Comerica Park is never going to be as beloved or as celebrated as Tiger Stadium. It is a ballpark Donald Trump might like because there seems to be an endless font of ways for people to spend money. Owner Mike Ilitch looked at his club’s past and decided it had merit as a first course […]
Archive | Major-League Baseball
Busch Stadium / St. Louis Cardinals
We really wanted to like Busch Stadium. It is, without a doubt, an improvement over the previous Busch Stadium. But despite a solid location and some nice amenities, too much value engineering and too little charm make it a nice, but not great, ballpark. FACT FACTS Year Opened: 2006 Capacity: 46,861 (includes suites and standing […]
Bright House Field / Philadelphia Phillies / Clearwater Threshers
When you replace a classic Florida State League ballpark, your new home had better be damned impressive. Ballparks fans shed a tear when the Phillies decided to replace Jack Russell Stadium with a new ballpark, but the replacement — Bright House Networks Field — is such a great facility, you’ll find yourself rarely yearning for […]
Chase Field / Arizona Diamondbacks
There is simply no escaping an air-conditioned existence if you spend any time in Phoenix in the summer: the desert atmosphere so welcome for spring training in March becomes rather tiresome by the beginning of June, when it’s just too damn hot to be outside. At the end of the day, air conditioning is perhaps […]
Angel Stadium / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
There was a lot made about the Disneyfication of Angel Stadium in 1998, when then-Angels owner Disney Corp. hired Populous and cutting-edge architect Robert A.M. Stern to remodel the aging facility. Though hailed as a success — the former mixed-use facility was finally reconfigured to a baseball-only venue — one thing is crystal-clear now that […]
Drip, drip, drip: criticism of Mets, Citibank deal continues
Complaints continue to roll in about Citibank receiving U.S. bailout and then reaffirming its commitment to spend $400 million on Mets naming-rights deal.Complaints continue to roll in about Citibank receiving U.S. bailout and then reaffirming its commitment to spend $400 million on Mets naming-rights deal. Now, it’s not to the point where either corporation is […]
Marlins ballpark delayed until 2012
The Florida Marlins say legal challenges forced them to delay the opening of their new ballpark. Legal challenges to funding of a new Florida Marlins ballpark has forced the team to delay its opening for a year, to 2012. The decision came after team officials met with Hunt/Moss regarding construction timelines. That’s not a surprise: […]
Task force to evaluate Portland ballpark proposal
Mayor-elect Sam Adams puts together an 18-member group to study the potential move of the Portland Beavers to a new ballpark.Mayor-elect Sam Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard are putting together an 18-member task force to study public financing of a plan to build a new ballpark for the Portland Beavers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) […]
Will Citibank naming-rights deal backfire on Mets?
Some pundits are already calling the new home of the New York Mets "Bailout Field."This is probably not the publicity the Wilpon family wanted to see as the New York Mets ramped up to their replacement for Shea Stadium: Their biggest financial partner is in the midst of a public debate over the appropriateness of […]
Scottsdale to woo D-Backs for spring home
Scottsdale officials say they’ll woo the front office of the Arizona Diamondbacks regarding a move of the team’s spring-training facility.Scottsdale officials say they’ll contact the front office of the Arizona Diamondbacks regarding a move of the team’s spring-training facilities. But whether the city has anything to offer remains to be seen. Scottsdale is already home […]
Can Citigroup keep Mets ballpark naming rights?
As Citigroup totters on the edge of insolvency, negotiates a government bailout and announces 52,000 layoffs, some question whether a $400-million purchase of naming rights to the new Mets ballpark is appropriate.For the shareholders and employees of Citigroup, these are tough times: a stock collapse last week erased more than half the value of the […]
Delta ponies up for mass exposure at new Yankee Stadium
Delta Air Lines to push its offerings to suiteholders at new Yankee Stadium. In one of the larger naming-rights deals announced to date for the new Yankee Stadium, Delta Air Lines will sponsor the Delta Sky360 Suite as part of its designation as Official Airline of the New York Yankees. As the exclusive sponsor […]
Rangers to add 88 premium seats for ’09
The fans will be a little closer to the action after the Texas Rangers add two rows of premium club seats to the mix.The Texas Rangers are addiing 88 new premium club seats to the mix at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for the 2009 season, giving those fans an even more intimate view of the […]