10 Stadiums That Shouldn't Have Been Tore Down
Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
There are some ballparks or stadiums that have a rich history and never should have been replaced. Chicago's Wrigley Field is a place that will never be torn down with the rabid fans and the W flag always flying above it. Here are 10 places that deserved better......
Baker Bowl- There is some ballparks that have odd dimensions that make the game much more interesting. This stadium in Philadelphia would definitely be the one to look at. The right field wall was just 281 feet from home plate with a 60-foot wall because of the way the ballpark had to be set up. Why the Phillies wanted to tear this gem down in anyone’s guess but it’s a real shame that they would allow some of the great left-handed hitters of today’s game to have a chance to hit a home run over a 60-foot wall that wasn’t far from home plate. Just imagine what Bryce Harper could have done in a road contest played in this ballpark that opened in 1887 and closed down in 1938. The home run totals could have unbelievable from Philadelphia players who had 81 games a season there.
County Stadium- This Milwaukee gem hosted the Braves before the Brewers called it home. It was also the home of the Green Bay Packers for several games every season. A stadium that was opened in 1956 and closed in 2000, County Stadium was a place that Wisconsin sports fans will never forget especially during the epic 1982 season that led to a World Series berth for the Brewers. The old stadium site is now home to a Little League baseball park but any fan of the Brewers, Braves or Packers will always remember the good times that were had before Milwaukee’s favorite gem was torn down when Miller Park was opened next door. The final home run in Hank Aaron’s career was also hit in this famous stadium and while Aaron will always be the home run leader for many people. The fact that Aaron hit his last homer there will always be special.
Texas Stadium- The Dallas Cowboys are clearly one of the best-known teams in all of professional sports and Texas Stadium with the hole in the roof to allow God to look down on “America’s Team” makes it a very distinct place. Emmitt Smith broke Walter Payton’s rushing yards rushing in 2002 in this stadium. There were many great legends that played there including Roger Staubach and many great games including the Thanksgiving Day snowstorm game where Leon Lett tried to jump on a blocked field goal which gave Miami another chance to win the game. The snow game was not the greatest moment in Cowboys history but anytime a game can be played in snow in Texas, it is worth talking about. Too bad AT&T Stadium took over.
Metropolitan Stadium- Games outside in Minnesota in the wintertime are definitely some cold affairs and when the Vikings closed down the Met in 1981 for their move to the Metrodome, some wild things went down. At the end of the final game, fans tore the stadium apart as they sported the field to grab turf and rip out the seats and even took down the American flag in the fourth quarter (LINK 4). It was a sad conclusion to the only home that the Vikings had to that point. While the team has also got rid of the Metrodome now to move into another new stadium, Metropolitan Stadium is a place that will always be in the hearts and souls of Minnesota sports fans for the fact that opponents had to go outside in the frozen Midwestern winter to play the Purple People Eaters.
Orange Bowl- This is one of the few places in the list that hosted college and pro football to a high level for a very long time. The Orange Bowl closed in 2008 after the University of Miami decided after seven decades to move to Dolphin Stadium which has now changed its name several times. The Orange Bowl hosted five Super Bowls, 12 games that decided the national championship for college football which included Joe Namath’s guarantee in Super Bowl III. The idea of progress has pushed many times to change stadiums even if the one they are in is just fine to play at. Nothing will ever replace the Orange Bowl and the atmosphere that was in that building. A place that will always have great memories for football fans everywhere.
Ebbets Field- The Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie Robinson. Three pro teams in New York City itself. Vin Scully would begin his long broadcasting career at this gem of a ballpark. Ebbets Field opened in 1913 and was the place where Robinson broke the color barrier on April 15, 1947. By the late 1950s, the stadium’s capacity was simply too small for the game and the team moved to Los Angeles. Brooklyn loved their Dodgers like no other but didn’t want to see the team go across the country. Hopefully there will be a point if expansion happens in the game again that Brooklyn can get a baseball team back in their part of New York. Maybe then a second Ebbets Field can be built just the way the old one was 100 years ago.
Comiskey Park- Chicago had two of the best ballparks in all of Major League Baseball with Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park. Old Comiskey met its demise in 1990 when the team moved to U.S. Cellular Field. If there is one thing that people remember most about Comiskey Park was 1979 and Disco Demolition Night where fans blew up disco records in between games of a doubleheader and caused the White Sox to have to forfeit the second game of that doubleheader against the Tigers. It had an exploding scoreboard and the drainage was awful but the team should have at least tried to fix the ballpark like the Cubs did with Wrigley. It would be epic to have the two Windy City teams together in old stadiums for a crosstown World Series.
Yankee Stadium- Any ballpark that held the New York Yankees is going to be held in high regard. This giant ballpark that held over 74,000 fans saw Babe Ruth homer in the new stadium after moving from the Polo Grounds where they shared residence with the Giants. While the stadium was remodeled in 1976 and saw the team win more World Series titles, it would eventually be replaced after the 2008 season after over 151 million fans went through its gates. The team decided that they wanted a new facility costing $1.3 billion dollars across the street and now the 26 World Series titles and Monument Park is in the new place wishing they were back across the street in the old building that had so many memories.
Polo Grounds- The Polo Grounds was one of the oddest ballparks ever to have baseball in it. There were in fact four different versions of it that saw the Giants, Yankees and even the Mets play in the old school place with the center field wall being 483 feet away from home plate by the time it closed after having it be over 500 feet at one point or another. The left field and right field walls were less than 300 feet away so lazy fly balls would go out of the ballpark with ease. Today’s version of MLB would have players complaining about hitting 450 foot outs to center field. However, that is what made the Polo Grounds special and a place that would have been great for baseball still to this day. It’s too bad it hasn’t been used since 1963.
Tiger Stadium- One of the saddest things about stadiums or ballparks that have disappeared is this Detroit legend at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull that opened in 1912 on the same day at Fenway Park in Boston and closed in 1999 when the Tigers moved to Comerica Park. There are many memorable moments from the World Series title in 1984 to Reggie Jackson hitting a transformer on top of the stadium in the All-Star Game. The team moved thinking that Tiger Stadium was killing the team’s attendance even though Fenway and Wrigley Field still get huge crowds to this day. The Tigers probably wish they were still at Tiger Stadium these days as the team hasn’t won a World Series since moving to their new location to begin the 2000 season.
