Many old time Mets like myself miss Shea Stadium. It felt more of the Mets home than Citi Field. No place equaled the atmosphere when there were large crowds. People called it a dump, but it was our dump. Shea will always be the home of the Mets and it is missed.
Except they never tore down the Montreal Forum or Maple Leaf Gardens! They repurposed The Forum into a movie theater, some restaurants, and other light shopping venues, almost like a mini-mall. I went in there a few years ago. In the center court, they inlaid the old center ice circle, stripes, and C-H Canadiens logo. Maple Leaf Gardens rehab was even more complex. The concrete which made the floor of the lower level stands was part of the structure holding up the exterior walls, so they had to work around that. The ground floor of MLG now has a big Loblaw's store (Loblaw's sells groceries and other stuff -- much like a Target in the US). Then, on the upper floor they have a hockey rink which is the home of Ryerson University's hockey team. An ice rink over a supermarket/department store! It must have cost a fortune to do that project!! I haven't been to MLG personally after that renovation but would like to go see it.
Shea had never utilized its ability to move seats from baseball configuration to football, forcing the Jets to play road games until deep into a season. The natural grass field negated Shea’s potential.
The filed level seats did move, but since the Mets were the primary tenants, they insisted the Jets could not play there until the baseball season ended. Since football plays havoc with a grass field, the Mets would not allow the Jets to have a home games until their season ended.
orlandofields-Connie Mack Stadium 🏟 should have been included as well as well as Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, Crosley Field in Cincinnati, and Boston's old Braves Field, even though it was reconfigured into Nickerson Field.
You are WAY off on your Yankee Stadium seating capacity. The original stadium (1923) had a capacity of 58,000 which was eventually expanded up to approx 67,000. When they refurbished the stadium in the mid 70s, they DECREASED, not increased seating capacity to about 55,000. Yes, it was a big upper deck, but the overall seating capacity was less than the original. The new stadium (opened in 2009) has a seating capacity of about 45,000, and a much smaller upper deck.
Frogger, you are exactly right. When they renovated Yankee Stadium in 1974, I believe the mezzanine (or whatever they called the recessed middle deck) got substantially smaller. The main engineering problem was removing all the posts. Old Yankee Stadium, like all others of that era had posts which supported the upper decks. Removing the posts meant they had to cantilever the upper decks out over the lower deck. You can only go out so far unsupported. I always thought it was quite a feat cantilevering the TOP deck of the post-1975 version of Yankee Stadium! BTW, this is why most of the new stadiums have very little shade. The upper decks don't hang out over the lower decks because that would require much more internal support and structural steel. I hate that aspect of newer stadiums. In many of the old stadiums the first row of the upper deck was a great place -- you weren't that far back, and you had a great upper level view!!
Great video, love your content. I'm embarking on a little stadium tour with my son's this year. Hitting Tropicana, Citi, Camden Yards, Nationals Stadium, and PNC.
Have you ever been to Citi Field ? You make like it i know you hate the way of upper deck seats but that does get filled more often than you think, there’s really not any bad views throughout the ballpark maybe 1 or 2 spots it’s closer to the action than Shea for sure and has 1 or 2 areas if the best ballpark foods around, it’s not my absolute favorite ballpark but it’s nice
They should have never destroyed the polo grounds - I could only imagine how it would look now - that was one of the most unique baseball stadiums ever created
They had no choice. Horace Stoneham had no other source of income. There was absolutely no parking available. Even in their best years, the Giants barely drew a million. Stoneham was going broke and Polo Grounds was in desperate need of repairs he couldn't afford.
@@davidlafleche1142Which is why Walter O'Malley moved the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, lack of parking, fans moving East to the suburbs, more and more teams traveling by plane rather than the slower train travel, Robert Moses refusing to let O'Malley build what would have been the first ever domed stadium a decade before the Astrodome opened up on the site where the Barclay's Center is now, and LA making O'Malley and offer he couldn't turn down. So he packed up the Dodgers and moved West to California, taking the New York Giants with him, because MLB wouldn't let O'Malley move without a second team going with him, because the closest NL team was the St. Louis Cardinals. This way the Dodgers had another team in California.
LOL! The Polo Grounds looks like it would have been a shiit place to see a baseball or a football game. The foul lines are like 50 yards from the stands. Hell, I bet it sucked for Polo too!
