Rogers Centre: Let's Go Blue Jays.

       While Carter and I were in Toronto with my parents, we decided to hit up a Bluejays Game. Walking over to the stadium, there were quite a few food trucks selling hotdogs and drinks. Looking back now, we should have taken the opportunity to grab the drinks and food because you are allowed to take outside food into the game. Plus the prices are CRAZY inside for the cokes and snacks.

     Carter and I were excited to go to our first dome-style ballpark. Initially the dome was closed. This made the inside of the dome very roasty. However once we reached our seats we noticed light beginning to peak through the roof. Yes! We got to watch the roof fully open. From what we have read, this is a rare occasion.

Batter Up

Before they opened the roof.

Swing and a Hit

    It was exciting to see two old Braves players at this field, and I enjoyed celebrating Dad with 30,000 other people in the dome that day.

How Does Rogers Centre Measure Up:

Ballpark Concessions: 3

  As I mentioned earlier, the food here is crazy expensive and not much to brag about. They have the usual concessions like hotdogs, popcorn, and pretzels. Carter and I got Big Smoke Jerk Chicken Nachos which were savory and spicy. Yes, while they were extremely tasty, they were small for a $9 price tag. In the stadium, they offer Pizza-Pizza a Canadian pizza restaurant which smelled good and would have been a great choice as well.

Stadium Architecture and Views: 3 ½

It was a perfect setting for baseball. The weather was cool and breezy, and they opened the roof. The Jays hosted the Phillies on Father's Day under the shadow of the CN Tower. There are areas where the Rogers Centre is showing its age. Some of the seating which looks old and rusty in many places. Many skyscrapers can be seen and the retractable roof was very unquie to see in action. 

Fan Participation: 4 

   The fans that were at this game were louder than expected and vocally cheer on their team.  Almost every fan had a Blue Jay shirt or hat on supporting their home team. This was the first game we have attended that attempted a wave repeatedly and finally had a succeeded with a complete rotation! During the 7th inning stretch, all the fans stand, sing, and dance to the song "OK Blue Jays" which is played before "Take Me out to the Ballgame" and is a staple at Blue Jay games. 

Overall: 3 ½

      An international game and great fans. It was a great way to spend Father's Day.

Cleveland Indians: Go Tribe!

  Carter and I hopped in our car Friday night, and made our way to Ohio in order to cross the next ballpark off our list. Progressive Field is in Cleveland, Ohio and is home to the Indians. Upon arriving near the park, we began looking for parking. We pulled into a lot selling parking spots for $20 and realized that the attendants were parking the cars so tightly that you would not be able to leave until everyone parked around you has decided to leave. Um…no thank you. As it turns out we ended up parking in the official Progressive Field parking deck.  It was only $12 plus easy to leave when we were ready. A great find!

            The streets were packed with people dancing to a military band playing in the street and mulling around the bars and restaurants nearby. The mood felt electric! After grabbing $14 tickets, we entered the stadium. In order to get a picture of Carter near the field, we began weaving our way down to the lower deck. I pulled the employee manning one of the lower sections over and asked him to snap a picture of Carter and me. Ricardo (the employee) had a difficult time working my camera, but he was able to capture this picture of us. 

The Military Band

Ricardo's Picture

Ricardo asked us where we were from and where we were sitting. Immediately, I launched into my story about our ballpark tour. He gave me a wink and told us to see him in the second inning. Yes please!!! A seat upgrade!

Our "New" seats.

Click here for our Cleveland Ratings

How Does Progressive Field Measure Up?

Ballpark Concessions: 5

·                   Fantastic options! The Food Network  Stands offered specialty sandwiches and hotdogs. Carter and I opted for the Cleveland Dog. A hotdog topped with BBQ and Coleslaw. I read the park is famous for their I-shaped pretzels served with Cleveland’s signature Bertman’s Ballpark Mustard but alas after asking several employees and stopping at several concessions stands, I was not lucky enough to find one. I did find a cinnamon sugar soft pretzel from one of the specialty stands.  Be sure to stop at the APPetizer stand for some chicken and waffles or a deep fried snickers. Even though we did not  did not get anything from this stand the smells alone were enough to make your stomach begin to grumble. If fries are your thing check out the fry concession stand where you could literally watch your fries being cut fresh in front you.

Our Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel

One of the Food Network Speciality Carts

Food Network Hot Dog Bar

The Traditional Options

The Famous Bertman's Ball Park Mustard

The APPetizer Store 

Stadium Architecture and Views:  3 ¾

   Progressive field has a interesting open outfield that allows you to look out over the city.  In left field you can sit in $10 bleacher seats right beneath the jumbotron. They also have partnered with the local university to harness wind power for the stadium. A “green” thumbs up!

View from the Stadium 

View from the other side of stadium

The Wind Power Contraption.

Fan Participation: 3

One of the Indians players was named Shin Shoo Choo. Whenever he stepped up to bat fans would holler CHOOOOOOOOO! I looked forward to his time at bat as I quickly followed along pretending to be a local. When the Indians hit a good ball the fans went nuts but other than that the crowds were pretty low cut. In addition to that the upper deck in right field was completely void of fans even for a fireworks night.

Batter Up.

Chooooooooo! My new favorite Indians Player!

Rally Alley-A place for the fans to cheer on their Indians.

More of Rally Alley

Overall: 3.9