The almost finished Stackers Stadium … Photos by Robert Planche.

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

What do the Rogers Centre and Christian Planche’s Stackers Stadium have in common?

Rogers Centre didn’t host a ball game this year.

Neither did Planche’s ball yard.

Although gazing at pictures of the 13-year-old’s yard it certainly looks game ready. Robert Planche and his son Christian built the 6,000-piece, realistic LEGO stadium.

Christian … as the construction crews arrive

“We started in March when COVID hit and finished about the last week of October,” said Robert, who was into LEGO “a little,” as a youngster. Christian became attached as soon as he found out he could build things.

“Years ago we built a hodgepodge ball diamond, but there wasn’t really a baseball option to buy a stadium set,” Robert said.

Christian caught for the 13U Mississauga North Tigers in this shortened 14-game season against teams in the same bubble: Mississauga SouthWest Twins, Mississauga Majors and the Brampton Royals. Catching for coach Nazaar Shadir, Christian knew his savings, allowances and birthday gifts were about to be spent on this latest LEGO project.

Acting like his Scott Boras, Christian worked out a point system with Robert for each of his game. A single was a point, a double two points, etc. And a home run was worth 10 points. Ten points converted to $50.

“That would be $50 CDN,” said Christian, who hit .500 this fall and hit three home runs at Rivergrove Park and after a pause explains, “That’s for an over-the-fence home run.”

Robert and Christian did the father-and-son You Tube search for a Stackers Stadium, but came up empty. They looked for plans searching different web sites.

“After COVID hit, we wanted to build the stadium,” Robert said, “but didn’t know how to get all the pieces. We could not buy from LEGO since 60-to-70%, they don’t make any more.”

So the family rummaged through the spare parts checked the site BrickLink.com for missing pieces and plans.

“We knew that this wasn’t going to be cheap,” Robert said.

They began with nine base plates and made over 20 transactions. A total of 15 packages from Douglas, N.B., Quebec City, Ottawa, Peterborough, Brampton, Thornhill, Hamilton, Chatham, Winnipeg, Fergus, Ont. and Edmonton arrived in Mississauga.

And six more LEGO.com Pick a Brick orders came from the main warehouse of LEGO in Billund, Denmark, home of the LEGO factory. LEGO would ship to Avenel, NJ and then the packages would be shipped north.

On the mound -- about to throw a pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays -- Aaron Sanchez with his name on his back. Players at in the third base dugout, behind the Boston Red Sox third base coach.

Outside is a large Stackers Stadium sign. Green trees form the batter’s eye, while cameramen work the outfield to zoom in on the catcher.

Down the left field line near the foul pole is a grounds keeper and in right field stands is a security officer on his walkie-talkie. There are also bullpens behind the centre and right field fences. Plus a warning track. This is not Rivergrove.

Looking from outside the stadium there are yellow archways down the first and third base lines are security gates that open like doors that let fans to that section of the stadium at game time. The detail is amazing.

Behind home plate the seats climb three levels, a capacity of roughly 400.

There is a dining deck in centre field where two fans sit under an umbrella, served by a waiter.

Christian’s favourite piece in the whole ball yard? The backstop and netting behind home plate which he designed and constructed his own self. There was a lot of tweaking and customizations but most of the LEGO designs.

“Christian is not 100% happy, it’s not finished,” said Robert, an IT manager with engineering branch of Hexagon. Labels are needed for the scoreboard and a Canadian flag is needed.

“He wants to build concessions, plans only get you so far, a lot of this he designed himself,” Robert said.

* * *

Christian is asked who his favourite player is

“Myself,” he says confidently.

OK, take II, who is your favourite pro player.

“Either myself ... or Cody Bellinger.”

Next season -- if all the virus settles down -- Christian will play for the FieldHouse Pirates 14U.

* * *

Christian is spending the winter improving his catching and hitting taking private lessons from Mississauga North Tigers coach Damon Topolie, who has worked with some of Ontario’s best backstops going back to his days with Team Ontario and dthe Ontario Blue Jays.

Starting off the list, he worked pair who made the majors as relievers: Chris Leroux (Mississauga, Ont.) who pitched for the Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees) and Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) who had an excellent 2020 for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Drafted catchers were first-round pick Noah Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) who went to the Cleveland Indians (29th overall) in 2018, Joel Collins (Richmond Hill, Ont), selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10th round in 2007, Jordan Wideman (Mississauga, Ont.) an 11th round Cincinnati Reds choice in 2007, Justin Marra (Etobicoke, Ont.) a 15th rounder grabbed by the Chicago Cubs in 2011, Peter Bako (Mississauga, Ont.) a 15th round draft of the Pirates in 2009, Mike Reeves (Peterborough, Ont.) a 21st rounder the Jays chose in 2013 and Justin Worby (Acton, Ont.) a 43rd round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2005.

Plus collegians Kyle Degrace (Toronto, Ont.) who went to Arkansas State, Aaron Izaryk (Markham, Ont.) who played four years at Maine and my son’s friend Brad Pitz (Mississauga, Ont.) who went to Iowa Lakes.

What will Christian do when he fills in seats? Real fans or card-board cut outs like we saw in major league stadium.

“Hey,” said Christian, “card board cut outs is a good idea.”

The Stackers Stadium is just part of Christian’s LEGO world. He also had built a city hall, museum, bank, movie theatre, fire house, restaurant, pet store, an amusement park, with a Ferris wheel and coaster, as well as a ninja go restaurant and a karate dojo.

* * *

Someone asked me the other day what I was writing about and I answered a LEGO ball park.

“How can you go from writing about the late Hall of Famer Joe Morgan and J.G. Taylor Spink award winner Claire Smith one day ... and the next write about building blocks?”

Well, LEGO has always been a part of my family. I’d return home at 1 a.m. after a Blue Jays game and look in the family room. There were two projects my daughter and son had been working on. If they left them out I’d insert a row of yellow bricks into a green wall or place a car’s red windshield atop a black hut. I would tell them in was new-wave architecture.

Yet, the LEGO turning point came a few years ago. My grandson went running to his dad. Something he had built had fallen apart. My son patiently explained how it was easy to put back together.

An immediate bond was formed ... and soon after a LEGO room, just like Christian’s.

Elliott: Christian Planche built it, now LEGO players will come