Another bights the dust

December 29, 2002 10:00 AM

Cinergy Stadium Goes Down. The odds are that the Vet in Philadelphia is next. Watching these ball parks is destroyed is something else. Anyone witness it? Do you miss those places and what would you like to see fixed up? Is this the answer rather than Soldiers field or Lambeau fix it up? Some are worth keeping (Wrigley) but maybe Fenway and Yankee stadium need to go.
posted by brent (21 comments total)

"but maybe Fenway and Yankee stadium need to go"

Do a lot of bottom-feeding, Mr. Troll? Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in the world. It was built in 1912 -- two years before Babe Ruth's rookie year, (pitching for the Red Sox). Fenway has outlasted baseball teams, and has seen practically every great American baseball player in history on its field. And it's a park, not a stadium, so you'll actually get to see the game even from the bleacher seats.

Yes, Cinergy saw Pete Rose kick ass with the Big Red Machine, but let's get real. It's a stadium, not a park, and it's an ugly one at that. It's also 32 years old -- not exactly a national trust, you know?
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 10:20 AM on December 29, 2002

Destroying the 1912 Fenway? Horrible, horrible idea. At least until the Red Sox win the World Series they should stay there.

Anyway here's the long-discussed project for the new Fenway

Also here

On preview: yes, the park/stadium difference _is_ important
posted by matteo at 10:26 AM on December 29, 2002

I walked down to Third Street this morning and bid Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field farewell. I also ate a lot of dust.

I was just about to post this, before I saw brent's:

Shortly after 8:00 am this morning, the kind folks at O'Rourke Wrecking imploded Cincinnati's venerable Cinergy Field (nee Riverfront Stadium). For over 30 years Riverfront hosted baseball's oldest franchise, including The Big Red Machine, arguably the best team of all time. Riverfront was the stomping ground of Pete Rose, the greatest hitter alive (and unfrozen). Of course, for many years the Bengals also shared the stadium, making the multi-purpose facility quite a bargain for the $25 million spent for its construction in 1970. The two stadiums that will replace Riverfront/Cinergy--the Bengals' Paul Brown Stadium and the Reds' Great American Ballpark--will likely cost a combined $866 million. The real bargain, however, was Crosley Field, the Reds' home prior to moving beside the Ohio River. Built for $225,000 in 1912, Crosley Field served the Reds for 58 years.

Also: photo galleries.
posted by samuelad at 10:40 AM on December 29, 2002

An interesting post, clouded by an obvious troll at the close. Couldn't resist, brent? Why not ask if the stadiums would better be imploded if they were full of israelis (or palestinians), or whether W's policies on the economy were to blame for these ballpark? Discuss.
posted by jonson at 10:47 AM on December 29, 2002

When Market Square Arena came down it was big news around here. Here is a link with info and video links to the destruction. MSA's claim to fame other than some great Pacers games is that is was the last place Elvis performed before he died.
posted by internal at 11:03 AM on December 29, 2002

And under the rubble that was once Riverfront Stadium is the exact, yes I say exact, spot where Roy Rogers was born.

I hope this contributes greatly to the absloute idiocy being discussed here. Say amen.

Amen.
posted by flatlander at 11:34 AM on December 29, 2002

There's nothing sadder than a mayor of a small rust-belt city telling his people that they need to shell out hundreds of millions of dollars to the local rich industrialists so that they can live in a "world class city" with a modern sports stadium.

I have a feeling that if Chicago had spent the city's money to build the Sears Tower, every 30 years you'd have the local business leaders complaining that it needed to be torn down and replaced with a "modern" office building-- at taxpayer expense, of course.
posted by deanc at 12:19 PM on December 29, 2002

anything named 'cinergy' deserves to implode.
posted by quonsar at 12:34 PM on December 29, 2002

No troll intended and wasn't going there with politics as some pointed out. Shouldn't have added that last part, and maybe a sportsfilter item, but I've actually have been to Fenway plenty of times, being that Boston is listed in my bio as my place of residency.

Some stadiums or parks are past their time, such as the Vet and Medowlands. I have been to Lambeau and love what they have done. I miss old Comisky, and was glad County stadium was replaced. I've heard some would want Fenway taken down, same with what would be a billion dollar stadium to replace the Yankee stadium, which Rudolph might have made happen. Being a Cubs fan I would certainly cry for Wrigley being destroyed. Do others share the same feeling towards a stadium? Mainly for those Cincy fans and Pittsburgh residents, although Heinz field is a sand lot.
posted by brent at 3:15 PM on December 29, 2002

Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in the world.

