Tiger Stadium is coming down

[fiasco!]

Someone wrote "Go Tribe" in the rafters. I wasn't happy about that, so I inserted "TO HELL".

The view to the lower deck from my seats.

A rare crowd to get in, I'm guessing either Cleveland, NY or Boston was in town.

My good friend Julie. We went to, I would guess, over 150 games together in the nineties.

[tmorss9]

Sportsland was across Trumbull, on Michigan- Between Hoot Evers' bar (what it's called now escapes me) and Nemo's. The one across Cochrane was Designated Hatter, now Detroit Athletic. My favorite part of getting to the park before the gates opened was looking at all the vendors stands outside. I remember at one point the only place where you could get a Tiger jersey (pullover t shirt variety, or course. It was the '80's) was from a vender who always set up under the pedestrian catwalk that went across I-75.

And I agree, I liked going to the less attended games myself.

[GFB]

So last night, I was going to put up this real nice commemorative post, and as soon as I hit "Add Reply" the computer froze and I lost the entire thing...

So let me just hit on a few main points. I'm a relatively young Tigers fan (19 years old as of yesterday), so I have a little different perspective than some of the older fans on the board. Tiger Stadium was a great ballpark. It was where I attended my first baseball game, and the subject of many stories told by my dad and my grandpa (including many stories of the Lions winning NFL Championships in Briggs Stadium). However, I don't share the same bond with Tiger Stadium like others do. Maybe it was the bad teams fielded throughout the '90s or the fact that it was a dirty, grimy ballpark. I'm not really sure. But you could feel the history, no question about it.

Some random things I'll always remember about Tiger Stadium:

- The fact that ordinary fly balls would become home runs after being snatched by the upper deck.

- That center field was a cemetary for fly balls. (440 to the fence)

- That I had to sit on my knees to be able to see the game.

- Tony Clark hitting one out of the park in an interleague game against the Mets (at least I'm pretty sure its the Mets).

- Robert Fick's last HR at Tiger Stadium off the roof against the Blue Jays.

But I love Comerica Park. It's a great place. I go down their at least 2-3 times a month with friends and family. I've also taken dates down to the ballpark. There are usually cheap tickets available, and there really isn't a bad seat in the house (excluding the Pepsi Porch). I dunno, maybe in 60 years when they build a new ballpark, I'll have the same feeling towards Comerica as many of you share toward The Corner....

[Milo Meningocele]

- That center field was a cemetary for fly balls. (440 to the fence)

Not to contradict you, because many a homer was swallowed up at center--but interestingly, the 440 sign was well documented to be inaccurate. It was actually only 420 or so to the wall.

[tmorss9]

I'm not sure it was only 420, but I remember hearing that from a few places as well. I will say this though, I remember standing on the field at the 440 sign and it looked like a mile back to the plate. I've heard a lot of hitters say that the plate was just a bit (an inch or so according to some) down the 3rd base line.

And like Milo said about something else- Not to contradict, but Fick hit the last HP at Tiger Stadium against the Royals. It was a bomb, but I don't think it got near the roof.

I still can't believe they have thousands of seats in there (like the oranges from the upper deck) that they have no intention of selling. Anyone hear any more about that?

[mania]

Not a Tigers fan(obviously), but as someone who lived in Michigan during my high school years, I saw several games at Tigers Stadium. The company my dad worked for had connections to someone who had tickets near the Tigers dugout, so we'd go to 4-5 games a year. Mainly Rangers games, but for example, I saw Alex Rodriguez hit for the cycle in '97.

Was a place I associate with good times, regardless of the outcome.

[fiasco!]

I'm not sure it was only 420, but I remember hearing that from a few places as well. I will say this though, I remember standing on the field at the 440 sign and it looked like a mile back to the plate. I've heard a lot of hitters say that the plate was just a bit (an inch or so according to some) down the 3rd base line.

And like Milo said about something else- Not to contradict, but Fick hit the last HP at Tiger Stadium against the Royals. It was a bomb, but I don't think it got near the roof.

I still can't believe they have thousands of seats in there (like the oranges from the upper deck) that they have no intention of selling. Anyone hear any more about that?

Fick's homer went off the facade. I remember it well, as I was there and screamed "Holy !" repeatedly.

