DETROIT – Witnessing the demolition of Detroit’s historic ballpark, Tiger Stadium, was like attending the burial of a  loved one. We can’t stop death from consuming a family member’s final breath and beat of a heart but we never allow it to pilfer the memories.

While Sports Illustrated is featuring the Tigers’ current home Comercia Park on their cover this week; at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull demolition experts and heavy machinery continued to flatten Tiger Stadium one beam and support at a time.

Those bulldozers ripped the concrete and riveted steel girders out of that structure and buried them in a nearby landfill but could not purge the heart and soul out of that ballpark.

Tiger Stadium provided the hard-working, blue-collar fans of Detroit a place to escape from the stresses of their physically-demanding jobs at the steel mills and auto assembly lines.

Though ancient, rusting and long-outdated, it withstood decades of punishing winters and the wear and tear of thousands of fans stomping in its aisles in unison as their favorite hitter stepped to the plate.

While preservation groups and a few politicians led by Tiger radio icon Ernie Harwell attempted to stop the complete demolition of the stadium and convert a portion of it into a museum, the wrecking ball continued to dismantle the historic landmark and this week, the final beam fell.

As the last piece of rusted metal made its way to the landfill and the stadium was reduced to one final shovel of dust this week, it’s a great time to reminisce.

The first game I ever attended at Tiger Stadium was on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Donning my full baseball uniform with ball glove in hand and chomping on an oversized wad of baseball card bubble gum, I accompanied my Little League baseball team to a game against the Minnesota Twins.

The area near the ticket windows felt like a disaster scene to a scrawny eight-year-old, like me. People scurried around like ants, bumping into each other, trying to gain position and make their way to the ticket windows and into the stadium. I felt like a human pinball but somehow managed to stay connected to my group.

Once inside, I bee-lined straight to the hotdog vendor where I quickly learned Mom did not make the best hotdogs. There was something about those Ballpark Franks at Tiger Stadium. They seemed to plump more when they cooked ‘em.

The journey through the short tunnel to our right field seats was almost surreal. Hustling through that corridor seeing only the blue sky, I couldn’t wait to get a full view of the park.

As I made my way to the end of that tunnel I saw the most extraordinary image I had ever seen; like the scene in the Wizard of Oz I felt like I stepped out of a black & white world into one full of vibrant colors. The blue skies, vast field of vibrant green and borders of perfectly manicured dirt has left a lifelong impression etched in my mind.

Tiger Stadium provided many memories for Detroiters over the years; most notably the 1968 dramatic comeback World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals and the record-setting Tiger team of 1984 led by World Series MVP Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson.

It’s amazing how some of these images remain as clear as if they happened yesterday . . . Norm Cash crushing the leather off the ball, sending another one over the right-field roof and onto Trumbull Street . . . Mark “The Bird” Fidrych pacing the mound like a maniac, having full-on conversations with the ball triggering a roar of approval from 53,000 screaming fans.

Many hard-working blue-collar families in the Motor City took advantage of ‘Family Night’ games at Tiger Stadium. On Family Night, the head of the household paid $3.50 for a reserved upper deck seat down the third baseline then only .50 cents apiece for the remaining tickets.

A family of five could see an MLB game for the price of a Starbuck’s  latte and the product was outstanding with baseball icons Al Kaline, Norm Cash, Willie Horton and Denny McClain in the lineup. Family Nights were the only time I remember my father refusing overtime on the docks.

Tiger Stadium was also the home of the Detroit Lions where fans had to endure severe weather conditions and the team played outdoors on natural grass, like the game is meant to be played.

Three layers of clothing was no match for the frigid Canadian winds that blew off the Detroit River on some of those December Sundays. The only heat provided during those games was the body heat of the thousands of devoted Lions fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder in their seats. Peering through a steady cloud of cold breath, hot chocolates in hand, the fans survived those frigid afternoons and many of us learned at an early age what being a loyal, die-hard Lion fan was all about.

Demolition work now complete, the corner of Michigan and Trumbull sits empty, desolate but like loved ones, the memories will survive forever.

Updated from previously published article.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Hollywood may be involved in imploding some sports arenas scheduled for demolition. This was done years ago in downtown Orlando when special effect coordinators for a Lethal Weapon sequel dropped the city hall for the opening scene in one of their films.

It makes perfect sense. A film production company pays for use of the building, arranges and pays for the implosion and insurance then leaves the city with only the clean-up.  Some cities are currently trying to make such an arrangement.

With so many stadiums and arenas scheduled for demolition to make room for state-of-the-art facilities, one career that seems to be thriving in this upside down economy is that of a “wrecking ball driver”.

The biggest hype of the year was the Yankees taking the  field for the final time at Yankee Stadium last week. Like their neighbor Super Bowl Giants, the guys in pinstripes will  be playing in a new stadium.

Yankee stadium is scheduled to be dismantled in March 2009 removing the seats and other collectibles to sell to collectors. After the valuables are removed, the stadium will be flattened and only the memories will remain.

A close second on the hype-meter is this possibility of Hollywood getting involved.