@@jim7297 In some ways shit, but in other ways a fascinating old “theater”. Because of its shape, the foul poles were only about 255 ft from home. Straightaway center was over 470! If you pulled the ball or sliced the ball to the opposite field, you got a cheap home run. But it was Death Valley for hitters in center. The odd dimensions made for some interesting baseball strategy and pitch selection! The NY Giants played through 1957 then moved to San Francisco. There was no NL team in NYC until the Mets were created as an expansion team. The Mets played in the Polo Grounds in 62, 63, and 64 then moved to brand new Shea Stadium in 65.
@@OldRustySteele Okay , I got you. It might be fun to watch on TV, but to sit so far away is not what I would have enjoyed. Then again I grew up going to Wrigley and Sox Park. And yes that is what it was called in the 70's.
I got to witness in person, the beginning of the demolition of Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. My uncle showed up on a Sunday morning in June 1970, and asked me and my sister if we'd prefer to go to church, or go see the final games, a double header vs. the Cubs, at Forbes Field. Needless to say, baseball always trumps church. Moments after Bill Mazeroski stepped on second for the final out, people poured onto the field to grab pieces of turf, and many stormed the scoreboard, hoping to grab a number from the out of town scores. I remember being shocked, seeing high school or college aged guys, trying to break apart the wooden seats. I was a few months shy of my 14th birthday that day, and still to this day, souvenir hunting is just not part of my mind set.
DG, I lived in suburban Chicago when New Comiskey (Guaranteed Rate now) was built. The reason why Old Comiskey held over 50,000 people is because it used lots of posts to hold up the upper deck. This allows the upper deck to hang out over the lower deck and be much larger and much closer to the field! This is the problem with ALL the new stadiums. Without posts, you can't hang the upper decks out very far, so they wind up being farther back. The first few rows of the upper deck at old stadiums were the BEST seats in the house! They hung way out and you weren't far from the field! Also, this gives the box seats and the lower decks more shade on hot summer days! In most modern stadiums you better wear SPF 100 because you'll be in the sun all game!
I am a Mets fan and own a set of seats from Shea Stadium also I like the the current home home of my team but I do miss Shea Stadium as so many memories going to Mets games my mom took me to game 6 of the 1986 World Series
The first construction photo of the polo grounds you showed may have been the 1911 renovation after the fire that destroyed all but the concrete stands and foundation
I LOVED Shea Stadium when it was in it's heyday. I hated what was done to it in it's later years. 👉 9:53. Shea's exterior was painted blue and huge neon baseball player figures were added in the wide spaces between the "spectator switchback" ramps. I just really hated that upgrade. I also hated that the name "Shea Stadium" was added. It didn't need it's name on it's facade...Shea was well known. I preferred the old appearance when Shea was painted white and it had blue and orange panels adorning the "spectator switchback" ramps. Shea Stadium was much better looking in the beginning.
League Park in Cleveland has been restored. At least the field has. There's very limited seating for high school games. Also, the entire field, including the base paths are artificial turf
As a huge stadium/ballpark/arena fan and historian, may I nominate this as the saddest video of all time on UA-cam. Really hard to look at all these historic places getting torn down.
Can we get videos about tennis stadiums maybe the 4 majors attendance totals stuff like that. I was just watching the miami open it was at hard rock it looked pretty cool. Love the videos bro🤘
Comiskey Park went through a ton of renovations, most notably in 1927 when the outfield grandstands were built, and the second deck added. In the original configuration from first to third were doubledecked. If you see pictures of home plate, you'll see two girders close to each other, this was where the original config. ended and the new construction added. The scoreboard in centerfield wasn't added until 1950, and the "exploding scoreboard" in 1961. Watch the movie "The Stratton Story" and they use the film showing the old scoreboard on the walls. The bullpens were moved quite a bit. In the original config. CF was 445, when they added the bleachers they kept that dimension, but periodically added a fence and the bullpens. There are pictures of Comiskey under construction in the spring of 1910, with the first game played July 1 with a loss to the St. Louis Browns.
Citi field is a beautiful ballpark I’m a Yankees fan and since the new stadiums opened I definitely prefer it to the new Yankee stadium. More intimate feel, better sight lines, better and more affordable food. Overall one of my favorite mlb ballparks
I guess you are too young to ever see a game at Shea Stadium or to even to see it in person. Many long time Mets fans love Citi Field, but miss Shea Stadium. Many great memories from the games I saw there. Shea was unique just because it did not have outfield seats. That was part of its charm. It held 55,000 people but the outfield had that open feel. The neon figures outside the stadium also added to the feel especially at night it actually looked good lit up. Shea was not modern or fancy, but it was a great place to watch a Mets game.
