  Hardhat Member Username: Hardhat Post Number: 239 Registered: 10-2003 |
Detroiters like their ballpark, according to a Sports Illustrated survey. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c om/baseball/mlb/specials/fansu rvey/2008/index.html?eref=T1 | ||
Buzzman0077 Member Username: Buzzman0077 Post Number: 176 Registered: 11-2006 |
Except when CPS is taking away their children. | ||
Detroitstar Member Username: Detroitstar Post Number: 1082 Registered: 01-2006 |
Comerica Park is a great venue. I have taken at least 15 people from out of town to the ballpark and every single one has enjoyed it. I think sometimes our memories of "how things used to be" at Tiger Stadium overshadow what a fine facility we have right now. | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1656 Registered: 11-2003 |
People hold on to Tiger Stadium like the old starter home they had when they started their family... you gotta at some point.. can't keep adding on to a box. We have a great facility and more people should recognize that. | ||
Spacemonkey Member Username: Spacemonkey Post Number: 509 Registered: 03-2006 |
I really like the fireworks show they put on after a game when the Tigs win. Seriously. It's fun. | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1767 Registered: 11-2003 |
I love the view of the downtown skyline. Now I just wish more buildings were lit up at night (or occupied for that matter). | ||
Detroitstar Member Username: Detroitstar Post Number: 1084 Registered: 01-2006 |
I agree Bob. As a big baseball fan I have traveled to ballparks in many cities (21 ballparks so far) and we probably have one of the best skyline. I think maybe only Pittsburgh has a better skyline view. It sucks to be looking at 5 empty dinosaurs from section 324, although there are signs of hope with lights at the BC on now! (Message edited by DetroitSTAR on April 30, 2008) | ||
Kid_dynamite Member Username: Kid_dynamite Post Number: 532 Registered: 06-2007 |
The fireworks don't go on after a win. It's after all Friday night home games in the summer. | ||
Dannyv Member Username: Dannyv Post Number: 172 Registered: 08-2007 |
Comerica Park sucks. You're too far away from the playing field compared to Tiger Stadium. Those in the lower bowl bake in the hot, unrelenting summer sun. The statues on the concourse are too close together and should be spread out around the concourse instead. Concession prices are ridiculous and they won't allow you to bring any food into the place. My grandmother and I would bring a bag of sandwiches for ladies' day or double headers. Neither exist now. | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1659 Registered: 11-2003 |
Oh Boo hiss.... the world goes on. Things don't stay the same. Have you ever tried to contact CP and let em know how you feel? No sense in bitching on here | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2263 Registered: 07-2004 |
Yes, down with boo-hiss. Up with more collective circle-jerking over the new ballpark. Pffft. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6431 Registered: 10-2003 |
Hey, they're just opinions. Seems like the right thread for them, either way, no? Ya grumps. | ||
Rjlj Member Username: Rjlj Post Number: 508 Registered: 11-2003 |
That is funny, FOOD AND BEVERAGE "Guests are permitted to bring food and sealed clear bottles of plain, unflavored water into Comerica Park. For the kids in your group, juice boxes are also allowed. No other bottles, cans, or liquid containers are allowed into Comerica Park" Bring a hat or watch the game at home if it is too hot. Beer prices are pretty comparable to any other bar, you just have to buy more at a time. Food is a little pricey but bring your own. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2264 Registered: 07-2004 |
John: Clearly this thread is supposed to be only about PRAISING Comerica Park. Anybody disgruntled with the heavy-handed way it was pushed on us, or the way the Tigers organization made us pay for it, before the Tiger Stadium "security fund" was looted, you needn't post here. Nope, just "we love our ballpark." Yup. Nothing to see here.  | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6432 Registered: 10-2003 |
I like the place. I like the location, and the Skyline, and the fact it's tough to hit a home run. But it's no Tiger Stadium. However, here's a really cool place you can go to see a game, if you want that simple park feel, and it's not that far away:  johnlodge, scopin' out the farm system. | ||
Slider Member Username: Slider Post Number: 39 Registered: 06-2007 |
johnlodge - thanks for the Mud Hens pic. Now if you want a really great stadium you'll check that one out! It is incredibly intimate (something Comerica is sorely lacking). It's integrated right into the downtown, and built right up to the sidewalk on all sides (except where it spared historic structures which house various businesses and the Hen's offices). In fact, not a single parking spot was built in conjunction with the stadium - all existing lots and garages provided more than enough parking all within two to three blocks. In my book, that stadium did everything right (including food and drink pricing far below Comerica). Toledo is also now building a new hockey arena two blocks away. Sound familiar? | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6433 Registered: 10-2003 |
If Comerica Park is "The Bank", I guess Fifth Third Field is the "Piggy Bank". It's always fun to watch the Hens play. | ||
El_jimbo Member Username: El_jimbo Post Number: 660 Registered: 12-2006 |
