The Blue Jays "hope to install a dirt infield at the Rogers Centre for next season while they work toward a natural grass playing surface" for the '18 season, according to John Lott of the NATIONAL POST. Blue Jays Senior VP/Business Operations Stephen Brooks said that both moves are part of the club’s five-year, C$250M "capital budget for stadium upgrades." The dirt infield "would be installed in the existing AstroTurf, using the model of Tropicana Field, where the Tampa Bay Rays play on artificial turf under a dome." Brooks: “It would be Step 1 in the real-grass project. We’re working on the cost of that and what we have to do to cut out the turf and what drainage requirements would be needed to make that happen.” Lott notes the Rogers Centre playing surface "has no drainage system." Brooks said that the long-range plan "would make the Rogers Centre a 'baseball-first' stadium, not a baseball-only venue." He added that other events, such as Supercross and Monster Jam, "would continue to be held, with a turf cover or another type of safety shield over the playing surface." Lott notes the infield and “real-grass” projects "loom as priorities" for new Blue Jays President & CEO Mark Shapiro. Plenty of other changes are also "in store for the 26-year-old stadium." The entire PVC membrane over the stadium roof "is worn out and must be replaced." The club will "investigate the possibility of using material that will allow diffused sunlight to shine through and help nurture the grass." The Blue Jays also will "continue to repair and upgrade the rail system that allows the four sections of the roof to open and close." All of the venue's seats "will be replaced." Brooks said that this "may involve making the seats larger, which could result in the loss of 2,000 to 3,000 seats." Also, all suites "will be renovated" (NATIONAL POST, 9/2).
MAKING HIS MARK? In Toronto, Doug Smith wrote the Blue Jays "did a fine job in finding a replacement" for outgoing President & CEO Paul Beeston "when they plucked" Shapiro out of the Indians' organization. Shapiro would "seem to have the business acumen to keep the Blue Jays making money and he’s got the stadium construction chops to keep turning Rogers Centre into something of a livable place to play." But Smith asks, "Why now? Why hire him now knowing full well he won’t do a thing in Toronto until this magical season ends?" Smith: "This is a good hiring, it would seem by all the stories and columns I read yesterday from baseball writers that I respect. I’m just not sure it was handled the right way" (THESTAR.com, 9/1).
