Opening Day Thoughts

Is it just me, or did more planes land on the field at the Rogers Centre last night than a busy weekend at Pearson International Airport? Despite all the off-field distractions that made their way onto the field, the Blue Jays Home Opener was a great game overall. But it’s sad that great performances by many of the Blue Jays will be overshadowed by what took place in the stands at the Rogers Centre.

In the section that I sat in (211), things were pretty low-key throughout the game. For the most part, it was just die hard fans who were there to have a good time. But from about the 6th inning onward, I started to notice paper airplanes gliding down from the 500 section. The first few times, it was funny. I have to admit that when one of the airplanes made it all the way to the outfield, I was impressed. But after that, it just got stupid. It seemed like any idiot who could find a spare piece of paper on the ground just tossed it over the side, and then high-fived their buddies. It may only have been an 8-minute delay of game, but it felt like 20 minutes.

After the airplanes, fights started to break out in the 113 section below us. Then golf balls and baseballs started making their way onto the field. Rightfully so, Jim Leyland pulled his team off the field and as the umpires congregated and decided what to do, as the crowd got rowdier and even more impatient. Finally, the stadium announcer finally got on the system and threatened that the Blue Jays could forfeit the game if people kept throwing stuff on the field.

Just like last year’s Home Opener, leave it up to a few douchebags to ruin it for everyone else. It’s unfortunate because probably about 75 percent of the people at that game were there to enjoy their home team at the Rogers Centre for the first game of the season. The other 25 percent were there hoping to do something that would get them on the cover of the Toronto Sun.