Jeff Ranks the Rogers Centre

Here are Jeff’s scores from our visit to Rogers Centre in Toronto:

Food & Beverage – 4.5
Italian Sausage and nachos were way above average, and tasted fresh. Good selection, better choices available.

Stadium Condition – 4.0
Clean, wide-open concourses. This stadium is not of the newest generation, but it’s in good shape, and there was a lot of thought put into the construction.

In-Game Experience – 3.5
Nothing special or unique, which is not a bad play (we’re here to watch baseball after all), but also not up to the standards of some of the other parks.

Proximity – 4.0
Some good bars/restaurants. Steak everywhere.

Overall – 4.0
I liked it.

Final score: 20/25

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Brad Ranks the Rogers Centre

Here are Brad’s scores for our visit to Rogers Centre in Toronto:

Food and Beverage – 5.0
The Rogers Centre had the best selection of food I’ve ever encountered at a baseball game. While none of us tried the hot dogs, we all had the barbecued chicken nachos, which were simply the best ballpark fare we’ve eaten on the trip.

Stadium Condition – 2.5
An average score for an average stadium. The stadium has been around for 20 years, and it looks 20 years old. Nothing more. Nothing less.

In-Game Experience – 2.0
Not much going on here. Some of the in-game scoreboard stuff was interesting — like Lyle Overbay doing his best bobblehead imitation — but there really wasn’t anything to write home about, however, seeing a baseball game played indoors for the first time was special.

Proximity – 5.0
You know what they say – Toronto is the New York City of Canada. Okay, they don’t really say that, but with a multitude of attractions and destinations within walking distance, it did have that Big Apple feel.

Overall Experience – 4.0
Four out of five for our neighbors to the north. Even though the stadium itself is pretty average (albeit cavernous) the food surprised us, and I think we all knew going in that the nightlife would be top-notch. Who knows – if we were able to witness the roof opening, maybe it would’ve bumped up the score.

Final score: 18.5/25

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Steve V. Ranks the Rogers Centre

Here is Steve V.’s scores from our visit to Rogers Centre:

Food and Beverage – 4.5
The barbeque chicken nachos were excellent. I also thought the steak at Jack Astors was quite good for the money. The only thing holding Toronto back from a 5 were the beer prices.

Stadium Condition – 4.0
Given it’s age, Rogers Centre was in excellent condition. The video screens were the best I’ve seen in a baseball stadium. Cup holders would be a nice update.

In-Game experience – 4.0
Nice in-game camera work. Announcer could be better.

Proximity – 3.5
I think that had we discovered all of the good things located near Rogers Centre we would have hung out there more.

Overall Experience – 4.0
Great time in a great city. If the prices had been slightly cheaper, Toronto would have scored near perfect scores.

Final score: 20/25

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Steve B. Ranks the Rogers Centre

Here are Steve B.’s scores for our visit to Rogers Centre in Toronto:

Food and Beverage – 5.0
If it was possible to give a higher score I would. By far this was the best food that we have had at any stadium. There were plenty of options to chose from. You could get your basic ballpark hotdog or you could get a ceasar salad or pasta. We all had the barbeque chicken nachos though and they were incredible. The food alone at Skydome is worth a visit.

Stadium Condition – 3.5
There is nothing really wrong with the condition of Rogers Centre. It’s aboot 20 years old now I believe and although it is not the most inviting thing to look at from the inside with the dome closed, its in okay shape.

In-Game Experience – 1.5
If the Tigers were not playing, I would have been extremely bored. They said there was 15,000 fans there but it didnt seem like that many. It was a school day but they really didn’t do anything to get the kids into the game like other parks do. All in all it was pretty boring, but……….. I gave it a 1.5 instead of a zero because I have to give props to the Canadian fans that were actually there. The fans in right field started the wave on one attempt and it went around the whole ball park about seven times. With only 15,000 in attendance, that is good work.

Proximity – 4.0
There are some cool restaurants and bars right near the stadium and then there is the CN Tower which is monsterous [Editor’s note: That’s what she said]. It makes you dizzy to even look up at it. CBC Broadcasting is also right down the street.

