Is the era of new MLB ballparks coming to an end?

[peanut gallery]

Originally Posted by brickell

The new logo, thew new team colors

I'm with you on these especially. Not to mention that hideous, seizure-inducing thing they're building to celebrate HRs. The current colors, logo, uniform, etc are nice. They should have stuck with it.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by brickell

The new logo, thew new team colors, the poor design of said garages, the fact that they've been advertising that the roof will basically be closed for every game... plus some personal stuff means I won't be able see many if any games at the new stadium, puts a bit of sour grapes onto it.

i was looking more for specific architectural criticisms of the new ballpark itself, not ancillary stuff like team logos or parking garages.

why are they going through the exorbitant expense of building a retractable roof stadium if they just intend to leave it closed all the time? don't they know that indoor baseball sucks ass.

[bobdreamz]

^ I heard that the roof will be closed about 70% of the time not 100% of the time but that is speculation at this point. It rains everyday in Miami during the summer but I really don't believe it will be closed that much as has been reported in the media. Just look at what happened to last night's World Series game.

[brickell]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

i was looking more for specific architectural criticisms of the new ballpark itself, not ancillary stuff like team logos or parking garages.

why are they going through the exorbitant expense of building a retractable roof stadium if they just intend to leave it closed all the time? don't they know that indoor baseball sucks ass.

No, they apparently do not know that. But we will see how it pans out. To be honest, the rest of it I just don't know enough about, I haven't been in it yet. As for the parking garages, they're pretty imposing and really block off the stadium from the surrounding neighborhood. They're part and parcel of the stadium, so you can't really compare one without the other.

Originally Posted by bobdreamz

^ I heard that the roof will be closed about 70% of the time not 100% of the time but that is speculation at this point. It rains everyday in Miami during the summer but I really don't believe it will be closed that much as has been reported in the media. Just look at what happened to last night's World Series game.

I'm just going by what David Sampson has said and that they advertise that each game will be an air conditioned 75 degrees. I just don't' see how that will be possible for even 85% of the games if the roof is open. I really abhor indoor baseball too.

[mhays]

If it's 80+ and humid, I'd sure as hell want to be in air conditioning.

Hell, if it's 70 and not humid but in the sun, I'd want shade. How people can sit in the sun is beyond me.

Seattle has a retractable roof though it's just an "umbrella" and not an enclosure. We don't use the roof very often and even then it's often just for a short time -- Seattle gets a fraction of Miami's summer rain -- but during the shoulder seasons in particular, it gives people reassurance beforehand, when they'd otherwise wonder if the game might get cancelled and might get rained on.

Two of my favorite things about baseball are the designated hitter rule, which above all reduces the substitutions of the boring NL game, and never, ever getting rained out.

On that note, back when we had NBA in Seattle, one of those games was rained out. Somewhat unusual.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by mhays

How people can sit in the sun is beyond me.

Easy. Copious amounts of ice cold Old Style.


i went to an indoor baseball game once at the old metrodome. it was the worst experience of my life, like going to a funeral for a dozen children. i hope never to repeat it.

[mhays]

We used to have one of those here too, only without the Metrodome's charm. I went to a handful of games there. A horrible facility. But not all bad.

[arkhitektor]

I'm sure this isn't supposed to be its most flattering view, but good lord, it looks like a spaceship landed in a residential neighborhood.

[mhays]

True. When the roof comes toward you it must be like Independence Day.