It was one series that was guaranteed to finally bring fans into the seats at Rogers Centre over the course of this year.
In the year following Roy Halladay’s move to Philadelphia, the Phillies were set to travel to Toronto for a three-game interleague set from June 25-27.
Expecting a total crowd of 90,000 for the series, the decision was officially announced today by Paul Beeston, President of the Blue Jays, as a result of the upcoming G20 Summit which is set to take place the same weekend in downtown Toronto.
Beeston claimed that the move did not come at the request of the Summit organizers, but by the organization itself, hoping to save fans the hassle of going through security restrictions to attend the game (Rogers Centre falls right in the area sanctioned off for heavy security at the Summit).
The series will be moved back to Philadelphia, following no other options to play the games at the end of the year or to fit them into a shorter time period (i.e. playing a double-header on Friday).
In terms of financial restitution, the two organizations have struck a deal which will see the Jays break about even for the series.
The Jays have stated that if they knew the Summit would be scheduled for that weekend, they never would have scheduled those games for those dates.
The real issue that many fans have is the fact that the Summit has been scheduled for months, yet the Jays nor MLB took any action earlier to try to accommodate the games and the G20.
Also causing some concern is the fact that the Jays did not make any effort to play a game at a neutral stadium, which could create lots of revenue for the team and bring in new fans to the organization.
As to where, that would have created yet another debate, though Montreal or Vancouver could play suitable Canadian hosts, or the team could follow in the Expos’ footsteps and sell out a stadium in Puerto Rico, in my opinion.
Regardless, the Jays may have cost themselves the biggest series of the year, as many fans were making special arrangements for the chance to see Doc return to Rogers Centre.
Oh, but don’t worry, Beeston said they will try to accommodate those who had made special plans and preparations to travel to the city for those weekend games.
Overall, it’s a bit of a madhouse.
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