Get ready to buy a piece of Tiger Stadium

This spring the city of Detroit hopes to have an online auction for seats, signs, and any other salvageable items from the historic Tiger Stadium. The hope is that the auction will be structured in such a way that a few buyers will not be able to purchase the bulk of the items and then resell them at a huge markup. I wouldn't mind a couple of seats from the stadium. Perhaps the sign to the visitors locker room that says, "No Visitors Allowed." I kid you not, it actually said that.

For more info check out the Detroit Free Press article.

Tiger Stadium to be Torn Down This Fall

All I can say is I am so glad that there will not be a Wal-Mart standing at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. That being said, I feel as though the wind has been knocked from my chest to hear the finality of Tiger Stadium. We all knew (or we were about 99.99% sure) that Tiger Stadium was not going to see the light of day as a ballpark in the future. What we did not know was if anything would remain to show the rich history of "The Corner." According to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's plan about 10% of the stadium may remain. The field, locker room, press box, and some of the seating would remain if this plan is approved. A ring of residential housing and shops would surround the field. A historic salvage consultant will be evaluating what parts of the stadium and seating could be sold to the public (Yes! Sign me up for a couple of seats!) as a form of fundraising.

Say so long, to Tiger Stadium this fall. The next baseball game you will see played there will probably be a Little League game as that is what planners are going to gear it towards. How lucky would those kids be?

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Numerous memories and thoughts are flickering through my mind. I just read about this in the Detroit Free Press and have yet to fully process the news. So, I will end this post with some random histories and memories of Tiger Stadium.

• Lou Gehrig ended his playing streak at 2,130 games at what was then Briggs Stadium in 1939
• The championship seasons of 1968 and 1984
• Dramatic late season comeback of 1987
• Unfortunate loss to underdog Minnesota Twins in 1987 ALCS (Tigers last postseason action)
• The flagpole in-play just left of dead-center field
• 11,111 home runs with the final home run a grand slam by Robert Fick that hit the top of the roof in right field. It was also the last hit at Tiger Stadium
• Sign above the visitors' clubhouse used to read: "Visitors’ Clubhouse - No Visitors Allowed."
• They put in lights in 1948. The last old ballpark to do so before Wrigley Field.
• Ernie Harwell, longtime Tigers announcer

Replace Tiger Stadium With Target? Ugh!

Today's Free Press has another article in the ongoing saga of the "will they or won't they demolish tiger stadium" fiasco. Tiger Stadium's odds of being demolished are pretty good. The cash strapped city of Detroit can not keep paying Mike Ilitch for maintenance (what maintenance?) and security and there have not been any well researched plans for an alternative use of the stadium. The article claims that the worst-case scenario would be for there to just be another vacant lot once the stadium has been demolished. I say that putting some chain store like Target there would be much worse to see. At least with a vacant lot there could at least be a plaque of some kind commemorating the history of Tiger Stadium.

What would a store like Target do? Change their store's color scheme to Tiger blue and orange?

Anyway, a cooler idea also proposed in the article is to demolish the stadium, but keep the playing field and surround it with smaller stores, apartments, and condos. How cool would it be to live there and have the playing field of Tiger Stadium in your backyard as a park?

All I know is that I would love to be able to have a couple of the chairs from the stadium. They could auction stuff off and donate the proceeds to a charity. A win-win situation for fans and the city.

A Brief History of Corey Lake

Fabius Township in St. Joe County is home to Corey Lake. It was believed that Joshua Corry was one of the first pioneers to settle upon the lake’s shore and the lake took the moniker of its original inhabitant. However, there are no records of him residing here, which might mean that he was only a land speculator. The change in spelling from Corry to Corey is most likely due to using a more common form of spelling Corey. A prairie adjoining the lake was referred to as “johnny-cake prairie” due to its flatness. Visitors from Illinois and Indiana still make their summer homes on this large beautiful lake. It was also used as the hunting grounds of Chief Sangamon and his tribe.

Encounters with the Indians, wild bears, deer, and wolves made for some interesting stories and tales of this area. Local timber wolves were quite vicious and killed numerous pigs and calves. One story goes that a local farm boy came upon a rustling noise near the cattle. It appeared as a ‘big dark bush’ and when it growled the boy shot and killed the bear keeping its cubs as pets.

The grandeur and splendor of days gone by were shown in The Grand View Hotel, Richelieu Lodge, and Pulver Farm (a country home on the edge of the lake open to visitors). Dudds Motor Boat Sales and Service Station, Poe’s Filling Station, and Corey Lake Pavilion were nearby.

One of the first plats filed for Corey Lake was in 1835. The YMCA Camp Eberhart located on Corey Lake was started around 1910. Much has changed around the lake since it’s humble beginnings and early settlement. Million dollar homes are not so rare and the quaintness and quiet has been replaced with privacy fences and large speedboats.

Detroit Wonk's Thoughts About Tiger Stadium

Chris over at the Detroit Wonk blog has an interesting post asking Could Tiger Stadium Have Been Saved? Here's my previous post regarding my thoughts about the possible demolition of Tiger Stadium