February 6, 2010 [LINK / comment]

Nationals prepare for 2010 season

Spring training is right around the corner, and the Washington Nationals seem to be well prepared, for once.

Second baseman Adam Kennedy, age 34, has just agreed to a contract worth $1.25 million in 2010 with a $2 million team option for 2010. Kennedy batted .289 with the Athletics last year, and is .277 lifetime; most of his career has been with the Angels. The first choice was Orlando Hudson, but he signed with the Twins, for a substantially higher salary. The addition of Kennedy to the Nationals' roster "likely means that Cristian Guzman will remain at shortstop." (Guzman says he has overcome his physical ailments and will become more mobile this year.) See MLB.com. This is yet more great news for the Nats. If someone had told me three months ago that the Nats would add Jason Marquis, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adam Kennedy to their roster in 2010, I would have said they were pulling my leg. Granted, it's hard to know what to expect from aging veterans, but we Nats fans have a lot to be hopeful for this year.

Another good sign is that the Nationals and Adam Dunn are negotiating a multi-year extension to his contract, which ends after this season. Both sides appear to be in accord, and Dunn is happy in Washington, notwithstanding the awful 2009 season. See Washington Post. In Friday's Post, Dan Steinberg called attention to Adam Dunn's use of jiujitsu to enhance his agility for defensive purposes. Like Manny Ramirez, he has a reputation for being a big slugger who has mediocre fielding skills, but he seems determined to prove his worth as a first baseman, occasionally covering left field. Interestingly, the Nationals now have a surplus of Adams (Dunn and Kennedy) all of a sudden, much like they had a surplus of Ryans a few years ago: Church, Drese, Wagner, and Zimmerman.

Two weeks ago, "The Nationals came to terms with outfielder Josh Willingham, relief pitcher Jason Bergmann, and catchers Wil Nieves and Jesus Flores." They are all solid contributors to the team, and if Flores is healthy, he might end up playing as much or more as Ivan Rodriguez. Only two more Nationals players remain eligible for arbitration. See Washington Post. The catcher position is like the first base position was during spring training last year, with three contending players. Finally, the Nats front office is discussing a possible contract with former Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. Hmm-m-m!!

Even more stadium news

It turns out I left out a couple news items yesterday. (NOTE: Mike Zurawski clarified that PGE Park in Portland, which is being renovated for use as a soccer stadium, "isn't going to have baseball at all. The Portland Beavers MUST have a new stadium somewhere.")

In Miami, on the site of the former Orange Bowl, workers are in the processing of installing the tracks on top of the 150-foot high concrete columns that will support the massive, hurricane-proof retractable roof of the Marlins' future ballpark. Eight of the 12 columns have been completed thus far, and the construction project overall "is slightly more than 20 percent completed." (That is consistent with what I had estimated previously, 15%.) See MLB.com.

In Santa Clara, California, the City Clerk verified that a sufficient number of signed petitions had been submitted, which means that voters will get to decide whether to provide public funds for the construction of a San Francisco 49ers stadium in a referendum on June 8 ballot. If a majority of voters approve, preliminary work on a stadium will proceed on a plot of land near the Great America amusement park. See the San Jose Mercury News, which says the project will cost $937, but I'm pretty sure they mean $937 million. So what will become of Candlestick Park???

February 5, 2010 [LINK / comment]

The mail bag: stadium news, etc.

After a longer-than-expected hiatus due to "technical difficulties beyond my control,"
I have returned to cyberspace. (Cue Gen. MacArthur.) Leading off in my mail bag, as usual, is Mike Zurawski, who has a huge volume of news to share about baseball stadiums as well as baseball-related football stadiums.

