Was Sunday April 12, 2010 just another day? Perhaps some may think so. It is 7:00am and the sun is about to come up, this morning was different than most since in the blink of an eye Texas Stadium home to the Dallas Cowboys and 5 Super Bowl trophies is being imploded! I thought about going and watching it live but decided that I would watch it on TV.
It is amazing watching stadiums that have so much history and tradition reduced to rubble in a matter of a minute.
Over the years I have been to a tremendous amount of stadiums that are no longer with us or no longer in use. Here are the first ten that came to my mind:
- Boston Garden
- The Vet in Philadelphia
- Jarry Park in Montreal
- Kingdome
- Tiger Stadium
- Shea stadium
- Old Yankee Stadium
- Chicago Stadium
- Busch Stadium
- The Forum in Los Angeles
As you know I love going to stadiums and sporting events. Some of my favorite moments at stadiums that are no longer with us include:
- A trip to Jarry Park in 1971 with my parents and having Steve Carleton tossing me a ball — which I actually caught!
- A trip with E.S. to the 1993 NFC championship game at Texas Stadium – wow I still get chills thinking about that game
- The 1984 NBA finals at the old Boston Garden between the Celtics and Lakers
Now your turn:
- What are you favorite stadiums that are no longer with us and why?
- What stadiums have you been to that are no longer in use?
- Have you watched any stadiums implode?
I look forward to reading your comments.
J.R. says:
Memorial Stadium….Orioles and Colts. I think I grew up there with Brooks, Boog and Unitas.
Merrill Dubrow says:
J.R I was only there once and loved the stadium and experience.
Thanks for sharing.
Merrill
howard burack says:
My favourite stadium that is no longer with us is Jarry Park in Montreal because that’s where I saw my first MLB game. Bob Robertson hit the game winning home run for Pittsburgh to beat the Expos.
I loved going to the Forum in Montreal and Maple Leaf Gardens but I’m not sorry that Three Rivrers Stadium is gone.
There is one stadium I’ve been to that is no longer in use; Olympic Stadium in Montreal. That’s because Claude Brochu, Jeffrey Loria, and Major League Baseball ran the Expos into the ground and they are now the Washington Expos…..check that Nationals
Michael Braunberg says:
The amazing thing is that Candlestick in San Francisco lives on. I suppose it works for football, but as a baseball stadium it was the pits. I remember huddling under a blanket on summer nights watching the outfielders wobble like drunks beneath fly balls caught in the vortex. At one point, the Giants were awarding little pins as badges of honor to fan’s intrepid enough to stay until the bitter end of extra inning night games:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Croix_de_Candlestick.JPG
I think I had one of those pins at some point…
Merrill Dubrow says:
Michael,
Don’t laugh but if I had a list of stadiums that I hate Candlestick is at the top of the list. The location, food and wind isn’t fun at all!
Merrill
John Sadler says:
My favorite stadium that is no longer with us is Chicago Stadium. Some of my best memories are sitting in the second balcony with my Dad watching the Blackhawks. It was the best.
I was fortunate enough to witness Mark McGwire’s 62nd home run in the Old Busch Stadium. However, the meaning of the event has changed since…
Bob Graham says:
I have a soft spot in my heart for Arlington Stadium where the Rangers used to play. It was small, unpretentious and you were close in to the action. The new Ballpark has always seemed kind of cold to me in comparison–it’s “manufactured” history with too many advertising signs and sponsorships.
Although it still standing, I was disappointed to see that Curry Hicks Cage at UMASS was renovated about 10 years ago. I suppose it had to happen, but the Cage always had a a dark, dingy feel that gave it tis personality. “Sure it’s a dump” we used to say “but it’s OUR dump!” I have so many memories of that place: Basketball games with Dr J, Al Skinner and Rick Pitino as players and concerts with Janis Joplin (with Big Brother and the Holding Company), James Taylor, Pentangle, Seatrain, Jethro Tull, Johnny Winter, The Supremes, The Rascals, The Chambers Bros, and many, many more…
Ed Sugar says:
Since 1989 (when the Sky Dome opened in Toronto) we have witnessed an unprecedented expansion of new fields, stadiums and arenas in North America. Currently there are just a handful of MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL that do not have state-of-the-art facilities. The reason why there was such a growth spurt was partially due to the prevalent economic conditions that found local governments and tax payers in favorable moods to assist in financing these new facilities. But the overriding reason why these new facilities were built was that they were replacing facilities that were fan unfriendly, outdated, uncomfortable, inconvenient dumps or eyesores. You can double that for any college arena or stadium.
