Waiting? Be a man, elbow a spot at the trough, go, shake it off, and you're in line for a beer with a few pitches into the first hitter for the visitors.
Been there many times. The press box was less than 100 ft from home plate. You could hold conversations with every player. Was at the final game, just a wonderful place. It was literally a warehouse of baseball. But it was ours.
I will never forget the smell and my first ball game in August 1994 where we got Tiger Den seats (padded seats and the closest thing they had to suites) because they were dirt cheap due to the strike. Saw Frank Thomas hit the RF roof. Rest of em were scabs. I didn't care.
One time in 1999 my dad (an avid baseball card collector) and I collected so many M L B 2 0 0 0 cards that we got free tickets for an entire midweek series. Upper deck, restricted view. (you had to spell it and each letter was a card. Spelling it once was a free copy of MLB 99 (from Kmart! RIP), twice was a free autograph of some mid player and three times was free series tickets. They played Tampa. Don't remember the baseball but I think the Tigers dropped 2/3.
What I do remember is that we got to Detroit four hours before game time the first game and this was before all the social stuff. It was 1999. My dad accidentally turned the wrong way down a one way street. Oops! No biggie. Well, it happened to be just in front of Detroit City Hall. He got turned around and we got about five blocks down the road when a hooker called for him. And he f***ing answered just to make me feel awkward. I just remember "You lost, sugah?" LOL
Yeah its because it's fully enclosed and has the old-timey overhang.
They built it to fit a block back in 1912 and expanded it out a little bit, then up.
We lived about 2 hours away and went to a number of games there. The feelings of driving down I-75 and seeing the massive light standards glowing, as well as walking out the catwalks into the upper deck and a sea of green grass were magical.
Problem was that Ilitch didn't really care about the Tigers all that much until the mid 2000s, so while he owned the team he didn't really pay much attention to the stadium beyond knowing it wasn't really fit for a modern sports standard, and when the City of Detroit wanted to kickstart a revitalization of downtown by putting a new NFL and MLB stadium right down there and gave him favorable financing terms, he literally couldn't say no.
At that point in time Tiger Stadium was one of the very worst in the league and wouldn't be as fit for renovations or updates the way places like Fenway and Wrigley were just due to the nature of it's layout.
Tiger stadium was one of the worst as far as work needed because they failed to make any repairs to it forcing the city to build a new ballpark. It could have been saved, they wanted nothing to do with that.
Partially true. There was some intentional efforts to not improve the facility, some natural limitations on the stadium, and the interest for the city to bring the Lions and Tigers to the heart of downtown.
Me too! I still remember seeing the field for the first time coming off the concourse. The anticipation built as I walked over the freeway on that pedestrian bridge. I still get a little of that every time I go to a game.
my childhood right here. had season tickets in 95 and 96 because my mom was casually dating a Tigers pitcher lol some incredible memories from those otherwise forgetful seasons
oh man haha it was Kevin Wickander. I’d be equal parts shocked and impressed if you recognize the name. he was a mess of a human being off the field too. ended up getting traded to Milwaukee and made sure to get us seats in the first row right behind the visitor’s bullpen; I still have a ball around here somewhere that’s signed by every Brewers reliever from 1996 and my own name included because I wrote it on there as soon as they handed it back 🤣
Not sure why, but I have always held such an odd affinity for this stadium. I truly consider it the Mecca of baseball fields and it’s a damn travesty the city of Detroit chose to demolish it rather than keep its historical integrity.
Forever on my bucket list
My sister in laws dad is from Detroit, as in the actual city and not the suburbs. She said when they knocked down tiger stadium him and her uncle were in tears as in so much of their childhood was spent going to games there.
Fun fact you can still visit the park. Not in the best of neighborhoods, but one can stand on a very histocial piece of history.
Think it's now the police athletic facilities. They are trying to do upkeep and give some histoical context.
You must not have been over there in a while, they upkeep the place like crazy. Corktown is one of the most expensive housing markets in Detroit now. There are apartments that look at home plate
Shit really? I'm not in Detroit that frequently and never leave city center if I am. Loved uban exploring in past as there is so much history there.
