The 10,000 Post thread V3

[raynev1 1,886]

5551 

   The last time I went to a ball game , it was at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore,Maryland in the early 80's . And now it is gone too .

[philforhockey51 4,211]

5552 - damn missed 51 again

Something I found interesting

 

[Duke87 1,070]

(5553)

Realistically there is no reason why a 50 year old building or even a 100 year old building should be inherently unsuitable for hosting a sports event. The only reason they end up getting bulldozed is because older facilities tend to have more modest amenities than newer ones - the teams want more luxury boxes to sell, larger locker rooms, more space for vendors, space to put mini-amusement parks and stuff so that kids who get bored and restless if you try and make them sit through a whole game have something else to do, etc.

The return on investment of replacing a perfectly functional venue which is not yet at the end of its useful life just to add these amenities really isn't there, but sports teams avoid this problem by raising the money through extortion. They threaten to move to another city if the taxpayers don't build them a new stadium, and it usually works.

If it were up to me any team trying this would be told "get lost and don't let the door hit you on the way out", but people tend to have emotional attachments to their local team and it's likely going to be politically unpopular to take such a stand. The fact that this tactic of "give me money or I'll leave you, but then please continue being a fan" is the textbook definition of an abusive relationship is, unfortunately, something that the populace tends not to realize.

[Delta 88 262]

5554

I went on my first date in years yesterday evening (and only my second date ever). It went so well, I even surprised myself how well I've overcome my social awkwardness that severely hindered my social/relationship skills earlier in my life. She's shown clear interest in me, as I have in her. We work in the same workplace and sometimes she gives me this hypnotizing, seductive look.....staring right into my eyes. She has such cute, adorable eyes. I'm trying not to get overexcited, but all I can think about is being with her... 

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

5555

 

Well, ye olde Tiger Stadium had too-narrow trenches where urinals could have gone (resulting in long lines), tiny seats that put your knees up into your chest, pillars that blocked your view of the field (the blockages changed depending on where you sat), among other things that I can't think of off the top of my head.  Look, I'm all for preserving history and getting your usage out of historic buildings, but saving an awful place to watch a ballgame simply because it's old doesn't make any sense.  Sometimes change is good.  Of course I feel bad for Tiger Stadium being razed, but it was in cash-strapped Detroit.  It couldn't be helped.  

 

And then you have the new stadium.  Why can't we make new memories for the new building?  Why can't we make a place like Comerica Park historic and traditional, especially given its strengths as a ballpark.  They're just buildings, and very few of them last the test of time.

 

Also, I hate the White Sox and I dislike the Red Sox and I don't have any emotional connection whatsoever to parks like Wrigley or whatever Boston's is called.  I don't care about them because my favorite team doesn't play its home games there, and you can't make me care.

[korver 27,685]

5556

Rather renovate instead.

[Skimbo 304]

5557

 

New stadiums are mostly just prestige. Uneccesary prestige.

Bayern München once moved from München's old olympiastadion (capacity: 69.250 seats) to the Alianz Arena, which back then was fancy, new and "just" had a capacity of 66.000. So even a smaller stadium

(In the meantime it got enlarged to hold 75.000, still smaller than the Olympiastadium at it's maximum extension during football world cup 1974, where it could hold 80.000 people)

[Delta 88 262]

5558

I send her texts that make her laugh. Nice confidence-booster for me....I can't wait to see her again. She seems as eager about our next date as I am. I hope we can go to a more low-key, private place this time though....thus providing ample opportunities for a goodbye-kiss, and compliments on her eyes. Trying not to overthink it!

[Duke87 1,070]

(5559)

Keep at it Delta, and I wish you the best of luck with this girl! And yes, don't overthink it - that is a good idea in general with these things.

 

As for the stadium issue, I personally never made it to the old Tiger Stadium but from what I have seen and heard of it, there were good functional reasons for tearing it down and replacing it. That's more the exception than the rule, though. The old Yankee Stadium was in perfectly serviceable condition and there was no reason to tear it down. Shea Stadium, likewise, had absolutely nothing wrong with it. I'd even go so far as to say its replacement is a downgrade since it is notoriously lacking in food concession capacity, generating unduly long lines. These new ballparks were built out of decadence and greed, not genuine need.

Of course, the other parallel trend I seriously dislike is how everything now has the name of a corporate sponsor on it. The 1992 Topps baseball set showed, on the back of every card, a picture and the name of the player's home field. Of the 26 ballparks depicted on these cards, exactly zero of them had a corporate name unless you count Wrigley Field (I don't, it's not a sponsorship deal). Meanwhile only 7 of those 26 ballparks depicted are still in use by the team in question, despite the fact that this set of cards was printed only 24 years ago and a stadium should have a useful life a lot longer than that.

 

 

[philforhockey51 4,211]

5560

Don't over think it Delta. Just have a good time and good luck

 

It hurts me to see the stadiums that go up for high school sports in Texas.