Should be qualified with "major league" and either way that claim didn't stop the Tigers from changing addresses.
posted by yerfatma at 5:03 PM on December 29, 2002

Baseball is a pastural sport invented and played in cities. But the relationship between the game and the city is a two-way street. I've got no problem raizing stadiums that are out in the boondocks, mainly because most of the larger, newer places were created recently, and a product of American suburbanization after the 1940's. There's no heart there. But witness the demoralizing effect of tearing down a ballpark in the heart of a city, such as what happened in Brooklyn when the Dodgers moved to LA, and I would place myself in front of any wrecking ball at a city-centered park. Cities like New York and Boston can ill afford moving their ballparks. When Cominsky Park (old) was torn down in Chicago and replaced with the larger Cominsky Park (new), owners were troubled to see that seating actually went down. Realistically, the extra ticket sales are minimal in comparison to syndication rights for television broadcasts, anyway.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:06 PM on December 29, 2002

The Blue Jays used to play at Exhibition Stadium (aka "The Mistake By The Lake"); they've been in Skydome (a bad name, yes, but at least it's not a corporate name) for years now, but I'd still like to see the Ex imploded.
posted by stonerose at 5:47 PM on December 29, 2002

stonerose: Disagreement. Games at Exhibition Stadium were fun, where you needed gallons of sunscreen and still got burned, where you needed to keep putting on and taking off your jacket thanks to the wind off the lake, where you had to walk for miles to find washrooms and refreshments, and where even in the bleachers you ran the risk of getting your glasses broken by a ball. Games at Skydome are soulless, sure you can see better, you don't get splinters from the seats, access to facilities is carefully planned for maximum convenience and you can actually hear the announcements (although they all sound like golf announcers), but it's sterile and cold. Seeing games and concerts at Exhibition Stadium on a summer's evening are some of my favourite memories. Baseball, football (and I don't even like football), Police Picnics, David Bowie, The Clash, the first Lollapalooza...Skydome is a big, clean, well-planned, personality-less aspirin and I, for one, will miss Exhibition Stadium when it goes.
posted by biscotti at 6:01 PM on December 29, 2002

Uh, stonerose and biscotti.

Exhibition Stadium in Toronto was demolished about three years ago. Check this out if you can put up with a million pop-ups.
posted by Electric Jesus at 6:14 PM on December 29, 2002

Oops EJ, you're right, of course. It's strangely easy to forget things like that, even when you live there. Colour me embarrassed.
posted by biscotti at 6:59 PM on December 29, 2002

Veteran's Stadium, where the aforementioned Mr. Rose actually broke the hitting record, is an abomination that needs to be torn down post-haste. I spent many an afternoon there in the 80's watching the Phillies, and didn't know what I was missing until I came to NY and sat in Yankee Stadium. Whatever happened to ballparks with character?

Part of the problem is with stadiums, like the Vet, that do double-duty as baseball and football parks. I can't speak for the football end of things, but these places wind up way too big for a baseball game.
posted by mkultra at 7:55 AM on December 30, 2002

The Soldier Field fix up is a total mess. It completely destroys the look of that great stadium. However, it's certainly a better idea than a new stadium, since it's nice to have at least one stadium that doesn't have a corporate sponsor.
posted by einarorn at 8:28 AM on December 30, 2002

Riverfront, Riverfront, Riverfront.

How did that grand old ballpark get renamed to Cinergy Stadium anyway? It's been too long since I lived in Cincinnati.
posted by moonbiter at 11:27 AM on December 30, 2002

Fenway Park definitely has to go! All of the seats need to be ripped out. If I were 5'2" with a 15 inch waist then maybe I might be comfortable sitting in those seats. For everyone else it is a horrible experience. The rows are too close together and your knees dig into the seat in front of you.

Tear it down and build a new one in its place based on Pac Bell Park and Camden Yards. Now those are real ballparks.
posted by LinemanBear at 9:15 PM on December 30, 2002

The Soldier Field fix up is a total mess.

Oh my, that is bad. Has that project been realized? (Sorry, it's been a long time since I've been a regular Sunday viewer.)
posted by Dick Paris at 2:56 AM on December 31, 2002

DP -- They're building it right now.
posted by Mid at 6:48 AM on December 31, 2002