Opened: 1989
Capacity: 49,539
What the authors say: “Inside Rogers the atmosphere resembles that of older-generation domes like the Metrodome and Kingdome, but on a much grander scale.”
Learned from the book:
• The SkyDome, the original name of this mammoth structure, was such a sight to behold that a 4 million fans annually attended games in the early years (helped, of course, by a team that won back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993). The stadium’s cachet was soon lost when Baltimore started the retro stadium craze in 1992.
• It takes 20 minutes to open the domed roof (slow by today’s standards). Although watching the transformation is spectacular from any perspective, the authors are partial to the overhead view from the CN Tower right next door.
• At this point, the Blue Jays are the only team with an infield that is mostly covered in artificial turf. The only dirt visible is rectangles around each of the bases.
• It would probably be unfair to call the Rogers Centre a white elephant, but clearly its value has dropped considerably. It cost $578 million to build the dome, but in 2005 it was sold to Rogers Communications for a mere $25 million.
• Depending on who you believe, Roger Clemens was injected with steroids in one of the hotel rooms that overlooks the field.
• The Rogers Centre is far taller than Houston’s Astrodome – 31 stories compared with 18 stories.
• When enclosed, 22 million pounds of roof panels cover the field.
