  David7750 Member Username: David7750 Post Number: 1 Registered: 06-2006 |
 c-photo by: David L. Malhalab M News Service / MNS Photo (313 580 2393) June 30, 2008 Demolition of Historic Detroit Tiger Stadium begins. An 8' hole in the exterior center field area of Tiger Stadium was gashed open by demolition crews eager to destroy this historic structure - while the Tiger were out of town and city hall was shut down. The Green of Bennett, Navin Field and Briggs Stadium can be seen just to the right of the hole inside the blue outer shell. Construction equipment and lighting is standing just outside center field - ready to smash down history, memories and a field of dreams.. For over 100 years the Stadium entertained 100,000,000 people at a variety of events, it was abandoned and left vacant to begin 'demolition by neglect' in 1999, by Mike Ilitch owner of the Detroit Tigers and the City of Detroit. Please donate to help save the historic Detroit Tiger Stadium for information.... WWW.SAVETIGERSTADIUM.ORG WWW.PRESERVETIGERSTADIUM.COM MYFOXDETROIT: read on... The dark forces of corruption that have marked the 'demolition by neglect' of Tiger Stadium are winning. Since 1999, when Tiger Stadium was closed, the City has made no serious effort to encourage development or use of the Stadium as and entertainment venue - because Mike Ilitch, owner of the Tigers, Red Wings and Little Ceasar's Pizza didn' want competition for his entertainment facilities. Ilitch the billionaire and his wife, who owns Motor City Casino a baseball throw away, a short stroll to the 'field of dreams' should have developed the Stadium as another premiere entertainment facility -develop it as an historic site, that would draw tourists to Detroit, but NO - Ilitch took $420,000 a year ($2-$12 million dollars) for the maintenance and security of Tiger Stadium since 1999 and allowed it to fall into disrepair and neglect. Is Ilitch a FELON??. The FBI has been asked to investigate. You should boycott - Little Ceasar's Pizza. Ken Cockrel, Jr, president of the Detroit City Council said, "your boy (Peter C. Riley) was right. He (Ilitch) owes us the money, and I will do everything to get it back"... that was over a year ago. Before the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation members - LIED - to the Detroit Planning Commission in a presentation of their case for demolition. The Commission knew they were being lied to - and rejected the Corporation proposal - for demolition. That was before Scott of the DEGC - LIED - to the Corktown Residents Council, telling them that it was 'too dangerous' for their members to tour Tiger Stadium, for a fact finding effort. There have been numerous proposals to utilize, renovate and preserve Tiger Stadium, but the City never fully cooperated with the proponents - allowing Tiger Stadium to sit idle and decay. The final chapter in the history of Tiger Stadium maybe demolition, but it may also include information on 'convictions' of Ilitch, George Jackson and others who allowed a City jewel to be demolished and left only as a memory of what was, what might and could have been. Maybe their will be Justice - for historic Tiger Stadium, but I still want the Stadium. FOR MORE INFO: WWW.PRESERVETIGERSTADIUM.COM, WWW.SAVETIGERSTADIUM.ORG FOR for a copy of the Tiger Stadium documentary -'STRANDED AT THE CORNER', contact: Peter C. Riley (313 402 4565). | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1284 Registered: 11-2005 |
There are several other threads devoted to this topic. Please post in one of those. | ||
David7750 Member Username: David7750 Post Number: 2 Registered: 06-2006 |
rhymeswithrawk i dont know how to do that read 'the lady in blue' post | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 173 Registered: 10-2007 |
yes, this is beating a dead horse. I seen Eddie Brinkman at Tiger Stadium. Seen Lou and Trammel pull double-plays. Seen Auerilio play a golden glove at 3rd base. Seen the home-crowd chant for Baltimore. Seen Ron LeFlore steal second. Never seen Fydrich in a live game (just stayed glued to the television for a whole year). Seen .... Wait a second... I was a Bleacher Creature! Fond memories indeed. But reliving past glories too often only tarnishes them. Oh, and me and my pops had a draft with Billy Martin one time. Billy was one hyper-sensitive coach. | ||
Flanders_field Member Username: Flanders_field Post Number: 623 Registered: 01-2008 |
Attending the 5th and final game of the '72 AL championship series between the Tigers and the Oakland A's at Tiger Stadium. Tony Taylor flied out to CF with a RISP to end the game, the Tigers lost the pennant to the A's in a heartbreaker, 2-1. As the A's celebrated their championship on the infield, the frustrated fans in the lower decks knocked down the fences and poured onto the field as if the Tigers won instead, absolute pandemonium ensued, security and police had to drive them back off the field. A Tigers fan ran up behind Reggie Jackson, and tapped him on the shoulder. As Reggie turned around, the guy opened up a can of warm shaken up pop, and sprayed Jackson square in the face with it, LOL!! Reggie of course was pissed, and began to chase the guy around the infield, but it was security that threw the guy down to the turf, and escorted him off the field. | ||
