Remembering when you went to old stadiums/arenas that aren't around anymore

[SabresRule]

Many of us have attended games at sporting venues that aren't around anymore, and a lot of us still remember those days.

For instance, HD can probably remember going to the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, I've been to the Aud many times when I've lived in Buffalo, Jimbo and Wozniak have probably been to Tiger Stadium or the Olympia in Detroit.

I ask this:

1. How do you remember going to those old places?

2. Any great memories

3. Do you prefer the team's new digs or do you want to go back to the old days?

 

[Skyhi]

I have very fond memories of Cleveland Municipal Stadium and the Richfield Coliseum. I went to countless Indians game at the old Stadium as a kid and if they were playing Detroit, Toronto, or NY, I was outnumbered by fans from the opposing team.

I was sitting in Bernie Kosar suite for the game when Albert (Joey at the time) Belle threw the ball into the stands and hit the fan (it happened right below me)

I look back fondly to the games where attendance was in the 4,000s and I could sneak into the good seats.

I went to two Browns games at the old stadium. The first was a playoff game in 94? against the Patriots. I was 14 or 15 and my buddy and I rode the rapid downtown and witnessed Bellichiks only playoff victory in Cleveland. After the game, the tunnels from the seats into the heart of the Stadium was filled with drunks pissing on the walls....very interesting

My other Browns game at the old stadium was the last game ever played there.....very depressing and ugly. Fans were ripping the seats and throwing them onto the field (my sister got one and took it home..wish I would have done the same)

I definetely prefer Jacobs Field for baseball, but I do miss watching the Browns play in the Old Stadium....maybe i just miss the era...

I also have fond memories watching the Cavs play at the old colisuem. It was in the middle of nowhere and was a great place to watch a game.....more intimate than the Q.

 

[Greg B.]

Seems like most of the places I have seen MLB games in are gone now, with the exception being Fenway. But I saw games at old Comiskey, Tiger Stadium, Jarry Park, and Riverfront. The most memorable by far was Tiger Stadium. During the pennant races in the early to mid 80s that place just rocked, literally. Even my limited NFL experience is in a departed stadium, hasving seen my only NFL game at the Silverdome. It would have been more fun staying home watching it on TV.

 

[satjay]

Tiger stadium, every year on opening day after the old girl closed we would start at a local bar "Nemo's" and pay repspect to her as it was across the street.

Going to a game there you felt like you were part of the game. So close to the action, the Right field overhang was the best, but the seats behind the dugout were great so close to the action, in comparion at the new park every seat seems so far away.

The tore it down this year, Well they have left a small part up for some, though groups are not sure what is going to go there.

Mike Illitch (Tigers owner) could have did some upgrades ala fenway, but chose not to

 

[mccoyrj]

Stadiums that are now gone (or no longer used by a particular team) that I once saw games in:

Astrodome - Saw Hank Aaron hit a home run there on his way to topping the Babe. Saw my hero Roberto Clemente play there.
Arlington Stadium (Texas Rangers) - Watched Nolan Ryan pitch, and win during his record breaking season for career strikeouts.
Tulane Stadium (Old Sugar Bowl Venue) - LSU, Saints, Sugar Bowl games with my Dad.
Three Rivers - Saw my Pirates (with Barry Bonds) clinch their last division title in a series against the Mets, winning one game 19-2.
Cotton Bowl Stadium - attended two Cotton Bowls, both times in the rain and ice.

 

[Mets82]

I went to Veterans Stadium once believe it or not as a Mets fan. I would've loved to have seen and went to some of the old AFL stadiums. They looked pretty cool although they could've been a dump inside.

 

[HD MM]

Like Skyhi, I've been to Browns/Indians games at the old Municipal Stadium and Cavs games at the old Richfield Coliseum.

To this day, seeing a Browns game live just doesn't have the same feel as it did at the Municipal. The building itself had so much character and was an intimidating place for opponents to play in. The new Browns Stadium, much like the team, doesn't have an identity. It's very plain and boring.