[fiasco!]

I'm not sure it was only 420, but I remember hearing that from a few places as well. I will say this though, I remember standing on the field at the 440 sign and it looked like a mile back to the plate. I've heard a lot of hitters say that the plate was just a bit (an inch or so according to some) down the 3rd base line.

And like Milo said about something else- Not to contradict, but Fick hit the last HP at Tiger Stadium against the Royals. It was a bomb, but I don't think it got near the roof.

I still can't believe they have thousands of seats in there (like the oranges from the upper deck) that they have no intention of selling. Anyone hear any more about that?

Fick's homer went off the facade. I remember it well, as I was there and screamed "Holy !" repeatedly.

[fiasco!]

I'm not sure it was only 420, but I remember hearing that from a few places as well. I will say this though, I remember standing on the field at the 440 sign and it looked like a mile back to the plate. I've heard a lot of hitters say that the plate was just a bit (an inch or so according to some) down the 3rd base line.

And like Milo said about something else- Not to contradict, but Fick hit the last HP at Tiger Stadium against the Royals. It was a bomb, but I don't think it got near the roof.

I still can't believe they have thousands of seats in there (like the oranges from the upper deck) that they have no intention of selling. Anyone hear any more about that?

Fick's homer went off the facade. I remember it well, as I was there and screamed "Holy !" repeatedly.

[sc49erfan15]

I'm not sure it was only 420, but I remember hearing that from a few places as well. I will say this though, I remember standing on the field at the 440 sign and it looked like a mile back to the plate. I've heard a lot of hitters say that the plate was just a bit (an inch or so according to some) down the 3rd base line.

And like Milo said about something else- Not to contradict, but Fick hit the last HP at Tiger Stadium against the Royals. It was a bomb, but I don't think it got near the roof.

I still can't believe they have thousands of seats in there (like the oranges from the upper deck) that they have no intention of selling. Anyone hear any more about that?

Fick's homer went off the facade. I remember it well, as I was there and screamed "Holy !" repeatedly.

Apparently you did it three times.

[tmorss9]

I stand corrected, Joel- I owe you a bag of Better Made chips for that.

[fiasco!]

I stand corrected, Joel- I owe you a bag of Better Made chips for that.

Red Hot, please.

[robnshell18]

So last night, I was going to put up this real nice commemorative post, and as soon as I hit "Add Reply" the computer froze and I lost the entire thing...

So let me just hit on a few main points. I'm a relatively young Tigers fan (19 years old as of yesterday), so I have a little different perspective than some of the older fans on the board. Tiger Stadium was a great ballpark. It was where I attended my first baseball game, and the subject of many stories told by my dad and my grandpa (including many stories of the Lions winning NFL Championships in Briggs Stadium). However, I don't share the same bond with Tiger Stadium like others do. Maybe it was the bad teams fielded throughout the '90s or the fact that it was a dirty, grimy ballpark. I'm not really sure. But you could feel the history, no question about it.

Some random things I'll always remember about Tiger Stadium:

- The fact that ordinary fly balls would become home runs after being snatched by the upper deck.

- That center field was a cemetary for fly balls. (440 to the fence)

- That I had to sit on my knees to be able to see the game.

- Tony Clark hitting one out of the park in an interleague game against the Mets (at least I'm pretty sure its the Mets).

- Robert Fick's last HR at Tiger Stadium off the roof against the Blue Jays.

But I love Comerica Park. It's a great place. I go down their at least 2-3 times a month with friends and family. I've also taken dates down to the ballpark. There are usually cheap tickets available, and there really isn't a bad seat in the house (excluding the Pepsi Porch). I dunno, maybe in 60 years when they build a new ballpark, I'll have the same feeling towards Comerica as many of you share toward The Corner....

During the 90's, that team was a disgrace. But yeah, that was a dirty, grimy place and that was one of the things that made it so great. It personifies the city of Detroit to the tee. Nowadays, that title's fallen to Joe Louis Arena, but those concourses were dreary and most of the time, smoke filled. My last game was during the last weekend against the Royals and my brother and I sat in the upper deck bleachers and listened as the bleacher creatures heckled the bejesus out of Carlos Beltran. And we walked past this sign that I'd seen tons of time and I never knew what it was for, but it had Mayor Coleman Young and the city council members' names on it--damn thing was shoved out of the way, but it was good to see on the last trip.