LOL it used to get COLD when the wind would blow in from the outfield. But yes. I honestly think it was the best place ive seen a ball game and ive been to 15+ parks. There was something about it about the shape that reminded me of a stage for plays and such. Made for a great intimate experience.
The old, original Yankee Stadium before the 1973 remodeling was really something. The original, more ornate copper facade along the roof. 296 ft. down the right field line and 463 to that big black wall in center. Three stone monuments and a thick ass pole with a speaker on top, all on the field of play. It made the one that opened in 1976 look like bad 70's architecture.
Totally agree! I'm an old Cardinal fan, and vividly remember watching Yankee games on TV showing those unique features of Yankee Stadium. The post-1974 renovation diluted all of that and made it look more generic. I was fortunate enough to see a game at Yankee Stadium in 2007, only 2 seasons before they tore it down. I got a photo of me in front of the Yogi Berra monument. Why Yogi? He's a fellow St. Louisan -- grew up on Elizabeth Avenue on "The Hill". The Hill is the Italian district of STL. Yogi, Joe Garagiola, and Harry Carabina grew up there. Who is Harry Carabina? Most of you know Mr. Carabina as Harry Caray. As Yogi would say, "Nobody goes to that restaurant anymore. It's too crowded."
Old Comiskey Park was the first ballpark I ever saw a game in. It had it's charm, though there were seats in the back down the foul lines which did not have a view of home plate. But there were television monitors placed there so fans could watch the pitcher and batter. Back in 1910, this was the state of the art. Sad how these classic ballparks are now only memories.
I never actually reazied till now just now nice of a stadium Shea was, that design was unique for "cookie cutter" stadiums. It's right up there with RFK as far as that sort of genre of stadium.
Actually that would be Polo grounds #3. it burned down in 1911 and was rebuilt as a steel and concrete stadium. upgraded in 1923 to the final configuration. with minor changes thereafter.
At the end you talked about how no arena since Boston Garden had the jetting up upper deck but if you look at Phillips Arena before the renovation to become State Farm Arena back when the thrashers played it has that style in the ends
Yeah, yeah, yeah, YEAH! Actually one of the best teams to ever "play" at Shea stadium was just a team of 4, not 9. You guessed it, the Beatles!!! They won too. They won everybody's hearts 💕
I wish you would have mentioned the old Richfield Coliseum. It was built mostly underground, and when they tore it down, they just bulldozed it into the ground, and pored some dirt over it. Its now a field full of flowers and is part of a national recreation area. How kool is that?
@@jonstefanik9400 Oh how wrong you are Jonboy. You wouldn't believe who I got to see play there over the years. Your probably way too young and inexperienced to remember.
FYI - The current Toronto Dominion (TD) Bank Group Garden was originally going to be called the Shawmut National Corporation Center, but named Fleet Financial Corporation Center (then later its parent company became FleetBoston Financial Corporation). TD Garden was originally known TD Banknorth Garden (Banknorth Group, Inc. then became TD Banknorth).👌🤦♂️
You keep saying “jet up”. I think you mean “jut up”. It may seem to make sense for something to “jet” up, but that’s not what you mean. Overall good video though. I tend to like most of the new venues. Most pay homage to the old, and incorporate elements of that. In some rare cases though, I do think it’s worth it to keep the old, renovate, and modernize it. Wrigley Field is a great example. But I some cases like Shea or old Tiger Stadium, I really think a new venue was smart.
Did anyone try to preserve/save the stadiums that were demolished/replaced in the 60s/early 70s? Or did mostly people just kinda shrug their shoulders and was all like, heh, out with the old in with the new!
At that time… the 60s and 70s, the “ modernists” wanted to tear down anything “old” that wasn’t “nailed down.” You are correct… it was an out with old and in with new mentality. I am pretty sure it was Jackie O., who led a high profile campaign to save Grand Central Station. City planners wanted to turn it into a parking lot.
I read that one of the problems with Boston Garden was the seating capacity. It didn't seat that many people. Perhaps someone can elaborate on other issues with Boston Garden.
Just simply the times period. Up into the 80s amenities just weren't as demanding as they became in the 90s and beyond. Simple things like locker rooms. Often it was a case of if it ain't broke don't fix it. We had a similar experience in philly when the civic center went down. At one point you could see the interior while being demished.
