I'd heard it reported that the preceeding Monday was an off day for everyone - if that's true who couldn't the St. Louis series have been moved up a day and then the Phillies series likewise?

Assuming a double-header wouldn't have fixed the problem alone.

There are just two problems with that, Will.  It's too damn logical and makes way too much sense.  Heaven forbid, there would be a doubleheader.  I wonder how much of a stink will be made over this.  Any other series except this one and I wouldn't be nearly as pissed.  I guess that Doc tribute will have to wait for a future season.

I am sure there is a good cash deal behind the scene here.  Toronto were probably looking at the series and saying that, notwithstanding Roy, attendance could be weak.  Many fans would stay away because of the hassle and those who drive might have to park a long way away.  The media is likely to be full of stories of demonstrations and fans would stay away to avoid being caught up in a riot.

Philly, on the other hand, should sell 30,000 tickets or more.  The teams probably do a 50/50 split or something like that and the Jays come out ahead.

The police are probably happier with that too.

I checked the philly schedule and Doc would be on track to start the Friday night game.  I am not familiar with the logistics of the G20 but I assume that is prime summit and protesting time.

Beeston claims it's "revenue neutral" for the Jays, for what it's worth.

And they've formally requested a Phillies series here next year to honour Doc.

Honestly it would have been crazy to have a series down there. It's going to be a madhouse.

Move the G-20 Summit to Downsview Park.  If it's good enough for the Stones, it's good enough for our world leaders.  Did Angela Merkel write "Gimme Shelter"?  Bailing out an ailing economy just doesn't cut it for me....Sure, Carla Bruni can sing, but Sarkoszy will have to lose 15 kilos to do 1/2 of Mick's moves. 

Roy Halladay or Carla Bruni? Hmmm... A tough one.

Well, not really. I've seen Roy Halladay. Cherchez la femme!

This series also could have been played in a neutral site, like the Cubs/Astros series played in Milwaukee due to Texas tornadoes in 2008. Detroit is available, and I hear there is an unused stadium in Montreal. Didn't Anthopoulos say he wanted to grow the Jays' profile among francophone Canadians?

But of course, playing in the Phillies' home stadium, the games will likely draw much larger crowds, so the Jays stand to make more money playing down there.

As a result, Philly will have home field advantage, last at-bat or not. But the Jays are obviously more willing to sacrifice wins and competitiveness than sacrifice profit.

Obviously things can change in the next six weeks, but as it stands Halladay would have missed the Jays anyway.

Honestly it would have been crazy to have a series down there. It's going to be a madhouse.

This is absolutely true, and the G-20 isn't moving for anyone.

I was repeating what I read on the Phillies site, I didn't look at their schedule.

Give a big thanks to Harper on this one. The city of Toronto wanted the G20 to be at Exhibition Place, thus far enough from the core to not kill the game. Harper said 'no' and it is right at the spot that will cause the most disruption possible. I am sure Toronto voting 100% Liberal/NDP and 0% Conservative had nothing to do with it :P

Ah well. I was going to be away that weekend anyways.

It sucks that they're losing the series, but moving it to a neutral site makes even less sense than moving it to Philly.

At least this way there will likely be some revenue sharing.

The money quote from Beeston's statement to the press:

"By moving our games to Philadelphia, we are acting in the best interests of our fans..."

That says it all really. Just think about that. Think about what it says about the team's opinion of you, the fan.

Since we have ventured into the netherworld where politics meets baseball, here is Nate Silver's "Value Over Replacement Justice" piece for 538 about Obama's most recent Supreme Court nominee.  I am shocked that he does not analyze how she will perform in close vote decisions, as compared with blowouts.  In Canada, our good liberal justices not only look good in red, but once that closer music comes on, they are lights out. 

"By moving our games to Philadelphia, we are acting in the best interests of our fans..."

That says it all really. Just think about that. Think about what it says about the team's opinion of you, the fan.

It's going to be a mess of barricades, cavalcades, protestors, riot police and tear gas. Given the G20 location, I just don't see how the series would have been tenable. As for the money quote, well, if the series is being moved, he had to say something. I think his comment is at least defensible, and not inherently an indication of some sinister alienation plot or just general indifference that you seem to be implying.

It's the juxtaposition of "in Philadelphia" with "best interests of our fans." Moving the series from Toronto to any neutral site decreases the chances of the Blue Jays winning the games. The Jays are probably less likely to win the games at Phillies Stadium than at any other neutral site, and there are several stadiums geographically closer to Toronto, but the gate revenue in Philadelphia will be much higher than at any other MLB stadium, so it's the best choice. Is this in my best interest? It's conceivable, but far from certain.

What it says to me is that the team is convinced I'm convinced the team will put the money to good use. And that I don't really care all that much about seeing Roy Halladay in 2010.

I wonder if my season pass gets me into those games, hmm?

Wow, this sucks. I had tickets for the seventh (or so) row behind the Phillies dugout for one of the games. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the quality of my summer was going to be directly related to whether or not Halladay started that game.

I understand this decision at this point. Well, part of my head does, anyway. The series could have been moved to Detroit or to Montreal, but that's beside the point. It may have allowed more Jays fans to attend than will attend in Philly, but it wouldn't have been the same "Return to Toronto" series for Halladay with a video montage and a standing ovation and a discernible atmosphere. It would be nice to (attempt to) grow the Jays across Canada by playing this game in Montreal or Vancouver, but there would be considerable logistical difficulties for Montreal, at least. Plus, selfishly speaking, I'd rather guarantee a Philly series next year than have Halladay go to Vancouver and possibly not get a home series against Philadelphia for several more years.

