The Slow Demise of Tiger Stadium

Tiger Stadium has sat decaying at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Boulevard since relief pitcher Todd Jones threw the last pitch on September 27, 1999. Going on nearly a decade of vacancy since the Tigers moved to Comerica Park in 2000, it leaves me to wonder: which will go first, Yankee Stadium, or Tiger Stadium?

The stadium opened in 1912 on the exact same date as Fenway Park. The city of Detroit sank nearly $4 million in the upkeep of the park from 1999-2006. After that, the stadium was left deserted. Somehow, I feel like the park where Babe Ruth hit his 700th career home run deserves a little more respect. In the summer of 2007, a WDIV-TV undercover report showed people paying $20 to the security guard on duty to have complete access to the field. People were shown drinking and playing softball. As a Tigers fan, all I have to say about that is this: where the hell was I?

Some demolition was started this year in June, which tore open the field to reveal what is seen in the above picture.

However, the final demolition of the stadium was rejected by the city of Detroit to allow the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy to meet this Friday's funding deadline to conserve what is left of the field and keep the renovation going. The stadium will be used as a field for youth leagues and high schools, with an attached museum containing artifacts such as Todd Jones' mustache, Jim Leyland's Marlboro box collection, and a lock of Magglio's luscious curls. And maybe one of those Italian sausages they serve, I think the one I ate last summer was halfway preserved.

Good Lord, people. Get busy living, or get busy dying.