The socks are out of there mind for getting rid of their original stadium. It had a charm and I hate the sock. another reason why the cubs are better. The socks had a history in the stadiums and they threw it away
The polo grounds construction you showed isnt the same stadium as the one you show being expanded and demolished. The one you show being constructed is polo grounds 2, which was known as manhattan field after the construction of polo grounds 3 next to it. Polo grounds 3 burned down and was replaced by polo grounds 4(the last version) Funny enough PG2 and PG3 coexisted for the entire life of PG3, which after being destroyed by fire in 1911, was replaced by PG4 and manhattan field was also razed.
Did polo grounds move locations entirely? I look it up and it says it was on 110 between 5th and 6th but all the pictures look like its damn near built up on the bank of the harlem river.
The first PG was actually a polo field on 110th Street used by the early Giants for their home games The City of NY decided to extend public streets through the field so the Giants found a new home along the Harlem/East River, I believe at 155th Street. This all-wood stadium was destroyed by fire one night very soon after the start of the 1911season. The Giants then rented Hilltop Park, home of the NY Highlanders (soon to be the NY Yankees) until their new steel and concrete Polo Grounds was ready at the tail end of the 1911 season. This stadium was expanded in 1923 to assume the final and famous horseshoe shape. Final seating capacity when completely finished was 55,000 until demolition in 1963. @@WhiteUnity
How could one restore a polo grounds because the stadium is replaced by apartments. There is NO way. Plus why MLB wastes the money to make a theme park stadium like Iowa, it's neat sure, but only for the super rich. And what good could be done w the money instead. All this waste on MLB, too many jerseys too ma y LEDs junky screens. It's wasteful and a turn off to the game as it's played now. Manfred is not done any good. Play a game at Cooperstown like det. And ATL did in the 8os
Many old time Mets like myself miss Shea Stadium. It felt more of the Mets home than Citi Field. No place equaled the atmosphere when there were large crowds. People called it a dump, but it was our dump. Shea will always be the home of the Mets and it is missed.
Only thing that needed fixing was the bathroom situation tbh
Long Island agrees
I miss shea too. Never been there and not a Mets fan. But I do miss the games on ch 9
It doesn't matter how much of a dump a stadium is, if it's the stadium you went to as a kid, it hurts when they knock it down.
Part 2 Should have Tiger Stadium, the Orange Bowl, Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens and Ebbets Field. This is not over by a long shot.
Except they never tore down the Montreal Forum or Maple Leaf Gardens!
They repurposed The Forum into a movie theater, some restaurants, and other light shopping venues, almost like a mini-mall. I went in there a few years ago. In the center court, they inlaid the old center ice circle, stripes, and C-H Canadiens logo. Maple Leaf Gardens rehab was even more complex. The concrete which made the floor of the lower level stands was part of the structure holding up the exterior walls, so they had to work around that. The ground floor of MLG now has a big Loblaw's store (Loblaw's sells groceries and other stuff -- much like a Target in the US). Then, on the upper floor they have a hockey rink which is the home of Ryerson University's hockey team. An ice rink over a supermarket/department store! It must have cost a fortune to do that project!! I haven't been to MLG personally after that renovation but would like to go see it.
Shea had never utilized its ability to move seats from baseball configuration to football, forcing the Jets to play road games until deep into a season. The natural grass field negated Shea’s potential.
The filed level seats did move, but since the Mets were the primary tenants, they insisted the Jets could not play there until the baseball season ended. Since football plays havoc with a grass field, the Mets would not allow the Jets to have a home games until their season ended.
If citi field had two separate sections the jets would have better Chance of staying
Not true. Otherwise, the seats for football would not have paralleled the sidelines.
Only until oct 1
Grass is what these sports are played on son
Comiskey Park did undergo a major renovation, originally there was no upper deck in the outfield, that was added in the late 20s.
That's the Chicago Way!
I forget the year, but skyboxes were added too.
@@jonstefanik9400Comiskey Park should have been preserved instead of knocked down.
@@kevinmiller6380 I fully agree. For they're next ballpark they should model most of it like classic Comiskey
If your gonna add Comiskey and Yankee, do Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Equally legendary
No wonder you're called The Truth.
orlandofields-Connie Mack Stadium 🏟 should have been included as well as well as Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, Crosley Field in Cincinnati, and Boston's old Braves Field, even though it was reconfigured into Nickerson Field.
@@kevinmiller6380 I can only speak for my experiences. I've only been to Tiger Stadium.