Overall Experience – 3.0
Not bad, but not great either. I was actually impressed a little by this place, I thought I would hate it becuase it is a dome but the building is very impressive and the food was good too. They need to work on their in-game entertainment to bring people in when the hot ticket teams are not in town. Canada = hockey and they have their work cut out for them. I would like to come back to the Rogers Centre in mid-summer so I can see the stadium with the roof open; I bet it is a completely different atmosphere and it probably gives a great view of Toronto.

Final score: 17/25

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Toronto in 117 words.

Even though Juan Rincon ruined Rick Porcello’s major league debut on Thursday afternoon, we still had a blast at the Stadium Formerly Known as SkyDome.

Steve B. caught a foul ball, Jeff caught a bit of a stomach bug, Steve V. caught a whiff of legalized marijuana on the streets of Toronto, and I caught some bird crap on my shirt.

In short, everybody won.

Save for the two-hour+ traffic delay, and subsequent fear of running out of gas in the middle of a busy intersection, it was an enjoyable 24 hours.

We are currently tallying up the final scores and will report back in a few days. Be sure you don’t miss it. I think you’ll be surprised.

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We had a good time, as we should, buddy.

Toronto is a fun city. You just need to get to know her.

Our night spent exploring what the city had to offer, coupled with the Tigers first win of the season, was definitely worth our time.

Among our favorites was the Fox & Fiddle, which provided a rustic atmosphere to enjoy a Sleemans, as well as an illegal smoke on the patio, if that’s your thing.

Perhaps our most enjoyable part of the night was watching Steve and Paul work their magic on a couple of lasses at Fionn McCools. We hope their efforts were worth it in the end.

Anyway, we’re off to Rogers Centre to take in today’s game between the Blue Jays and Tigers. Check back later for our review.

Here’s to two in a row.

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We’re still going to Toronto, in case you were wondering.

Yes, even after tonight’s heartbreaking loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, we’re going to fight the good fight and make the trip to Toronto.

You know why?

Because this isn’t about baseball.

Well, okay, that’s not entirely true. It is about baseball. Part of it. But it’s just a small part.

The real reason is the stadiums. And the bonding. With a little baseball thrown in for good measure.

I promise, as the main contributor to this blog, that I will not allow the Tigers apparent sucktitude to interrupt my reporting to our three loyal readers. That would be unprofessional.

I’ll just give ol’ Jim Leyland an earful at the game, because that’s totally professional.

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Next stop: Rogers Centre

Tomorrow we’re off to Toronto.

Me, Jeff, and The Steves are hitting the proverbial road to cross off the sixth stadium on our list: Rogers Centre.

And it just so happens that we’ll see our hometown team, the Detroit Tigers, in action. Even though they got shellacked by the Blue Jays last night, we’re still excited to see phenom Rick Porcello. Hopefully he won’t be tasked with salvaging a win in the season-opening series. [Editor’s note: If that does happen, I can’t promise that these blog entries will remain PG-rated.]

If you’re new to our blog, I strongly suggest you read “The Trip Thus Far” to see where we’ve been, um, thus far.

Thanks for reading. We’ll be updating tomorrow.

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Porcello, Perry to accompany Tigers to Toronto

You’ll have to excuse me.

I am going to unleash my homeristic tendencies for just a second, even though I strive for impartiality on this blog.

The Detroit Tigers just announced that Ryan Perry and Rick Porcello have made the Opening Day roster.

If the chips falls correctly, that means we’ll see Porcello’s big league debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, April 9.

So in addition to our main goal, which is to provide all six of our readers with an interesting and informative guide to all of the major league ballparks, we’ll also have a vested interest in the outcome of the game.

Don’t worry – if he gets lit up, that will not affect the Rogers Centre’s hot dog rating, but it might leave a bad taste in our mouth.

(Get it?)

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Tigers cut Sheffield; road-trippers lose out on chance to see history.

So much for our chance to see Gary Sheffield hit his 500th homerun in person.

The Detroit Tigers just released him, citing a need for “more versatility.”

As Tigers fans, we’re a little confused as to why this happened, but having Marcus Thames as the full-time DH does boost our spirits.

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