Despite the reputation of Seattle’s climate as being cool and damp, the roof at Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners, is open the most among covered ballparks in Major League Baseball, according to a local meteorologist. The roof at Safeco Field was closed around 19 games a season (making for 23 percent of the […]
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European football hits American ballparks this summer
Ballparks in major cities are serving another sporting purpose this summer: hosting international soccer matches. In the past it wasn’t unusual for ballparks to host non-baseball sporting events, especially college and pro football. But soccer is a new player in the ballpark world. For a baseball team, converting the field for use as a soccer […]
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 […]
Blue Jays considering grass field at Rogers Centre
The Toronto Blue Jays are considering a major change to Rogers Centre: replacing the artificial turf with grass. It’s not uncommon anymore to find grass at a retractable-roof ballpark — it’s been done for years in Seattle, Houston and Arizona — but it’s a challenge to add grass to a facility built for artificial turf. […]
Final days for Marlins at Sun Life Stadium
We’re guessing there will be very few tears shed on Wednesday when the Florida Marlins play their last game at Sun Life Stadium, one of the last multiuse venues in Major League Baseball. As a football stadium, the former Joe Robbie Stadium isn’t all that great; the NFL demanded a slew of improvements a few […]
Ohio State switches to artificial turf
Ohio State is switching from grass to artificial turf at Bill Davis Stadium, a transformation that should be completed in time for fall practices. The reason for the switch to AstroTurf GameDay Grass: more reliability. The entire field will be turf save the pitching mound; the basepaths and batters boxes will be turf as well. […]
U2 to play four ballparks in 2011
Four Major League Baseball ballparks — Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Angel Stadium, Rogers Centre and Busch Stadium — will host rock band U2 on its 2011 360° Tour. The band originally was scheduled to tour the United States in the summer of 2010, but physical issues related to Bono caused the delay of the tour. The […]