DannyV, I absolutely agree that the upper deck feels VERY far away compared to Tiger Stadium and the lower deck seats can get hot. HOWEVER, at least the people in the lower deck can actually see the ball if it gets hit more than 10 feet in the air. The best seats in all of baseball were in the upper deck at Tiger Stadium. However, the worst seats in all of baseball were in the lower deck. | ||
401don Member Username: 401don Post Number: 402 Registered: 11-2007 |
This was another dumb survey, weighing everything equally so that parks like Wrigley end up with a lousy rating. Are traffic and promotions as important as atmosphere? And how exactly did they survey fan I.Q.? | ||
El_jimbo Member Username: El_jimbo Post Number: 661 Registered: 12-2006 |
401don, The first question on a fan IQ survey would be as such. 1. If you have front row seats down one of the baselines and a fair ball is driven down the line by your seat do you: A. Let it go as it is a live ball. B. Attempt to grab the ball. C. Grab the ball only if the visiting team (assuming you are a fan of the home team) is at bat and they have a man on first, thus preventing him from scoring. | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 4204 Registered: 10-2003 |
^Trick question. No fan sitting along the baseline would be able to reach a fair ball. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 7703 Registered: 11-2004 |
At least not at Comerica Park. Maybe other ballparks. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4715 Registered: 02-2005 |
Comerica Park has broad appeal, and I think its ranking is justified. In the grand scheme, though, for people that are baseball purists and stadium architecture critics, CoPa lacks the dignity and history of the existing old ballparks like Fenway and Wrigley, and clearly ranks behind those (it's not like you can do anything about this), and CoPa is fairly bland and poorly designed (especially spatially and in terms of sight lines) compared to modern parks. People like it, though, because parking is easy, there are distractions (which is not a credit to the type of fans that go there), the prices (for the seats) are good, and there are places to dine and drink in the stadium and reasonably close to the stadium. It's in "the nice and safe" part of Detroit, so people love that. The context is also marginal. The skyline view is cool, and gives it a distinct flavor, but the area on the blocks immediately adjacent to the park are all parking lots (and another stadium). If we had to do this all over again, some of the buildings that were torn down would probably be preserved and literally built into the stadium, like at Camden Yards, Petco Park, and a few others. Space and valuable sight lines are also being wasted with the lack of any development on the parking lot next to Barden Co's building. The bottom line is that CoPa is not very intimate. The seats have too little slope and end up far away from the field of play, there is no overhang and relatively little upper deck height to frame the field and keep fan noise projecting toward the field, and the area around the park does not frame the field very well...yet. Let's hope for some interesting buildings to rise near the stadium to make the view beyond the outfield more interesting (instead of parked cars and very few people walking around), and let's hope for more creative renovations (they are on the right track by squeezing in some more grandstands on the pepsi porch and under the scoreboard) to make Comerica stand out among similar modern parks. This could mean adding seats where we currently have greenery in center field, or putting a higher-quality, larger, video board on the scoreboard and actually playing replays. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 525 Registered: 09-2007 |
Yes....a very nice view of downtown Detroit from within Comerica Park. Yes.....a sucky view of the game (from the seats I can afford). | ||
Hockey_guy Member Username: Hockey_guy Post Number: 36 Registered: 11-2007 |
The L.A. dodgers have a minor league team up here in Midland now, called the Great lakes loons. The stadium is top notch, I think it won best new minor league stadium in the country last year. Tickets are only $8, but yes you don't get that big city feel like in Detroit lol. (Message edited by Hockey_guy on April 30, 2008) | ||
Detroitstar Member Username: Detroitstar Post Number: 1086 Registered: 01-2006 |
I agree the Loons have a great stadium. My favorite ballpark, regardless of level is First Energy Stadium in Reading, PA. It is an extremely old ballpark, but the modernization of the old ballpark is spectacular and the atmosphere is top notch. | ||
Enduro Member Username: Enduro Post Number: 128 Registered: 11-2006 |
There's a reason they don't show replays... Remember the beer chucking guy at that Pistons game? They don't want the fans getting worked up over a bad call which, of course, works me up. Almost all the pro's and con's listed here about the Copa are true but there's one con they can fix. The concessions. The options are pretty bad, the Mud Hen's stadium has more variety and better quality. They said they were going to revamp the concessions this year but all they added was "the Asian Tiger" to the grill area. One thing they did improve on this year is the attitude of the staff, so far all the employees I've seen have been a lot better, friendlier, etc... | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6435 Registered: 10-2003 |
