Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim owner Artie Moreno says it’s time to discuss another facelift for Angel Stadium, 15 years after the last one and some 45 years since the place originally opened.
The Angels’ lease at Angel Stadium runs through 2016 (though there are some renewal options), and while Moreno explicitly rejected the idea of a new ballpark, he’s definitely got some ideas about the need for renovations. From the Orange County Register:
“I think cosmetically the stadium looks great but there is some structural stuff that is going to need to be done,” said Moreno. “You build something 40-some years ago, what do you think the structure’s going to look like? And we’re putting 40,000 people in it every night. … At the end of the day, it’s just like owning a house. You have to replace the roof. Unless you paint it pink, nobody driving by is going to notice that you put a new roof on it, but you need to do it.”
He’s probably right. The last renovation certainly did a lot to improve the old ballpark — originally built in what’s not exactly considered a golden era, a facility designed for both baseball and football — but it’s still scruffy around the edges. Building out and expanding the concourses a la Kauffman Stadium may be the most logical way to go, as there’s a lot of real estate surround the ballpark, and that leaves the other interesting outfield parts of the ballpark intact.
Image of the right-field corner at Angel Stadium; the iconic Big A is in the background.
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