Looking Back - A Trip to Tiger Stadium

Before the team moved out and the wrecking ball moved in, I took the opportunity to check out Tiger Stadium when St. Louis visited Detroit for an interleague series in 1999. I went to visit one of the two oldest ballparks in baseball for the first time. I wanted to see what a game was like in this old ballyard full of history, quirks, and antiquities.

My seat was an obstructed view seat, so I had a metal beam blocking my view of the area between the pitcher and the hitter. This would be unheard of in a new ballpark, but it actually didn't bother me much. I also had the chance to check out the left field stands during batting practice, and I watched numerous balls fly over my head into the upper deck, courtesy of Mark McGwire and others.

Overall, the feeling I had was one of coziness. Tiger Stadium held over 45,000 people, but somehow it felt smaller, intimate. Part of that feeling came from the closeness of the seats to the field - it seemed to take you into the game, almost onto the field. Sitting halfway down the baseline in the lower deck, the center field bleachers, beyond the sign 440 (yes, 440 feet!) in center, appeared to be much closer than they were.

It was an atmosphere very much unlike that at the 1960s-built ballparks. Most of my big league game experiences have been at parks on opposite ends of the design spectrum - Riverfront and Bush Stadiums toward the "modern" end and Wrigley Field, and now Tiger Stadium, on the "old-timers" portion of the spectrum. The 1960s stadiums are big and round, seemingly cavernous in appearance. You watch the game and it's fun, but you seem to be part of a mass of people. Unless you have prime seats, watching on TV probably offers a better view. Wrigley and "The Corner," as Tiger Stadium was frequently referred to in Detroit, felt more welcoming, bringing about a sense of nostalgia. When you sing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," you know what the line "Take me out to the crowd" means. It feels like a crowd of compatriots, not a swarm of people who coincidentally are wearing the same colors you are.

The Tigers were preparing to move into Comerica Park the following season, about a mile away from their former address. I saw drawings of the new field, and I drove by the construction site, although I have yet to visit the completed field. The Tigers followed the theme of new "retro" parks, and based on what I saw, it looked promising - a good baseball field with a bad name. (Fields should not be allowed to be named after financial institutions, Internet companies, or public utilities - the names always sound terrible.)

My one concern about the new park, and new parks in general, is the seat prices. I'm not sure how prices compare between Tiger Stadium and Comerica Park, but I'm certain they are significantly higher in the new facility. These new ballparks are exciting for baseball teams and fans - everyone believes a new home for the home team will mean a chance at a championship. However, pricing a trip to the ballgame out of many fans reach will do more harm than good.

I've waxed nostalgic about the "good old days," which I wasn't even a live to experience, but I hope that baseball does everything it can to maintain the fun, low prices, and (at least to some) the romance of a trip to the ballgame.