Your feelings when your team moved to a new ballpark

[nymdan]

With all the talk about Shea around here lately, and whether or not Mets fans are going to miss it once the team moves into Citi Field, I'd like to find out how everybody around here reacted when their team moved into a new ballpark.

The folks I'm really interested in hearing from are those whose teams moved from cookie cutters to parks that are clearly superior. PNC Park is a gem, but if you saw your first game at Three Rivers and went there for years, do you ever miss it, or did you get over it the second you stepped foot into PNC?

I'd like to hear what everybody has to say, but of course there are going to be some mixed feelings when your team is moving out of a Tiger Stadium or a Comiskey, parks that seemed to be well-liked.

However, you folks that grew up going to games at Veterans, Riverfront, Fulton County, etc etc... I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

[StanTheMan]

I grew up in Busch Stadium, living in St. Louis until I was 15. I was at Bob Gibson Day, Lou Brock Day, and camped out for World Series tickets with my Dad and various other family members on three occassions, and went to 5 WS games. The amount of regular season games I went to is well beyond
150.

The Cards of course moved into a new ballpark, and immediately won a WS. I was at two games last fall, including the clinching game 5... this time with my own son. Incredible experience that just cannot be properly described with a keyboard.

I did go to Busch last year during the regular season, just to check it out, etc.... when the Cards winning the WS seemed a pipe dream. The obvious verdict is that I adore new Busch Stadium.

I remember the older Busch Stadium very, very fondly.

But I do not miss it.....

The new parks are ALWAYS better. Better for the fans, better for the finacial structure of the team... simply better.

You will be fine when Citi Field opens. I imagine most Met fans will be happy to fondly remember Shea (been there... liked it... had a true NY vibe) but will seriously not miss it. Not one bit.

I have also been to Riverfront and Great American, as well as Fulton County, although I don't have 1% of the emotional attachment I do for Busch Stadium, old or new.

[PeteU]

I had only been following baseball for three years when the Orioles left Memorial Stadium. Nonetheless, it was where I saw my first baseball game, it was where my dad had grown up watching countless baseball games, and I had been to enough games there that I did grow an emotional bond to it, in the limited amount of time I had personally experienced it.

But let me tell you. Baltimorians loved Memorial Stadium. They loved that place. It was true Baltimore--unpretentious, utilitarian, but with an underlying sense of charm and community to the park. Many true-blue O's fans viewed the new ballpark as a necessary evil. In 1984, the Colts bolted town in the middle of the night, and if it took a new ballpark to make sure the Orioles didn't follow suit, that's what needed to be done.

And when Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened, it was welcomed with open arms, and praised for its new direction and architectual innovation. Baltimorians did like their new park...but....for many O's fans, there was and still is a great sense of nostalgia for the old yard. Maybe because it was before the day and age where going to the Orioles game was "fashionable" (at least in the early to mid 1990s when the O's were contenders, the ballpark was brand new, and DC and Northern Virginia folks didn't have their own team). People went to Memorial Stadium to see a baseball game, not to be seen. And maybe the nostaligia is in part due to the fact the Orioles' glory days were at Memorial Stadium, and these days it just seems like 30-3 blowouts are the norm.

The Orioles greatest fan--a cab driver named Wild Bill Hagy--recently passed away this month. Hagy and his gang of followers would crowd into upper deck section 34 at Memorial Stadium and have a rollicking good time. While O's fans appreciate their shiny new downtown digs, a part of them still wishes they were back on 33rd Street with Wild Bill.

[Astros]

I grew up going to games at the Astrodome and I loved it as a kid and loved it as an adult. I didn't agree with some of the changes over the years, namely the 1989 renovation that completely removed the massive scoreboard across the outfield so 10,000 seats could be added for the Oilers. However it was still the Dome and it was our home to baseball. Say what you may want, but the Dome did blaze some amazing trails in stadium history and the story behind it being built is extraordinary.