In Chicago, they are removing the unsightly concrete exterior on the south (first base) side of Wrigley Field. The renovation is scheduled to be completed in 2014, the centennial of the beloved historic ballpark. See baseball-fever.com. (Bruce Orser brought the same item to my attention.) Well, it's about time! The exterior at Wrigley Field has never received as much attention as it should have. They are also renovating the iconic scoreboard, with the huge painted "Cubs" pennant on the back, and it is currently enclosed by scaffolding on the rear (street) side. See bleedcubbieblue.com.

In The Bronx, the escalator "pod" in left field of Yankee Stadium is being torn down. Frankly, I'm surprised they aren't making more progress in bringing the whole thing down. Opening Day is only eight weeks away! See baseball-fever.com.

In Toronto, they are getting ready to install new artificial turf at Rogers Centre. The existing playing surface, which looks like a parquet floor because of the heavy seams between the small square sections, was installed in 2005. Hopefully, the new surface will look less fake. See nationalpost.com.

In Fremont (located in California, for you folks in Rio Linda ), hopes are rising once again that the Oakland Athletics may yet build a stadium in their city. It would be built on the site of the soon-to-be-closed Nummi automobile plant (a joint venture of two ill-fated corporations, Toyota and GM), fairly close to a new BART station. Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman is promoting the idea, and they recently held a public rally to support bring the A's to town. See ktvu.com. I'm still skeptical of Fremont, and I'm sure that the San Jose alternative site is lucrative enough that they could pay off the Giants for their "territorial rights."

In Portland, PGE park is being converted into a soccer stadium, at a cost of 31 million dollars. That means it will be less baseball-friendly than before, which makes the idea of using it as a temporary venue for a possibly MLB expansion franchise less likely. The Beavers minor league (AAA) franchise may even leave Portland. See bizjournals.com.

On the north side of Miami, where Super Bowl XLIV is about to be held, people are objecting to the proposed use of public funds to put a roof on Joe Robbie / Pro Player / Dolphins / Dolphin / Land Shark / Sun Life Stadium. See fieldofschemes.com, which notes that they would have to host the Super Bowl for the next 20 years in a row to make money on the deal. As for the stadium itself, "[T]he blueprint includes tearing out the lower bowl of the stadium to add 3,000 prime seats and moving the spectator area closer to the field." See miamiherald.com.

It's a similar problem faced by the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium, whose lower seating bowl is too low for many fans to see the field. Chargers will remain in San Diego for a least another season, as they try to put pressure on the city to build them a new stadium. They still might move back to their original home in L.A., however. See nctimes.com.

In Minnesota, there is talk of using Federal government "stimulus" funds ("Build America Bonds") to build a new football stadium for the Vikings in the suburbs. The town of Dayton, in western Hennepin County, is a leading candidate. Governor Pawlenty has suggested using the lottery to pay for such a stadium. See startribune.com and startribune.com. I still think the Vikings and the Chargers can afford to wait another few years at least.

In East Rutherford, New Jersey, demolition of Giants Stadium has started, and it should be complete by late May, when the new stadium will be inaugurated with a Bon Jovi concert. Will someone find Jimmy Hoffa's remains in one of the concrete slabs? See associatedcontent.com.

Thanks as always to Mike for keeping me "on my toes," and for keeping all of us better informed.

And, in other mail...

Bruce Orser sent me some newspaper archives and other very useful historical information about Griffith Stadium, old Yankee Stadium, and even Washington Park in Brooklyn. Major league thanks are due to Bruce as well.

Wes Kahn wrote to ask me some probing questions about various old ballparks: "First, let me pay you the highest compliments one can give for producing without a doubt the best ballpark website in the world. Your diagrams have supplied countless hours of hot stove entertainment for several years." I certainly appreciate the kind sentiments, and will try my best to address the questions he raises.

Mike Wagner is nearly finished writing a book about Yankee Stadium (to be called Babe's Place), and wanted authoritative numbers on the early dimensions for it, so I was happy to oblige.

Chris Moffatt reminded me that I needed to do update the Anomalous stadiums page to include Champion Stadium, where the Tampa Bay Devil Rays played a few games a couple years ago. Done! I also need to do a diagram for it, however. Stephen Poppe never fails to remind of that nagging "chore."

