future MLB ballparks

[IronChefShark]

I noticed there is talk about some more new parks being planned in baseball.

I wasnt sure if the plans in St Louis fell through but I went to the Cards website and sure enough, the ground has been broken.

I know Oakland is trying to get a park built (fat chance, green elephants! )

now Miami, is it for sure gonna happen?

how about Minnesota? even dare I say Boston? I saw the plans for a bigger, modern version of Fenway Park and I must say that Im impressed

it may seem like forever from the moment its announced that your team is getting a new ballpark to the opening of the ballpark, but believe me when PacBell/SBC Park opened in 2000 the wait was well worth it. It was like Christmas morning!

[random]

I dont think any of those parks are definate yet, but i know for sure that miami is closer and closer to happening. New Fenway was supposed to break ground, but nothing ever came of it. St. Louis is probably the closest to definate at this point and the plans look spectacular. Also, if the expos move to washington dc ground will likely be broken on the Mt Vernon Sq. site pretty soon.

by the way, allthough i was always pushing for washington, the new frontrunner appears to be northern va. This excites me as not only is the ball park in my home county but the principal owner's son graduated from HS with me. so, needless to say i'm pulling for that plan now.

[IronChefShark]

apparently construction on the new cards ballpark began in december

[STL FANATIC]

Yeah, the Cards is definate. The current Busch, and the new stadium will slightly overlap, so how they are gonna build it has already changed once, but it is still scheduled to open in 2006. When the idea was first proposed way back, Selig pretty much promised St. Louis the All*Star Game in '06 if it was finished. We'll see if that sticks. Regardless, I'd expect to get it by 2010 if not in the first year of existance. I don't think the wait will seem like that long until Spring Training of '06, because most people don't think they need a new stadium around here. Outsiders may not be fond of Busch, but everyone here basically loves it. That's not to say that we don't think the new park looks cool and what not, just we're not convinced that it's needed. Once it's here though, I'll be happy. What I wonder about is naming rights. Busch just about for sure isn't keeping them. I don't think it's possible, but if somehow fans and maybe some companies could chip in, it's be awesome to call it John Francis Buck Stadium or Park. JFB for short, Buck Stadium, whatever. But, I think that'd be awesome.

[DEAD!]

Check this site out.

http://www.ballparks.com

[stimpy]

i like how the red sox are keeping traditional with their park but you cant get rid of fenway...not untill it falls!

[Brass]

i like how the red sox are keeping traditional with their park but you cant get rid of fenway...not untill it falls!

The owners of the Red Sox are in a tight jam right about now. They don't want to raise ticket prices, but with the MLB's second highest payroll, and the smallest park in the league, it's kinda hard not to. And if they want to move, their really no place to go. That's why the Pats didn't move into Boston.

[stimpy]

the only thing they coul do is possibly play at the pats place and knock over fenway and build a new one

[Gamingboy]

I heard the Baltimore Orioles are planning to build a new Spring Training stadium from scratch......

[IronChefShark]

Check this site out.

http://www.ballparks.com

have it bookmarked

they dont update that often so thats why I go to other sources to read up on ballpark news

[DEAD!]

Check this site out.

http://www.ballparks.com

have it bookmarked

they dont update that often so thats why I go to other sources to read up on ballpark news

That's true, I don't go there that often.

[Joshawaggie]

here is some pics about the proposed Twins ballpark

click on the gallery

[Discrim]

did anything ever come of that new Mets stadium plan?

[jkrdevil]

did anything ever come of that new Mets stadium plan?

No, the new Stadiums for the Yankees and Mets got axed. The city is too focused on the Olympics and that Stadium wich will get blocked from being built.

Don't expect a new stadium built in New York for a while. It's too expensive (much more than any other city) and there are too many groups that will sue to get block the stadium from being built. Add that to the fact that the City won't build new stadiums because they know the Mets and Yankees won't leave.

[yh]

Yeah, the Cards is definate. The current Busch, and the new stadium will slightly overlap, so how they are gonna build it has already changed once, but it is still scheduled to open in 2006. When the idea was first proposed way back, Selig pretty much promised St. Louis the All*Star Game in '06 if it was finished. We'll see if that sticks. Regardless, I'd expect to get it by 2010 if not in the first year of existance. I don't think the wait will seem like that long until Spring Training of '06, because most people don't think they need a new stadium around here. Outsiders may not be fond of Busch, but everyone here basically loves it. That's not to say that we don't think the new park looks cool and what not, just we're not convinced that it's needed. Once it's here though, I'll be happy. What I wonder about is naming rights. Busch just about for sure isn't keeping them. I don't think it's possible, but if somehow fans and maybe some companies could chip in, it's be awesome to call it John Francis Buck Stadium or Park. JFB for short, Buck Stadium, whatever. But, I think that'd be awesome.

