Consider a new Dodger Stadium but keep your mitts off Wrigley

Don't even think about it

I’m still trying to decide how I feel about BG’s comment on a new Dodger Stadium. On the one hand, the current stadium has developed some history, and when you see it on TV, it’s instantly recognizable. On the other hand, when you see it in person, it’s just sort of . . . eh.

Besides, today’s baseball stadium architects do a pretty good job. (Even the eternally crappy Pirates have a cool park, thanks to that yellow bridge in the background.) So I imagine they’d do a pretty good job in L.A. Maybe they could even do a mission-style stadium, capturing the Spanish architecture at Chavez Ravine.

But, as I watched the Dodgers drill the Cubs tonight, one thought came to my mind: Not Wrigley.

Yeah, yeah, I know — the concrete’s falling. The steel beams obstruct views. Well, I say, “Pflllllt!” Keep your hands off Wrigley.

Seriously, the place has charm unmatched by any new park. Or Fenway — not that I’ve ever been there.

The first MLB game I ever saw in person was at Wrigley — when the Bobby Murcer-led Cubs played the Big Red Machine. (Yeah, I’m old. Big deal – you’ll still die before I do.) But it’s not just nostalgia — the place has charm: The ivy, the buildings behind it, the old clock/score board.

Besides, it’s just common business sense. Do you think the lame-o Cubs would sell out as many games were it not for Wrigley? Hell no – fans would go see the White Sox, who actually gave Chicago fans a championship after decades of misery.

Of course, they tore down the old Comiskey Park and replaced it with that bore with the coporate name.  Unfortunately for the Sox, they built that before designers realized that retro is cool. Still, it shows there are no guarantees that a new park will look good. 

So while I’m at it, keep your hands off Fenway, too. I get so sick of sports team owners crying about needing new stadiums all the time (The Colts got a new stadium after just 20 years in the Hoosier Dome!), only so they can sack taxpayers and fans, then turn around and raise ticket prices so only jerks like Donald Trump can afford to see games live.

And that new Yankee Stadium? Sucks. It’s clearly made for the sole purpose of providing overpriced seats to richies who claim to like baseball.

Why would you tear down the place where Babe Ruth once played?

Anyway, the Dodgers . . .

Still cruising. Could L.A. claim two sports championships in one year?