Stadium News
Chicago, New York and L.A. vie for attendance crown
The nation's three biggest cities all have two baseball
teams and all six of those teams are in the top six in attendance in Major League Baseball. Combining the teams to get a city
score, the rankings go:
1. New York: 46,000 /team/game
2. Los Angeles: 43,300 /team/game
3. Chicago: 47,500 /team/game
Tampa Bay not last in attendance
Dolphins Stadium is last in attendance this year, getting
not even 13,000 fans per game, almost 4,000 lower than the second worst average, Tropicana Field. The Marlins' poor play has
lowered attendance from its highs in 2004.
Five MLB teams averaging over 40,000
Attendance, slightly down in 2006, is not lagging in the
Bronx, Chavez Ravine, St. Louis, Queens or Anaheim. Teams in those cities are getting over 40,000 fans per home game. 13 teams
are averaging over 30,000, while the Marlins, Devil Rays and Royals are at the bottom of the league.
Nationals finally start park
Ground was
finally brokoen on the Nats' new park, scheduled to open in 2008. Planners hope the park will revitalize a neighborhood. For
$611 million, it better.
Columbus finalizes new park
New Huntington Park in Columbus, OH should be one of the
gems of the minor leagues when it opens in 2008. The park will have two decks, the upper deck tallest down the lines due to
luxury suites behind home plate. The park will be built in one of Columbus' trendiest areas, with a view of the downtown skyline.
New stadium district in Lansing
Planners in Lansing, Michigan, wary of their ballparks'
age and not-so-great neighborhood, are planning a new "ballpark district" around the park, with shops, restaurants and more
pre- and postgame activities.
New Busch gets mixed reviews
New Busch Stadium opened in St. Louis this season, but fan
reactions have been mixed. The new park opened the year with 9,000 of its final 50,000 seats still under construction.
No roof for Twins' park
The Twins have spend 24 years at the Metrodome, but their
new park will be 100% open air. The expenses of a retractable roof made it improbable. The new downtown ballpark will have
a view of the skyline and is expected to open in 2010, pending a few more votes.
2005 MLB attendance clims again
For the third year in a row, MLB attendance rose in 2005,
from not quite $73 million in 2004 to $74 million in '05. The Nationals' move to Washington accounts for much of the
rise.
Baseball costliest fan sport
Bizjournals.com says supporting a baseball team requires
a city to have an income base of $89.2 billion. The NFL requires $33 billion, the NBA $38.4 and the NHL $35.7. The Florida
Marlins are considering moving to Charlotte, but the North Carolina city falls well short of the $89.2 billion figure in income.
2005 Inductions to the Ballpark Hall of Fame
Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds and old Yankee
Stadium gave the 2005 Hall of Fame class a New York flavor. They join Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Tiger Stadium and old Comiskey
Park in the Hall. Vote for the 2006 class here.
Tree growing in Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium, unused for baseball since 1999, hosted the
Bud Bowl in conjunction with the Super Bowl this year. All around the stadium, including in the first row of seats, are trees
sprouting through the concrete. One is over five feet tall.
Mets park to be like Ebbets
The Mets will soon move into a new $600 million ballpark.
The facility will have a retractable roof and will be in Queens. Reminiscent of Ebbets Field, the stadium should match up
nicely to the new Yankee Stadium.
Athletics to play in front of 34,000 this year
Oakland, soon to get a new stadium, decided that this year
they will close off the top deck of their stadium all the way around for the entire season, covering it with A's logo tarps.
The capacity will max out at 34,000 under this plan to make the park feel more intimate.
Discussing PNC Park
A discussion with Pittsburgh's Media Relations director about what many
call the best park in baseball. Click on the following link for the article: Discussing PNC Park
Cardinals' ballpark gets many seats installed
Much of the structure of new Busch Stadium is still unbuilt,
but after old Busch is demolished around the start of 2006, the new stadium should be completed quickly. Construction Photo Gallery
