Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “.
As we enter the stretch run of the Christmas season it looks as if the good boys and girls who are Blue Jay fans are getting a teaser of their present from Santa.
The news came blaring out last Friday morning that Rogers Communications, along with Brookfield Asset Management, were planning to demolish the Rogers Centre, a.k.a. the ” SkyDome “, and construct a new stadium.
The story suggested a NEW baseball oriented venue would be constructed on the current site…..or the possibility existed that maybe the new stadium would be a waterfront facility.
The details were all reported in black & white by Andrew Willis in the Globe & Mail newspaper.
And that was my first red flag…….
Why wouldn’t Rogers Communications Incorporated, owners of Rogers Sportsnet and other Rogers news-oriented media properties across the country, tell their own news services that Rogers Communications Incorporated was planning on demolishing the Rogers Centre ?
I asked somebody in the Rogers chain and her reply was, ” Fred….that’s a truly spectacular question “, which translated means she didn’t know either and was far more peeved than curious.
I also had a conversation with another connected sports personality with a rival media firm in Toronto and his take was the Blue Jays, a.k.a. Rogers Communications Inc, are envious of Oracle Park, the property the San Francisco Giants operate.
He believes, the Rogers-Jays would like a similar facility that creates a solid stream of revenue whether the Giants are on the field or not.
At one point the SkyDome cum Rogers Centre and the Blue Jays were state-of-the-art and the model for success in baseball. Thirty years later, it appears Rogers Communications is chasing the game on the field and in the facility where the field is located.
I’m Fred Wallace