THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO -- Darin Brady had trouble believing he was at a Buffalo Bills game.
The Toronto resident, who has attended several Bills games at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., echoed the sentiment of many fans when he said the opening game of the Bills Toronto series on Thursday night at the Rogers Centre featured a lack of passion in the stands.
"It's lacking the environment," Brady said at halftime of the pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't have the ambience. When you go to a Bills game, there's a lot of patriotism and a lot of fever. Here, it's just kind of empty. It's got that (Rogers Centre) feel of the Blue Jays in the middle of the summer."
Indeed, fans barely responded when players asked for noise on key defensive plays, unlike at Ralph Wilson Stadium, where most of the ticket-holders stand and scream their lungs out when they're asked to support the home team.
"It's not loud enough," said Kitchener resident Mark Buchholtz, sporting a Bills jersey. "Everyone is more passionate down in Buffalo. They go crazy. Here, they're having a bit of fun, but not going nuts. It's still good, but maybe only an eight out of 10."
The Bills, who heard a smattering of boos when they were introduced, will be looking for more of a home-field advantage when they return for their regular season debut in Toronto on Dec. 7 against the Miami Dolphins. The Bills will play eight games over five years in Toronto.
It's not all that surprising the crowd isn't quite as enthusiastic in Toronto as it is in Western New York. The beer-fuelled tailgating parties, complete with full coolers of booze and portable barbeques, that take place at parking lots all around Ralph Wilson Stadium are not permitted in Toronto.
Instead, organizers blocked off two areas for official tailgate parties, selling beer for $6 a can.
"This is lame," said Steelers fan Tawny Moss of Canton, OH. "It's a great idea, but I think it's misleading when you tell people it's free and then you get in and it's $6 for a beer."
Moss paid $155 for her seat and wasn't happy when she found out organizers "distributed" an unspecified amount of tickets to fill the stadium, avoiding a local blackout. "I have a beef to pick with Mr. Rogers," said Moss, referring to Ted Rogers, who helped bring the Bills series to Toronto.
Tickets ranged from $79 to $575.
Don Vitali of Fort Erie, Ont., wanted to sell his $325 tickets for the next three Toronto games to pay for his $500 season tickets in Buffalo, but didn't get any offers close to face value when he was making the rounds as scalpers tried to peddle seats for less than half price.
Still, he supports the Toronto series.
"I think it's a great idea for Buffalo," he said. "For the price of a ticket here, you can go to Buffalo, spend the night, drink all day and eat all day. If we can get some interest here, it would be awesome for Buffalo."