It made me sick to my stomach to think the Astros, whose name was so closely associated with their stadium, would play elsewhere. Sometimes I do still miss those days and I wish I could have taken my kids there to see a game. They have been in the Astrodome but it is not the same because the baseball field was not layed out and the seats were in football configuration. You could see the cutouts of where the infield was. Otherwise the rest of the stadium looked much as it did a few years ago. I was warm and stuffy inside the stadium areas, but the air-conditioning was only on in the office areas that are still being used by Aramark and the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp.

That being said, Minute Maid Park (minus the cliches about the name and it supposedly being a bandbox) is a good update for the Astros. The Astros could return to playing outdoors and on a grass field. It is very much a traditional ballpark design within the retractable roof system that surrounds it. I think some of the fore-fathers of major league baseball in Houston would be pleased to find what we have today. Some of the old scoreboard cartoons were carried over from the Astrodome and the famous Home Run Spectacular was recreated for the new stadium. All in all, the new ballpark featured every amenity the Astrodome did. Restaurants, Clubs, Suites, a large scoreboard, a dome for rainy and hot days, air-conditioning were all carried over but within a traditional ballpark instead of a circular stadium. I will admit there were mixed feelings for while knowing the Astros were playing in Houston, but it was while the Astrodome sat dark just a few miles away.

I don't think I've ever met someone who considered the Astrodome to be sort of a cookie cutter, and it really isn't. The shape of the stadium was to configure with its overall function of having a domed roof on it. The other stadiums that came after didn't seem to have the same excuse other than they could be used multi-purposely, which seemed to be the defining link of the cookie cutters in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Philadelphia. The super stadium had been introduced with Dodger Stadium and taken to another level with the Astrodome. Teams began to think big was better and built their stadiums according the times.

Now...could the Astrodome have undergone a renovation for a baseball upgrade? Yes. There could have been a great renovation that would have brought the Dome back to its early trailblazing years. But, as always, a new generation with a new set of ideals wants to blaze their own trail and thus, we (Houston, Detroit, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago (AL) for example) are left helplessly and forced to detach our memories from where we grew up. And yes the renovation would have cost about the same amount as a new ballpark, but that is a different discussion. Dump or no dump. Improvement or or no improvement. I do think this is more associated with many more cases in baseball than in any other sport. I'm sure there are not too many fans in Dallas who are not excited about the new football stadium currently being built. You probably will not see the outcry as seen with Yankee Stadium being replaced.

Enough of my rant...

[bigtime39]

I went to the last game at Memorial Stadium, and the first game at Camden Yards. I don't miss Memorial...at all.

[KCGHOST]

The first ML game I went to was in the old Municipal Stadium in KC. Just a wonderful old ballpark. Set in a residential area many people going to the game would park in people's yards for a buck. The place to sit was in the upper deck. You were just as close to the field, but elevated so you had great perspective. Despite being a huge park from the LF line to CF (369-408-421) it was a hitters paradise.

In 1973 the tream moved to Royals Stadium, the finest stadium of its era. I loved the new stadium but really missed the intimacy of the old park.

[Seattle1]

I strongly approved of the Mariners moving from the Kingdome to Safeco, even though there were some great moments in Mariner history in the Kingdome. That's because baseball is meant to be played outdoors on real grass.

[Solair Wright]

My grandfather missed the Polo Grounds when first the baseball Giants left New York, then the Mets left to visit Shea Stadium from the Polo Grounds. Unfortunately, my grandfather won't see the final years at Shea, because he sadly passed on in 2004. I think he saw a game during the 1954 World Series, but I don't know. However, he did see a few games of the 1962-63 seasons with my father at the Polo Grounds.

While for me, I was a little surprised at Busch Memorial Stadium closing down eight years after the 1997 renovations, though this stadium is better in my opinion.