As for the Indians, I much prefer them playing at Jacobs Field (aka Progressive Field). In Municipal Stadium, you were just too far away from the field. Baseball didn't work well in a stadium built for football. Jacob's Field on the other hand is easily my favorite modern day stadium I've been to so far. Everything about it I love. I hope I'm not around to ever see it replaced. That would be a sad day indeed.

Seeing Cavs games at the Coliseum was fun too. There's something about old gyms, squeaky floors and steep steps. As skyhi said, it was just a more "intimate" experience.

 

[sluggo]

Growing up I saw many baseball games in the old park the Cincinnati Reds used to play in. I can't remember the name of it, but it was pre-Riverfront. I'm not old enough to have seen him play, but have heard many times that Ted Kluszeski used to park home runs out on the freeway playing for the reds. I also saw a bunch of Pirate games at Three Rivers stadium. One fond memory was attending the Detroit Tigers home games in the '68 World Series with the Cardinals. Pitching was the name of the game in that series featuring Mickey Lolich, Denny McClain and Bob Gibson.

 

[CeltsHD]

These two guys rated the stadiums/arenas of today on a lot of different issues:


Home

 

[mdonnelly]

Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. It was out in a residential neighborhood, you had to park in an unpaved field, bumper-to-bumper and you couldn't get out until the guy in front of you left.

It was already run down in the 70's when I went to a lot of Orioles' games, but it was full of atmosphere and aromas from any number of ethnic food stands. Polish, Greek, Italian. Schaeffer Beer. Ball'mer accents.

I was there stationed at Ft. Meade, and it was after the glory days of Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell, and Jim Palmer, but there was still great baseball being played. The fans were crazy there, they would boo everything. I remember one time they booed the temperature at game time. They booed Don Drysdale when he was announced as one of the Angels' broadcasters. I loved it.

I understand that the new baseball park at harborside is one of the best now. I wouldn't know, cuz I've never been there.

In 1970 I went to several Senators' games at RFK in DC. That was an awful place, but I did see Frank Howard hit one memorable homer into the upper deck in straightaway center. I swear, it was still going up when it hit the seats.

 

[clapple]

Spent a lot of games at Schieb Park (sp?), at 21st and Lehigh, in Philadelphia. For Eagle and Phillies games, and the old A's. Remember Connie Mack? Wonder if it is still there or torn down.

 

[salsadancer7]

I remember moving to Chicago from upstate NY and watching games at the "old barn" Chicago Stadium...coming up from a tunnel to the floor. Then I got my job for the old Chicago Sportschannel and doing the tunnel thing and hearing the intros to the Bulls with Michael Jordan...wow! Sitting on press row, which was behind the basket, considering myself the luckies guy in the world. Then watching games in Old Comiskey Field....awesome....simply awesome.

Watching games at Wrigley was awesome...especially when I use to live right down the street. At night, hearing Harry Carry sing "take me out to the ball game". Because I was on a 29th floor apt, I can clearly hear...."Allll right....lemme hear ya...a one ....a tow....a three....TAAAAAAAAKKKKKE me out to the ball game....." Ah, those memories....

Then here was watching The U play at the Old Orange Bowl. The 58 home winning streak. The National Championships. And even some of the losses, I was at the "Hail Mary" Doug Flutie and I was at the Washington game that ended there 58 game winning streak at home. I was at the game where Miami was 8-3 and #1 and undefeated UCLA came in....The U posted over 600 yards of offense including Edgerrin James' 300 yards rushing.....I loved that I was able to storm the field!

 

[Pete K]

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Loads of great memories, including Hank Aaron, Dale Murphy, and once, an extremely rare "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" performance by Harry Caray, which normally he never did outside Wrigley.
Shea Stadium, lots of noisy jets and lousy Mets, except for 69 and 73!
Al Lang Field, St. Pete, perhaps the "coziest" ballpark I've ever been to, watching the Mets and Cards play. The Babe and Gehrig played there.
Al Lopez Field in Tampa, seeing Yankee greats including Mr. October in March.