Besides Tiger Stadium, many other venues around the country will soon be greeted by the wrecking ball including the Wachovia Spectrum, Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and the Dallas Star’s Reunion Arena.

The Dallas Film Commission is searching for a film crew who needs the blast for a scene in one of their movies to have the honor of leveling Reunion Arena. 

Some of the current demolitions are not going smoothly as historians are getting involved.

The razing of historic Tiger Stadium has created protests from organized fundraising groups who are fighting to salvage at least part of the park. Those groups from Detroit, with the help of Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell, have been trying to convince the city to transform a part of the structure into a baseball museum. This has been an uphill battle as the city is considering plans for a retail and residential neighborhood.

The Dallas Cowboys will be vacating Texas Stadium after this season after entertaining fans there since 1971. The tab for Tony and Jessica’s new structure is expected to top $1 billion. (see picture)

For several years, Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings and the Orlando Magic’s Arena have also been discussed and may soon join this list of functionally obsolete razed facilities.

Bad news for historians but good news for ‘wrecking ball operators’ and maybe Hollywood.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

Previously published in Baseball Digest Daily on August 22, 2008.

DETROIT – Witnessing the demolition of Detroit’s historic ballpark, Tiger Stadium, is like attending the burial of a loved one. While we cannot stop death from consuming one’s final breath and beat of a heart, we can never allow it to pilfer the memories.

At the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, demolition experts and heavy machinery continue to flatten Tiger Stadium, one beam and support at a time. Those bulldozers may rip the concrete and riveted steel girders out of that structure and bury it in a nearby landfill, but it will never purge the heart and soul out of that ballpark.

Tiger Stadium has done more than was ever asked of it. It provided the hard-working, blue-collar fans of Detroit a place to escape from the stresses of their physically-demanding jobs at the steel mills and auto assembly lines.

Though ancient, rusting and long-outdated, it withstood decades of punishing winters and the wear and tear of millions of fans stomping in it’s aisles over the years.

While preservation groups and a few politicians continue their efforts to stop the complete demolition of the stadium and convert a portion of it into a museum, the wrecking ball continues to dismantle the historic landmark.

Before the stadium is reduced to a final shovel of dust, it is a great time to reminisce about our experiences there.

The first game I ever attended at Tiger Stadium was on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Donning my full baseball uniform with ball glove in hand and chomping on an oversized wad of baseball card bubble gum, I accompanied my Little League baseball team to a game against the Minnesota Twins.

The area near the ticket windows felt like a disaster scene to a scrawny eight-year-old, like me. People scurried around like ants, bumping into each other, trying to gain position and make their way to the ticket windows and into the stadium. I felt like a human pinball but somehow managed to stay connected to my group.

Once inside, I bee-lined straight to the hotdog vendor where I quickly learned Mom did not make the best hotdogs. There was something about those Ballpark Franks at Tiger Stadium. They seemed to plump more when they cooked ‘em.

The journey through the short tunnel to our right field seats was almost surreal. Hustling through that corridor seeing only the blue sky, I couldn’t wait to get a full view of the park.

As I made my way to the end of that tunnel I saw the most extraordinary image I had ever seen; like Dorothy stepping out of a black & white world into one full of vibrant colors in her Land of Oz. The blue skies, vast field of vibrant green and borders of perfectly manicured dirt has left a lifelong impression etched in my mind.

Tiger Stadium provided many memories for Detroiters over the years; most notably the 1968 dramatic comeback World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals and the record-setting Tiger team of 1984 led by World Series MVP Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson.

It’s amazing how some of these images remain as clear as if they happened yesterday . . . Norm Cash crushing the leather off the ball, sending another one over the right-field roof and onto Trumbull Street . . . Mark “The Bird” Fidrych pacing the mound like a maniac, having full-on conversations with the ball triggering a roar of approval from 53,000 screaming fans.

Many hard-working blue-collar families in the Motor City took advantage of “Family Night” games at Tiger Stadium. On Family Night, the head of the household would pay $3.50 for a reserved upper deck seat down the third baseline then only .50 cents apiece for the remaining tickets.

That’s $6.00 to take a family of six to a MLB game and the product was outstanding with baseball icons Al Kaline, Norm Cash, Willie Horton and Denny McClain in the lineup. Family Nights were the only time I remember my father refusing overtime on the docks.

Many of us remember Tiger Stadium being the home of the Detroit Lions back when the team and fans endured the weather conditions, playing outdoors on natural grass, like the game is meant to be played.

Three layers of clothing many times was no match for the frigid Canadian winds that blew off the Detroit River on some of those December Sundays. The only heat provided during those games was the body heat of the thousands of devoted Lions fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder in their seats.

Peering through a steady cloud of cold breath, hot chocolates in hand, the fans survived those frigid afternoons and many of us learned at an early age what being a loyal, die-hard Lion fan was all about.

While the crews rip apart and haul away the remaining twisted steel and concrete we should reflect on the treasured memories provided by Tiger Stadium.

Like loved ones who have passed on, Tiger Stadium has been a huge part of many of our lives . . . and like loved ones, the memories will survive forever.