Skydome adds FieldTurf

[CC97]

One of my coolest memories was at the Sky Dome when I attended a conference and a hotel clerk gave us field view rooms (by mistake).

After watching the Jays beat the Orioles, I sat up all night and watched them convert the field for the Argos/BC Lions game the next night. It was simply amazing! Dugouts and pitchers mound collapsed, they scrubbed the lines off the turf and painted football lines, and then they moved the seats...it was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

They actually use two seperate surfaces, so they weren't just painting lines onto the baseball field.

[DEAD!]

Didn't the Jays and Argos play on the same surface in the first few years of SkyDome? Then, the Jays got their own surface and the Argos played with the old surface?

[CC97]

Didn't the Jays and Argos play on the same surface in the first few years of SkyDome? Then, the Jays got their own surface and the Argos played with the old surface?

I can't say for sure on that... but I doubt the 2003 Argos surface was the old World Series era Jays turf, it was just too crappy to be up to MLB standards.

[JamesCraven]

Here's a story that was in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 6/20, compliments of national baseball writer Jim Salsbury:

"The [Montreal] Expos are leaving Canada, but their turf might stay. The [Toronto] Blue Jays are talking about buying the [FieldTurf] artifical surface from Stade Olympique after Les Expos, who are playing on the new rug, leave after this season."

Just thought you'd like to know about it.

[DEAD!]

Here's a story that was in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 6/20, compliments of national baseball writer Jim Salsbury:

"The [Montreal] Expos are leaving Canada, but their turf might stay. The [Toronto] Blue Jays are talking about buying the [FieldTurf] artifical surface from Stade Olympique after Les Expos, who are playing on the new rug, leave after this season."

Just thought you'd like to know about it.

That's make sense.

CC, I didn't think the Argos 2003 turf was the same as the World Series turf. But I did think that they did play on the same surface in the early days of SkyDome, perhaps before your time?

[CC97]

Here's a story that was in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 6/20, compliments of national baseball writer Jim Salsbury:

"The [Montreal] Expos are leaving Canada, but their turf might stay.  The [Toronto] Blue Jays are talking about buying the [FieldTurf] artifical surface from Stade Olympique after Les Expos, who are playing on the new rug, leave after this season."

Just thought you'd like to know about it.

That's make sense.

CC, I didn't think the Argos 2003 turf was the same as the World Series turf. But I did think that they did play on the same surface in the early days of SkyDome, perhaps before your time?

Interesting snippet on the field turf, that's good to know, btw they're replacing SkyDome's famous scoreboard at the end of this season too... hopefully they dont make it smaller.

Before my time working there, very likely, before my time, you mean in terms of age... no

[marlinfan]

Interesting snippet on the field turf, that's good to know, btw they're replacing SkyDome's famous scoreboard at the end of this season too... hopefully they dont make it smaller.

we'll they replace the jumbotron? what do you mean the scoreboard? a lot of parks lately have put in a new scoreboard, jumbotron. Anaheim just replaced the out of town scoreboard before the season.

[CC97]

Interesting snippet on the field turf, that's good to know, btw they're replacing SkyDome's famous scoreboard at the end of this season too... hopefully they dont make it smaller.

we'll they replace the jumbotron? what do you mean the scoreboard? a lot of parks lately have put in a new scoreboard, jumbotron. Anaheim just replaced the out of town scoreboard before the season.

Yes they're replacing the JumboTron... which is currently the largest television in North America

[slapshot]

I thought I heard somewhere that the Jumbotron at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore is the largest.

[CC97]

I thought I heard somewhere that the Jumbotron at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore is the largest.

Well someone's gotta tell SkyDome this because they've been saying otherwise for 15 years.

[marlinfan]

Yes they're replacing the JumboTron... which is currently the largest television in North America

they will probably replace it so the fans can watch replays in HD.

[DEAD!]

Before my time working there, very likely, before my time, you mean in terms of age... no

No, I meant in terms of you working there. Obviously you're not THAT old

[commish]

They actually use two seperate surfaces, so they weren't just painting lines onto the baseball field.

Chris, mind you this was in 1992/93 (when I was there). I'm pretty sure they scrubbed/painted lines on the turf during the changeover..of course, I was dozing at the time (trying to pull the allnighter to watch it all happen!).