[Lafferty Daniel]

The new parks are ALWAYS better. Better for the fans, better for the finacial structure of the team... simply better.

Not true, ballparks like the Polo Grounds, Ebbetts Field, and Tiger Stadium were much better than today's parks. I know this guy who has talked to people that have been to those parks and they will tell you the same thing :)

:twocents: :twocents: :twocents: :twocents: :twocents: :twocents:

[Great One]

Even though Veterans Stadium became a "dump" in its final years, it was still considered home to any Philadelphian. We understood that the character built there would be gone, however, the anticipation of a roomier, cleaner, baseball-only stadium was soon coming. There were mixed emotions when it came to leaving a place that had been a part of you and your personal history. There was also a feeling of excitement once a new, finished stadium was ready to open.

[nymdan]

Even though Veterans Stadium became a "dump" in its final years, it was still considered home to any Philadelphian. We understood that the character built there would be gone, however, the anticipation of a roomier, cleaner, baseball-only stadium was soon coming. There were mixed emotions when it came to leaving a place that had been a part of you and your personal history. There was also a feeling of excitement once a new, finished stadium was ready to open.

Do you ever sit at Citizens Bank Park and think about how you miss the Vet?

[SBBL]

Stay on Topic, and make sure you spell things correctly please. :dance

Lets be this quick when it matters.

[SBBL]

Even though Veterans Stadium became a "dump" in its final years, it was still considered home to any Philadelphian. We understood that the character built there would be gone, however, the anticipation of a roomier, cleaner, baseball-only stadium was soon coming. There were mixed emotions when it came to leaving a place that had been a part of you and your personal history. There was also a feeling of excitement once a new, finished stadium was ready to open.

You don't have to feel compelled to use that word dump. A landfill is a dump. A ballpark is a cherised, loved place. You wouldn't call your mother a worn out old hag just because she aged and lost her youthfull glow, teeth and hair, would you ? No you would,(probably), still love her. Nothing stays shiny and new for ever. Be Proud ! Don't use the "d" word (about your own park).

You never stop loving you know.

[hippovaun]

this isn't a ballpark, but when Chicago Stadium was torn down, there was a grace period where everyone wanted to see the new stadium, but they soon realized that all the glitz and glamour of a shiny new stadium doesn't equal half of the character that any old stadium has. sure, the floors were sticky and the place smelled like crap, but it was our sticky floored, crap smelly place, and once it's gone, it ain't coming back.

[soberdennis]

Yankee Stadium will be replaced by a new YS the same year CitiField replaces Shea. It will seem weird with a new park.
I went to many games at Jack Murphy Stadium and have also been to 5 at Petco Park. In the last years the Padres played there, Jack Murphy had become less and less amenable to baseball as the city kept catering to the wishes of the Chargers and the NFL. Thus, Petco became a necessity.
It is the only new stadium I have been to. I have sat in the very top row of the stadium and still felt I had a good seat. There literally is not a bad seat in that stadium.
Although I had mixed feelings about the city building the Park, I certainly prefer Petco over Jack Murphy for baseball.

[Great One]

You don't have to feel compelled to use that word dump. A landfill is a dump. A ballpark is a cherised, loved place. You wouldn't call your mother a worn out old hag just because she aged and lost her youthfull glow, teeth and hair, would you ? No you would,(probably), still love her. Nothing stays shiny and new for ever. Be Proud ! Don't use the "d" word (about your own park).

You never stop loving you know.

That's not what I'm saying. Please note the quotations around the word. I've been there many times, and if it was a "dump" according to many, so be it. But it was our "dump" and we loved it for what it was. It was special for any Philadelphia fan that went to the Vet often. True, the Vet was not well kept for which it showed, and using the term "dump," that was the label it was given. The rats, the cats, the cement-like astro turf; the place was special to anybody from Philadelphia. As a lifelong Philadelphian, we got used to the label and accepted it for what it was. We didn't care about the label, it doesn't bother us and it never has.

