Say it ain't so, Tiger Stadium to be Demolished?
Andrew Norton
Money is running out to continue the very minimal upkeep that has been going on since the franchise moved to Comerica Park almost seven years ago. We all know that Detroit (the city, not the franchise) is strapped for cash and the $400,000 per year it takes to perform maintenance is just too much. I don't know what maintenance is being performed anyway. I have seen photos of trees (yes trees) growing behind the visitors dugout in the stands. Plaster falling to the floor in old offices and standing water on the old concourses and dugouts are just a handful of the signs of how time has passed this grand old ballpark by.
No realistic plans have ever come through for a legitimate use of the old facility. I wish that something would have occurred that would save this historic ballpark, but perhaps it is better that it be this way. I would rather see the wrecking ball and demolition crews take it down quickly instead of the ravages or time creating more of an eyesore than a historic monument.
I would love to be able to have a seat or two from Tiger Stadium. I hope they have an auction of some of the stadium's historic pieces. Although, photos and memories of a hot summer day sitting in the upper deck and seeming to hang right over the field are all I really need. That is how I will remember Tiger Stadium. Not the peeled paint and crumbling concrete.