I lived in Detroit for 2 full summers from 95 to 97. I worked a few miles from Tiger Stadium. I never went to one game. The Tigers were not a good team at the time, but the main reason I didnt go, I was too busy working and not enjoying life. The Tigers Played there from 1912 through 1999. It was originally called Navin Field, then Briggs Stadium, both after the owners at the time, before using Tiger Stadium as its name in 1961. They shared thier home from 1938 to 1974 with the Lions(NFL). They played in 6 World Series while there :1934, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968 and 1984 only losing in 1934 and 1940.
I have heard alot of different opinions on Tiger Stadium. There is no doubt that it is a classic ballpark, with alot of history. The stadium had an old school feel to it, But was supposedly in pretty bad shape. There was alot of money being dumped into it in repairs every year, and it probably was smart to replace it. But, alot of people in Detroit didnt want to let it go. There were alot of groups fighting to make it a landmark to prevent it from being destroyed. Demolition was completed in 2009, after a very long process.
I found this pic on the net while doing some research on the stadium. Cool pic.
Tiger Stadium in its final years was owned by the City of Detroit. Once it was decided to move, maintenance ended. You'd see paint peeling on interior walls, and it was intentionally allowed to fall to pieces. It was shameful, although I understand the economics of it.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I'm concerned, the only problems for fans were the posts (if you got stuck behind one) and if you were sitting back in the lower deck along the foul lines, the deck above you meant that you'd lose sight of the ball as it went high into the air.
But, the seats were close to the ballpark, so the views were the best in baseball. I loved it as a kid, and as an adult, and still love it. Comerica is OK, but it has no soul. When I think of how people like Cobb, and Greenberg, and Gehringer, and Newhouser, and all those '68 and '84 Tiger players that I would see play dozens of times each in person, well, it was a sad day for this Tiger fan when I saw my final game at the Corner in September of 1999.
As Al Ackerman used to say in 1984: "Bless you, boys."
its kind of sad they got rid of it
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