Sometimes you hold your breath and you don't even know it until you let out a long, satisfying exhale. You know, like yesterday when the Tigers finally escaped the Metrodome with a win for the final time. Like when you realize that 1. You never have to watch your team play in the Metrodome again, 2. That they are up 3 games in the division instead of up 1, and 3. That there is an off-day on Monday which means that not only can they not lose today, but you finally have a chance to catch your breath.
Sometimes though, the deep exhale isn't as satisfying. Instead, it is painfully slow and drawn out as if to hold back some deeper feelings. It shudders a bit as you let go, as you stretch that breath long enough to keep your composure. I've had a few too many of those this year, and today's unceremonious note of finality called them all back to mind.
Tiger Stadium is officially gone, now just another empty lot on an increasingly barren Detroit landscape. That is sad. Certainly, I'm glad to see nothing there instead of the partially demolished wreck that it has been for a few months, but it just strikes me as sad that it ended up like this. The fact that it stood there for almost a year in a miniature state, with stands running from dugout to dugout was awesome. Something could have been done with that. And while I have a million questions about what went wrong, I suppose it is time that I just let it pass on.
In fact, in a bit of perfect timing, I'll be able to preserve the stadium in my own way. Yep, this came in the mail the other day, and can be my little piece of history while others scramble for bricks and rubble:
That's a real life piece of a Tiger Stadium seat, as found in 2004 Topps. This is what baseball cards are for. Yes, I understand that relics etc. are overdone, but I mean that in a more general sense. Baseball cards are for preserving history and memories--moments in time. When I look at this card, I will recall far more than what is depicted. In fact, I never saw Al Kaline play, and have no concept of what he was like in the 1968 World Series. I do know that the blue seats shown on the card are in no way related to the seat relic in my possession. Those blue and orange plastic seats were installed in 1977, no wood seat relics there. The wood seats were actually there during the '68 series. I can picture myself walking up those tunnels only to be wrapped up in that blue stadium, and I can easily envision its majesty as an all-green canvas. It is nice to see a card that commemorates a stadium--there's really not enough recognition given to their place in history.
And while we're at it:
I also got this card on Saturday. It was a loose card that my dad found while they were clearing out my Grandpa's house. It is the single greatest hologram card that I have ever seen. A picture doesn't do it justice. I may try to take video of it, but I don't have time to figure that out tonight. So I leave you with just the picture, of a dynamic, multi-dimensional stadium that had so much life in it, even after it had been left empty for 10 years. With the last pieces now gone, cards like this are all that we have left.
I have been MIA for the last few days to be with my family, for all the reasons that one would disappear to be with his family--I hope to get back home and back in the swing of things by the end of the week.
With Tiger Stadium almost completely demolished at this point, the Cardboard Connection has informed me that there is one final surviving batch of Tiger Stadium seats up for sale. At $400 for a row of 4, that is actually not a bad deal for what is essentially the last remaining piece of Tiger Stadium. They can be purchased directly from the Detroit Historical Society, for anyone who is interested.
On a personal level, the timing of this is eerily appropriate and with this final relic soon disappearing, I swallow a lump in my throat and for the last time say goodbye. Your memories will live on in all of us forever.
This afternoon the Upper Deck of Tiger Stadium collapsed,completing the demise of a wonderful piece of baseball history. Of course, you already know my feelings on this. It was time my foot. It may have been time a few years ago, but now was hardly the time, you know, when there was actually a chance to do something about it.
Today's collapse comes at an interesting time, just a few days after the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy sent a message to everyone who donated to the redevelopment effort. Not being a rich man, I gave $20 about a year ago and have watched on disappointed as the situation worsened. In the interest of getting this information out there, and to give people a sense of what happened on this project, I'm going to post the full text of their letter to donors. I will say this: While this letter may be biased in one direction, it tells the polar opposite side of what you could read in the local papers or on sports radio. The media was lined up against this project, as though they thought there was no plan in place at all. Maybe this will set the record straight to some degree, so that down the road we can look back and realize what we lost. Or maybe somebody will find a way to recognize the site for the historical gem it was or even *gasp* play baseball on it again instead of turning it into some retail strip or perpetual vacant lot.
Statement of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy regarding the recent demolition of Tiger Stadium
June 19, 2009
We are shocked at the recent demolition of Tiger Stadium. It dishonors the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised by the Conservancy, the State of Michigan changes to the historic tax credit laws to enhance this project, the federal appropriation granted by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Obama, and the thousands of volunteer hours contributed by the Conservancy, its consultants and its supporters in advancing this effort. We believe – and the DEGC has said they agree – that we had made substantial progress toward our redevelopment goal with a strong likelihood of ultimate success in the worst economy in decades. Then out of the blue, we received notice that the DEGC was tearing the stadium down. In answer to misleading statements made to the press and the City Council by the DEGC, we offer the following:
NO EXTENSIONS GIVEN: The OTSC received no extension of any deadline from the DEGC from the date the city agreed to spare the Navin Field portion of Tiger Stadium in 2008. Prior to that time, extensions were only received following intervention of the City Council. The DEGC never granted any extension of its own accord.
