Tiger History

And the walls, come tumbling down

9 Comments

I haven’t written much about the demolition of Tiger Stadium, mostly because I haven’t had a lot to add to the discussion. There are many who feel it’s an eye sore and that there’s been enough time for something to happen. There is talk of moving on to spur development and revitalization. I guess there’s probably some truth to that, maybe. I just look at all the abandoned buildings and empty lots in Detroit and I guess I don’t understand why one more hulking mass can’t be there. At the same time I’ve pretty much resolved myself to the fact that it is going to be gone in a matter of time.

I had the chance last fall to walk around the field a little bit and head into the Tigers dugout. The place was beat up, and it was sad to see it in its current state. But it helped to get that one last glimpse of the place and to say good bye.

If you want the same chance, or at least a chance to peer inside you better head down to the corner quickly. The walls are coming down.

For now it is just the outfield walls as there is a last ditch effort by the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy to save the areas from first to third base, including the clubhouses and press box. Gary Gillette who sits on the board of the conservancy is optimistic that something can be done by the August 1st deadline but there is a lot of inertia to overcome.

If you’re interested in learning more about the efforts to save the old park, visit SaveTigerStadium.org

On a related note, Paul DePodesta recently reminisced about the stadium on his blog.

9 thoughts on “And the walls, come tumbling down”

  1. Man, this makes me sick. I’ve been trying to avoid hearing anything about this. This is where I saw my first (of many games at old Tiger Stadium) MLB game. Reggie Jackson was playing for the Angels. I was like 5 or 6 at the time and my love of baseball and Tiger Stadium grew from there. At least I have my seats from there to look at, but I wish they could have figured out a way to keep this standing. Sad day.

  2. That’s funny, Chris – I also saw Reggie Jackson playing (for the A’s) in my first game at Tiger Stadium. What I remember from then is how massive the field looked, and how disappointing it was to have a support post in the way of part of the field, and how fly balls would disappear from view because of the roof. It definitely had its problems, but could have been saved if they’d really wanted to.

    I actually got to go onto the field at the end of the 1999 Detroit Marathon, but unfortunately I was so tired and miserable at the time it was not that much fun.

    It’s a shame they couldn’t save the stadium, but it really needs to be torn down so that the city can quickly develop that piece of land /sarc.

  3. that place was so “cozy” that when I went there I had a hard time figuring out how they played football there. What a great place…was there a better sight than someone hitting a dinger against that over hang in right while the right fielder was standing there waiting to catch a fly ball. Classic place

  4. Many, many baseball games from 52′ on and one particular Packers/ Thanksgiving Day football game with the wind and snow flurries and pint liquor bottles littering the concrete steps making your way to the bathrooms which was a major venture in itself for a young guy and listening to the crowd noise reverberate as you walked undeneath the stands and the smell of the hot dogs sitting in the greasy water and the odor of cigarettes and cigars and then trekking back up the ramp to this wonderful field layed out before you your heart thumping in your chest waiting for the second half kickoff in this beautiful arena totally enclosed and personal, and it will never be duplicated anywhere.

  5. Day baseball games in the late 50’s were wonderful. The older ladies sitting by themselves in the shade in the lower deck, knitting, keeping score and listening to the game on their transistor radios with the one earpiece and the gray and the green and the painted over how many times tops of the dugouts. It was great. Not to mention the bullpens,flagpole,lights,centerfield bleachers. I’ve been to Yankee Stadium and Dodger Stadium and they never measured up to Briggs Stadium. Maybe Wrigley and Fenway, I dont know.

  8. And a ball bouncing off a wooden seat sure sounded better than one hitting a plastic seat.

Comments are closed.