[Muck308 55]

5561

The construction of new stadiums often leads to the teams themselves owning development rights on adjacent lots. Lots that often became vacant when the teams' old parks were demolished. This has been a problem in Pittsburgh as the Steelers have allowed god awful architecture to be built next to Heinz Field (this is true at the very least with the most recent erections). The Penguins recently filed for their 3rd extension on the old Civic Arena lot. Bjarke Ingels Group proposed a beautiful multi-use complex for the site (one that is admittedly overkill... our city doesn't exactly need all the space in the proposal) but there the land sits while the Penguins organization gets their act together. US Steel also pulled out of their proposed headquarters on the site but that design was the definition of bland no big loss there.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

5562

Well, in Detroit's case like 50% of the city is decaying and/or vacant anyways, so no big deal there hahahaha!

[Duke87 1,070]

(5563)

NY has not experienced this particular phenomenon and has instead seen simple land usage swaps. The new Yankee Stadium was built in land that was a public park, to compensate for this the site of the old stadium is now a public park.

CitiField was built in what used to be part of Shea Stadium's parking lot, the former site of Shea... yep, part of the new parking lot.

Over in NJ, the new Giants Stadium was built in part of the parking lot for the Meadowlands Sports complex. Three guesses what's now where the old one was.

[Muck308 55]

5564

Did they tear much down to build the Barclays Center? Or was that just a railyard? 

I only just read that the facade of Citi Field was inspired by Ebbets Field. I never noticed before.

[philforhockey51 4,211]

5565

Sorry not sure about Barclays Center maybe Duke does, I just know the Prudential Center sits on what used to be a graveyard and some older buildings that needed to be knocked down. 

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

5566

The Mud Hens moved back to downtown Toledo like 10 years ago after several decades in Maumee.  There were just abandoned warehouses and office buildings in the area they razed to build the new one.  Of course, it's not like Toledo is a major metropolitan area with super-dense development, so no real issues in trying to spur some new development downtown.

[Larks2242 251]

5567.

 

The Rangers, D'Backs and Braves are all getting new stadiums and their stadiums are all 20 years old or less.

[philforhockey51 4,211]

5568

and the ones in Brazil I doubt are safe for the upcoming games

[metarvo 710]

5569

As hot as it gets in this state, I don't blame the Rangers at all for getting a new air-conditioned domed stadium.  I would like to see my team win their first World Series in the old one, though.  Game 6 still breaks my heart.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

5570

 

Less than 20 years old and already getting new ones?  That seems excessive.  Like Busch Stadium in St. Louis, that was a beautiful, unique stadium, I don't really understand why they wasted money tearing it down and building a new one.  Now it looks like every other ball park (I know Comerica Park kinda has that generic-ness about it, too), whereas the old one was was a beautiful, unique place to experience a ball game.  Unlike ye olde Tiger Stadium, it wasn't cramped, it didn't have severely outdated toilets and other facilities, or obstructed sightlines.  I just don't get that, especially when stadiums are insanely expensive.  But I guess when you sucker the taxpayers into footing the bill things are different.

[Thin White Duke 4,072]

5571

Seriously, where did those 3000 posts just run off to?

[philforhockey51 4,211]

5572

   nice catch

[Duke87 1,070]

(5573)

What wrong numbers? There are no wrong numbers.

 

As for Barclays Center, a block of 5th Ave and a block of Pacific St were demapped to make way for it, so it essentially sits on what was once three city blocks. One of them was occupied only by the rail yard which is still there underneath the stadium. For the other two, several small apartment buildings, a couple gas stations, and a small store or two had to be demolished.

It's a completely new location for a sports venue, though. The arena where the Nets used to play in New Jersey is currently still standing although it has been officially shut down and will presumably be demolished once they decide what to do with the property. Of course, the Nets never owned it, they were merely a tenant, so they have no say or stake in what becomes of it.

Meanwhile the arena where the NY Islanders played before moving to Barclays is currently undergoing renovations and there are plans for a minor league basketball team to use it as their home court once that's done.

[Thin White Duke 4,072]

5574

Nice of you to change it, but for anyone who, for some reason or other, would happen upon this page in the future, ten or so posts before mine were actually marked in the 2000's rather than 3000. Despite how Duke87 presumably buffed it out, it's a fact, and I'm not crazy. Just had to point it out for my own sake. 

[metarvo 710]

5575.

So, how do we know that we actually get to 10,000?  The numbers can't be trusted now. 

[philforhockey51 4,211]

5576

no Borg you are not crazy, well at least not in this case   

metarvo, don't you know ...We Trust In Duke , or you'll get flattened

[Larks2242 251]

5577.

 

Flattened? How?

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

5578

 

Glee was pretty good in its first two seasons, then ever since the third started it just seems like it's dragginnnnnnnn ooooonnnn anndd ooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn..............

 

EDIT: watching it on Amazon Prime, we just started the fifth season.

[philforhockey51 4,211]

5579

@Larks2242   Well as an Iron... wrinkle free wouldn't sound as good

[Larks2242 251]

5580.

That would be kind of steamy, Irons burn.