Rogers needs to spend on ball team, not ballpark
A winning roster always leads to sell-out crowds
Asmall piece of advice as the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers wait and wonder about the future of the Rogers Centre: Spend on your ball team. Spend a lot. Do it now. Instead of investing the billions it will take to knock down Rogers Centre and build something new — not to mention trying to figure out where the Jays will play while this apparently is going on — how about investing millions in the current team?
Sign a Trevor Bauer. Trade for Francisco Lindor. Go hard after George Springer and D. J. Lemahieu. Surround Bo Bichette and Vladdy Guerrero Jr. and Hyun- jin Ryu with a whole lot more talent.
The one thing certain about a Toronto baseball crowd: Give them a contender, they will give you a sold out or nearly sold out Rogers Centre.
That is, of course, assuming the Jays will be playing at home and that tickets can or will be sold for the coming season.
The history is there. The Jays made the playoffs in 2015 and 2016. They led the American League in attendance in 2016 and 2017. The stadium that needs to be redone is never the problem when the Jays are winning.
When the Dome first opened in 1989, the Jays made the playoffs and led the AL in attendance, for that year and for the five years that followed. The Jays were in the playoffs in ’ 89, ’ 91, ’ 92 and ’ 93, winning the World Series twice, and selling more tickets than anyone in baseball.
Give Rogers credit for seeking out a stadium alternative for the future. That needs to be done.
But understand this: When the Blue Jays win, the old, packed stadium never seems to be much of an issue.
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