You've gotta keep replays out. If you want replays, watch at home, where the only things you'll break belong to you. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4716 Registered: 02-2005 |
I want it all. It's always better to be at a game in person, but there's certain detail you can't get. Most NFL franchises are pretty liberal in showing replays. I will say that regardless of what they're showing on the video board at CoPa, the quality right now is pretty low. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6442 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Yes, but replays actually matter in Football. They do not matter in Baseball. I think that's the difference. | ||
Rax Member Username: Rax Post Number: 243 Registered: 11-2007 |
quote: LOL! | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2272 Registered: 07-2004 |
The Ump is Always Right. (Even when he's not.) | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 4207 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Au contraire! Watching Thomas Jefferson wipe out in the corner during the Opening Day Presidents' Race at Nationals Park *demanded* replays on the huge HD board. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6444 Registered: 10-2003 |
Haha, oh that's right. You guys and your racing presidents. Can't you do something respectable at your sporting functions, like tossing cephalopods? | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 4210 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Hell, I'm just looking forward to next season, when they randomly pick four economically dicked-over fans to chase George W. Bush across the field. | ||
Jonnyfive Member Username: Jonnyfive Post Number: 132 Registered: 03-2007 |
Upper deck seats are stupidly far from the action. A fine stadium otherwise. | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 2029 Registered: 09-2007 |
Is "stupidly" even a word? | ||
Norm Member Username: Norm Post Number: 105 Registered: 08-2005 |
Danindc, The big question is when will Teddy ever win a race? | ||
Jonnyfive Member Username: Jonnyfive Post Number: 133 Registered: 03-2007 |
"Is "stupidly" even a word?" Yes. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4717 Registered: 02-2005 |
Remember the garbage/bottle-throwing incident that stopped play at Michigan Stadium during the game vs. Notre Dame in 2005? I think if replays had been shown there, people would have had go reason to assume that our team got screwed, and the incident would not have happened. But baseball is unique in that calls cannot be overturned except in certain situations where the umpires can talk amongst themselves. Still, it would be handy even for mundane calls. And the bagel/donut race on the screen needs to be stopped. | ||
Softailrider Member Username: Softailrider Post Number: 148 Registered: 02-2007 |
Anybody who thinks Comerica Park is a better place to watch a baseball game then Tiger Stadium was needs to get their head examined . Tiger Stadium with all its warts was way more intimate , had better sight lines and provided for a more exciting game . Before they moved the fences in Comerica Park , the dimensions were ridiculous . How they built it like that is beyond me. However , if they're tearing down of Yankee Stadium then nothing is sacred | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6445 Registered: 10-2003 |
They'll be playing on the same field from Yankee Stadium, right? I thought I heard they were rebuilding the new stadium around the old field. Or maybe that was just someone's pipe dream. | ||
Jonnyfive Member Username: Jonnyfive Post Number: 134 Registered: 03-2007 |
"And the bagel/donut race on the screen needs to be stopped." God Please. I'm nota fan of forced singing of "take me out to the ball game" either. If you want fans to get into the game then seat them closer around the field and don't shy away from the playing controversial replays on the big screen. Donut races and DTE energy girls are not the answer. | ||
Dannyv Member Username: Dannyv Post Number: 173 Registered: 08-2007 |
El Jimbo, I absolutely agree with you about the shortcomings of Tiger Stadium. I recall sitting in the lower deck and gauging the ball's path to the outfield by the reaction of the players. And the infamous posts were another. The seating was also cramped. I felt like I was doing some sort of penance and I was merely kidsize. The thing about Comerica Park tho' is that they had the options to construct it in any manner they wanted and they chose the design they did with all IT'S shortcomings. I don't know if you saw it the other day but Tiger fans seated in the left field corner "caught" Tiger outfielder Jacques Jones when he flipped into the stands while pursuing a foul ball. They caught his legs to prevent him from banging them into the seats. | ||
Downriviera Member Username: Downriviera Post Number: 323 Registered: 02-2008 |
I was truly blessed as a kid growing up to see the Tigers and Lions play at Tiger Stadium, the Pistons at Cobo, and the Wings at the Olympia. It was all about the game then, and being close to the action. You had the basics, pop, beer, hotdogs, and peanuts. Nobody needed a croissant or a smoothie or a tangerine daiquiri. Then somebody said, we have to make it more entertaining for the fans, and that changed everything. In came the hype and the corporate yahoos, many of which don't care about the game but need to be seen. If I want to see a three ring circus I'll go to the circus. I love rock music, but I don't need to hear bits of songs during every stoppage at the hockey game. Give me the organist playing the Red Wings polka after a goal. Sorry to jack this thread, but I really miss when sports were about sports. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6429 Registered: 11-2003 |
