Success in Pensacola, Dodger Stadium problems, fence dimensions and affiliated ball in Ottawa: The most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. Blue Wahoos: Success means ballpark upgrades Freedom Baseball League begins play New Astros uniforms: Bring back the orange! Charges dropped in Dodger Stadium beating Marlins: No […]
Tag Archives | astrodome
Harris County considers Astrodome renovation
Good news for fans of historic structures: Harris County is considering a $270-million renovation of the Astrodome that would decrease capacity and make it more attractive for midsized events. The plan, as proposed by CSL and Populous, would raise the floor of the Astrodome and make it a more intimate venue, seating 5,500 for hockey […]
Fate of Astrodome again under debate in Houston
It’s a topic that pops up every few years, as Houston decides what to do with the economically obsolete Astrodome, the indoor ballpark once hailed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. There had been plans floating around for domed ballparks in the 1950s and 1960s — most notably Buckminster Fuller‘s proposal for a covered […]
Marlins face not-so-unusual problem: dead turf in a covered ballpark
The problem dates back to the original Astrodome, where AstroTurf was invented to solve this issue: the Miami Marlins find it hard keeping grass alive in a covered ballpark. It’s been a wet April in Miami — undoubtedly due to global warming, if you ask Tim McCarver — and so the roof has been closed […]
One anniversary not marked by MLB this year: Metrodome opening
We’ve been running plenty of anniversary stories this season, but here’s one you won’t see trumpeted by Major League Baseball: the opening of the Metrodome 30 years ago. When the Metrodome opened in 1982, indoor baseball was still a relative novelty: the Astros played in that futuristic amusement park called the Astrodome and the Seattle […]
Crane group lands Astros
Jim Crane, who lost out to Nolan Ryan in a bid for the Texas Rangers, has perhaps the next best thing for someone in the Lone Star State: he’s heading a local group buying the Houston Astros from Drayton McLane in a deal announced today. No word yet on the purchase price, though we expect […]
We’re shocked — shocked! — to see Astros on the market
We were amused to see the MLB.com headline this morning: “McLane reportedly puts Astros on market.” Well, duh: he’s been trying to sell the Houston Astros since 2008, and the only thing different is that he’s hired an investment firm to help out. By our reckoning McLane has had the team on the market for […]
Colt Stadium / Houston Colt .45s / 1962-1964
This will not go down in the annals of baseball as one of the most beloved stadiums ever constructed. In fact, there are very few folks who seem to have fond memories of Colt Stadium, the three-year home of the expansion Houston Colt .45s. Seating: 32,601 (1962), 33,010 (1964) Original Cost: $2 million MLB didn’t […]