Running 2017 MLB regular season thread

Weirdest experience I've ever had was staying in one of those hotel rooms. I sat at the bar in front of the window overlooking the field, only half-watching Roger Clemens take a no-hitter into the fifth against a Matt Stairs-era A's team and the family sitting in those nosebleed seats right in front of my window asked me if I could give them some food. The ballpark food was too expensive.

I'd never been panhandled at a Major League baseball game.

I quickly moved over to the window in the other room.

 

That should definitely be a scene in a movie.

 

That might have been back in the days when McDonald's ran the concessions at the dome. And yes, it was as bad - and horrifically overpriced - as it sounds.

 

When Skydome opened, I remember reading so much about it was practically the world's 8th wonder. It quickly fell into the 'meh' category.

 

Considering the shithole that Exhibition Stadium was the dome was a godsend to baseball fans in Toronto. As a stadium it was quickly eclipsed by retro parks like Camden Yards but it is a still a great place to watch a game on a summer afternoon or evening with the roof open. When crowds were bad and the roof closed it was like a mausoleum.

Rogers, which bought the place for basically nothing - something like $25 million after it cost more than $500 million to build - has done some good things to fix it up by expanding the concourses, replacing the center field restaurant with a two-level area that is very popular and expanding beer and concession options. Beyond that it is also very close to public transit options and there are loads of bars and restaurants in the area which is a major plus.

 

I remember when it opens, they had TV monitors in the dugout so the manager could look into the bullpen. The joke was that the relievers couldn't have any fun in the pen because everyone could see them.

 

Remember visiting in 1990, right after it opened. It's the last of the multipurpose parks that don't seem to suit football or baseball, and they had to add more playing field space to accommodate a CFL field, of course. And now the Argos share a stadium with the MLS team.

 

There was talk years back of knocking out the hotel and opening up the centre field area for a view of the skyline around the jumbotron but that went nowhere, wouldn't be much of a view anyway, nothing but construction cranes for more condos.

 

I remember the gargoyles they had hanging from the corners too. Knock out the hotel? As noted uptopic, it would deprive fans the opportunity to see if the starter lasts nine innings ...

 

Those things are still there, almost nothing has changed on the exterior of the place. I have only been in the hotel once and there were signs posted at the windows basically telling people not to fuck there.

 

The all-Garcia outfield for the White Sox is the first starting outfield in MLB history with the same last name. Closest was the Browns of Pittsburgh (Adrian, Emil and Brant), but one of them was at 1B that day. The Alous never did it, contrary to popular belief.

 

Skydome is now a retro park in its own right -- the last baseball version of the 60s/70s domes led by the Astrodome (the Superdome the last example in the NFL).

I suppose when the 90s retro parks start wearing out in the 2020s the replacements will be some kind of updated versions of the 1960s multipurpose ashtray stadiums.