Why Wrigley Field should be destroyed

want to really feel old? the second oldest building in the NBA (now that the Nets have left NJ) is the Palace of Auburn Hills, built in '88.

say no to the nukes. as a fan of a team that plays a couple hundred miles east of Chicago who moved into a new stadium and turned the old one into a vacant lot, it's really sad to see the way it was treated. The Tigers needed a new park, true, but turning the old one to rubble was a bad move. For years after they moved to the CoPa it was still standing, but then the wrecking ball came and the first time I saw the partially torn down stadium it felt like a punch to the gut

 

That WAS a great ballpark. I feel your pain.

 

It was a while ago, but I posted some links to photos of Tiger Stadium after it was abandoned, and how it would have been cool to sneak in there and run around.

One TV station even showed people paying off the security guard to go in there, bringing bats, balls, gloves and beer, and playing an informal game.

 

I'm a lifelong Cardinals fan, and I hope Wrigley is still standing when I throw off this mortal coil. Great place to see a game (wearing Cardinal red, of course), hot chicks in the bleachers and a shit-ton of stuff to do in the neighborhood. Character should count for something, and Wrigley has it in spades.

 

On a sunny, summer, weekend afternoon, it is a freaking babe fest.

 

Even with the stadium completely gone now, there's still a group that comes by and tends to the field, cutting the grass, pulling the weeds around what would have been the field area.

Cops try to chase them away once in awhile, but for the most part, they are left alone.


They also bring bats, balls and gloves and hit a few after their work is done.

 

I went there for a Saturday afternoon game (against the Reds) a few weeks ago when I was in Chicago. Because I wasn't familiar enough with the venue I wound up sitting on the very last row of the lower bowl, which means I saw no skyline, scoreboard, etc. Had I had a better feel for things, I'd have sat in the upper deck, which is way closer to the field than my "home" venue (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington). As a pushin'-50 old fart, I was a bit irritated with the bevy of swingles on the scene who were really there just to drink beer (meaning they were up and down and up and down and up and down and ... well, you get the picture). Fortunately, one of the ushers in the area picked up on the fact that my foursome was all first-timers, so midway through the game he escorted us all over the place for a tour and then popped out a handful of tickets down close (and in the sun).

I don't know as I would call the area surrounding Wrigley Field "charming," but fun (especially for the younger set) I'd grant. And if the young lady count remains high in the summer (when the coats have been shed), I can see why one might make a Wrigley trip a regular thing.

 

Considering how thoroughly the Angels redid their park a few years ago, I'd hesitate to call it the same place. It's a completely different stadium from the old Big A.

 

The Big A is on like its third or fourth iteration since the place opened. Remember when they closed in the outfield for the Rams?

 

Hard to believe they broke ground on the Ballpark in Arlington 20 years ago this month.

 

It's held up a lot better than some of the other parks built in that timeframe.

 

But for the summer heat, the BpiA (Ballpark in Arlington) is at 20 years old still a very pleasant place to watch a ballgame. And if you're not fixated on sitting down low, even in the summer you catch some nice, relatively dry breezes up high that keep things tolerable.