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| - Like Fenway, I have been in Toronto plenty of times before, but never before to the Rogers Centre. Baseball in downtown Toronto was certainly a unique experience for me.
First, it was the first dome (and thus artificial turf) stadium that I've been to. The roof was closed before the game began, but opened up to a beautiful evening skyline as the game progressed. The CN tower was visible behind the first-base side of the diamond. My experience would've definitely been different had the dome been closed but for this particular trip, I was fortunate enough to see it open. Even if it was closed though, I'm sure I would've been perfectly content knowing that I can watch a game without there being a possibility of having it be delayed or rained out.
Unlike the open, expansive outfields of other baseball stadiums, there's a restaurant/hotel that walls off center field. While it creates a certain symmetry for the ballpark, the giant plasma screen that's centered here makes the structure a bit more tolerable. It's unique, and a bit more aesthetically pleasing to than say the lackluster outfields of Dodger Stadium or Oakland Coliseum.
The crowd on hand was pretty lively for a team currently out of contention, but that could have also been because it happened to be a Friday night game.
Several other amusing things I noticed. The Blue Jays have their own "fight song" called "OK Blue Jays" that they sing before Take Me Out to the Ballgame, which can I only describe as silly fun. Also in the silly fun category, the crowd was introduced to (what the announcer claimed) "baseball's fastest ground crew", essentially three teams of three that sprint out from the outfield fences, run to their respective bases around the diamond, smooth out the dirt areas, then run back to where they came from. This all happens in a minute or two because well, artificial turf covers most of the infield.
All in all, a fun experience. Not exactly the prettiest ballpark I've been to, but the ability to walk around an unfamiliar stadium and see baseball north of the border on a cool summer evening and with a lively crowd made for a pleasant way to spend my Friday evening. I definitely wouldn't mind coming back here again.
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