04/26/24
May 11, 2010
Roy's Return Removed:
The much-anticipated return of Roy Halladay to Toronto (in a Phillies uniform) has been taken away from Toronto. Fears of problems from the G20 summit that week has given MLB the idea of moving the series to Philadelphia instead.
I'm not even angry anymore. I'm just numb.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 03:36 PM on May 11, 2010
Thats weak even for Selig.
posted by irunfromclones at 04:05 PM on May 11, 2010
Bullshit !
posted by tommybiden at 04:10 PM on May 11, 2010
They must have read WC Fields' tombstone.
Which reads:
"On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia".
No slight intended against Toronto, a wonderful town, IMO. I have to go back and see if the Hungarian joint with the serious mashed potatoes is still there.
posted by beaverboard at 05:07 PM on May 11, 2010
What I would have preferred is to move the G20 conference to Philadelphia, and keep the Blue Jays/Phillies series in Toronto. I believe there has been no announcement yet as to whether the Toronto F.C. vs L.A. Galaxy game scheduled for the same weekend is being flipped to L.A. with the May 15th game coming to Toronto. It would seem only logical though.
From watching Beeston's press conference, and listening to Paul, he's very disappointed in having to move the game, and other MLB parks, while considered, were dismissed as it was felt that the Jays/Phillies game would cannibalize ticket sales in other markets that were possibilities. Apparently the Jays looked at Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo as options.
posted by tommybiden at 05:29 PM on May 11, 2010
That truly, truly sucks. I could give a flying fuck about the G20 - I really wanted to go cheer Roy though. He's a horse! An ace! A fucking artist!
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 05:46 PM on May 11, 2010
This cheered me up, anyway.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 05:47 PM on May 11, 2010
The Blue Jays ought to show up at the appointed game time, ready to play, IN THE ROGERS CENTER! If Selig wants to complain, tell him that you consider Philadelphia to have forfeited the game. If he tries to make Toronto forfeit, or pay any other penalty, take him to court -- in Canada. I'd like to see how far he'd get.
posted by Howard_T at 05:50 PM on May 11, 2010
Apparently the Jays looked at Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo as options.
I'd have paid to see that game.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 10:59 PM on May 11, 2010
Roy Robbed of Return?
posted by apoch at 04:49 AM on May 12, 2010
IN THE ROGERS CENTRE CENTER
Color Colour me embarrased.
Someday we really have to teach Canadians how to spell.
posted by Howard_T at 05:24 PM on May 12, 2010
I'm pretty sure there have been MLB games played in the same city at the same time as other major events, Selig is just trying to win the biggest crap contest (see some old South Park episode in which there was just such a contest).
posted by billsaysthis at 05:58 PM on May 12, 2010
Someday we really have to teach Canadians how to spell.
Whatever, you guys can talk when you adopt the metric system. What is this, the dark ages?
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:20 PM on May 12, 2010
I'm pretty sure there have been MLB games played in the same city at the same time as other major events, Selig is just trying to win the biggest crap contest (see some old South Park episode in which there was just such a contest).
The issue is that the G20 conference is taking place next door to the Rogers Centre, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The stadium is obviously inside the security zone, and the surrounding streets and expressway will be closed/restricted, not to mention restrictions on the transit system in the city. As pissed as I am about the series not taking place in Toronto, it would have been miserable trying to get to the stadium.
The blame should perhaps be placed on Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The G20 Summit was originally scheduled to take place in Huntsville Ontario, about 200 km north of the city, but our P.M., in his infinite wisdom, had it moved to Toronto.
posted by tommybiden at 07:30 PM on May 12, 2010
Blue Jay execs go to the wall for fans crying foul over series shift: This is accurate. I had tickets for the Phillies series, and called the Jays to complain. I spoke to someone in customer service, and sarcastically said, "let me speak to someone in upper management."
Paul Beeston ! called me back, about 90 minutes later. We ended up talking for about 12 minutes, initially about the moving of the series, but then just about baseball, and what the Blue Jays are building.
posted by tommybiden at 09:36 AM on May 13, 2010
Isn't there a nearby stadium they can use?
Also, tommytrump, your link goes to this page.
posted by bperk at 09:43 AM on May 13, 2010
Isn't there a nearby stadium they can use?
I asked Paul that, suggesting (as I noted in a comment earlier) Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, or Buffalo. MLB's reasoning for not going to one of those cities was that it was felt the Jays/Phillies would cannibalize ticket sales for the teams from those cities. Cleveland & Pittsburgh are having trouble selling tickets to their own games, Detroit, not to the same extent, but they're not selling out. Buffalo was looked at, but the stadium is not up to MLB standards (padding on outfield walls, lighting, etc) . We'd have been glad to have them come to London, home of the oldest baseball park in the world, Labatt Park (capacity 5,200) .
Thanks for the link tip, I'll send an email to Gary & Rogers, and ask them to fix it.
posted by tommybiden at 10:21 AM on May 13, 2010
That's a real nice argument from MLB. We don't want it closer so that Blue Jay fans can attend because it will be too good of a series, and other baseball fans would rather see that series than the series they are stuck watching.
posted by bperk at 12:40 PM on May 13, 2010
Paul Beeston ! called me back, about 90 minutes later.
Upper management indeed. I wonder how many angry fans Beeston has been talking to lately.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 03:31 PM on May 13, 2010
Upper management indeed. I wonder how many angry fans Beeston has been talking to lately.
No kidding !
He said he returns every phone call that he gets, if the person leaves a number. A very cool experience, to say the least.
posted by tommybiden at 04:24 PM on May 13, 2010
I met Beeston in 1995 at a speakers convention. Guy is very genuine and genuinely nice.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:01 PM on May 13, 2010
Dear Bud Selig,
As a life-long fan of the Toronto Blue Jays, I feel I must express myself regarding this decision take away one of the only home series the Jays were going to play that had any chance of being exciting.
Go.
Fuck.
Yourself.
Sincerely,
grum@work