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| The Toronto Maple Leafs charge through smoke and fireworks during pregame player introductions at Christie Pits on August 24, when they hosted their one and only postseason game of 2024. |
It is the evening of Saturday, August 24, and smoke and flames engulf the outfield of Dominico Field at Christie Pits.
The scene is not the work of a brazen pyromaniac, but part of a pregame ceremony for the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club.
The Leafs are hosting their first postseason game of the year, a quarterfinal matchup against the Barrie Baycats. Introduced as a group, the players charge through clouds of blue smoke to take their places on the diamond, with fireworks going off in their wake.
Keith Stein observes it through the outfield fence with a smile.
Stein is CEO of the group that took ownership of the Intercounty Baseball League franchise late last year. The purchase was announced with a pledge to keep the team in place at Christie Pits, the Leafs’ home since 1969.
“One of the reasons we bought the team is because of our commitment to the neighbourhood, the Annex and surrounding area, it’s very important,” he says.
A corporate lawyer by trade, Stein’s footprint on the Toronto sports scene includes being one of the founders of the Toronto Phantoms indoor football team in 1997.
As CEO, he is one of the “guiding minds” of an ownership structure that resembles a corporate board.
“For this team to do as well as we want it to do, it’s got to be run like a successful business too,” he says.
Everyone likes to interact with the boss. During our conversation, Stein circulates the park, pausing to offer numerous hellos and introductions as acquaintances enter his orbit. There’s an energy throughout, not just because of the playoff atmosphere.
This year, one of the owners’ first objectives was to make Christie Pits a welcome place to play and to professionalize the whole operation. The ballpark was spruced up, a new sound system installed, and an eye-catching suite of new uniforms was unveiled.
The other priority was to create a new type of experience for fans. Stein gives a rapid-fire overview of the scene around the ballpark.
“If you look around tonight, there’s a DJ booth up next to the press box, there’s a merch tent, there’s a raffle tent, there’s a members’ tent. We have a full-time host who tries to animate things,” he says. “We’re also proud of what we’ve done on the food and beverage side. You never saw this…” (he gestures towards the customers at the concession stand, a lineup that snakes along the clubhouse).
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| A lineup at the Maple Leafs' concession stand, a new and welcome sight in 2024. |
Stein wants every Leafs game to be a party.
“We want this to be the type of experience that you can come and hang out even if you don’t like baseball,” he says. “We think this is a tremendous platform, every Sunday afternoon and Wednesday night, to provide an entertainment destination for people in Toronto.”
Another pledge the new owners made was to keep all games free of charge.
This promising new era has been hampered by one thing. The Leafs struggled mightily all season, finishing seventh in the standings. Every owner and fan knows that a winning team draws bigger crowds.
Improving the product on the diamond will be crucial.
“We’ve got a pretty good foundation here, but we’re always interested in building on that foundation,” Stein says.
Has there been any thought to reaching out to newly-retired Major Leaguer Joey Votto’s agent?
“We have,” he says. “He lives around here. I’m sure everybody’s thinking about him, every baseball team in the country. We already have (former Toronto Blue Jay and current Leafs manager) Rob Butler. He’s done things no other Canadian has, so we’d like to have Joey Votto and Rob Butler.”
Whether that’s a hot scoop or a buzz-generating rumour, time will tell.
What can fans expect next year?
“Way more, continuous improvement of the fan experience. This is just the beginning. I think you’re going to see something that is even night and day from what you’re seeing today.”
Fans will have to wait until May of 2025 to find out what the club has in the works.
The Leafs were defeated that Saturday night, and they were quickly eliminated from the postseason. One sour note in the first movement of this promising new composition.
(This story was first published in the September 2024 edition of The Annex Gleaner.)