Once in a while, I do think about the Vet and the great memories that I have, but CBP is much better for the baseball experience.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Well, as a Twins fan I'm still waiting to experience that great feeling of finally watching my team play outdoors. I was very happy the day the ballpark bill was passed, and even happier to watch the groundbreaking ceremony on MLB.tv.

However there are still a few people in the Twin Cities that remain "anti-stadium" due to the fact that public subsidies are being used to pay for a private business. I understand their view, in a perfect world stadiums would be financed 100% privately. But most of these "anti-stadium" folks aren't even baseball fans. At the groundbreaking ceremony there was one woman protesting. She made a fool of herself as she booed Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek and Joe Mauer who were attending the event.

Again, it'd be nice if Twins owner Carl Pohlad could find a way to pay for the stadium without subsidies, but I would much rather pay 3 cents for every $20 + purchase at Hennipen County bars and restaurants to pay for a new stadium than to have the Twins move, or remain in the Dome where they obviously don't earn enough revenue.

I can't wait for April 2010. I'm already starting to plan a trip to come back to Minny to see the park in person. And I don't care if it's only 45 degrees at the time. It'll just be nice to finally see the sun shining off the Twins home jerseys.

[marlins739]

As a Marlins fan I'm still waiting to watch my team play in a building without a memorial to the 1972 undefeated Dolphins, without Dan Marino's career stats on the front of the right field upper deck, without the Dolphins retired numbers all across the left field upper deck, without advertisements in the concourses that say things like: "Verizon Wireless: Working so the Dolphins get all the good calls," where the Dolphins logo isn't on every aisle seat, without a statue of Don Shula outside, without a mailing address on Dan Marino Drive, and without the number 1-800-FINS-TIX displayed anywhere. We don't want to hear Olindo Mare, the former Dolphins kicker, get on the radio and talk about how much he hates kicking on the infield dirt. We don't want to hear Wayne Huizenga threaten to evict us after 2010 so he can host more tractor pulls in the summer. Most importantly, we don't want to drive an hour or more only to sit through the frequent rain delays.

That said, we've had more success in our 14 years at Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Dolphins/Dolphin Stadium than many teams have had in their lifetimes, along with plenty of horrible years too. We've never won the division, but we've also never lost a playoff series. I've been part of more than my share of 4-digit crowds here, and I was in the right field upper deck when Pudge held on to the ball in the 2003 with 67,000 in attendance. That place feels like it's going to fall apart when that many people all jump up at once. Even with all the talks of moving and being thrown out of the Pro, I'm glad Marlins fans - and there are more of them than you'd think - got to experience 1997 and 2003, even if it meant having to also suffer through 1998-2002. The memories of baseball at Pro Player aren't going away, no matter what happens.

It's a little early to be talking about leaving Dolphin Stadium, but one way or another it's going to happen in the not too distant future. We're as close as we've ever been to getting a new stadium after the Hurricanes decided to join us at Pro Player, leaving the money earmarked for Orange Bowl renovations possibly open for us. It's hard to say what I'm going to feel like when we leave the stadium without knowing whether we're moving a few miles away or a thousand. I'm confident that we'll get the deal done before 2010 and the Miami Marlins (not Florida, since the state has screwed us over so many times) will have themselves a retractable roof ballpark to call home.

[nymdan]

As a Marlins fan I'm still waiting to watch my team play in a building without a memorial to the 1972 undefeated Dolphins, without Dan Marino's career stats on the front of the right field upper deck, without the Dolphins retired numbers all across the left field upper deck, without advertisements in the concourses that say things like: "Verizon Wireless: Working so the Dolphins get all the good calls," where the Dolphins logo isn't on every aisle seat, without a statue of Don Shula outside, without a mailing address on Dan Marino Drive, and without the number 1-800-FINS-TIX displayed anywhere. We don't want to hear Olindo Mare, the former Dolphins kicker, get on the radio and talk about how much he hates kicking on the infield dirt. We don't want to hear Wayne Huizenga threaten to evict us after 2010 so he can host more tractor pulls in the summer. Most importantly, we don't want to drive an hour or more only to sit through the frequent rain delays.