Last I was over, there was maybe 2012 or 2013. That neighborhood was a little rough when I was walking the field then. Love to see the city is making constantly changing.
Compared to [Comerica Park](https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/U6EVDBEQ4VHKFMOTYW77PY4PRM.jpg).
Um... that's a big improvement. And it still looks small and intimate enough.
I miss that old girl. Nothing like going to a game as Tiger Stadium. I always say Comerica Park is a nice place to GO to a game, Tiger Stadium was a great place to WATCH/SEE a game.
I hope in the future there is another retro ballpark renaissance that focuses heavily on the seating being as close to the field as possible. 3rd deck? Never heard of it….
And give us some shade too. I wanna feel COZY damn it.
Can't really do it due to the restricted viewing situation. I think there's a current stadium that has a section which is meant to look like the early 1900s but I don't remember.
Cantilevers can reduce the amount of pillars needed. And even with pillars, the seats with majority obstructed views wouldn’t need to exist; just empty space.
How often do you need to look up that high though? Most balls in play would be visible majority of the time and the ones that go out of sight would come back into frame within a couple seconds. Do I really need to see how high an infield pop up goes? I know it’s getting caught anyway.
The position of this seat at Tiger Stadium still looks like a solid view of everything you need to see. You’re not gonna miss home runs or anything important.
I would have been 3 years old the last season played here! The new stadium looks nice though I have yet to see a game there! That will change this summer when I watch the mariners play them 😎
I went to a game there when I was ten to twelve. Came THIS close to getting Cal Ripken Juniors autograph. He had to go back in the clubhouse with two people in front of me. Also they brought out Rosa Parks in between innings.
Look at the lights over the roof down the right field line. Those things that look like large boxes are actually transformers. Love the fact that Reggie Jackson hit a mammoth Home Run in the 1971 All-Star Game that hit the transformer. That's a long way from Home Plate. I remember later that the Tigers had a big left hand hitting first baseman named Jason Thompson. Didn't he hit a few homers that went over the roof?
I went to one game there (my first ever sporting event) in its final season when I was 7. I remember literally nothing about the game and have the faintest memory of being in the stadium. I wish I were a few years older so I could have gone and appreciated it more. With the Corktown area around the stadium improving as it has, I always wonder what it would have been like today had they renovated it and not built Comerica Park.
Gosh I love the feel of these old parks. I know they were uncomfortable and didn’t have amenities… but that’s watching baseball right there.
Do you like waiting one inning to pee? Do you like waiting two if you are a woman? Do you like beer? Here’s the place.
Waiting? Be a man, elbow a spot at the trough, go, shake it off, and you're in line for a beer with a few pitches into the first hitter for the visitors.
Amen. I will always be a defender of trough pissing.
Ah, memories
It looks so confined compared to today's ballparks.
Last row in the ballpark looks so close to the field!
Been there many times. The press box was less than 100 ft from home plate. You could hold conversations with every player. Was at the final game, just a wonderful place. It was literally a warehouse of baseball. But it was ours. I will never forget the smell and my first ball game in August 1994 where we got Tiger Den seats (padded seats and the closest thing they had to suites) because they were dirt cheap due to the strike. Saw Frank Thomas hit the RF roof. Rest of em were scabs. I didn't care. One time in 1999 my dad (an avid baseball card collector) and I collected so many M L B 2 0 0 0 cards that we got free tickets for an entire midweek series. Upper deck, restricted view. (you had to spell it and each letter was a card. Spelling it once was a free copy of MLB 99 (from Kmart! RIP), twice was a free autograph of some mid player and three times was free series tickets. They played Tampa. Don't remember the baseball but I think the Tigers dropped 2/3. What I do remember is that we got to Detroit four hours before game time the first game and this was before all the social stuff. It was 1999. My dad accidentally turned the wrong way down a one way street. Oops! No biggie. Well, it happened to be just in front of Detroit City Hall. He got turned around and we got about five blocks down the road when a hooker called for him. And he f***ing answered just to make me feel awkward. I just remember "You lost, sugah?" LOL
Narrator: He was lost
Dude. Imagine being 12 and like puberty just exploded. He did it just for the lol I'm sure.