David7750 Member Username: David7750 Post Number: 3 Registered: 06-2006 |
'THE LADY IN BLUE' POST, READ, COMMENT ORIGINAL POST - DETROITYES. COM, 7/5/08 " BIG MISTAKE at the Corner of Michigan & Trumbull" The_lady_in_blue Member Username: The_lady_in_blue Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2008 Posted on Saturday, July 05, 2008 - ------------- Today, there is a real crime being perpetrated at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, and it is urgent that as many people as possible learn that things are NOT necessarily as the city of Detroit would have them believe. Within and adjacent to city government, it is equally important that certain individuals realize that the public as a whole is not — nor has been — in the least fooled by the political posturing and inept attempts at stadium preservation that have characterized the last few years of the drama surrounding the old ball park. The implied malice of punching an eight-foot hole in an outer wall rather than using a ten-foot gate adjacent to the hole has provided an eloquent underscore for the lies and half-truths that that city officials have foisted on the public for the last nine years. In truth, the destruction of Tiger Stadium has very little to do with a ball park. It is the final denouement of a story of greed, selfishness, and, on the part of the city of Detroit, blind stupidity. Some weeks ago (before demolition began), I challenged the Detroit City Council to look hard at the stadium issue — not from the standpoint of sentiment, or even educated respect for history, but from the perspective of fiscal responsibility and intelligent city operation. For Council to do this, it would first have had to admit that no fair chance ever was offered to the individuals and corporations that, for the last nine years, sought a more sensible resolution to the stadium issue, and that, in fact, the city was (and continues to be) aggressive in preventing such proposals from being fully developed. Council obviously did not rise to the challenge. However, I have appended my letter to them below. I call reader attention in particular to the bullet lists of multi-million dollars of lost opportunity. My hope is that at least one person attending this forum may find something in that letter to cause him or her to say, for whatever reason, "Oh my God! What have we done? What have we let happen?" and thus the loss of one structure may at least help to provide insurance for other landmarks in similar straits. LETTER TO COUNCIL Attn.: all members of Council We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. For the 400-some years that the faithful of the Church of England have uttered those words in general confession, it has been presumed that the two sins were separate – that is: the sin of acting or the sin of failing to act. The Detroit City Council has the unique opportunity (if it can be called that) to commit both sins in one fell swoop, and if it succeeds, the public at large may be further convinced that there is no “health” south of Eight Mile Road. Or common sense. Or ability to add and subtract. I refer to the June 1 deadline to decide the fate of Tiger Stadium. If Council allows the DEGC to act according to the selfish wishes of the few, the city’s representative body will have failed to exercise fiscal responsibility, and, at the same time, will wield the wrecking ball that demolishes an important piece of not just the city’s, but the nation’s heritage. Please accept this one last plea that the Council exercise what power it has to see that the right thing is done with Tiger Stadium. At the very least, it is hoped that Council will recognize the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy’s guarantee to offset the $369,000 kickback money promised the DEGC by contractors preparing for stadium demolition. Saving some part of the original structure is at least better than the utter lunacy of destroying the entire thing – notably doing so without any specific plan for property reuse. (I need not point out to any Detroit resident that, in a city pockmarked with “urban prairies,” razing existing buildings is certainly no guarantee of new construction.) I believe that Council has veto power over total demolition. It should exercise that veto. On the other hand, in a city with worse than no mayor and a governmental structure based on cronyism and a frightening tangle of private and public obligation, it is left to Council to recognize and protect the huge profit potential that goes away when Tiger Stadium falls. Far from being an albatross around the neck of a struggling Corktown, Tiger Stadium / Briggs Stadium / Navin Field, even as it stands today, represents a significant financial asset for both its local community and the city. The structure’s real value