And also add Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
You are WAY off on your Yankee Stadium seating capacity. The original stadium (1923) had a capacity of 58,000 which was eventually expanded up to approx 67,000. When they refurbished the stadium in the mid 70s, they DECREASED, not increased seating capacity to about 55,000. Yes, it was a big upper deck, but the overall seating capacity was less than the original. The new stadium (opened in 2009) has a seating capacity of about 45,000, and a much smaller upper deck.
Frogger, you are exactly right. When they renovated Yankee Stadium in 1974, I believe the mezzanine (or whatever they called the recessed middle deck) got substantially smaller. The main engineering problem was removing all the posts. Old Yankee Stadium, like all others of that era had posts which supported the upper decks. Removing the posts meant they had to cantilever the upper decks out over the lower deck. You can only go out so far unsupported. I always thought it was quite a feat cantilevering the TOP deck of the post-1975 version of Yankee Stadium! BTW, this is why most of the new stadiums have very little shade. The upper decks don't hang out over the lower decks because that would require much more internal support and structural steel. I hate that aspect of newer stadiums. In many of the old stadiums the first row of the upper deck was a great place -- you weren't that far back, and you had a great upper level view!!
I am old enough to miss the venerable "Polo Grounds."
Great video, love your content. I'm embarking on a little stadium tour with my son's this year. Hitting Tropicana, Citi, Camden Yards, Nationals Stadium, and PNC.
Citi field has great food. I usually eat from the Shake Shack there
Have you ever been to Citi Field ? You make like it i know you hate the way of upper deck seats but that does get filled more often than you think, there’s really not any bad views throughout the ballpark maybe 1 or 2 spots it’s closer to the action than Shea for sure and has 1 or 2 areas if the best ballpark foods around, it’s not my absolute favorite ballpark but it’s nice
They should have never destroyed the polo grounds - I could only imagine how it would look now - that was one of the most unique baseball stadiums ever created
They had no choice. Horace Stoneham had no other source of income. There was absolutely no parking available. Even in their best years, the Giants barely drew a million. Stoneham was going broke and Polo Grounds was in desperate need of repairs he couldn't afford.
@@davidlafleche1142Which is why Walter O'Malley moved the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, lack of parking, fans moving East to the suburbs, more and more teams traveling by plane rather than the slower train travel, Robert Moses refusing to let O'Malley build what would have been the first ever domed stadium a decade before the Astrodome opened up on the site where the Barclay's Center is now, and LA making O'Malley and offer he couldn't turn down. So he packed up the Dodgers and moved West to California, taking the New York Giants with him, because MLB wouldn't let O'Malley move without a second team going with him, because the closest NL team was the St. Louis Cardinals. This way the Dodgers had another team in California.
LOL! The Polo Grounds looks like it would have been a shiit place to see a baseball or a football game. The foul lines are like 50 yards from the stands. Hell, I bet it sucked for Polo too!
@@jim7297 In some ways shit, but in other ways a fascinating old “theater”. Because of its shape, the foul poles were only about 255 ft from home. Straightaway center was over 470! If you pulled the ball or sliced the ball to the opposite field, you got a cheap home run. But it was Death Valley for hitters in center. The odd dimensions made for some interesting baseball strategy and pitch selection! The NY Giants played through 1957 then moved to San Francisco. There was no NL team in NYC until the Mets were created as an expansion team. The Mets played in the Polo Grounds in 62, 63, and 64 then moved to brand new Shea Stadium in 65.
@@OldRustySteele Okay , I got you. It might be fun to watch on TV, but to sit so far away is not what I would have enjoyed. Then again I grew up going to Wrigley and Sox Park. And yes that is what it was called in the 70's.
I got to witness in person, the beginning of the demolition of Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. My uncle showed up on a Sunday morning in June 1970, and asked me and my sister if we'd prefer to go to church, or go see the final games, a double header vs. the Cubs, at Forbes Field. Needless to say, baseball always trumps church. Moments after Bill Mazeroski stepped on second for the final out, people poured onto the field to grab pieces of turf, and many stormed the scoreboard, hoping to grab a number from the out of town scores. I remember being shocked, seeing high school or college aged guys, trying to break apart the wooden seats. I was a few months shy of my 14th birthday that day, and still to this day, souvenir hunting is just not part of my mind set.
