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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We Heart Canada

The four of us have lived in southeastern Michigan for the duration of our lives.

To us, Canada is not so much another country as it is another city connected by a bridge.

Whether it was celebrating our 19th birthday in style, or extending the value of our dollar at the casino (right, Steve B.?), we spent a lot of time in this not-so-foreign country.

So as we prepare for our trip to Toronto on April 9 to catch the Tigers and the Blue Jays, we wanted to share our favorite things about Canada.

• Hockey Night in Canada – The rest of the United States might not care too much for the game of hockey, but in Detroit, the Canadian’s love of the game rubbed off on us. And, it helps when the home team is the Detroit Red Wings. Even though they got rid of the old theme song, it’s comforting to see some traditions stay the same.

• The Canadian Football League – Just like the NFL, only bigger! Why use 100 yards when you can use 120? Why put the uprights in the back of the end zone when you can place them at the goal line and increase the chances of high speed collisions? Why shouldn’t we award single points at seemingly random times? The visionaries behind the league asked these questions, then answered them. For that, we love them.

• Border Crossings – When you’re planning a trip to Canada, you must anticipate the potential delay caused by Canadian border crossing agents. While not as stingy as their American counterparts, they have been known to detain you in a shiny room while they eye you and your identification suspiciously. Meanwhile, a cadre of crossing cadets is rifling through your carefully packed luggage, looking for any sign of contraband. Since it’s in your friend’s sock, they don’t find anything. But just to be jerks, they leave your luggage in disarray.

• The Canadian National Anthem – There’s something about this anthem that puts all other national songs to shame. Maybe it’s because men in tuxedos usually sing it during the NHL playoffs, which makes you feel like you’re somewhere special. Or, maybe it’s because singers often intermix English and French during the same singing, which makes it sound even cooler. Or, maybe, just maybe, it’s because you’ve never heard 20,000 people sing in unison in such a way, and you got goosebumps. Whichever way is your way, just know we love you, Canadian anthem.

• Wayne Gretzky – Just kidding. Steve B. hates The Great One.

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Land of the Loonie

It’s official!

Your favorite road-trippin, beerwater-swillin, horseplay-causin’ dudes are locked and loaded to make the trip to the Great White North to cross off the sixth stadium on our list: Rogers Centre.

On Thursday, April 8, we’re taking in a matinee game between the Toronto Blue Jays and our home team, the Detroit Tigers.

We know we said at the outset that it’s all aboot the stadiums, but we decided to throw in a meaningful game. Is that okay with you, guy?

While we’re there, we might mosey on over to the Hockey Hall of Fame since we’ll have a free night. And nobody ever said you couldn’t mix baseball and hockey, eh?

But what’s got us crackin’ wind in anticipation is the prospect of adding another milestone seen to the trip: Gary Sheffield‘s 500th homerun. (Mad props go out to Steve B. for bringing up that one on our regular e-mail planning sessions.) Love him or hate him, anytime you can see a player punch their ticket to the Hall of Fame is a pretty cool thing.

If you’re one of our faithful readers (do we even have any?) be sure to check back often as we get closer to the game.

Also – you can follow us on Twitter. We’ll be updating in real time on the road.

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