fluctuates wildly with the many plans for its reuse (several admittedly absurd) that have been proposed to date. Ironically, one of the least lucrative solutions is that put forth by the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy. But, with minor modification, the OTSC solution becomes one that can buy the city approximately ten (10) million dollars in federal and state tax credits right off the bat – no pun intended. (This figure is based on preliminary studies done by an expert in the field of historic restoration – name and contact information available on request.) Deliberately handcuffed by an edict that limits any ongoing public arena at the corner of Michigan & Trumbull to 3,000 seats, the Conservancy has created an architectural plan that “conserves” very little. But if true historic preservation is attempted – if the wrecking ball stops at natural breaks in the Navin Field core, and if the resulting ballpark consists of the historic playing field and a grandstand (less its outfield components) that represents genuine restoration to a certain period in its history – then all else is possible. Obviously, the 3,000 seat limitation is moot if legislation is passed forbidding more than 3,000 seats being sold for any single event. It also is entirely possible that historical commissions would be satisfied with the preservation of a structural outline, with or without the park’s original full complement of seats. Look at what a genuine effort at historic preservation brings: • Those tax credits – ten million dollars worth of them. • Additional jobs and commerce provided by businesses already on record as willing to come downtown on the condition that a significant portion of the park is preserved. • Housing for museums that range from the Harwell collection to traveling exhibits from Halls of Fame. • Federal recognition and support beyond tax credits, orchestrated by the very influential Senator Carl Levin. • A venue suitable for college and amateur competitions (including American Legion Ball) important enough to draw out-state and out-of-state participants and spectators, thus feeding hotel and restaurant business. • A venue for vintage base ball and women’s teams and others that perforce must pay the city for use of the park and playing field. • A significant historic site and tourist destination which carries a positive image that reflects accordingly on the rest of the city. • A picturesque structure to complement neighboring casino, office, and entertainment development. • An opportunity to be the first city in America to do what has been done time and again in Europe – i.e.: reuse a valuable historic structure in a way that is practical and protects the heritage of future generations. And, for the demolition contractors and developers: • Historic preservation status permitting genuine fundraising, including corporate grants that may include collateral development. • Significantly lower demolition costs because the stadium is cut at a logical structural point. • Significantly lower restoration costs because there is no need to create a costly “end cap” for stands severed at an illogical point. • Ample room left along Cochrane and Kaline and part of Trumbull for new construction in the form of shops and housing units. I do not need to tell Council that, in nearly ten years, no serious proposal for stadium reuse, particularly no proposal that has shown the potential for success, has been allowed to get off the ground. The chicanery and manipulation that have prevented any serious bidder from presenting a mature, fully developed plan boggle the mind. If nothing else, preservation opponents have been creative. But it is June 1, and Council has one last chance to make itself and the city look good. Certainly, there never will be a better moment. In Detroit, we are hungry for something upbeat, something as American as apple pie to offset the embarrassment brought down on us by a megalomaniac mayor. The state, reeling from the black eye given it by its premature presidential primary, needs an alternate reason to be part of national news. The sports world, facing the pending loss of Yankee Stadium, is ripe to celebrate the preservation of a park even older. But, most of all, cash in hand from tax credits will do a helluva lot more for the city of Detroit than will the existence of one more vacant city lot – however famous its address. Harpernottingham Member Username: Harpernottingham Post Number: 398 Registered: 04-2006 Posted on Saturday, July 05, 2008 - ------------------------------ Ahh ... Joseph Priestly's lady returns. You said a mouthful, ma'am. Come on down to the Anchor July 17 ... Love to see you again. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 5750 Registered: 12-2005 |
Discuss Detroit » DISCUSS DETROIT! » A Big Mistake at the Corner of Michigan & Trumbull | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 174 Registered: 10-2007 |
"stupid Flanders" just kidding. | ||
Flanders_field Member Username: Flanders_field Post Number: 624 Registered: 01-2008 |