However, there are still questions over why this couldn't have been addressed in January or February. Once the conflict became apparent it should have been addressed immediately rather than allowing fans to think that some alternative arrangements were in the works. I don't know, but I assume that it was clear to the club rather early in the process whether they and the city had the capability and resources to deal with the two events simultaneously or not. I'm sure there are many fans who built ticket packages and the like around the Philadelphia series and the fans had a right to know that the most anticipated series of the year was not going to happen ASAP.

And Craig's right. While Beeston is probably referring to saving the logistical difficulties that would have occurred if the Philly series had gone ahead, that doesn't excuse him wording it that way. I don't want to be told that not seeing Roy Halladay is in my best interest. Because I would have gone through security checkups or long lines to go to those games.

Oh, don't get me wrong, the wording's not hot. I just don't see it as a microcosm of fan loathing on the part of ownership as was implied.

45,000 fans times an average ticket of, say $40 plus $15 in concessions works out to just under 7.5 million dollars for the series so there's your reason.

Still makes it a joke. This was a PERFECT opportunity to expand your fanbase on a national scale and put these games at Ottawa Stadium or Telus Field. Revenue wise you would lose out it would have been a great price to pay to give those fans some product.

MLB and the Jays ought to fly every single person who owns tickets to this series to Philidelphia if they have any clue how to treat a fan left.

Are these parks capable of being a MLB-quality playing field (or at least close enough for the union to not kick up a major stink)? When the A's played in Vegas didn't the stadium have to be reno'd and still got complaints? That was 13 years ago, though, and memory isn't my strong-suit.

Of course, I'm in NS, so I wasn't going to see it anyway. Probably makes me more dispassionate on the subject than most.

Ottawa Stadium only seats 10,000, and there actually isn't enough parking anymore for that many to get here.  Only 7461 made it for the Lynx' last game, though I'm sure hundreds more tried.  It's like a permanent G20 situation here. :-)

Oh man, it'd be awesome if they played the game in MTL. won't happen though...

Major league teams playing in minor league parks is not unchartered waters. The Pirates have played games in Altoona and the Rays in Port Charlotte along with the usual late spring training games played in minor league parks all over the US.

Ottawa Stadium would be kind of tough because I'm not sure you'd have a ton of support on their end (Fat Cats don't count), but Telus Field is run by the Capitals and Oilers management and is a significantly underused AAA facility that would be fine. Ditto for Winnipeg. It doesn't matter that the capacity is only 10,000--this would be a honourable attempt to provide Blue Jays fans nationwide product that they've never had. Of course, only if Beeston is serious about the Jays being a national product. I have no idea is that's true.

BC Place might have been pretty good and there'd be support to make it baseball friendly for a weekend but it's out of service for another year with the new retractable roof. (Which is something the Jays should get on anyways). Nat Bailey Stadium would be fun.

Screw it, play the games at Christie Pits.

That says it all really. Just think about that. Think about what it says about the team's opinion of you, the fan

I'm horribly offended. I was looking forward to cordons of police, going around large blocked off areas, and navigating through protestors in masks. Then to add insult to injury, the meanies are giving refunds plus a free ticket to any other game.

I think I'll turn in my Rogers internet modem right now.

MLB and the Jays ought to fly every single person who owns tickets to this series to Philidelphia if they have any clue how to treat a fan left.

Agreed but considering they eliminated certain perks for season ticket holders this year, that's not going to happen.  Another day, another PR fiasco for our favourite team!!

I'm horribly offended. I was looking forward to cordons of police, going around large blocked off areas, and navigating through protestors in masks.

Don't forget about that sweet sweet smell of tear gas if things get really fun. Better than BBQ, I say! Maybe they could have made gas masks a giveaway promotion. Or placards. Or batons, for, uhh, navigating through the crowd.

They wouldn't do that because that cuts into their promotions budget.  They would have to cancel Dave Stieb bobblehead day.

The G20 summit was announced in December.  The Jays make this decision (with the assistance of the Phillies and MLB) in the second week of May.  WTF took so long?  Why couldn't they have tried to figure something out back in December, you know, when MLB could have tweaked the schedule to work around the summit?  Why wait until now?  Beeston said they didn't even consider a neutral site.  Why the hell not?  Since when were the Jays all about making the Phillies happy?

I feel bad for all the fans who bought airline tickets, booked hotels, and planned vacations around this series.  I feel bad for all the fans who were looking forward to honouring Roy Halladay (including me).  If only the Jays felt the same way, maybe they would have tried harder to find a solution that works for us instead of Philly fans.  I'm sure the other NL East clubs are ecstatic that Philly gets three extra 'home' games.

I can't really blame the Jays for this - security is going to be ridiculous. And I don't know what "neutral" site would work - it might be nice to have a game in Montreal, but that doesn't do much for a lot of fans in Toronto. I don't think this is even remotely "in my best interests", but it's probably the best solution.

On the other hand, I've got plenty of blame for the G20 planners. Bad enough I'm going to need ID to walk to work and that protest central (looks like Queens Park) is 5 minutes from home, but now they're taking away Roy Halladay? I'm about ready for a riot now.

One thing I read from this is that there could potentially be hundreds or thousands more rioters in the city that weekend that are motivated by this.  If folks aren't riled up by world economic policy, taking away their baseball entertainment (and their baseball god) may urge them to cause mayhem and destruction. We can only hope no one gets hurt --including Paul Beeston.

F-in' CONs. David Miller had the perfect solution months ago... use the CNE grounds.