John Grace sent me a link to a page with some great photos of Safeco Field being used for football, as well as for soccer: ysbp.com. It looks familiar, and I may have seen that before.

Finally, a note from Hugh Harris that arrived today: "Just found your site. As a lover of old baseball stadiums, I want to thank you for the wonderful site!!!!"

January 23, 2010 [LINK / comment]

Upset: Red Sox fans rock politics

Future historians may decide that the fate of President Obama's domestic policy agenda was decided when a hapless Massachusetts politician managed to offend Boston Red Sox fans twice in one week. Not smart at all. Martha Coakley, who had held a wide lead in the race for U.S. Senate until a couple weeks before last Tuesday's election, was being interviewed on a radio show and referred to retired pitcher Curt Schilling (the bloody red-sock hero of the "miraculous" 2004 ALCS) as a "Yankee fan." What!!?? Schilling was as mystified by this remark as anyone, as his blog 38 Pitches makes abundantly clear.

Gold mine of
prospective voters:

Then, when asked about her lack of campaign activity and failure to court potential voters, she said, "As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?" (This was in reference to the NHL Winter Classic held there on New Year's Day.) YES, you idiot!!! For more on these two monumental gaffes, see Jon Stewart's The Daily Show. In terms of getting blamed for an easy win that slipped through a team's fingers, Coakley will spend the rest of her life being compared to Bill Buckner or Steve Bartman.

At the very least, this special election in Massachusetts will lay to rest any doubts as to the significance of Our National Pastime in national affairs.

Big Mac comes (half) clean, late

The news about Mark McGwire's belated confession of past steroid use was overshadowed by the earthquake in Haiti last week, which may have caused a missed opportunity for a more intensive public discussion about the dope issue. (With fatalities climbing into the six figures, sports seems less important.) McGwire said what he had to do say to mend his tarnished honor, but it was several years too late, and in any case cannot undo the wrongs that he did against baseball and professional sports more generally. His announcement was probably a condition for his being hired as a hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals late last year, and it was time to clear the air. As the Washington Post reported, McGwire had to wait for the five-year statute of limitations to expire, or else face legal jeopardy. He says he used steroids for the first time after the 1989 season, and resumed doing so several years later, as a way to recover from injuries more quickly. Maybe. Saying that he human growth hormone but not to build his strength makes one wonder if he really has faced up to his culpability, however.

Likewise, as ESPN analyst Peter Gammons writes at MLB.com, McGwire's claim that there is no relationship between the performance-enhancing drugs and home run production does not sound very convincing. Gammons says more time will be needed to judge McGwire and others who are suspected or confess to cheating. The argument over this issue will never end, and the record books will forever be tainted by lingering doubts.

Gannett columnist Mike Lopresti wonders why it took McGwire so long to come clean. Just ask Pete Rose. If your whole identity is based on being a hero to millions of adoring fans, what is there left when you strip away the illusion? Some people develop an innate sense of self-worth in life that enables them to rise above crushing setbacks or the loss of friendships, but many entertainers and other public figures who encounter such a life crisis simply crash and burn.

What about the historical legacy? In the Washington Post, Tracee Hamilton "believe[s] he is contrite" but should not be let in "the Hall of Fame, ever, for a variety of reasons." She thinks he had no choice but to confess, which in her mind doesn't really change much. I have a hard time deciding. If those who cheat are never forgiven, like the Chicago White Sox "Eight Men Out" of 1919, what incentive will suspected cheaters have to come clean? It's a dilemma that can never be satisfactorily resolved: We want to encourage honesty, but we don't want to reward unethical conduct. In the end, they may have to create a separate category in the Hall of Fame for dope users, with asterisks next to their name.

