-denies-blue-jays-permission-to-play-in-toronto/article_2bd47384-c92a-11ea-b29e-b3ec114b6725.html

 

[gilbert11]

49 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Canada declines Jay's request. May end up in Buffalo anyway.

https://buffalonews.com/sports/buffalo-bound-canada-denies-blue-jays-permission-to-play-in-toronto/article_2bd47384-c92a-11ea-b29e-b3ec114b6725.html

 

Dunedin’s Pinellas county was hard hit this past week.

 

• As of 11:00 a.m., July 16th, there are 315,775 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the State of Florida with 19,825 hospitalizations and 4,782 deaths. In Pinellas County, the number of confirmed cases rose from 9,826 confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week to 12,368 cases this week, with 1,059 hospitalizations and 295 deaths, increases of 226 and 74, respectively. The number of positive cases in the Dunedin area increased from 236 to 301.

[PromoTheRobot]

11 minutes ago, gilbert11 said:

Dunedin’s Pinellas county was hard hit this past week.

 

• As of 11:00 a.m., July 16th, there are 315,775 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the State of Florida with 19,825 hospitalizations and 4,782 deaths. In Pinellas County, the number of confirmed cases rose from 9,826 confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week to 12,368 cases this week, with 1,059 hospitalizations and 295 deaths, increases of 226 and 74, respectively. The number of positive cases in the Dunedin area increased from 236 to 301.

 

And yet the Jays are STILL considering Dunedin. Buffalo is their last resort apparently.

[Eleven]

12 minutes ago, gilbert11 said:

Dunedin’s Pinellas county was hard hit this past week.

 

• As of 11:00 a.m., July 16th, there are 315,775 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the State of Florida with 19,825 hospitalizations and 4,782 deaths. In Pinellas County, the number of confirmed cases rose from 9,826 confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week to 12,368 cases this week, with 1,059 hospitalizations and 295 deaths, increases of 226 and 74, respectively. The number of positive cases in the Dunedin area increased from 236 to 301.

The Jays also start on the road at Tampa, don't they?

I'm not so sure I want them here.

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

And yet the Jays are STILL considering Dunedin. Buffalo is their last resort apparently.

Good.  Stay in Dunedin.

[gilbert11]

3 minutes ago, Eleven said:

The Jays also start on the road at Tampa, don't they?

I'm not so sure I want them here.

Good.  Stay in Dunedin.

Yes, they’re on the road the first week.  As the official statement said, once they leave, they’re not going back to Canada until after the season.

[Eleven]

18 minutes ago, gilbert11 said:

Yes, they’re on the road the first week.  As the official statement said, once they leave, they’re not going back to Canada until after the season.

I don't care if they go back to Canada, but I don't want them here.  The economic impact and "cool factor" that they might have is not worth damaging all of the hard work we've done here.

[IKnowPhysics]

6 hours ago, gilbert11 said:

If the stadium is so great, why are the Jays saying it’s inadequate for MLB night games?

From TBN:

"The Blue Jays are still trying to determine if major systems work needed for Sahlen Field such as lighting and control rooms for instant replay could be taken care of in the short window remaining before the schedule begins.

Sources say the Bisons' parent club also has concerns about areas that include social distancing in the clubhouses, workout rooms and batting cages, repairs needed to bullpen phones and the fact the pens are in foul territory down the lines and not behind the outfield fence."

Because I believe a great stadium for a great day at the park has absolutely nothing to do with any of the Jays' functional concerns.

[ubkev]

3 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

From TBN:

"The Blue Jays are still trying to determine if major systems work needed for Sahlen Field such as lighting and control rooms for instant replay could be taken care of in the short window remaining before the schedule begins.

Sources say the Bisons' parent club also has concerns about areas that include social distancing in the clubhouses, workout rooms and batting cages, repairs needed to bullpen phones and the fact the pens are in foul territory down the lines and not behind the outfield fence."

Because I believe a great stadium for a great day at the park has absolutely nothing to do with any of the Jays' functional concerns.

I've been to that park and a few other minor league parks and a few major league ones. And one thing I'll say is I have an extreme and visceral hatred for bullpens that are on the field of play. ***** hate 'em! It's just injuries waiting to happen. Even Wrigley Field did away with them.