That said, we've had more success in our 14 years at Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Dolphins/Dolphin Stadium than many teams have had in their lifetimes, along with plenty of horrible years too. We've never won the division, but we've also never lost a playoff series. I've been part of more than my share of 4-digit crowds here, and I was in the right field upper deck when Pudge held on to the ball in the 2003 with 67,000 in attendance. That place feels like it's going to fall apart when that many people all jump up at once. Even with all the talks of moving and being thrown out of the Pro, I'm glad Marlins fans - and there are more of them than you'd think - got to experience 1997 and 2003, even if it meant having to also suffer through 1998-2002. The memories of baseball at Pro Player aren't going away, no matter what happens.

It's a little early to be talking about leaving Dolphin Stadium, but one way or another it's going to happen in the not too distant future. We're as close as we've ever been to getting a new stadium after the Hurricanes decided to join us at Pro Player, leaving the money earmarked for Orange Bowl renovations possibly open for us. It's hard to say what I'm going to feel like when we leave the stadium without knowing whether we're moving a few miles away or a thousand. I'm confident that we'll get the deal done before 2010 and the Miami Marlins (not Florida, since the state has screwed us over so many times) will have themselves a retractable roof ballpark to call home.
All things considered, it seems like you actually have a decent baseball setup over there. Much more than I'd expect from someplace built as a football-stadium-with-the-ability-to-house-a-baseball-team. Probably better sightlines than most of the places that were built as multipurpose stadiums.

[marlins739]

nymfan9, you're right, as multipurpose stadiums go, Dolphin Stadium is probably the best. If the place had a roof, we would draw decently there. It's got genuinely interesting dimensions that aren't made up like most of the new parks, and it's a pretty pleasant place to watch a game, and you have your pick of seats right behind the plate most nights. It's relatively new, which helps, and in my opinion it works better as a baseball stadium than some places like RFK and Shea that were intended for baseball from the beginning. It's also the only multipurpose stadium that was designed just for football, unlike all the other ones that were intended for both from the beginning, or were converted from baseball-only stadiums. It's definitely the home of the Miami Dolphins and the Florida Marlins, in that order, but it is still home

Besides the rain, the real problem is that Wayne Huizenga (Blockbuster Video founder, Dolphins owner, stadium landlord, former Marlins owner who brought us the team but had the 97 firesale right after the World Series) is screwing the team over with the lease deal

[dan7]

Safeco Field is so much better in every respect than the Kingdome; in other words I felt great when I finally got to see a game at Safeco.

I never warmed up to the Kingdome.

[PhilliesPhreak17]

I may be 12, but my first ever game was in Veteran's Stadium.

I like Citizen's Bank Park better. It's renovated and for the players sake, it doesn't have concrete under the turf. I watched the fireworks at my first game and the field was so hard to lay on

[Danielh41]

I grew up in Texas, watching the Rangers at the old Arlington Stadium. As a major league ballpark, the stadium was lacking in almost every respect. It was a converted minor league park and was build in several stages. We were all looking forward to the new ballpark. And yet, some of my favorite ballpark memories occurred in that old park (i.e. Nolan Ryan's 7th no-hitter and his 5000th strikeout, seeing the President of the United States throw out the first pitch in 1991, etc.). So, there were some mixed feelings, but the palace that the Rangers moved into far outclassed the old stadium. I went to Opening Day in the new ballpark and was just overwhelmed by it.