 

[jbernardi]

Growing up in Buffalo, I went to the Aud hundreds of times for Bisons hockey, wrestling, Canisius and St. Bonaventure college basketball (when they were often playing a doubleheader). I also played hockey at the Aud in the Bufalo Muni League.

I've been to the old Madison Square Garden (that preceded the current round Square Garden).

I've been to Shea Stadium to see the Mets and the Jets. I had the opportunity to meet many of the Jets (including Joe Namath, Don Maynard, and Matt Snell) in the Shea Stadium locker room early in the season after they won Super Bowl III.

I've been to the now former Yankee Stadium for Yankees games, back when it was safe to have bat day and give bats to the fans as they entered the stadium.

 

[boomer69]

Growing up I saw many baseball games in the old park the Cincinnati Reds used to play in. I can't remember the name of it, but it was pre-Riverfront.

That would be Crosley Field, where I too watched many Reds games. (My step-father had season tickets for the last 3 seasons they played there.) We used to skip school and go to Opening Day and other early season games, was once flipped off by Pete Rose who was playing in right field right in front of the Sun Deck ($1 a seat) because we were riding him pretty hard,(we were drunk on 3.2 beer they used to sell to anyone that had the money, regardless of age) and was also at the last game the Reds played there in 1970 just before the opening of Riverfront. They dug up home plate after the game and put in the new stadium for the first game there. I also saw The Beatles in concert there and attended other "Woodstock" type musical festivals they had there.

I was also at the first and last games played in Riverfront and attended 2 World Series and many playoff games there, along with many Bengals games.(The Bengals actually played in Nippert Stadium on the University of Cincinnati campus before Riverfront opened, but it is still there.) As bad as a reputation Riverfront/Cinergy Field had, I did not feel that way. I really liked the place, regardless of what others referred to as an antiseptic, sterile enviornment. especially after they replaced the "Astroturf" with real grass.

I have also been to Pacer games and other events in Market Square Arena here in Indianapolis, but I have to admit Conseco Fieldhouse is a great improvement.

On the minor league side of things, I went to many an Indians game at the old Victory Field (later renamed Bush Stadium) on 16th Street, about 2 miles down from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I can remember marching around the outfield on "Little League Day" every year and being amazed at how big the pitcher's mound seemed to be...pretty impresive to an 8 year old who was used to pitching on flat dirt marked off with lime chalk!! It was an old "Wrigley/Crosley" type stadium that finally closed due to disrepair, but it was great in its time. It was replaced by the new Victory Field in Indianapolis that is one of the nicest minor league fields in the country. It was built with private funds, has a view of the Indy skyline straight away center field, and was voted the "Best Minor League Park in America" by Baseball Magazine after it opened in 1996. It is truly a gem, along with Conseco Fieldhouse and the new Lucas Oil Stadium.

And speaking of Lucas Oil Stadium, it is such an improvement over the old RCA/Hoosier Dome it is not funny!!!...When they built the Dome, we didn't even have a team to put in it yet, as the Colts didn't come here until the year after it opened. After the initial honeymoon of being a new stadium with a new home team, it started to become increasingly tiresome to go to there not only for Colts games, even more so back when they couldn't win a game to save their lives, but other events were equally bad, mostly because the acoustics in the dump were as bad as they could possibly be. (I always thought that the Patriots complaining about "piping in" crowd noise was hilarious, beause the sound system was so bad, it was vitually impossible to make out anything but a rumble, and you couldn't tell what was being said or played!!!...) Also, they had to have the smallest video screen in the world and the worst scoreboard I had ever seen. Lucas Oil is so much nicer, roomier and the video screens are only 2nd to what will be in the new Dallas football stadium. About the only problems with Lucas, they could use some more escalators and I think they moved the sound system over from the Dome after they blew it up!!!...The acoustics are still terrible, but did show some improvement in the last few games this year.

To me, it is not a good feeling to see a facility be torn down after watching them build them. What a bummer!!!...!protest

 

[geonaz]

Spent a lot of games at Schieb Park (sp?), at 21st and Lehigh, in Philadelphia. For Eagle and Phillies games, and the old A's. Remember Connie Mack? Wonder if it is still there or torn down.