SUBSTANTIAL CASH RAISED: The OTSC raised more than $600,000 in cash from more than 700 contributors – individuals and entities – and secured the $3.8 million federal appropriation in the past nine months.
TAX CREDITS AVAILABLE: Experts in tax credits and historic preservation commissioned by the OTSC identified tax credits totaling more than $18 million for which the project was likely eligible. The OTSC made substantial progress in the complicated process to secure these tax credits. Potential buyers for the tax credits had been identified and the sale of the tax credits would have provided $18 million of cash for the project. This is exactly the same financing structure that was used for other projects in the city, including the Book Cadillac Hotel development, so it was not an unfamiliar process to the DEGC.
ESCROW ESTABLISHED: The OTSC deposited $300,000 in escrow with the DEGC to secure demolition costs and the purchase price of the stadium.
SECURITY / MAINTENANCE – 100% PAID BY CONSERVANCY: The OTSC paid $93,000 for security and maintenance for the period through June 30, 2009 and was able to pay additional sums required in the future for security and maintenance costs at the Stadium.
DEMOLITION COSTS – RED HERRING: The “increased demolition costs” cited by the DEGC as a reason for immediate demolition were a function of the current low steel prices, which will likely turn around with the economy and produce lower demolition costs again in the future.
BEST USE OF DEMOLITION FUNDS? Demolition now will cost our financially stressed city $250,000 more than the funds deposited in escrow by the OTSC. Is this the highest priority of the city to spend taxpayer’s dollars on demolition at this time?
NO MEETING NOTICE / DEFECTIVE MEETING: We had no notice from the DEGC of any meetings of the City Council or the Economic Development Corporation where the fate of the project was considered. In particular, we had no notice of the EDC meeting of June 2, 2009, which was conducted out of public view, and our first notice of the meeting and the demolition decision was from the press. At that meeting, the EDC members received no explanation of the OTSC’s substantial progress to assist its board in making an informed decision. Moreover, though required under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the EDC Board did not make the determinations and findings required to terminate the MOU and authorize the demolition of the stadium, nor did the Board ratify the action taken unilaterally by the DEGC (in the name of the EDC) when it notified the OTSC a day earlier that the MOU was being terminated.
CURRENT M.O.U <1 YEAR OLD: We had been working under the current MOU with the DEGC for less than one year, not since 1999, when the Tigers left for Comerica Park, as DEGC representatives have stated publicly. The OTSC was only incorporated in May, 2007, and the current board has only been in place for the last year.
T.R.O. VIOLATED: We were able to obtain a temporary restraining order on Friday, June 5, 2009 at 5 p.m. in an attempt to avoid significant damage to the stadium. At about the time the TRO was granted, the demolition resumed and later intensified until a supporter jumped the fence and gave the TRO order to the demolition operator at about 6:30 p.m. The demolition seemed to be intended to cause the most damage to disparate parts of the stadium in the shortest time. The demolition sacrifices in excess of $12 million of historic tax-credits to the city.
NO D.E.G.C. SUPPORT OR COOPERATION: The DEGC provided us no technical, financial or organizational support whatever in our redevelopment efforts, and no other encouragement of any kind. For example, recently, the OTSC’s request to the DEGC for access to the field for press and fundraising purposes was denied.
NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT: Though the DEGC has made public statements that neighborhood residents were supportive of demolition, in fact the Corktown neighborhood, the neighborhood that surrounds the stadium, was strongly in support of the efforts of the OTSC. The neighborhood’s own community development organization has two members on the OTSC board, and many residents of the neighborhood contributed both their money and time.
REMAINING STRUCTURE A VIABLE HISTORIC BUILDING: Despite repeated characterizations by the DEGC and media of the remaining portions of Tiger Stadium as a “stub” or “remnant,” the structure the city is currently demolishing was a viable, historic major league ballpark, circa 1930. It was not an incomplete or unusable remainder.
NO PLANS FOR THE SITE: Before the demolition began, DEGC intimated that they were in talks with outside developers – developers interested in a cleared and vacant site. Since demolition has begun, the DEGC has acknowledged that there are indeed no serious development proposals for this site.
Not only the city, but the state and the entire country have lost the opportunity to redevelop an historic treasure that would have anchored a significant enhancement of the near west side of Detroit and spurred much-needed economic development in the years ahead. Instead, we will have an empty field at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull to further blight the landscape of our city. This historic “corner” will have a new meaning.
We thank our many supporters for their steadfast support and encouragement, as well as their time, money and passion for this project. You gave us the strength to carry this effort forward and we regret that the DEGC, the EDC and the city did not provide us the continued opportunity to achieve this objective.