David Pinto comments on the interview Bob Costas gave to McGwire, who denied Jose Canseco's statement that he and McGwire used to inject each other right before ballgames: "I believe Jose more than Mark on this one." Ouch!

McGwire is the biggest-name baseball star to admit dope use since Alex Rodriguez did so last February. Few have doubted that Big Mac was a user since the March 2005 circus on Capitol Hill when McGwire issued a teary-eyed non-statement. Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and Curt Schilling also testified. The investigations culminated when the Mitchell Report was released in December 2007.

Saying he wished he had never played in the Steroid Era almost sounds like McGwire is rationalizing his behavior on the basis of what was condoned at the time. It's kind of like the reasons that were given for the mortgage crisis and the resultant virtual collapse of the U.S. financial system in 2008. I want to give McGwire the benefit of the doubt, but he is going to have to work hard over the next few years to rebuild his credibility and honor.

Stadium news in Miami

Just in time for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl, Joe Robbie Stadium / Pro Player Stadium / Dolphin Stadium / Land Shark Stadium has been officially renamed "Sun Life Stadium," as part of a five-year $37.5 million contract with a Canadian financial services company by that same name. See the Miami Herald; hat tip to Mike Zurawski. What-ever... I revised the Dolphin Stadium page. I have updated the Stadium names page accordingly.

Coincidentally, plans are underway to add a large, cable-suspended roof at Dolphin Stadium, in hopes of avoiding another 2007 Super Bowl, marred by a steady downpour. Like Qwest Field in (rainy) Seattle, it would cover virtually all the seats, but not the playing field. New scoreboards would be built in the four corners of the stadium, so that more fans will be able to see them. (The scoreboards are currently behind the end zones.) See palmbeachpost.com; hat tip to Mike Zurawski.

Progress on the new baseball stadium in Miami, meanwhile, is already having a positive impact: the budget-conscious Marlins just signed pitcher Josh Johnson to a four-year, $39 million contract through 2013. The new stadium, set to open in 2012, was evidently a major consideration in his decision. See MLB.com.

Wrigley Field makeover

The new owners of the Chicago Cubs have laid out their plans for a further renovation of Wrigley Field, which will celebrate its 100th birthday in four more years. The construction project is to be called "Wrigley 20-14" and is intended to let the Cubs can use it "for another 100 years." Well, let's hope so. See Chicago Tribune; hat tip to Bruce Orser.

The mail bag

Thanks to Matt Lachs for informing me that a bus repair facility for the Philadelphia School District presently occupies the site where the Baker Bowl once stood. I've updated the Stadiums in Limbo page accordingly.

There are more items in my in-box to get to, so thanks for your patience. Where have I been lately? "Back to school..."

January 11, 2010 [LINK / comment]

A few more BIG winter deals

The budget-concious Cincinnati Reds have had to let some of their biggest stars go over the past few years -- Ken Griffey, Jr., Adam Dunn, and Austin Kearns -- but they may be preparing for a long-term resurgence. They just made a big splash by agreeing to terms with Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman on a five-year, $25 million contract, outbidding several other teams. Details are still pending. It may take a year or two for the 22-year older to get used to the major leagues, but the lightning-fast (100 MPH?) left-handed pitcher could eventually help make the Reds competitive in the NL Central Division once again. Chapman pitched for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic last spring. See MLB.com.

The Texas Rangers reached a one-year agreement with Vladimir Guerrero that includes a mutual option for a one-year extension. The outfielder will play most of his games as a designated hitter this year. Vlad began his career with the Expos in September 1997, but they could not afford to keep him when he became a free agent after the 2003 season, so he signed as with the "LAnaheim" Angels. In 2004, he was chosen as American League MVP. That was just one year before the Expos moved south and became the Washington Nationals... See MLB.com.

Plus, there are rumors that Ryan Church is close to a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Like the Reds, they need an offensive boost, and Church has proven himself as a reliable batter while playing for the Expos, Nationals, Mets, and Braves.

