MLB 2022: The Long and Winding Thread

See the proposed deals in Anaheim, Oakland, etc.

These are not baseball franchises and team owners. They are real estate developers.

 

Yes, that is true.

But at some level stadiums are like cars, they become liabilities the second you open them, just like a car is the second you drive it off the lot. They require regular maintenance, etc., and that costs money. So when people (not you) say, "That stadium is only 20 years old!" when maintenance questions are raised, I just kind of roll my eyes.

I've owned my house about as long as Camden Yards has been open. We've put on two roofs, redone both bathrooms, totally gutted the kitchen, painted it about 5-6 times, changed out the carpet, got all new interior doors and trim, etc. Buildings require maintenance. That costs money.

 

Oh, sure. Virtually all of the classic-era WWI stadiums could still be open today, but -- except for Fenway and Wrigley -- it was decided in about the 1950s that the problems of urban deterioration and parking access were just too tough to handle, so essentially it was decided to let the old parks go to hell and count on the city governments to build them new stadiums.
Once you let the concrete and steel go 10-15 years without proper maintenance and treatment, rust and water get in and things really start to crumble, especially in the cold weather cities where most of those classic stadiums were located.

 

Totally agree. No reason Tiger Stadium and Comiskey Park couldn't still be open, better than their successors had the same money been invested on renovations. Urban deterioration or parking wasn't a factor there because the new facilities were built essentially on the same footprint. Especially Tiger Stadium, that was an absolute gem and so much nicer than Comerica.

Don't miss the cookie-cutters one little bit.

 

Toronto has a similar problem as Boston. There was a lot of chatter in the spring of 2020 when it came out that Rogers Communications was exploring bulldozing Rogers Centre and building a new home for the Blue Jays on the current footprint with a huge entertainment area etc. with nothing mentioned as to where the team would play while that was happening. The dome is 30+ years old and while Rogers has done a good job with cosmetic changes in the concourses and with sound and lighting upgrades but it can still be a pretty bleak place at times with the roof closed (but you know you'll get a game).

Toronto is much different now than it was when the place was first built, there is nowhere you could build a new facility downtown - with the advantages of being close to all transit options with bars and restaurants everywhere like the current venue has - that wouldn't cost a fortune, for the land alone. They aren't likely to move to the suburbs - where land is being reclaimed everywhere for housing developments and condos - though I think a lot of fans who make their way downtown from those areas would appreciate it.

Maybe they could blow out the hotel in centrefield, put some windows in like other stadiums have and give us a lovely view of the condos north of the stadium.

 

Speaking of Oakland.

 

The sightlines are about the only thing to miss about old stadiums, and even then you had pillars obstructing seats, among other annoyances, such as horrible restrooms. As a spectator I've been to Cleveland Municipal, Baltimore Memorial, the Astrodome, Dodger Stadium, old Yankee Stadium, Fenway, Shea, old Busch, and old Beehive Field, New Britain, CT. Metal (and wood) bleachers and chain link fence. We heckled Tom Runnels the whole game, he gave us all autograped balls at the end. My current favorite is TD Bank in Bridgewater, NJ. A great game experience.

 

The Sox aren't handicapped by the capacity of Fenway. A bunch of recent stadiums are at around 40,000. The extra seats aren't that valuable if they aren't being sold at even $10 and drive down demand for the rest of the seats.

Before the team was sold, the owners wanted to build a second Fenway incorporating a part of the original, but were never going to be able to get the land.

 

The Angels are running into problems with the state after the city gave them a sweetheart deal for the Anaheim Stadium property.

State housing agency wants Anaheim to reject Angel Stadium deal - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

State housing agency to Anaheim City Council: Reject new Angel Stadium deal

An artist’s rendering of the proposed changes coming to the area around Angel Stadium.
(SRB Management)

The state housing agency on Friday urged the Anaheim City Council to reject a revised development agreement for the Angel Stadium property, potentially setting the stage for a new showdown between the agency and the city.

In a statement, the agency said the revised agreement — which cut the promised number of affordable housing units in the proposed Angel Stadium development by about 80% — shows the city and the Angels owner Arte Moreno’s development company “don’t take our enforcement and affordable housing seriously.”

The California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, had charged the city with violating state housing law by not making the property available to affordable housing developers. In order to settle the matter, the city agreed last month to a stipulated judgment in which it would commit $96 million — the amount of the fine for which the city would have been liable — toward the construction of about 1,000 units of affordable housing beyond the stadium property.

 

Dodger Stadium is still one of the top 5 in baseball, and it's 60 years old this year. They've kept up the maintenance, added amenities, and it's still a top-flight place to watch a game, from everything I read (I've never been there).

Could have been yours, Brooklyn, if you would have told Robert Moses to GFH.

 

Public money is harder to come by on the West Coast for stadium projects.

 

Willi Castro went to the Gates Brown school of outfield play
He’d better wear a helmet in the field from now on