Take me out to the Ballgame

I spent Sunday afternoon in Toronto doing what most Torontonians don't...I went to a Blue Jays game. Sadly, in the last 15 years, since the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series pennants in 1992 and 1993, the attendance seems to have steadily dwindled and yesterday there did not seem to be many more spectators than on a good day at Nat Bailey.

I went with my old friend Ellen who along with her husband Howard have Seasons Tickets. They are exteremely good seats, row 11 behind home plate and one gets a very good view of the game. Watching in the ball park is a very different experience than watching on TV where you have to watch what the camera shows you.I had read that many people are not coming to the games since the Blue Jays are a losing team. That may be true. But I also suspect that many may not come because it can also be quite expensive for the average family. While one can buy an outfield upper deck ticket for as little as $10, a beer is $10, popcorn is over $6, even a small bag of peanuts is $5. That's too much.

I checked on-line and noticed that seats in the first row behind home plate re-sell for just over $300 each.

While the Blue Jays have not been winning, this was not the case on Sunday. For the first few innings they could do little wrong and before long had 9 runs. The final score was 9-3, and we all went home happy.One of the things that added to the game enjoyment was the open roof. If you haven't been to Rogers Park, the roof slides open or shut depending on the weather. As I sat there with the sun streaming down, I couldn't help but think about BC Place Stadium and its roof. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it could open like the Toronto Stadium. Sadly, I don't think this will happen. After seeing a model of the new stadium, I understand that our new roof does not turn the stadium into a 'convertible'. Instead, we arereally just adding a large sun-roof. It's better than nothing, but I remain to be convinced that it's worth the cost.

But if you are in Toronto, it is worth the cost of going to a game....if only once. (80 games might be a bit too much) Better still, find a friend with seasons tickets. They probably aren't using them!