A few more page updates

Gradually getting caught up with changes in the baseball world over the past year, I have updated the Stadium chronology (by decade), Stadium names, and Stadiums in Limbo pages.

January 9, 2010 [LINK / comment]

Great American Ballpark update

Once again, I got carried away with the details, but the diagram on the Great American Ballpark page has now been revised. Aside from the usual enhancements (lights, profiles), there are some notable corrections. The upper deck bleachers in left field are about ten feet shallower than I previously estimated, about eight feet closer to the field, and extend about ten feet further toward center field. For the first time, the peripheral buildings on the third base side are shown, but there is no room for the building on the first base side. (It would obstruct the profile on that side, and given that the two main parts of "GABP" are so radically different from each other, I decided it was more important to keep that profile.) The other obvious change from the earlier diagram version is that the Ohio River is now shown.

In addition, I added another photo I took while I was passing through Cincinnati last August, showing the northeast corner and the "Pete Rose Way" garage entrance. In the top right of that photo you can see the freeway overpass.

Washington Park wall

SABR member David Dyte sent out an alert that the remaining brick wall from Washington Park in Brooklyn is threatened with at least partial demolition by Consolidated Edison. It was the home of the Robins (who later became officially known as the "Dodgers") before they moved into Ebbets Field in 1913. For more information, see his Web site: brooklynballparks.com. Historical preservationists in the Big Apple, get busy!

Hail to the Redskins!

And, speaking of Washington (!?), a few months ago Brian Hughes sent me some YouTube links to an ancient film on the Redskins during the 1940s, in three sequential parts. They are of primary interest to Washington fans, but others may be interested in seeing football games being played in Griffith Stadium, Wrigley Field, Shibe Park, and Venable Stadium in Baltimore, before it was rebuilt as Memorial Stadium:

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

January 7, 2010 [LINK / comment]

Target Field is complete

As temperatures drop below zero in the northwoods country of Minnesota,* there is actually some good news from the Twin Cities: "Mortenson [Construction] has completed all major work on the new $425 million Target Field more than two months ahead of schedule..." And so, the front office staff of the Minnesota Twins has moved into their spiffy new offices adjoining the team's modernistic new home. See MLB.com.

Also, Mike Zurawski pointed out to me that the interactive seat viewer page on the Twins' Web site shows a "411" marker at the deep corner just left of dead center field, but no "404" marker. Assuming that is how they are going to do it, that will be among the refinements I'll have to make in the Target Field diagram prior to Opening Day.

* The weather ain't much better here in Virginia: snow is falling once again, as another wave of arctic air pushes through.

Dawson gets the call

Andre Dawson was the only player chosen by the baseball writers for the Hall of Fame this year. He played for the Expos for eleven years starting in 1976, and later for the Cubs, the Red Sox, and the Marlins. He ended his career after the 1996 season in the city of his birth -- Miami. Over his 21-year career in the majors, he racked up 438 home runs and 2,774 hits. It was his ninth year of eligibility, and he surpassed the required 75 percent threshhold by a small margin. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were close behind, just under 75 percent, but they are expected to make it next year. Dawson played for over half his career in Montreal, and if he chooses to enter the HOF with an Expos cap, he would be the second player in franchise history to do so. (The fact that the Montreal Expos no longer exist, or rather have transmutated into the Washington Nationals, creates a somewhat awkward situation.) The first Expos player to get the call from Cooperstown was Gary Carter, inducted in 2003. See MLB.com.

Comerica Park update

I set out to do a couple minor correction to the Comerica Park diagrams, thinking it would be a "quickie," but not long after I got started I realized that I had to make several significant corrections. The lights and profile are more accurate than before, and the lateral aisle in the upper deck is now shown, but there are also several minor revisions to the shape of the structure. The grandstand between first base and the right field corner is angled slightly less than I thought before, and the "bleachers" in right field are about eight feet shallower.