Four Good Reasons To Bring The ‘Homeless’ Blue Jays To Kalamazoo

I know what you’re thinking. “There goes Benson, he’s nuts.” Yes. But hear me out.

The Toronto Blue Jays are homeless for the 2020 baseball season. The Canadian government says they can’t play in Toronto, for any number of good, legitimate reasons. Plan B? Wednesday, the city of Pittsburgh pretty much said the same thing.

And the truncated baseball season starts in less than 48 hours. Since I’m an Ameri-CAN, not an Ameri-Can’t, I boldly take this opportunity to invite the Toronto Blue Jays to play this season in Kalamazoo, at Mayor’s Riverfront Park.

Stop it. It can work.

The Growlers or whatever their name is this week, could be persuaded to simply re-arrange their schedule, to be out of town when the Kalamazoo Blue Jays (has a ring to it, doesn’t it?) are "home".  I mean, we're talking a major league baseball team. Not much of that in Michigan these days.

What’s the biggest gripe about Kalamazoo? It’s that “Kalamazoo doesn’t show up to support anything”.  Well, no problem. No fans are allowed in anyway, just the players and essential personnel. Even broadcasters are calling games from home.

For the players, it’s nice here. Since no one knows anyone on the rosters, they won’t be bothered by fans while they’re in town. We have a nice hotel downtown. Okay, the construction's not much to look at, but there's construction in Toronto, too.

Food? We have Grub Hub and other services that will deliver to the hotel. And if they get lonesome for some authentic Canadian fare, Niskers makes a pretty legit Poutine.

Nightlife. You can't have nightlife. Them are the rules in 2020. So, the Kalamazoo Blue Jays could stay downtown, and it's a short bus ride (or walk) to the ballpark, and it's all good.

Finally, what's the name of the ball park itself. Heck, what the name of the medical school, just down the street from the ballpark? Homer Stryker. Homer. Strike-er. It's a marriage made in baseball heaven.

Come on, MLB, do the right thing and bring the Blue Jays to Kalamazoo. Make it happen, Rob Manfred.

The Toronto Blue Jays came into existence in 1977. Here's some other memories of that year.