The Toronto Argonauts finally confirmed the inevitable Thursday afternoon, when they announced they would play their scheduled Oct. 17 home game at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field.
Probably.
The Toronto Blue Jays are the main tenants at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, where the Argos also play. The baseball team’s post-season potentially conflicts with the Argos’ game against the Calgary Stampeders on Oct. 17 and the Argos need to be ready to play somewhere else.
Tuesday night they played a “home” game in Ottawa against the Redblacks.
“However, as the MLB playoffs unfold, we will assess the viability of moving the (Oct. 17) game back to Rogers Centre should timing, conversion and logistics permit, ” Argonaut president Chris Rudge said in a release.
If the Jays should lose to the Texas Rangers in their American League Divisional Series, it’s possible that the Argos could have Rogers Centre for their Oct. 17 game. However, if the Jays’ season extends past the ALDS, the Argos’ home game against Montreal on Friday Oct. 23 will also be in jeopardy, and the team says it would move that game to Hamilton, too.
The Argos will use the football visitors’ locker-room for any games they play in Hamilton and the Stampeders and Alouettes would use dressing rooms that were in play for the PanAm Games soccer tournament.
The game counts as one of the four promotions the Ticats are permitted as part of their stadium lease with the city and the Argos will have to pay all costs incurred to the city for staging the game.
“Tim Hortons Field offers our team a neutral-site location that is also broadcast-ready when we host the Calgary Stampeders, ” Rudge said in his release. “I would like to thank the Tiger-Cats organization for accommodating our move and assisting us with this challenge.”
Ticket information is available by calling 416-341-ARGO (2746).