The recent actions of the city, the EDC and the DEGC raise questions about the city’s priority regarding demolition and the use of the city’s funds. Why the urgency to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of city money to demolish at this time? Why is the DEGC so quick to demolish the Navin Field portion of Tiger Stadium when there are thousands of vacant and abandoned structures throughout the city that are in need of immediate demolition and are clearly a danger to Detroit’s citizens and firefighters? What are the plans for the site that require immediate demolition? The political leaders of our city need to address these issues and take charge of setting the development priorities of the city.
Senator Levin has informed us that the Conservancy remains entitled to utilize the $3.8 million Federal appropriation that the U.S. Congress so generously provided for economic development in or near the stadium site. In conjunction with the southwest Detroit community, we will determine how the money might best be invested and leveraged to have some good come of Senator Levin’s steadfast effort and support. We hope the city will assist us with these efforts for the good of the city and its citizens.
The failure of the DEGC to support the Conservancy is a tragic loss of a unique opportunity for economic development in the City of Detroit. The larger question the people of Detroit and the entire region should ask is why the DEGC is allowed to heavy handedly run roughshod over the efforts of the not-for-profit and preservation communities and the thousands of citizens who are supporters of development efforts. The DEGC should be encouraging and assisting these efforts rather than quashing them at every turn.
I have to post something about this because it has been tearing away at me for the last two days—since the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation voted on Tuesday to demolish the last remaining portion of Tiger Stadium.
Many people say “good riddance.” Too many in fact:
So yes, it's a sad thing when a ballpark dies. But as even Ernie Harwell admits, it's also time to let go
First of all, just because other stadiums are getting torn down, doesn’t mean that all stadiums need to be torn down. In fact, they’re now trying to save parts of old Yankee Stadium while elsewhere in New York City, $800,000 has been committed to a staircase the led to the Polo Grounds. A staircase! Don’t tell me that saving pieces of a stadium are less important than that.
Onto the meat: To all of these people that have never given a legitimate ballpark redevelopment proposal a chance. I ask one simple question: What’s the point of tearing it down right now?
Here’s some context for you: Right now, the state of Michigan is mired in a deep recession and the City of Detroit faces a budget deficit in the range of $250-300 Million. The large footprint of the stadium has no other plans for redevelopment, and no prospects either, as the odds of developing a large-scale property in Detroit in the current economic climate are slim, at best. The City is not paying for security on the site—that $12,000 monthly tab is being charged to the Conservancy. So for everyone who says that it is time to let the past be the past, I respectfully disagree.
It seems to me, that that time has passed. Of all the historic stadiums in this country, few have stood empty for this long. Years ago, when no plans were in place, this would be a reasonable argument, but not anymore. Here’s the thing about the non-profit group trying to save the stadium: They have actually made progress in doing so, despite having what seems to be the whole damn city standing in their way.
Now people will say, “they’ve had multiple extensions and missed multiple deadlines,” all true things. But who cares? Economically, is it making a difference as long as things are moving forward? The opportunity cost here (aka next best use), is a vacant lot—there are no magic beans to plant to put in a major development right now. They are moving forward, by the way. $3.8 Million in federal funds were secured for the site, and the group just passed an enormous hurdle by securing state historical designation for the remaining portion of the site—the first step towards acquiring millions in historic tax credits.
“But the longer it stands, the more it will cost to demolish it.” Bullshit. Michigan is in a recession. Construction companies are dying—until things turn around, it will be cheaper to acquire this type of labor than before. Also, $300,000 towards demolition has already been paid by the Conservancy and is sitting in an escrow account for the day when the wrecking ball must come down.
“But it’s an eyesore.” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I drove by the partially demolished stadium when I was back in Michigan for Opening Day and I Loved it. It is open, big but not dominating. It is a really, really cool feature on the landscape, now open to the highway. Something tells me that there are worse eyesores in the city that could be taken down, but maybe that’s just me.
“It will never be what it was, just let it go.” You’re right. It will never be what it once was. That is not the point. The point is taking a beautiful old stadium that is empty and worn down and turning it into something that can actually have a beneficial use. Are you telling me that you, anonymous Tigers fan, wouldn’t love to have your kid play a game down at Tiger Stadium? Sure, it’s not the same, but it’s not supposed to be. This is the evolution of the ballpark, into a smaller, more intimate resource that can be utilized by the entire region.
Seriously, I test anyone to give me a legitimate reason why the stadium needs to be torn down right now. One. I DARE YOU. I don’t know what sort of shenanigans have taken place, but for the DEGC to vote against the proposal and to have demolition equipment on site the next day seems a little peculiar to me. That’s the first time that I’ve ever heard of government moving that quickly, especially in Detroit.
My suggestion: take a breath, everyone. The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy has one lifeline left: the availability of historical tax credits. It is a slow process, requiring approval on multiple levels and absurd amounts of red tape, but they have made progress. Is there any reason not to wait until their application for those credits is either approved or denied?
That is what we call closure. That way there are no “what ifs” or “could have beens” on this project, no black eyes for this City of Detroit or “Worst Person In the World” statements for the DEGC. This is what Tiger Stadium deserves, a chance to either get on base or strike out once and for all. She’s down to her last strike, but don’t call her out before the pitch is thrown.