But I'd still pick Buffalo in summer time over Florida any time. That's a no brainier. 

[LabattBlue]

I have a renewed interest in baseball over the last few years, but I could not care less if the Jays decided to come here for the season.  If you can’t attend the games, go play them in the middle of Montana instead. 
 

 

So they would use a hotel for a couple months.  Big deal.  Other than that they are going to be quarantined.  No local businesses will benefit from a bunch of millionaires being here for a short time. 

[Marvin]

10 hours ago, Eleven said:

The Jays also start on the road at Tampa, don't they?

I'm not so sure I want them here.

Good.  Stay in Dunedin.

Amen.  I don't want people with no loyalty to the area to turn the area into a coronavirus hot spot or a political football.

[Eleven]

4 hours ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

That's 29 days of NY income taxes from 50ish millionaires going into the coffers.  That's not insignificant.  They'd use a hotel and so would the team coming in to play, that's occupancy for the hotel and hotel tax into the county coffers as well.  It's also work for the groundskeepers, a contract for a lighting company to replace the lights, local people to complete the project, it's work for the stadium people to clean and sanitize the stadium 29+ times, it's a contract with a bus company to shuttle teams around and work for some drivers, everyone will eat and drink while they are here so it is money for at least one restaurant to feed people and work for their staff and tips for the people who deliver the food.

They won't be going to restaurants, and even if they were, that, plus the rest of it, isn't worth the risk.  We put in some serious work in NYS and I don't need out-of-towners screwing it up.

[Brawndo]

It appears the Blue Jays are looking at other MLB Stadiums to play in, PNC Park in Pittsburgh is one such site 

[kas23]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

It appears the Blue Jays are looking at other MLB Stadiums to play in, PNC Park in Pittsburgh is one such site 

Shocking. But, it makes sense for them to be playing in another MLB stadium while the “home” team is away. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Yous all can have 'em, eh!!

[JohnC]

On 7/18/2020 at 3:27 PM, LGR4GM said:

It would be really cool if they played here. I hope it happens. 

I agree with you that it would be cool if Toronto decided to play in Buffalo. However, it seems that the players are resistant to playing in a minor league stadium because the accommodations don't satisfy them. 

The attached link is a 13 minute plus segment of a reporter who follows the Blue Jays talking on WGR about the issue of where they might play. Regarding the Buffalo location it is the players who are nixing the deal. That is not to say that it won't happen but it is unlikely. 

https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/07-20-tsn-blue-jays-reporter-scott-mitchell

[LabattBlue]

Isn’t the schedule all worked out? If they play in Pittsburgh when the Pirates are away, I’m sure their current schedule would have to be reworked, which means everyone’s schedule has to be redone. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by LabattBlue

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, LabattBlue said:

Isn’t the schedule all worked out? If they play in Pittsburgh when the Pirates are away, I’m sure their current schedule would have to be reworked, which means everyone’s schedule has to be redone. 

There are no fans so there shouldn't be a problem playing more than one game per day in any park.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

There are no fans so there shouldn't be a problem playing more than one game per day in any park.

The only issue is whether or not the stadium has enough "major league class" locker rooms, meeting rooms, training facilities, etc. to accommodate 4 teams' worth of guys used to being overly pampered or only 2 teams' worth.  But even if the stadium could only accommodate 2 teams, start 1 game at noon & the other at 8PM. That should leave enough time to sanitize & change things over between games.

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

The only issue is whether or not the stadium has enough "major league class" locker rooms, meeting rooms, training facilities, etc. to accommodate 4 teams' worth of guys used to being overly pampered or only 2 teams' worth.  But even if the stadium could only accommodate 2 teams, start 1 game at noon & the other at 8PM. That should leave enough time to sanitize & change things over between games.

Yep.  Is the NHL doing all of its games in two stadiums, or is it spreading the games across the cities?  I mean games, not practice time.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

Yep.  Is the NHL doing all of its games in two stadiums, or is it spreading the games across the cities?  I mean games, not practice time.

Thought the games will all be in the NHL rink in each town, so that last game of the evening could be seriously like skating in mud if the building AC isn't working at peak condition.