The Rogers Centre was an incredible facility when it was built and then unveiled in June of 1989. But as the years have gone by, fans look on with envy at the state-of-the-art baseball-only facilities that have been constructed and wonder, why couldnt it have been us? Now comes word the Atlanta Braves are ready to leave Turner Field, their home since 1997, to move into a spanking new $672 million ediface in Cobb County in time for the 2017 season, although no official contract has been signed yet. The Braves owners couldnt come to a new lease agreement to stay at Turner Field so now, with the help of the good taxpayers, Cobb County will get a new 42,000-seat ballpark with all of the amenities. The Braves have only been in Atlanta since 1966. They have played 48 seasons there and overall have been a success story. TBS helped make them Americass team and they had a run over 14 straight years in the post-season (albeit with only one World Series victory). Their attendance has been good, but never spectacular. Going back to 2006, the lowest theyve drawn is 2.37 million in 2009 and 2011. They peaked at 2.75 million in 2007 over that eight-year span. This past season, they drew 2.55 million, virtually the same as the Blue Jays. I guess what Im saying is, there doesnt really seem to be the need for a new baseball stadium in the greater Atlanta area. If this new one is indeed ready by 2017, the Braves will have played in three stadia in 52 years in the same city. If they can do it, and the taxpayers can live with it, more power to them. The Blue Jays are coming up to their 25th full season at Rogers Centre. There is no new home in the forseeable future for the Jays, just natural grass by 2018 or so. It would be great to see the Blue Jays have the kind of ballpark they have in Pittsburgh, San Francisco or Baltimore. But to see Atlanta leaving a facility that was constructed for the 1996 Olympics after just 20 seasons just seems so wrong. Trade Rumours There used to be a time when there seemed to be lull after the World Series until the Winter Meetings in December but no more. With the General Managers Meetings starting Monday in Orlando, baseball talk will be at a fever pitch with free agent signings being negotiated and the groundwork being laid for trades. The Blue Jays top priority is at least one, if not two, starting pitchers, who would fit in as 1-2 or 3s. They also need an upgrade behind the plate and help at second base. There was another interesting rumour that surfaced over the weekend with Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggesting the Dodgers were trying to move one of their high-priced outfielders, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and/or Carl Crawford. Cafardo claimed the Blue Jays were at least exploring the possibility of landing one of the three over concerns that Melky Cabrera would never be the player they thought when they signed him to that two-year deal last year. Though they seemed to have an endless supply of money, the Dodgers apparently want to deal one of these monster contracts to free up the cash to lock up Clayton Kershaw and Hanley Ramirez. It doesnt make any real sense for the Blue Jays to be chasing any of those three, considering the size and duration of their contracts and the health issues of all three over the past couple of seasons. Time Flies Here is an odd coincidence I dug up this week. In their first season, veteran Bill Singer was a highly touted righthander who was expected to lead the expansion staff. Thanks in large part to arm troubles that ultimately ended his career after 1977, Singer went 2-8 with a 6.79 ERA. This past season, the Blue Jays aquired Josh Johnson to be a top-end starter and possible ace. Again thanks to a myriad of physical troubles, Johnson wound up with a record of, you guessed it, 2-8 and a 6.20 ERA. The difference is, Johnson still might be able to land a one-year deal worth $8-10 million on the open market this off-season. I was wondering the other day if we had officially closed the book on the 20th century. That is to say, are there any former Blue Jays still active from the 1999 team? It turns out there are two: Harry Leroy (Roy) Halladay the III and Vernon Michael Wells the III. Halladay was in his first full season with the Jays in 1999, going 8-7 with a 3.92 earned run average. Wells was making his rookie debut in 1999, hit his first Major League homer and knocked in eight runs in 88 at bats. Halladay is a free agent now. He was born May 14th, 1977. On that day the Blue Jays got drilled 13-3 by the Twins at old Metropolitan Stadium. Wells is going into the final year of his contract with the Yankees at $21 million, the bulk of which is still being paid by the Angels. Incidentally, the highest paid Blue Jay in 1999 was current Jays coach Pat Hentgen at $8.6 million. And Shawn Green, who turned 41 on Sunday, was part of that team. How time flies and the times change. Replica Football Jerseys . Former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds made his longshot request of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit upheld Bonds conviction in September. Fake Football Jerseys . - Florida State has suspended Jameis Winston for the entire game against Clemson on Saturday, extending its initial punishment of one half after the quarterback made offensive and vulgar comments about female anatomy earlier this week. https://www.fakefootballjerseys.com/. During the furious first few hours of free agency Tuesday, the team agreed to terms with strong safety Donte Whitner, a Cleveland native who cant wait to play in his hometown. Wholesale Football Jerseys . Austin does not believe the game-time temperature is going to be an advantage for either side heading into the Grey Cup. "We dont think about (the cold)," said Austin. "Im not even sure how you would determine an advantage. Fake Football Jerseys Free Shipping . Rockies manager Walt Weiss was unhappy, too. Weiss addressed the issue in a 15-minute meeting with his pitcher and catcher after the Rockies gave up 14 hits and lost 10-1. De La Rosa lasted only 4 1-3 innings and allowed five runs in his first opening-day start.MELBOURNE, Australia - Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso set the fastest time in Fridays opening practice for the Australian Grand Prix, while pre-race favourite Lewis Hamilton was one of several drivers to strike trouble as entire field struggled to master their all-new engines and radically redesigned cars ahead of the Formula One season opener. Hamilton was unable to complete a single lap after his Mercedes engine automatically shut down due to an oil pressure alarm on his first tour of the Albert Park circuit. With repairs to the complex V6 turbo hybrid engines taking much longer than last years powertrains, Hamilton was unable to emerge in the next 90 minutes. McLarens Jenson Button was second fastest, ahead of the Williams pair of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa. World champion Sebastian Vettel had limited running in his Red Bull as it plays catch-up after a troubled preseason testing, going out for only 10 laps, although there was some encouragement for the team as Daniel Ricciardo got through 26 laps and was fifth fastest, two places ahead of the four-time world champ.dddddddddddd Lotus Romain Grosjean did not emerge from the garage at all, and his teammate Pastor Maldonado only came out in the final 15 minutes and promptly spun off. Lotus was among the Renault-powered cars that were severely restricted in their preseason testing and are a long way behind schedule in developing their cars for Melbourne. The Caterham cars likewise did not complete a single lap, nor did the Marussia of Jules Bianchi, while his teammate Max Chilton made only a fleeting and off-pace appearance. McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen was eighth fastest in his maiden F1 appearance, while Kimi Raikkonen was ninth in his first season back at Ferrari and Toro Rossos Jean-Eric Vergne completed the top ten. ' ' '