First game I saw was in Scheib Park, later renamed Connie Mack Stadium. It was 1948 and the A's defeated the St. Louis Browns 3-2 . The stadium is long gone. The last remains of it burned down several years ago. Before the Phillies moved to Veterans Stadium it was quite an adventure to go to a game. There was almost no parking. If you did park in a lot it was bumper to bumper and you had to wait until the car in front of you moved before you could get out. If you parked on the street you had better pay the neighbord kids to watch your car or it would be stripped when you returned. i remember being offered a battery for $10 freshly removed from the car in front of mine while a policeman was directing traffic a few feet away. made no difference, I loved going to the ballpark. Always tried to sit down the right field line on the angle facing home plate. Did not want to be anywhere near the left field upper deck crowd. they were the the infamous Philadelphia fans. These are just a few of my thoughts as I remember them.

 

[Ramy]

The places I went to and are not used anymore are:

Riverfront Stadium - saw my first MLB game there.
Astrodome - saw a game between Astros and Phillies where Glenn Davis and Ricky Jordan both hit 3 run HR's.

 

[SamCdbs]

Riverfront for baseball. Nice place early, but it was not maintained.

Three Rivers for baseball. Superfiscially similar to Cincy, but actually far different. Much cheeper over-all.

Veteran's for baseball. Sit in the football press box, which my brother in law rented. Did not get to see much of the stadium. Parking lot was scary to me. Lots of outlaw types. Cops did not seem to care.

Pontiac Silverdome. Bitterly cold outside. Huge wind when they opened the doors, which I am told was what kept the roof up. Really it was out in the edge of the developed area. Reminded me more of a big basketball area than a stadium. Lights gave off a noticable hum (I was there for a college bowl game, I am sure it was different when the Lions played there).

ETSU "minidome" for football (ETSU no longer plays football and has modified the place into a pure basketball arena). WEIRD place. Place was like a big quonset hut, almost exactly 120 yards long. Played such that a FG would hit the roof. Pads just past the end zone because you were running towards a brick wall otherwise.

Fairfield Stadium. Reall place was nothing like what was used for the We Are Marshall movie (they used an abandoned stadium in Atlanta). Rotting brick stadium in a bad neighborhood.

 

[Ramy]

Riverfront for baseball. Nice place early, but it was not maintained.

Three Rivers for baseball. Superfiscially similar to Cincy, but actually far different. Much cheeper over-all.

Veteran's for baseball. Sit in the football press box, which my brother in law rented. Did not get to see much of the stadium. Parking lot was scary to me. Lots of outlaw types. Cops did not seem to care.

Pontiac Silverdome. Bitterly cold outside. Huge wind when they opened the doors, which I am told was what kept the roof up. Really it was out in the edge of the developed area. Reminded me more of a big basketball area than a stadium. Lights gave off a noticable hum (I was there for a college bowl game, I am sure it was different when the Lions played there).

ETSU "minidome" for football (ETSU no longer plays football and has modified the place into a pure basketball arena). WEIRD place. Place was like a big quonset hut, almost exactly 120 yards long. Played such that a FG would hit the roof. Pads just past the end zone because you were running towards a brick wall otherwise.

Fairfield Stadium. Reall place was nothing like what was used for the We Are Marshall movie (they used an abandoned stadium in Atlanta). Rotting brick stadium in a bad neighborhood.

You must live in Huntington, WV or somewhere close.

 

[Mr Tony]

The only two old arenas I remember are the Met Center and the St Paul Civic Center in Minnesota

The Met Center I seemed to live in from 91-93 for the North Star games. Those were fun times. The building was no frills but had great seats and ice. They tried to implode it 3 times and couldnt do it so they had to use the wrecking ball to do it

The St Paul Civic Center (tore down to build the Xcel Centre) was a great old building. State hockey tournaments were there. Also when I was little the AWA had their big wrestling cards there. Me & my dad went to a bunch of them. God those were fun times.

Went to one concert there and that was for Charlie Daniels Band (opening act Pirates of the Mississippi). We had a country music program on local access TV and got to interview both acts