DG, I lived in suburban Chicago when New Comiskey (Guaranteed Rate now) was built. The reason why Old Comiskey held over 50,000 people is because it used lots of posts to hold up the upper deck. This allows the upper deck to hang out over the lower deck and be much larger and much closer to the field! This is the problem with ALL the new stadiums. Without posts, you can't hang the upper decks out very far, so they wind up being farther back. The first few rows of the upper deck at old stadiums were the BEST seats in the house! They hung way out and you weren't far from the field! Also, this gives the box seats and the lower decks more shade on hot summer days! In most modern stadiums you better wear SPF 100 because you'll be in the sun all game!
Never seen pictures of old Comiskey with the Charleston scoreboard, in color. That is way cool!
I am a Mets fan and own a set of seats from Shea Stadium also I like the the current home home of my team but I do miss Shea Stadium as so many memories going to Mets games my mom took me to game 6 of the 1986 World Series
The first construction photo of the polo grounds you showed may have been the 1911 renovation after the fire that destroyed all but the concrete stands and foundation
try not to talk about upper decks challenge: impossible
I LOVED Shea Stadium when it was in it's heyday. I hated what was done to it in it's later years. 👉 9:53. Shea's exterior was painted blue and huge neon baseball player figures were added in the wide spaces between the "spectator switchback" ramps. I just really hated that upgrade. I also hated that the name "Shea Stadium" was added. It didn't need it's name on it's facade...Shea was well known. I preferred the old appearance when Shea was painted white and it had blue and orange panels adorning the "spectator switchback" ramps. Shea Stadium was much better looking in the beginning.
League Park in Cleveland has been restored. At least the field has. There's very limited seating for high school games. Also, the entire field, including the base paths are artificial turf
As a huge stadium/ballpark/arena fan and historian, may I nominate this as the saddest video of all time on UA-cam. Really hard to look at all these historic places getting torn down.
Can we get videos about tennis stadiums maybe the 4 majors attendance totals stuff like that. I was just watching the miami open it was at hard rock it looked pretty cool. Love the videos bro🤘
Comiskey Park went through a ton of renovations, most notably in 1927 when the outfield grandstands were built, and the second deck added. In the original configuration from first to third were doubledecked. If you see pictures of home plate, you'll see two girders close to each other, this was where the original config. ended and the new construction added. The scoreboard in centerfield wasn't added until 1950, and the "exploding scoreboard" in 1961. Watch the movie "The Stratton Story" and they use the film showing the old scoreboard on the walls. The bullpens were moved quite a bit. In the original config. CF was 445, when they added the bleachers they kept that dimension, but periodically added a fence and the bullpens. There are pictures of Comiskey under construction in the spring of 1910, with the first game played July 1 with a loss to the St. Louis Browns.
Citi field is a beautiful ballpark I’m a Yankees fan and since the new stadiums opened I definitely prefer it to the new Yankee stadium. More intimate feel, better sight lines, better and more affordable food. Overall one of my favorite mlb ballparks
I guess you are too young to ever see a game at Shea Stadium or to even to see it in person. Many long time Mets fans love Citi Field, but miss Shea Stadium. Many great memories from the games I saw there. Shea was unique just because it did not have outfield seats. That was part of its charm. It held 55,000 people but the outfield had that open feel. The neon figures outside the stadium also added to the feel especially at night it actually looked good lit up. Shea was not modern or fancy, but it was a great place to watch a Mets game.
LOL it used to get COLD when the wind would blow in from the outfield. But yes. I honestly think it was the best place ive seen a ball game and ive been to 15+ parks. There was something about it about the shape that reminded me of a stage for plays and such. Made for a great intimate experience.
The old, original Yankee Stadium before the 1973 remodeling was really something. The original, more ornate copper facade along the roof. 296 ft. down the right field line and 463 to that big black wall in center. Three stone monuments and a thick ass pole with a speaker on top, all on the field of play. It made the one that opened in 1976 look like bad 70's architecture.
Totally agree! I'm an old Cardinal fan, and vividly remember watching Yankee games on TV showing those unique features of Yankee Stadium. The post-1974 renovation diluted all of that and made it look more generic.
I was fortunate enough to see a game at Yankee Stadium in 2007, only 2 seasons before they tore it down. I got a photo of me in front of the Yogi Berra monument. Why Yogi? He's a fellow St. Louisan -- grew up on Elizabeth Avenue on "The Hill". The Hill is the Italian district of STL. Yogi, Joe Garagiola, and Harry Carabina grew up there. Who is Harry Carabina? Most of you know Mr. Carabina as Harry Caray.
As Yogi would say, "Nobody goes to that restaurant anymore. It's too crowded."