Nah, had it been me that did that to Reggie, I would admit it. But I did grab a sizable chunk of Tiger turf after things settled down a bit, and later planted it in our backyard in Detroit. | ||
Jrvass Member Username: Jrvass Post Number: 792 Registered: 01-2007 |
Seeing Reggie Jackson blast a ball off the Right-Field roof light transformer at the '72 All-Star game with my Dad and older brother. Years earlier, going to see a Lions game with my brother and his friend, and smelling "pot" for the first time as we were exiting. Promising games in April... Meaningless games in September. Either way, when they turned on the big banks of lights, it made the stadium a few degrees warmer. And you were thankful. | ||
Harpernottingham Member Username: Harpernottingham Post Number: 399 Registered: 04-2006 |
That was, of course, the '71 All-Star game -- a TRUE classic, played when the park was still painted in classic "Briggs green." | ||
Jrvass Member Username: Jrvass Post Number: 794 Registered: 01-2007 |
Right you are Hnh. I had a brain-fart about the year. AL 6, NL 4 (I didn't remember, I looked it up!) I think that the game counts for the World Series match-up is a good idea. Turns an exhibition game into something worthwhile. | ||
D_mcc Member Username: D_mcc Post Number: 917 Registered: 12-2007 |
I remember my first tigers game...going with my dad and walking up the ramps to the upper deck, and coming out of the walkway and seeing the field in person for the first time...and seeing just how BIG the stadium was... I remember sitting in RF front row on the overhang and yelling at Kirby Puckett Running the bases as a kid... sitting in centerfield and worrying that a fly ball would hit me in the head, and later getting the courage to go stand at the fence... and watching the last game with my dad from our house...as ernie read his eulogy, and they turned off the light towers one by one...and turning to say something to my dad and watching his face as he reacted as if an old friend was going away. | ||
Ggores Member Username: Ggores Post Number: 175 Registered: 10-2007 |
good stuff here, and it took me 39 years to finally find out what a "pepper" game is. now I know. "NO PEPPER GAMES!" | ||
Gibran Member Username: Gibran Post Number: 3183 Registered: 02-2007 |
three memories: a visiting Frank Howard tossing my cousin and I a ball after practice (1968)... Opening day 1974 and the snow flakes falling gently on the stadium...after we had snuck out of Arthur Junior High, rode the buss to get to the game.....we were cold..but we were alive with the "fever" and promise of another year of tiger baseball....and flash forward to an inter league game between Astro's and Tigers prior to moving..my mom, and her grand kids...we lost the game but it was the last time I was in the stadium.... | ||
Little_buddy Member Username: Little_buddy Post Number: 101 Registered: 03-2006 |
Flanders, I was one of those bleacher bums that took down the fence and ran on the field. I just wanted to run on the field, but lots of others were going just crazy. Pretty wild for a 17 year old | ||
Treble484 Member Username: Treble484 Post Number: 56 Registered: 02-2006 |
Sad, sad indeed! Why does Detroit and America in general tear down all it beauty and history. Building in Europe and else where remain standing for hundreds of years. My favorite memory was in the 70's. While walking along the side of Tiger Stadium on Michigan Ave. A foul ball missed my head by about 2 inches. MY friend ran across Michigan and scooped up the ball and gave it to me. Once inside I found out that Eddie Brinkman hit it out over the roof. Twenty some years later I gave the ball to my friend for his birthday and told him it was that ball that he dodged traffic and almost got hit for. | ||
David7750 Member Username: David7750 Post Number: 5 Registered: 06-2006 |
HELLO - DETROITERS, SUBURBANITES, LOVERS OF BASEBALL, HISTORIC PRESERVATION (ETAL) EVERYONE.. BOYCOTT LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA CALL THE FBI (313 965 2323) - PUBLIC CORRUPTION UNIT..ASK FOR INVESTIGATION OF - ILITCH, THE DETROIT ECONOMIC GROWTH CORPORATION AND ALL INVOLVED, IN 'DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT' OF TIGER STADIUM.. STEVE GARAGIOLA OF CHL 4 SAID "DETROIT WAS RIPPED OFF" - RE: THE MILLION OF $$$ ILITCH WAS GIVEN BY THE CITY - FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND SECURITY OF TIGER STADIUM. A FELONY CRIME. KEN COCKREL, (313 224 4505) SAID ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING - TELL HIM TO GET THE MILLIONS OF $$$$ BACK FROM ILITCH, THAT HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO DO. - NOW.. | ||
David7750 Member Username: David7750 Post Number: 8 Registered: 06-2006 |
TO ALL... FENWAY PARK WAS JUST RENOVATED AND NOW CONSIDERED A JEWEL OF THE CITY... TIGER STADIUM OPENED THE SAME YEAR - THEIR IS NOTHING STUCTURALLY WRONG WITH THE STADIUM. IT SHOULD BE A TOURIST ATTRACTION - LIKE THE 'FIELD OF DREAMS' IN IOWA. TIGER STADIUM SHOULD HAVE AN ATTACHED MUSEUM - AND TOURIST WILL COME. BOYCOTT - LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA....NOW SEND THIS SITE TO YOUR FRIENDS, RELATIVES, FAMILY - LET THEM COMMENT. | ||