We must be about the same age, because while these aren’t my exact memories, they’re pretty darn close.
Yeah its because it's fully enclosed and has the old-timey overhang. They built it to fit a block back in 1912 and expanded it out a little bit, then up.
it was. I went in 1998 and multiple foul balls left the stadium.
I felt like this at target field in MN. Loved how built up felt and the footprint seemed small. Not sure how accurate it is though.
Now that's a ballpark. I wish I had had the opportunity to see a game there!
We lived about 2 hours away and went to a number of games there. The feelings of driving down I-75 and seeing the massive light standards glowing, as well as walking out the catwalks into the upper deck and a sea of green grass were magical.
The ball park was in perfect view of the drive into Detroit. It was just so homey. Felt like our home for baseball.
should have never got rid of this place.
This stadium is the one I regret not getting the most… I wish they found a way to modernize it.
Problem was that Ilitch didn't really care about the Tigers all that much until the mid 2000s, so while he owned the team he didn't really pay much attention to the stadium beyond knowing it wasn't really fit for a modern sports standard, and when the City of Detroit wanted to kickstart a revitalization of downtown by putting a new NFL and MLB stadium right down there and gave him favorable financing terms, he literally couldn't say no. At that point in time Tiger Stadium was one of the very worst in the league and wouldn't be as fit for renovations or updates the way places like Fenway and Wrigley were just due to the nature of it's layout.
Tiger stadium was one of the worst as far as work needed because they failed to make any repairs to it forcing the city to build a new ballpark. It could have been saved, they wanted nothing to do with that.
Partially true. There was some intentional efforts to not improve the facility, some natural limitations on the stadium, and the interest for the city to bring the Lions and Tigers to the heart of downtown.
This could have been as iconic as Fenway. Wish they kept it.
Michigan & Fucking Trumbull baby. If I could just squeeze my fat ass into one of those seats one more time…
I think if I could go back in time and watch a game at one ballpark that’s gone, it would be Tiger Stadium
Pre 1973 yankee stadium for me
Comiskey 1 here.
All perfect answers Edit: who the fuck got so pressed by this to downvote me? It’s totally subjective, there’s no wrong answer you cocknozzle
That looks like a deeeep center field wall
440ft if i remember correctly from playing World Series Baseball ‘95 on Sega Genesis.
Confirmed 440. Good memory. Also kudos to the makers of that game for getting that right. Games that pay attention to those details earn my respect.
Core memory just came rushing back. That was the first time I'd ever played a game where I heard the crack of a bat.
I hate that we didn’t preserve some of these old ball parks. I understand why; it just sucks to not be able to touch this history.
Saw my first big league game there
Me too! I still remember seeing the field for the first time coming off the concourse. The anticipation built as I walked over the freeway on that pedestrian bridge. I still get a little of that every time I go to a game.
my childhood right here. had season tickets in 95 and 96 because my mom was casually dating a Tigers pitcher lol some incredible memories from those otherwise forgetful seasons
Who was the pitcher
oh man haha it was Kevin Wickander. I’d be equal parts shocked and impressed if you recognize the name. he was a mess of a human being off the field too. ended up getting traded to Milwaukee and made sure to get us seats in the first row right behind the visitor’s bullpen; I still have a ball around here somewhere that’s signed by every Brewers reliever from 1996 and my own name included because I wrote it on there as soon as they handed it back 🤣
Not sure why, but I have always held such an odd affinity for this stadium. I truly consider it the Mecca of baseball fields and it’s a damn travesty the city of Detroit chose to demolish it rather than keep its historical integrity.
Forever on my bucket list My sister in laws dad is from Detroit, as in the actual city and not the suburbs. She said when they knocked down tiger stadium him and her uncle were in tears as in so much of their childhood was spent going to games there.
Fun fact you can still visit the park. Not in the best of neighborhoods, but one can stand on a very histocial piece of history. Think it's now the police athletic facilities. They are trying to do upkeep and give some histoical context.