There are a few stadiums you left off your list. The old Met in Minneapolis, Milwaukee county,
Seeing the demolition of Boston Garden hurt my soul. So many memories in the building.
Should have included Tiger Stadium as well
Old Comiskey Park was the first ballpark I ever saw a game in. It had it's charm, though there were seats in the back down the foul lines which did not have a view of home plate. But there were television monitors placed there so fans could watch the pitcher and batter. Back in 1910, this was the state of the art.
Sad how these classic ballparks are now only memories.
Playing Polo Grounds in MLB the Show was a mind-bending experience.
I never actually reazied till now just now nice of a stadium Shea was, that design was unique for "cookie cutter" stadiums. It's right up there with RFK as far as that sort of genre of stadium.
New documentary on UA-cam “the last Comiskey” so good
Would be cool to see what is at the stadiums locations now too, although im sure most are parking lots😂😂, great video though for sure
Actually that would be Polo grounds #3. it burned down in 1911 and was rebuilt as a steel and concrete stadium. upgraded in 1923 to the final configuration. with minor changes thereafter.
I think a video about how massive nascar tracks are would be interesting
fr
Look at Europe, they find ways to keep old stadiums, I wish America would do the same
At the end you talked about how no arena since Boston Garden had the jetting up upper deck but if you look at Phillips Arena before the renovation to become State Farm Arena back when the thrashers played it has that style in the ends
Yeah, yeah, yeah, YEAH! Actually one of the best teams to ever "play" at Shea stadium was just a team of 4, not 9. You guessed it, the Beatles!!! They won too. They won everybody's hearts 💕
Serious question, what happens to outfield wall padding from demolished stadiums? Is it auctioned just like seats or not?
I wish you would have mentioned the old Richfield Coliseum. It was built mostly underground, and when they tore it down, they just bulldozed it into the ground, and pored some dirt over it. Its now a field full of flowers and is part of a national recreation area. How kool is that?
I doubt that's deemed legendary.
@@jonstefanik9400 Oh how wrong you are Jonboy. You wouldn't believe who I got to see play there over the years. Your probably way too young and inexperienced to remember.
@@talldude5841 probably it's most glorious moment was Michael Jordan getting that basket or the Mega-Powers winning the Survivor Series.
2:54 Oh what those Polo Grounds seats would fetch today by collectors.
Next do sad last days of former stadiums. Two parter?
Colt Stadium, Home to the Colt .45’s (Now Astros) in houston use to be where NRG Center is now.
how much free time do you have? cuz you be uploading like 5 videos per day! lmao
It's his job dude, it's all he does. Check out his video from early January
This one is gonna do big numbers. I can tell
It would be amazing to build it. No need to go 460ft to CF, but a 430 CF would be cool. Totally correct pushing back on the retractable roof nonsense.
FYI - The current Toronto Dominion (TD) Bank Group Garden was originally going to be called the Shawmut National Corporation Center, but named Fleet Financial Corporation Center (then later its parent company became FleetBoston Financial Corporation).
TD Garden was originally known TD Banknorth Garden (Banknorth Group, Inc. then became TD Banknorth).👌🤦♂️
TD took over the naming rights when Fleet was bought by Bank of America.
@@gregsells8549 You are absolutely correct. 👍
No Tiger Stadium in Detroit 😢
Comiskey park on the video games was awesome
It doesent make sense to make citi parking bigger than shea because shea is way bigger
You keep saying “jet up”. I think you mean “jut up”. It may seem to make sense for something to “jet” up, but that’s not what you mean. Overall good video though. I tend to like most of the new venues. Most pay homage to the old, and incorporate elements of that. In some rare cases though, I do think it’s worth it to keep the old, renovate, and modernize it. Wrigley Field is a great example. But I some cases like Shea or old Tiger Stadium, I really think a new venue was smart.
You keep on forgetting Ebbets Field.
The motto of the story is that the old stadiums were better.
I still like the legendary stadiums in college & pro sports.
Oh, Sweetness!
The Citi Field is designed to remember Ebbets Field
I wonder if we'd still have Comiskey if it weren't for Jerry throwing a tantrum and threatening to move to Tampa if he didn't get his new stadium?
Did anyone try to preserve/save the stadiums that were demolished/replaced in the 60s/early 70s? Or did mostly people just kinda shrug their shoulders and was all like, heh, out with the old in with the new!
At that time… the 60s and 70s, the “ modernists” wanted to tear down anything “old” that wasn’t “nailed down.” You are correct… it was an out with old and in with new mentality.