401don Member Username: 401don Post Number: 630 Registered: 11-2007 |
Treble, If Eddie Brinkman hit it over the roof he was standing in the outfield hitting fungos! | ||
Hornist9 Member Username: Hornist9 Post Number: 145 Registered: 05-2005 |
My favorite memories was being able to march on the field three times during my High school years as a member of the Warren Lincoln High School Band. I always had a great time at the corner, my brother in law and I sat once only a couple of rows from the visitors bullpen in April. Kenny Rogers was warming up to be the starting picture for the Rangers. When he threw his first pitch, he bounced it to the catcher, which prompted me to start rabbit earing him about throwing his "weak ass shit" up to Cecil Fielder. My brother in law said "look at the pitching coach, he's laughing his ass off!" He was. We also gave one hell of a hard time all night to Jose Consecenco (sp). That was a fun, cold April night. Who cares that the Tigers didn't win that night... | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 446 Registered: 08-2007 |
Too many memories to list, but thinking of when i could use my Coca-Cola card and get a bleacher seat for a buck, CF BLEACHERS under the scoreboard in case it rained. | ||
David7750 Member Username: David7750 Post Number: 12 Registered: 06-2006 |
 July 9, 2008 - Demolition expands at historic Detroit Tiger Stadium, seats visible??? photo by: David L. Malhalab MNS Photo *********************************** Why are there still seats left in historic Detroit Tiger Stadium - when hundreds of people wanted to buy them during the auction of memorabilia that netted the City of Detroit only $300,000.,(undocumented).????? Is this payment for the demolition crews that have to pay the City $300,000. if the entire Stadium is demolished? How much are the remaining seats worth? And still the TRUTH hasn't been told by the Media - about the lies by Tom Monaghan, the City, Mike Ilitch, Ken Cockrel, George Jackson and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. Its time Ernie Harwell (w/o Spicer),Mickey Briggs, the Fetzer Foundation, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and others to step up and condemn publicly - the demolition of historic Detroit Tiger Stadium and tell the Truth as they know it. | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 11866 Registered: 10-2003 |
I remember the time the finally started tearing the eyesore down. I remember getting great laughter from people who left the city eons ago whining about the demis of Tiger Stadium. Good times. | ||
Sumas Member Username: Sumas Post Number: 175 Registered: 01-2008 |
I have many excellent memories of Tiger Stadium. Too long to list. The best though were the Lions football team when they played/shared the field. Hot chocolate and Schnapts SP??? Stadium coats etc. When the Lions left, I refused to ever go to the Silverdome. Never been there and never watched a football game since. | ||
Jiminnm Member Username: Jiminnm Post Number: 1727 Registered: 02-2005 |
Games from the past (2 of these I attended, the other a bit ahead of my time)):     | ||
Downriviera Member Username: Downriviera Post Number: 815 Registered: 02-2008 |
The first game my dad took me to when I was little Harmon Killebrew blasted one out of the park over left field. I thought that was really cool, but I didn't realize what a rare thing this was, thinking it happened all the time. So the next game I went to I was bummed that no one cleared the roof. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1347 Registered: 11-2005 |
If anyone cares, I posted a couple photos from tonight as well as my memories of the left field upper deck here: http://callmequami.livejournal .com/163540.html | ||
Richie Member Username: Richie Post Number: 45 Registered: 08-2007 |
Unbelievable pix Rhymes, I never saw any demolition have such a large collapse like that. Very sad. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1348 Registered: 11-2005 |
I put up a couple more from last night over at www.buildingsofdetroit.com if you want to see them. I had never seen anything to dramatic either. I mean, it was there at 3:30 and then eight hours later *poof*. | ||
Townonenorth Member Username: Townonenorth Post Number: 62 Registered: 10-2007 |
OK, here's my memories. I spent more than a few hours watching Tigers games at the park. Buddies and I would catch a bus to Cadillac square,then walk down Michigan Avenue, past the Salvation Army building (my mother would have had a fit) and the "down on their luck*" guys. Easy to get good seats in between home and 1st then it seemed. Saw the World Series game 3 from the bleachers. 1971 All Star game from Right field lower deck, never saw Reggie's blast off the light tower until years later on ESPN classic. It seemed that the hot dogs were better there than at Comerica Park. I think it was the steamed buns that made the difference. |
