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| - One of the two or three worst stadiums in Major League Baseball. The SkyDome was built in the late 80s and fulfills the utilitarian, brutalist ethos of stadium design dating back to the cookie-cutter cement bowls of the 60s and 70s. The retractable dome and location just beside the CN Tower hint at the Rogers Centre trying to be some sort of futuristic artifact but the execution fails on almost every level. If the 'Dome was designed just a few years later it would have come after Camden Yards, the first of the retro asymmetrical stadiums that actually have personality and modern amenities.
Although the name change from SkyDome to Rogers Centre can never be forgiven, at least with Rogers owning the building baseball comes first. Initially, the building gave the same consideration to the Auto Show, CFL football and monster truck rallies as it did to the Blue Jays, it's primary tenant. Now baseball comes first, although some of the seats along the first and third base lines in the 100 level still point more toward centre field than home plate.
They've upgraded the screen and cleaned up the concourses but the stadium still has the greatest of sins in baseball - greater than juicing or stealing signs. The Rogers Centre has artificial turf. Even the Minnesota Twins, situated much further north than Toronto, now play on grass. But not the Blue Jays. Ruined knees and visible seams are the legacy of the decision to build this hulking multipurpose dome who's two primary tenants play mostly in the summer (MLB regular season runs April to September, CFL runs July to November).
And the food! The SkyDome has some of the worst food in all of professional sports. Again, Camden Yards in Baltimore started the trend of having a signature dish. And now almost every team in baseball has something, often regional, always at the ballpark that makes the food stand out. Even the late (and horrible in every other way) Stade Olympique in Montreal had hand-sliced smoked meat sandwiches for sale. The SkyDome's culinary claim to fame: during the World Series days it was McDonalds. Yes, we had a McDonalds under the dome. Whoop-dee-doo! But with the attendance crash of the late 90s the McDonalds closed shop. For a while food options peaked with chicken fingers.
Now the Rogers Centre has tried to improve the food options during the game. During the most recent game I attended (and I've been to at least 50) we decided to try out the Muddy York Market before heading up to our seats in the 500 level. I got a beef brisket sandwich which was the sweetest meat sandwich I have ever eaten.Literally. The sauce on the beef was all sugar with zero kick. The bread was...not mediocre. My partner opted for the Yaki stir-fry which cost around $12. At first we were super excited. Unlike my surprisingly light $10 sandwich with no sides the stir-fry container felt hefty as we carried it up the endless ramps to the upper deck. Then she had a bite. Stale-tasting rice. Hard veggies that seemed both over and undercooked at the same time. I was hoping for, at the very least, mall-level stir-fry. This was buffet level dreck.
Here's to the Blue Jays and their fans who have to suffer through one of the worst stadiums in professional sports. i'd just tear the whole thing down and start over.
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