Sports

What's Dunedin Saying About the Blue Jays

Will the Blue Jays leave Dunedin? What should the city do maintain its relationship with the organization?

Last week news broke that the Toronto Blue Jays are going to explore spring training stadium options outside of Dunedin before their lease at Auto Exchange Stadium expires in 2017. 

This week, Dunedin city commissioners will be discussing ways to maintain the Blue Jays presence in Dunedin. 

The news of the Blue Jays position sparked a wide array of responses from Dunedin Patch readers. 

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Are the Blue Jays not worth the hassle? Will Dunedin not be the same without them? Here's what some Patch readers had to say. 

"Toronto has to stay! Dunedin loves having all of our Canadian friends down for spring training! It will be a very sad day for us if they decide to move from Dunedin," wrote Ian Brown on our Facebook page

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Lisa Brackens Hunt wrote, "They could easily find another place to just play baseball, but they would never find a home away from home like Dunedin. It would be a mistake they will regret. Lets show them we love them and ask them to stay! I bet their fans love coming here from Canada as much, we should see what they have to say."

"Let them go, we spend a lot of time, money and energy to please these guys for five weeks a year, Mark Veldhuis wrote. "Dunedin does not get the benefit of having them, Clearwater has all the major Hotels and tourist attractions. I don't think they have a real economic impact. Last time they took two Softball fields and a Little league complex. What will they want now a new Stadium, again FIVE WEEKS a year?"

"Still think Caladesi is what the city should be focused on? Bet you wished you paid more attention to the southside now. This is the chickens coming home to roost," wrote Michelle Crash. 

Bob Gallo wrote, "This is what professional sports teams do to small towns, see how much they can get from somewhere else and use it as a negotiating hammer from their existing host town. It's all about the money but maybe at this point Dunedin has more to offer the Blue Jays than the Blue Jays have to offer Dunedin? Maybe a team that now winters in Arizona will find what Dunedin has to offer already a better situation. Don't freak out Commissioners you've already given them more than what's necessary."

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