jjaba enjoys Milwaukee hospitality. No wonder they are ranked #2. No matter where you sit, there's some woman with a flask of whiskey offering everybody a snort. The Polish dogs at Sec. 129, Cellular Field in Chicago are outstanding. Those women can put out some product. Choice of grilled or raw onions. You can add your own condiments. jjaba rates as good any seat where you can get up, take a piss, grab and dog and a beer, and be back before the next inning starts. Sec. 129 at White Sox is such an example. jjaba also does not like the lack of shade in Detroit Comerica. Too many hot-ass open seats. No question, the most loyal, educated, and pleasant fans are in St. Louis. There is real love for their Cardinals, and the light rail provides great access from East St. Louis, Illinois or the city. jjaba, Tigers Fan.(35 MLB parks visited, Member of SABR.) | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 7707 Registered: 11-2004 |
Amen Downriviera, I'm all for the entertainment being on the field of play! What I really miss are stadiums that still have organ music! And is it just me, but are the requests for noise just too over hyped? Dangit, the fans will make noise when there's a reason to make noise. Fans shouldn't have to be hyped into making noise. And exactly how much money has Peter Wolf and the J. Geils Band made from having their "Centerfold" song played at every sports venue?? | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 498 Registered: 07-2007 |
Am I the only one who thinks the organist (or whoever is running the music box) at Comerica Park just isn't very clued into the game? Is it that difficult to figure out how to pump up a crowd? And what's with all of the people sitting on their hands during the game? Unless you're the guy listening to the radio as you fill out your scorecard, can you show a little enthusiasm? I feel like I'm sitting with the alumni at the Big House. (Message edited by Novine on May 01, 2008) | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4718 Registered: 02-2005 |
There just isn't a large enough percentage of real Tiger fans at any given game, Novine. It's too much of a family thing or a bring-your-out-of-town-guest thing. I also think sports fans in general in this region are kind of passive, at least at the event itself. The atmosphere at Comerica Park in the playoffs was second to none, though. | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 1813 Registered: 02-2006 |
At least it's not like San Antonio Spurs games. If I have to hear "HERE COME THE SPURS!••• in a Texas accent one more time, or the PA announcer starting a "DE-FEYENCE" cheer one more time, I might kill myself. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6430 Registered: 11-2003 |
Novine, call it ex-urbia meets downtown. When jjaba goes to Tigers games, he sits next to people who live in pastures. They don't yell at their cows, and they don't cheer when Granderson or Maggs makes a huge catch, or punches a guy out for stealing an extra base. jjaba's informal mileage chart has the average fan at Comerica Park commuting 50 miles. There was a time when people piled offa street cars to see the Tigers, and a minority of fans came from out-state, like Jackson, Ypsilanti, Alpena. Now, the fans all live so damn far away. If jjaba drives to Comerica, ofcourse, he parks in the neighborhood, tipping his look-out man to watch his ride. Folks from Lapeer pay $20 in some lot and wait two hrs. to queue up on the expressway. jjaba wants a covered upper deck seat near the field. He grew up at Briggs Stadium. Oh, well, not now. It's a damn shame. jjaba, Tigers Fan. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6431 Registered: 11-2003 |
Anybody wanna hear a great joke about Sec. 24 in Briggs Stadium? (with a nod to Soupy Sales?) jjaba. | ||
Rax Member Username: Rax Post Number: 245 Registered: 11-2007 |
quote: What do you consider a real Tiger fan? | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 6450 Registered: 10-2003 |
Breaking News: Comerica Park's ranking has moved from #4 to #3, upon news of Grilli being traded to Colorado. | ||
Detroitstar Member Username: Detroitstar Post Number: 1096 Registered: 01-2006 |
LOL at JohnLodge! I actually let out a yell at work yesterday when I heard the news! | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6433 Registered: 11-2003 |
Johnlodge, #6450, HOF post. Incredibly original. jjaba, LOL. | ||
Enduro Member Username: Enduro Post Number: 130 Registered: 11-2006 |
I want to hear the Soupy Sales joke! | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2281 Registered: 07-2004 |
The whole culture of baseball has changed. I do think Tiger Stadium was a working-class paradise, and I got to sit in the bleachers a few times as a lucky lad. Think about this: On Friday, Aug. 8, 1974, with a sparse crowd of 12,408 at the Tigers-Indians game, at the end of the first inning, the announcement was made that Richard M. Nixon had resigned the presidency. The announcement brought a rousing, cheering, stomping standing ovation from the crowd. (Tigers won, 4-3.) What would happen at Comerica Park if Bush and Cheney's resignation were announced? Would those fans cheer? They strike me as a tad too upper-crust to do anything like that. |