I am pretty sure it was Jackie O., who led a high profile campaign to save Grand Central Station. City planners wanted to turn it into a parking lot.
I wish you had included Tiger Stadium
I think pnc park is the only modern built ballpark with two decks.
I read that one of the problems with Boston Garden was the seating capacity. It didn't seat that many people. Perhaps someone can elaborate on other issues with Boston Garden.
No air conditioning, causing some fog effects during nhl games
The ice surface was nowhere close to the NHL’s standard for ice surfaces of 200x85.
Just simply the times period. Up into the 80s amenities just weren't as demanding as they became in the 90s and beyond. Simple things like locker rooms. Often it was a case of if it ain't broke don't fix it. We had a similar experience in philly when the civic center went down. At one point you could see the interior while being demished.
The socks are out of there mind for getting rid of their original stadium. It had a charm and I hate the sock. another reason why the cubs are better. The socks had a history in the stadiums and they threw it away
Too young to remember 2008? Damn dude you young asL 😂
Im surprised you didn't cover tiger stadium whats really going on?😂
Citi Field is in Queens, not the Bronx.
Surprised Detroit's Tiger Stadium was not mentioned.
The polo grounds construction you showed isnt the same stadium as the one you show being expanded and demolished. The one you show being constructed is polo grounds 2, which was known as manhattan field after the construction of polo grounds 3 next to it. Polo grounds 3 burned down and was replaced by polo grounds 4(the last version)
Funny enough PG2 and PG3 coexisted for the entire life of PG3, which after being destroyed by fire in 1911, was replaced by PG4 and manhattan field was also razed.
Did polo grounds move locations entirely? I look it up and it says it was on 110 between 5th and 6th but all the pictures look like its damn near built up on the bank of the harlem river.
The first PG was actually a polo field on 110th Street used by the early Giants for their home games The City of NY decided to extend public streets through the field so the Giants found a new home along the Harlem/East River, I believe at 155th Street. This all-wood stadium was destroyed by fire one night very soon after the start of the 1911season. The Giants then rented Hilltop Park, home of the NY Highlanders (soon to be the NY Yankees) until their new steel and concrete Polo Grounds was ready at the tail end of the 1911 season. This stadium was expanded in 1923 to assume the final and famous horseshoe shape. Final seating capacity when completely finished was 55,000 until demolition in 1963. @@WhiteUnity
Interesting but your voice is annoying. Hard to watch the video. Maybe you can have your neighbor narrate it next time?
Right annoying as fuck 😂
You can say that agaaaaain!
Guys 😅😅
Montreal Forum?
You’re calling Citi Field a swing and a miss? Dude you are way off!
I think that's the better ballpark in NYC.
@@jonstefanik9400 I might be very biased about this, but when I went to the new yankee stadium, it felt more like a museum than a ballpark
Citigroup, Inc., Citibank division Field is a beautiful 😍 ballpark. 👌
Old Boston Garden is just like Old Madison Square Garden.
Boston Garden was originally called Boston Madison Square Garden, as MSG envisioned becoming a nationwide chain. The Depression put and end to that.
I’ve been to shed stadium in 2008
Cheapest those Yankees stadium seats went for was over $1,000 n they sold everything even the bricks to the old stadium
also with comiskey park, you never mentioned this ua-cam.com/video/GOcgF0tb2D4/v-deo.html
The polo grounds was demolished in 1964 not 1964
Shea had the crappiest blue color ever.
You can't hit a grand slam at polo grounds center field,looks impossible it's so damn far out...lol
Two guys hit one out there; Joe Adock and Lou Brock.
Where's tiger stadium
How could one restore a polo grounds because the stadium is replaced by apartments. There is NO way. Plus why MLB wastes the money to make a theme park stadium like Iowa, it's neat sure, but only for the super rich. And what good could be done w the money instead. All this waste on MLB, too many jerseys too ma y LEDs junky screens. It's wasteful and a turn off to the game as it's played now. Manfred is not done any good. Play a game at Cooperstown like det. And ATL did in the 8os
The retractable roofs look ugly
Just like ohio
Farts
I think shea stadium is better than citi field
I agree
LOL. Citi Field > DUMP.
I agree too! Shea was my childhood going to Mets games. I been to all 3 Mets stadiums and Shea will always be my favorite ballpark
Does this guy sound familiar to anyone
Yes I think he kind of sounds like jomboy
Kaminsky. duprissed jonjur