BUFFALO, N.Y. — On Friday night, after the Blue Jays-to-Buffalo announcement, they were peeking at the practice squad through the still "at this point" uncovered portion of the Sahlen Field fence. Or they were paying homage to Jimmy's statue out front.
And just like the guy smacking shots to center in batting practice, they are stoked for a major league experience. That's even if they can't get inside to see it because of COVID restrictions.
For example, Kerri Hubble of Amherst said, "It's so exciting, especially with the way the economy's been lately, to get a little bit of stimulation in here for local hotels and see what happens with the team. ... It's great."
Kevin Colafranceschi of Lancaster added: "Especially now with sports. It's the only thing going on, you know, with COVID and what-not. To have a team here is great. To have the Yankees, Red Sox come in ... it's gonna be awesome."
Of course, some are pondering a downtown up-high perch to catch a game. It's like that unofficial tradition with the Cubs in Chicago as some buildings overlook Wrigley Field.
Geoff Hubble has this perspective: "There's definitely some rooftops around here that might be able to peek in the stadium too. So not that I recommend anybody go up on the rooftops (laughs).... but certainly there may be some vantage points."
Earlier Friday there was some informal speculation about a nearby parking garage for fans. But the manager informally seemed to rule that out of bounds.
It is a fair prospect that you could catch some baseball from Western New York's newest, now-adopted, franchise on the MLB Network carried by Spectrum or Verizon. None of them got back to us on Friday night to confirm.
But Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News says probably only Mets or Yankees games would be blacked out online with their respective networks.
And the Jays have even experimented with some game coverage on Facebook in 2018 but many fans didn't like it.
For now Sahlen Field shines under lights that will be upgraded, and two downtown hotels will be designated and booked entirely for the home games with Blue Jays and the visiting teams.
That, of course, will include catered meals. So Buffalo's pandemic battered economy and image will be perked up a bit as some hotel and restaurant staffers may be called back from layoffs.
Visit Buffalo Niagara President Patrick Kaler says he's looking for some priceless regional promotion on game day broadcasts with the scenic cutaway shots (just like prime-time NFL-Bills games) for the rest of the nation and especially north of the border.
He says "40 to 47 percent of our travelers come from Southern Ontario-Toronto region. To see Buffalo on a perfect day hosting their team, I think that'll be a great reminder of the place that they love to come to. And when then borders are open up again, they'll come back."
Kaler says it also helps showcase Buffalo's ability and capacity to host other large scale sporting events both professional and amateur.
Also expect that downtown Buffalo bars and restaurants will pick up some customers to sit and have a meal and watch the games. People can feel some of that big league presence even without a chance to watch in person.