Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons is in "preliminary discussions with state officials about getting financial assistance to make upgrades to Sahlen Field" as the 35-year-old Buffalo ballpark is "in need of an overhaul," according to a front-page piece by Michael Petro of the BUFFALO NEWS. The 16,600-seat stadium, which was built in 1988, is the "oldest non-renovated Triple-A ballpark in the country." The Bisons hired lobbyist firm Masiello, Martucci & Associates, led by former Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello, to "help make that pitch at the state level to Gov. Kathy Hochul." The Blue Jays "made millions of dollars’ worth of upgrades to the stadium and inside amenities" when the team played in Buffalo during portions of the 2020 and 2021 seasons -- a total of 49 games -- due to cross-border pandemic restrictions. But those upgrades were "made mostly to baseball-related parts of the stadium -- bringing the clubhouse, the field and the lighting up to Major League Baseball standards." Upgrades are "most certainly still needed at Sahlen Field in places such as the seating, concourses, concessions areas, kitchens, suites, community spaces and infrastructure around the stadium bowl and exterior and façade of the building" (BUFFALO NEWS, 11/9).