The main reason why the new ballpark is being built, and this is not a joke, had to do with toilets. Again, I am not kidding. Busch stadium is still very much structurally sound from an architectural standpoint, however it has maxed out its ability to support luxury suites, again, not from an architectural standpoint, but from a plumbing standpoint. You could carve out more seats and build skyboxes in Busch - it would take some work, but nothing that couldn't get done. However, the plumbing system for the stadium is maxed out and in order to replace it so that you can have private potties in the new suites would require massive excavation which could not be completed over an off season (due to the fact that hard freezes over the winter are unpredictable in Missouri - they can be long or brief, there's just no telling from year to year) and thus the stadium would be unusable well into the spring. Since the Ed cannot be configured for baseball, the Cards would have no home. So, the owners of the team decided that since they need the additional luxury box revenue, the only option is to build a new stadium and were able to sell it to private investors and the public (after being forced by the Missouri legislature to privatize more of the construction dollars) in order to get the financing committments necessary to proceed. And proceeding they are - ground was broken in December and work is going on as we speak - a lot of it has to do with rerouting streets at this point, but it is stadium related work nonetheless.

[RyanB06]

Forget about New Fenway. Land in Boston is as expensive as it is in New York City.

The only place to see New Fenway (besides in mockup photos) is in video games. It's too bad, too; Fenway's not getting any younger (it's 92 years old this season).

[Gamingboy]

Forget about New Fenway. Land in Boston is as expensive as it is in New York City.

The only place to see New Fenway (besides in mockup photos) is in video games. It's too bad, too; Fenway's not getting any younger (it's 92 years old this season).

92 years and STILL going strong too.

[RyanB06]

I'm not disputing that; I'm a died-in-the-wool Red Sox fan. The new ownership has done wonders with the place. I wouldn't mind in the least seeing Fenway celebrate its centennial season, but the reality is that a new park will be needed sooner or later. But unless the political climate in Massachusetts does a complete 180, there's little chance of a new park coming on-line anytime soon.

[Brian in Boston]

Check out http://www.ballparkwatch.com for frequent updates on ballpark planning and construction, plus general baseball business news.

As a life-long Boston Red Sox fan, as well as someone who appreciates the history of Fenway Park, let me go on record as saying that the BoSox are in critical need of a new (no, NOT renovated) ballpark to call home.

Fenway has moved beyond historic... it is now antiquated. All of the "Fenway Facelifts" that the John Henry/Tom Werner partnership have overseen since purchasing the franchise are... nice. Utilizing Yawkey Way as a concourse prior to the start of play on game days provides a little more elbow room for patrons, but to pretend that it is the equivalent of the "entertainment zones" or "family areas" at the likes of Camden Yards or Turner Field is absurd. The idea of putting seats atop the "Green Monster" was a terrific one that was long overdue. However, given their price and the small percentage increase in overall seating availability that they provide, the "Monster Seats" still manage to fail to address two of Fenway Park's major shortcomings: a large enough seating increase to generate a significant rise in disposable income OR an increase in affordable seating for the average fans. Same goes for the new field seats adjacent to the dugouts. There just aren't that many of them, nor are they priced for the average fan.

What's more, sinking money into trying to expand the seating in the current facility will ultimately be like pouring money down the drain. The footprint of available land isn't big enough to do so within the current grandstand structure. Additionally, cantilevering a new series of decks up and over the current grandstand - which the current ownership group has championed - will destroy the ambiance of Fenway as it currently exists. You'll suddenly have an upper deck looming over the lower grandstand. The support structures for the deck will cloak the park's outer, weathered brick walls... either in supporting metal beams or a new, faux historic brick wall. Which begs the question, "Why bother to try and preserve a structure that is going to have its 'magical' atmosphere overshadowed as a result of the so-called preservation process?"

Camden Yards... SBC Park... Turner Field... Coors Field... Jacobs Field... the Ballpark at Arlington... they've all proven that you can build a new and improved structure with the feel of the old. It's time for the Red Sox to do the same thing.

Oh, by the way... as much as I love Fenway, here's a "sacrilege" on the part of a Red Sox fan: I'm of the belief that Wrigley Field is the nicer of baseball's historic, grand old ballparks.

Brian in Boston

[marlinfan]

the marlins ballpark deal is about 95% done. if all goes well ground will be broken around november or december. it will a capacity of 38000 but no sketches have been released. marlins fans are really excited because the owner jeff loria art dealer so we are expecting a nice park.i heard the stadium will include an aquarium, a community center and entertainment atrium. it will have a retractable roof.