I remember reading a story back in 1994 when there was a big debate on whether the Detroit Tigers should stay in Tiger Stadium or build a new park. Then manager Sparky Anderson was asked his opinion on the issue and his response was something along these lines – I have no issue continue playing in Tiger Stadium. All I ask is that those fans who wish that we do so, should be required like us to work in a building built in the 1930′s, that has no heat in the winter, the same water and plumbing systems as in the 30′s, rats and no air conditioning in the summer.
Many of the above mentioned facilities had been around for 50+ years. When you think about it, most likely 50% or more of baseball’s greatest moments have occurred at the old Yankee Stadium and probably likewise for the Boston Gardens, Dallas Stadium and the Montreal Forum for their respected sports. But these are memories that will stay with us forever (thanks in part to ESPN).
Here are two of my favorite baseball stadium memories. Watching an older business man, sit in the high chair, smoking a cigar, reading a newspaper, while getting his shoes shined during the 6th inning of a Tigers/White Sox at the original Comiskey Park in 1988. I doubt I will ever see that again at a MLB park. My other fond memory was at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium when I saw real “Indians” at an “Indian” game. It was the evening that Bert Blyleven chalked up his 200th career victory, as the Tribe beat Seattle, before a crowd of 5,000. Sitting behind us was an Indian family of five, including a woman in full saree. The irony of the moment compelled me to sneak a photo of the family which to this day hangs in my home office.
Two great baseball memories at two old and decrepit ballparks that I doubt anyone misses today.
steve says:
great timing on this blog because i spent this past weekend at the opening of the new Giants Stadium – a Bon Jovi concert. What added to this experience was looking at the 50% demolished old stadium next door. Loads of memories in there for me but i have to tell you that the new place is incredible with all the amenities of a modern stadium.
The memories include a ton of Giants games, both regular season and playoffs, my first Grateful Dead concert in 1976, the Stones, the Who, a slew of Springsteen shows and countless others. those memories do not go away but what does go away are the horrendous bathrooms, lousy concessions, crowded corridors and uncomfortable seats.
Now i get comfy seats, four jumbotrons, amazing concessions with a ton of extra common areas to hang out and most important a future filled with new experiences. And some added value, we get the super bowl in 2014 – the way football should be played in the winter, with the elements of nature.
Jon Last says:
As Merrill and many of the folks responding to this post know, I am a “collector” of stadiums…and many of you have been a big part of our annual baseball weekend pilgrimage that takes us to a variety of MLB and minor league stadiums (Let me know if you want to join us for the August 2010 tour). With the addition of Target Field (replacing the Metrodome, which I will NOT miss) I am three short of the full MLB assortment. It may be fun to do a subsequent post on the BEST stadiums (I have my list)…but staying to topic, I must say that I miss the following for mostly irrational but sentimental reasons:
1. Shea Stadium—Don’t laugh. It was not regarded as one of the best venues in the bigs, and Citi Field is a HUGE upgrade. But, I saw my first MLB game there, and Shea had a nice homespun kind of feel to it. The first glimpse of that green patch of field coming through one of the tunnels was unlike any other for me. I saw the Mets, Yankees (they called it home while the recently demolished and not missed Yankee stadium was being renovated in the 70s) and Jets play home games there. I flew over it, into LaGuardia as they were taking down the final pieces. Very sad!
2. Boston Garden—Gotta give Merrill props here. It was rickety, but there was nothing like watching the Bruins walk across the concourse from their locker room back to the ice, between periods. Loved the old time pillars and the smell of cigar smoke and beer wafting through the rafters…and you gotta love the original parquet floor.
3. West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium: Former home of the WPB Expos (Florida State league). I saw many a future big leaguer go through there. It was five minutes from my house, and a classic no frills minor league park. I watched it get dismantled day by day while driving home from work back in the late 90s.
4. Busch Stadium: Really gained an appreciation for the Cardinals and their fans at the old Busch. The park was nothing special, architecturally, but it did get me into my first MLB dug-out and provided some nice memories.
5. The Astrodome: I grew up as a Luv ya Blue Oilers fanatic. The place was loud and circus like in atmosphere. After years of watching my team on the road, I finally got there, before we became the Titans, and I was like a kid in a candy store!
Matt O'Mara says:
Grew up watching games at Tiger Stadium (sadly, it’s an empty lot now), where if you were lucky enough to get Upper Deck Box Seats, you felt like you were on top of the field.
Another old favorite is Olympia Stadium (where the Red Wings played until 1978). Like the old Chicago Stadium the Mezzanine and Balcony were almost straight up from the ice surface… great intimate feel with lots of character.