By Paul 'Duke' Dubois

There we were, sitting just a few rows up from the Toronto Blue Jays dugout on Friday night and Saturday in Toronto's famed Rogers Centre during this year's Valley Breeze baseball trip that took us to Niagara Falls and then to Toronto.

"Pop water here - soda if you're American, came the bellow from a vendor who immediately recognized that on these days, he would have to play to an audience of Boston Red Sox fans to increase sales.

With perfect weather conditions, although a little hot on Saturday, the stadium's retractable roof was wide open, offering a perfect view of the CN Tower, the tallest tower in the Western Hemisphere, and we were able to see elevators zip up and down through the windows, their passengers in search of a panoramic view of the city.

Located just a stone's throw from the Toronto Lake Ontario harbour, in the middle of a commercial district, the Rogers Centre is a marvel. It sits on 12.7 acres and it can hold 46,105 fans for baseball, and a few thousand more for football.

I was really surprised that the place wasn't sold out for either game, but then again, it's hockey, and not baseball that is Canada's national pastime, eh?

There was a huge difference in the atmosphere. With the crowd about evenly split, the Red Sox and Blue Jays fans took turns cheering for their respective teams in a respectful manner. It seemed that neither side tried to drown out the other, nothing like when the Sox play in Baltimore or especially in New York.

After Friday night's Red Sox win, we ran across some Blue Jays fans, and they cordially said that the Sox got the better of the game tonight. "But tomorrow will be different eh?"

And it was. The Sox got pummeled, 11-0. The Jays were as hot as the weather, the Sox did nothing right, and while we were expecting a good performance from John Lester, he just didn't have it and the game was a runaway early. We left in the sixth inning to enjoy some of the many city attractions that a very clean and hospitable Toronto offers.

At the end of a tiring Saturday, we went back to the Hilton and boarded a scenic elevator back to our 10th floor room at the same time as three 20-somethings. We were easy to spot with our Red Sox shirts.

"You didn't have a good game today eh?" one of them said. Duh.

Sure didn't. Before the elevator reached our floor, we all agreed that Sox and Blue Jays fans are a lot alike - the only team we really hate is the Yankees.

Sounds good to me, eh?

The Rogers Centre, as the Canadians spell it, is magnificent and worth the visit, even if the Sox aren't playing. And so is Toronto. It was our first time there and as cities go with their hustle and bustle, they make finding and enjoying attractions easy.

Here 'N There

* It's sometimes funny how a game can affect a life, not just in the normal Red Sox fan and water cooler chat way, but for real. That's what happened this summer for Ryan Fleming.

Ryan, 8, became the official bat boy for the Lincoln Little League 9-year-old all-star team this season, even though on the surface, he was an unlikely candidate.

Ryan had attended all the games prior to July with his family to cheer on his brother Patrick, a member of the team that their father, Dennis, helped coach. At a tournament mid-way through the season, someone came up with the idea that Ryan could be the bat boy, not knowing how the kids would react to him or how Ryan would like doing it.

You see, Ryan has autism and while his parents wanted him to have the chance, they know he's a little different from the other kids and wondered how the little boy would be accepted. They took a chance.

Mom Karin said the experiment, thanks to a great group of players and coaches, turned out better than anyone could have imagined. The kids all cheered Ryan on, the fans love watching him do his thing, and his Mom and Dad could not have been prouder.

Karin said the most inspiring thing about the experience is that Ryan lives every day with the challenges of autism. Social connections and friendships are the hardest thing for him, but the kids on the team treated him like one of their own, just another kid who loves baseball.

His parents are very appreciative and are amazed at the maturity of a special group of 9-year-olds from their community.

* My guess is that it's just a matter of time before New England Patriots and other National Football League fans quit being suckers and buying expensive tickets, pay premium prices for parking and everything else, just to watch tryouts. That's what the pre-season has amounted to.

Fans pay top dollar to see the stars, like Tom Brady and Randy Moss, and the coaching staff protects them by not letting them play. Maybe they'll make an appearance this week as the Patriots close out their pre-season against the New York - check that - the world champion Giants that beat the Patriots in last year's Super Bowl.