You must not have been over there in a while, they upkeep the place like crazy. Corktown is one of the most expensive housing markets in Detroit now. There are apartments that look at home plate
Shit really? I'm not in Detroit that frequently and never leave city center if I am. Loved uban exploring in past as there is so much history there. Last I was over, there was maybe 2012 or 2013. That neighborhood was a little rough when I was walking the field then. Love to see the city is making constantly changing.
If you remember what it used to look like, do a google street view of Michigan Ave now. Your head will explode lol 😆
I did. I feel very old now...
It's an insanely nice baseball park for the community as of today.
No batter's eye
Haha my first observation, as well
Cecil. Fielder. Also who the hell is hitting one out to dead center in that park? …Cecil. Fielder.
Compared to [Comerica Park](https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/U6EVDBEQ4VHKFMOTYW77PY4PRM.jpg). Um... that's a big improvement. And it still looks small and intimate enough.
The greatest stadium ever to exist.
The outfield wall was the perfect height for great homerun stealing catches.
I can smell this photo
Seeing that makes me hear Ernie Harwell’s voice on the radio
Has the runway from home plate to the mound just like Comerica Park. Also, the seats used to be green.
I miss that old girl. Nothing like going to a game as Tiger Stadium. I always say Comerica Park is a nice place to GO to a game, Tiger Stadium was a great place to WATCH/SEE a game.
I hope in the future there is another retro ballpark renaissance that focuses heavily on the seating being as close to the field as possible. 3rd deck? Never heard of it…. And give us some shade too. I wanna feel COZY damn it.
Can't really do it due to the restricted viewing situation. I think there's a current stadium that has a section which is meant to look like the early 1900s but I don't remember.
Cantilevers can reduce the amount of pillars needed. And even with pillars, the seats with majority obstructed views wouldn’t need to exist; just empty space.
I was mostly referring to the limit on the vertical viewing angle you get with those serious overhangs
How often do you need to look up that high though? Most balls in play would be visible majority of the time and the ones that go out of sight would come back into frame within a couple seconds. Do I really need to see how high an infield pop up goes? I know it’s getting caught anyway. The position of this seat at Tiger Stadium still looks like a solid view of everything you need to see. You’re not gonna miss home runs or anything important.
You’d be surprised how much is cut off!
Hands down one of my all time favorite stadiums. No question.
We need more ballparks with the flagpole in play. Shame on Houston for moving theirs
Comerica Park had it in play, but after they pulled the walls in once it was in the bullpen.
I would have been 3 years old the last season played here! The new stadium looks nice though I have yet to see a game there! That will change this summer when I watch the mariners play them 😎
So mad I was too young to go to a game at Tiger Stadium. I was only a couple years old when they made the switch to Comerica Park.
I went to a game there when I was ten to twelve. Came THIS close to getting Cal Ripken Juniors autograph. He had to go back in the clubhouse with two people in front of me. Also they brought out Rosa Parks in between innings.
Now that’s a proper ballpark. Every new stadium should aim to have all seats that close to the action.
My childhood ❤️
440 to center. Imagine sitting in the upper deck bleacher seats in center. Need the Hubble to see anything.
Still the Guinness World Record holder for most pole seats in one venue
Look at the lights over the roof down the right field line. Those things that look like large boxes are actually transformers. Love the fact that Reggie Jackson hit a mammoth Home Run in the 1971 All-Star Game that hit the transformer. That's a long way from Home Plate. I remember later that the Tigers had a big left hand hitting first baseman named Jason Thompson. Didn't he hit a few homers that went over the roof?
Awesome park. I’d love to go back in time and catch a game here
I went to one game there (my first ever sporting event) in its final season when I was 7. I remember literally nothing about the game and have the faintest memory of being in the stadium. I wish I were a few years older so I could have gone and appreciated it more. With the Corktown area around the stadium improving as it has, I always wonder what it would have been like today had they renovated it and not built Comerica Park.
I know nothing about baseball, but this stadium reminds me of De Kuip in Rotterdam
If wrigley/fenway and old Miami has a baby
There were a number of very obstructed view seats behind these poles. We have two of the orange seats
There were a number of very obstructed view seats behind these poles. We have two of the orange seats
There were a number of very obstructed view seats behind these poles. We have two of the orange seats