Blue Jays vs. Steam Whistle

[atomeyes]

last night, i went to the Raptors' game. my brother asked if i wanted a beer.
until the Rogers Centre or ACC bring in something i can remotely enjoy, i'll keep my $10 per beer in my pocket and embrace sobriety (read: pre-drinking)

[JeffPorter]

last night, i went to the Raptors' game. my brother asked if i wanted a beer.
until the Rogers Centre or ACC bring in something i can remotely enjoy, i'll keep my $10 per beer in my pocket and embrace sobriety (read: pre-drinking)

Went to the heartbreaker on the weekend with the kids and my parents. I had a beer because I was taking my Dad for his birthday.

Settled on a Labatt 50 for some reason - regrettable and not great, but not altogether horrible. Sometimes it's about who you have the beer with.

Still would have gladly bought a steamwhistle if I could have.

[Kish84]

I'm looking forward to the Phillies-Jays game I'm going to on Monday...In Philly

[rejtable]

P.S. yesterday from Stone. Sigh.

This is a telling picture. Think about it for a minute. Awesome beer, summer like weather and there are OPEN seats at the bar!?!? Tells you something about craft beer still being a small fraction of the market. I bet there is a Coors Light tap at Petco where they are lined up 6 deep.

Having just returned I can safely say that this statement is completely backwards. I mean, I'm sure there was a Miller line somewhere 6 ppl deep, but there were dozens of lines of craft spots just as deep. The macro taps are tacked onto pizza/hot dog spots, but there are craft kiosks/taps everywhere you look. I put more into the San Diego thread, but remembered a small discussion here.

It struck me as I was sitting in the CF bleachers there (free to explore during the day!) drinking a Speedway Stout that the Blue Jays (and really not just the Blue Jays... pretty much any pro facility in this country) really don't get it. They are so far off the mark in creating a great atmosphere at a ballpark it's insane. From the crappy turf to the dark concrete bunkers inside the park, to the brutal food selection and the bad beer. Of course a place like San Diego has advantages that Toronto doesn't have, especially weather, but top to bottom the fan experience at PETCO is a whole other universe than any trip I've ever ever had at Rogers Centre (or really any major venue in Canada). I've been to lots of other ML parks, and not all are as good as PETCO, but even the worst are miles ahead of the Jays. Beer is just a small part of that.

The Stone patio inside (there is also a big Stone bar just outside the park) is awesome, but I can definitely imagine a world where it doesn't succeed. It's really out of the way, and during a game people would rather be watching the game. But it is a beautiful spot for a pregame beer, with a great view of the Coronado bridge. If I were guessing I'd say that spot held something else before, closed, and Stone got a break on the lease to try it out. I think any vendor would have some issues there, but if Stone can't make it nobody else will.

[midlife crisis]

Couldn't agree more. The Rogers Centre is a disaster on pretty much every level, and really only Tampa Bay holds it back from being the worst ballpark in the majors. And for football it is even worse (if that is possible), primarily because of the seat configuration.

I had high hopes for a more enlightened approach at BMo Field when it first opened, with diverse food offerings and at least a smattering of beer choice, but it has regressed badly as well, most notably with the Budweiser contract. Gack!

[Colin @ Canada]

Money talks and it's all about the money. It's too bad. The best way to fight back in my opinion is to make it a "pr" thing. Maybe bringing banners to the game for some tv press? A group all wearing "where's my steam whistle beer" t shirts might get on the air ? Stuff like that. Then hopefully the jays will put it back on and they'll swear they are doing it for the community and it was their idea.