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On the eve of the Blue Jays third try for the World Series, MLB looks back at the early days, when cold, fog and seagulls were all part of the challenge of winning a game.
"...the outfield sloped so severely that that hard-hit balls through the infield were almost destined to reach the fence," [Buck Martinez remembers.]
The unusual playing surface made for some unusual sightlines for the players, too.
“I could barely see Lloyd Moseby in center field,” Martinez said. “I could only see half of his legs because of the way the field was sloped.”
Also pity the poor camera people, who had to stay out there for nine uncomfortable innings.
Remembering Exhibition Stadium: The Blue Jays' 1st home and 'the worst stadium in sports'
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I went to many Blue Jay games back then thanks to the Dominion $2.00 Grandstand seats. You couldn't sit where you wanted. you had to wait until one section was predominantly filled, then staff would open the next section. Section 43 was the best. With a pair of binoculars, you were right behind the pitcher and could see every pitch go over the plate. Also you had first and second base in view, so it was easy to see if a steal attempt was successful or not.
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"The mistake by the lake..." ![]()
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I was at one game that was called on account of wind. The fans were given replacement tickets for another upcoming match.
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Only saw the Rolling Stones there as I wasn’t into baseball at the time, it was fine for a concert!
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I saw (or rather heard) Pink Floyd there. It was awful.
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I saw many ballgames at the old "Ceee-ment Park," mostly in the Dominion cheap seats.
I also saw many concerts. Probably the most memorable was one that I didn't see. I went to the Genesis show in 1986 and fog from the lake rolled in. The band sounded great, but we couldn't see a thing except some hazy colours from what I imagine was a spectacular light show.
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I saw the Three Stooges at the CNE Grandstand in 1962.
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My first major concert was there in 1977: Genesis, with Max Webster and Brand X as the openers. It was awesome, and still ranks as one of the best concerts I ever attended.
Interestingly, I was listening to Kim Mitchell one day when he was doing afternoon drive on Q107. He talked about that night and said he and his bandmates were blown away by the experience as well.
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I went to lots of concerts there in the '70s, Argos games dating to the Joe Thiesmann era and dozens of Jays games in the 80s. I remember walking by it and reminiscing about the place following a convention next door in Fall 1999 and the next day they blew it up! The explosive demolition was unannounced because they didn't want a crowd, but I would have paid to watch. ![]()
Last edited by SpinningWheel (October 24, 2025 6:58 pm)