[GFB]

Man, my memory must be going... I could have sworn it was the Blue Jays... maybe because they were blue back then...

[SFCOM1]

I was a long time resident of Detroit (born in Redford Township) but had moved to Phoenix in 80' (Screamed like crazy when the Tigers won the series while stationed at Fort Ord, Ca in 83')

I went to the series where the Tigers where playing the Brewers that final season (oddly it was the year after the Brewers moved to the NL to make way for Tampa and Arizona to enter the MLB). I had an old "Phoenix Firebirds" jersey that I was collecting signatures of and the Brewers Bench coach was Jim Levbere (who was the first manager of the "birds"). He saw the jersey and promptly ran into the visitors clubhouse to get a real good sharpie. He really loved the Firebirds, as it got him back into baseball.

I gave the stadium a "Final kiss" when I left that Sunday afternoon, following the last game of that series. Thinking I had seen her one last time. Oddly not though, in July of 2000 I went back to play in one of the final "Fantasy Camps" known as the Tiger's Field of Dreams. The Corner had just wrapped the movie "61" about the Mantle and Maris chase for the HR title. So the field was still immaculate and the stadium was intact and still in great shape.

I lost some of my pictures, but I have the full game uniform I was issued (including Hat, pants, belt, and stirrups). I wore the Number "2" for Charles Gehringer "The Mechanical Man" HOF 2nd Baseman, also due to it was my favorite number as well. .

I will always remember Tiger Stadium, and I hope some how one of the groups will find a way to save the home stands from the first to third base dugouts section for posterities sake. I'd hate to see such a grad place to watch baseball fade away like Ebbets Field or the Polo Grounds.

[tp49]

Hopefully they'll at least save the portion like the Harwell group wants to do.

It's intersting though how Detroit is the American version of Athens, a city of ruins. Buildings in the downtown have sat vacant and decaying for years while the city figures out what to do with them (namely the Book Cadillac and Michigan Central Station which Joel mentioned earlier). Would have been easier if they just demolished the place back in the winter of 1999 instead of letting it sit almost a decade unused save for a couple of movies. Seems more like watching a favorite relative on life support.

[robnshell18]

Hopefully they'll at least save the portion like the Harwell group wants to do.

It's intersting though how Detroit is the American version of Athens, a city of ruins. Buildings in the downtown have sat vacant and decaying for years while the city figures out what to do with them (namely the Book Cadillac and Michigan Central Station which Joel mentioned earlier). Would have been easier if they just demolished the place back in the winter of 1999 instead of letting it sit almost a decade unused save for a couple of movies. Seems more like watching a favorite relative on life support.

Interesting side-note, they're currently renovating the Book Cadillac and it'll be open as the Westin Book Cadillac in October with a new restaurant by Michael Symons (from Iron Chef).

[fiasco!]

Hopefully they'll at least save the portion like the Harwell group wants to do.

It's intersting though how Detroit is the American version of Athens, a city of ruins. Buildings in the downtown have sat vacant and decaying for years while the city figures out what to do with them (namely the Book Cadillac and Michigan Central Station which Joel mentioned earlier). Would have been easier if they just demolished the place back in the winter of 1999 instead of letting it sit almost a decade unused save for a couple of movies. Seems more like watching a favorite relative on life support.

Interesting side-note, they're currently renovating the Book Cadillac and it'll be open as the Westin Book Cadillac in October with a new restaurant by Michael Symons (from Iron Chef).

Awesome. That's always been one of my favorite buildings in the city, along with the Fisher Building and the Penobscot Building.

[tmorss9]

I saw the renderings a few times, and it will be an awesome building. Now, just something to do with the train station and a couple of the old buildings on Fort Street. I wish I knew the name of the building, or who it once belonged to, but there is an old warehouse and office building on Fort Street (right near the Ambassador Bridge) that has a really strong resemblance to the Montreal Forum before it was renovated. Must have been a great looking old building.

[Bobby 21]

Any one know how much stuff is going for?? Love to get some seats.