The folks in Houston aren’t afraid to think big. The original home of the Houston Astros, the Astrodome, was hailed a modern wonder of the world. Curiously, Minute Maid Park doesn’t seem to be quite as impressive an undertaking as the Astrodome, at least when you approach it from downtown Houston. True, the plan is […]
Jarry Park was a small, single-deck ballpark originally constructed as a temporary stadium — one that ended up being used seven seasons as the first home of the Montreal Expos. As such, it was the site of the first MLB regular-season game played outside of the United States on April 14, 1969, in a game […]
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 […]
Astrodome / Houston Astros / 1965-1999Seating: 42,217 (1965), 46,000 (1966), 44,500 (1968), 45,000 (1975), 47,690 (1982), 54,816 (1990) Original Cost: $35 million Architects: Hermon Lloyd & W.B. Morgan; Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson Though domed stadiums had been proposed several times dating back to the 1950s — domed stadiums were designed for the Brooklyn Dodgers […]
A parade on Opening Day used to be common in the baseball world. This year, we can find only two teams — the Cincinnati Reds and the Charleston RiverDogs — holding the traditional event. Has the Opening Day parade died out?A parade on Opening Day used to be common in the baseball world. This year, […]
It’s a historic day in New York City, with both teams opening new ballparks to real fans — with the Cubs and the Red Sox in town, to boot. We run down the coverage of the big events from a variety of news sources.It’s a historic day in New York City, with both teams opening […]
Conditions are bad at Fort Lauderdale Stadium and Sarasota’s Twin Lakes Park, but don’t expect the Orioles to address these issues until a spring-training move is announced before the end of the month.Fort Lauderdale Stadium has certainly seen better days, but things got so bad this spring umpires and visiting teams were filing reports with […]
New at Busch Stadium this season: a nacho bar and all-you-can-eat buffets throughout the ballparkThe St. Louis Cardinals and Delaware North Companies Sportservice have announced the team’s concession lineup for the 2009 season, which sees the Cards hosting the All-Star Game at Busch Stadium. On deck this year is a new nacho bar, enticing fans […]
Folks eat a lot of hot dogs at ballparks, apparently. Who knew?The numbers from the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council (NHDSC) are in, and the results are clear: people eat a lot of hot dogs at ballparks. With Opening Day this weekend, the NHDSC forecasts that ballparks around the country will serve 21,733,839 hot […]
In the first public discussion of the aesthetics of a new Florida Marlins ballpark, the plan was approved by Miami’s Planning Advisory Board.In the first public discussion of the aesthetics of a new Florida Marlins ballpark, the plan was approved by Miami’s Planning Advisory Board. The move was expected; the reason to cover it is […]
New York City baseball fans are complaining long and hard about issues with their cheap seats at the new ballparks, forcing the Yankees to re-price some ducats and cornering the Mets into some defensiveness.New York City baseball fans are complaining long and hard about issues with their cheap seats at the new ballparks, forcing the […]
Tiny Marana is pushing forward plans for a $125-million, three-team spring-training complex. But are there three teams interested in training in the Tucson area? Tiny Marana is pushing forward plans for a $125-million, three-team spring-training complex. But are there three teams interested in training in the Tucson area? We don’t think so, which makes Marana’s […]
Smart politicians know the way to sneak in something unpopular to is first run it through a commitee. So it’s no surprise Bud Selig is greasing the skids for an Athletics move to San Jose by first having a committee explore ballpark options in Oakland.Smart politicians know the way to sneak in something unpopular to […]