The following year, I was living in Denver. I was already a Rockies fan since I had always loved the Colorado area. I had been in New York in early 1993, and I attended the first two games that season at Shea Stadium. Those also happened to be the first two games in Colorado Rockies franchise history. The opening of Coors Field didn't even compare to the Ballpark in Arlington. For one thing, Mile High Stadium was always just a temporary home for the Rockies. They only played there for two seasons, and most fans were happy to get out of there (especially after Sid Bream hit a grand slam on what was basically a check swing....). I was lucky enough to get tickets to the Coors Field opener (a 14 inning victory for the Rockies).

I can't really say that I miss Arlington Stadium, but I do look back at it with those fond memories. I wish the Rangers had left some piece of it remaining (like a marker where home plate was at least), but they haven't.

[PeteU]

. I've been part of more than my share of 4-digit crowds here, and I was in the right field upper deck when Pudge held on to the ball in the 2003 with 67,000 in attendance. That place feels like it's going to fall apart when that many people all jump up at once. Even with all the talks of moving and being thrown out of the Pro, I'm glad Marlins fans - and there are more of them than you'd think - got to experience 1997 and 2003, even if it meant having to also suffer through 1998-2002. The memories of baseball at Pro Player aren't going away, no matter what happens.




You were at Game 4 of the NLDS against the Giants? I was at Game 3 the day before when Pudge singled home the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the 11th. Best baseball experience I've ever had--ever.

(Funny thing was, after Game 3 ended there were still about 2,000 seats left for Game 4. After the thrill of Game 3, my friend wanted to buy tickets for Game 4, and I oh so wanted to do it, too...except I had a prior commitment the next day that I simply could not cancel, as much as I wanted to. My friend still went with one of his friends, and reported to me the atmosphere at the end of Game 4. I'm still kicking myself to this day about not being able to go!)

I'm guessing most of the people who have talked bad about Dolphin Stadium as a baseball park have never been to a postseason game there. Because, let me tell you, the difference between the postseason and the regular season is night and day. 67,000 screaming fans--how can you beat that?

When the Marlins (hopefully) move to their new park, I'll have some of the same mixed feelings as I did when the Orioles moved to their new ballpark. It will be great to see the Fish get a place of their own and have a sense of stability, so that fans won't be so scared that the current season would be their last in Florida. On the other hand, I don't think people realize the amount of baseball history Dolphin Stadium has seen--playoffs, World Series, no-hitters--it's got as just much history as a lot of the more established franchises.

[marlins739]

You were at Game 4 of the NLDS against the Giants? I was at Game 3 the day before when Pudge singled home the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the 11th. Best baseball experience I've ever had--ever.
Yeah, I was at game 4. By far my best baseball experience I've had too. Say what you want about it in the regular season, but there's no place I'd rather be for the playoffs. Being in that park with 67,000 people is something I'll never forget. Baseball is the only sport where the game comes down to the wire like that, where it really ain't over till its over. Best sound in the world: hearing that many people all collectively scream at once when Pudge held on to win it. That's the only place the new parks fall short, only half as many people get to be there to experience big games like that.

[driver62]

I remember when the Reds moved from Crosley to Rverfront in 1970 and I was a little upset as I loved Crosley Field.
When they moved to GABP, I was very happy. Riverfront was great for football but not so great for baseball. With the circular design, there were many areas of the outfield you couldn't see from the outfield seats. You also couldn't see the scoreboard from out there.

[stlfan]

As sad as it was to see Busch II go, it was exciting having a new ballpark. There were a lot of memories that I have from the old place. I remember going to the first baseball game at Busch III. It was an exhibition game between the Memphis Redbirds and the Springfield (MO) Cardinals. I had watch Busch II built from the beginning and documented it with hundreds of pictures. But when I walked up that night and started to enter the ballpark, it hit me. It was strange to go to a (home) ballgame at a place that wasn't where I had been going my whole life. What was comforting was it had the same sounds and smells that I grew up with. Busch III is now home and I love it. Mainly because it was built for baseball, though the last 10 years of Busch II they really made it a great place to see a game.