I’m not a Detroit Tigers fan, but as a baseball fan in general I was nonetheless saddened by this Detroit News article stating the last days of Tiger Stadium may be very well at hand.

A Brief History

Tiger Stadium was opened at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues as Navin Field on 20 April, 1912, five days after the sinking of the RMS Titanic. It was built by the owner of the Tigers, Frank Navin, on a site occupied by an older ballpark built in 1895. Tiger Stadium’s greatest contemporary, Boston’s Fenway Park, was opened the very same day, and is still very much in use. My Oma (great-grandmother), Elizabeth Teresa Hittner, had only left the Austro-Hungarian Empire to settle in this country two years before.

Over the years the stadium was enlarged from the original capacity of 23,000 to a final number of 52,416 fans. The name was changed to Briggs Stadium in 1938, two days after Walter Briggs III bought the Tigers. The name changed one last time, when new owner John Fetzer changed it to Tiger Stadium after he bought the team in 1961.

Tiger Stadium was declared a State of Michigan Historic Site in 1975. In addition, it has maintained a listing on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989. On 27 September, 1999, the last Tigers game was played in the venerable old place. The next year the Tigers moved to Comerica Park, and since then Tiger Stadium has been almost completely dormant.

Current Situation

The City of Detroit, which has owned the stadium since 1977, has paid close to $4 million to Tigers owner Mike Ilitch, who has the operating rights to the venue. Most notable in that time period was the filming of Billy Crystal’s 61*, a film about the home run race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in the summer of 1961. The stadium was given a cosmetic makeover to resemble Yankee Stadium as it would have appeared at that time, and after the filming of the movie was over Tiger Stadium was returned to normal condition. Yankee Stadium was unavailable for filming, as it would have been in use for Yankees games throughout the summer.

The most recent events at the stadium have been somewhat galling. Anheuser-Busch hosted the 2006 Bud Bowl, an advertising event held in conjunction with the NFL’s Super Bowl which was being played at Detroit’s Ford Field. The Detroit Free Press used the opportunity to snap pictures of the inside of the stadium, revealing evidence (such as trees growing in the seats) that would suggest maintenance of the stadium has all but stopped, despite the citizens of Detroit paying to keep the place up. The structure remains sound, but time and weather are slowly crumbling the building.

The Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, made a pledge to find a solution to the situation by the end of this year, and the outlook is bleak. Detroit has rejected several proposals to convert the stadium into loft-style housing, a jail, and a Wal-Mart. Opponents of demolition say the stadium is being purposely neglected, and that the city long ago made the decision to raze the structure. A preservationist group, Michigan & Trumbull LLC, has offered to assume the $400,000/year payments for security and maintenance, and has also sought permission from Detroit to hold minor-league baseball games and other events in the stadium, all without success.

A Comparison

All this calls reminds me of events in my hometown which surrounded the two junior high school buildings, one of which is about the same age as Tiger Stadium. The school district, eager to build a new middle school out in the suburbs, brought in a number of “experts” to declare the buildings structurally unsound, unsafe for children due to asbestos and other contaminants. Bricks mysteriously rained down into the cafeteria from the chimney early one spring, and pressure was put on the town to pass a referendum to build a new school.

The referendum passed, and a few years later the school buildings stood vacant. But not for long. Ironically, the historic Winona County Courthouse suffered water damage, and the entire County moved into the old junior high, even holding court in former classrooms while the Courthouse itself was repaired. Afterward, there was talk of selling the buildings to developers to convert the structures to condos or housing for the elderly, despite the “contamination” from asbestos, etc. Eventually, the buildings were sold and remodeled, and now feature the nicest apartments available in the city, nestled in downtown.

Tiger Stadium was similarly forsaken by Mike Illitch and the Tigers, which contrasts drastically with the attitudes of the Boston Red Sox toward Fenway Park, and the Chicago Cubs toward Wrigley Field, both of which are considered an integral part of those franchises’ identities.

But if Illitch and the Tigers wish to move on, another much more powerful ally for Tiger Stadium very well could be found - Major League Baseball itself. Given some honest work (no small task, considering the MLB), Tiger Stadium once again could be a shining jewel in the crown of the entire sport.

A Proposal

The first World Baseball Classic, a sort of World Cup for the sport, is in the process of unfolding this spring. Sixteen teams from around the globe have entered in a round-robin competition, with preliminary rounds held in the following venues: Tokyo Dome, Chase Field in Phoenix, Cracker Jack Stadium in Walt Disney World, and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico. The semi-final and final rounds will take place at San Diego’s PETCO Park.

The WBC is proving to be an interesting event, particularly because this is the first time players from the American major leagues have entered in open competition with players from other countries. The United States’ Summer Olympic teams typically feature collegiate and minor-league players, as the Games conflict with the major league season.

Critics of the WBC seem to be most unhappy with the time of year the event is held. Most suggest that, while playing the preliminary rounds during spring training, a truer sense of drama would be to postpone the semi-final and final rounds until the MLB’s annual All-Star Game, creating a true Midsummer Classic. Jayston Stark of ESPN has already covered the particulars of that position, so I won’t get into all the machinations here, but I do want to talk about how Tiger Stadium figures in that plan.

Given a week-long All-Star break, there would be plenty of time for all the players, American and international, to travel from the All-Star Game to Detroit. The city has a large, well-connected airport which can handle the influx of players and fans. Comerica Park could serve as a second facility for teams to practice at, while a renovated Tiger Stadium would host the semi-final and championship rounds of the WBC.

Why grant Tiger Stadium the status of permanent home for the WBC Championship? The place is soaked in history. Tiger Stadium has hosted six World Series (1934, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968, and 1984) and three All-Star Games (1941, 1951 and 1971). Babe Ruth hit his 700th career home run there, and legends of the game like Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, Mickey Cochrane, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, and Jack Morris all called Tiger Stadium home. What better way to honor and continue the historic past of the building than by assembling the finest ballplayers on the planet at the site for a competition every four years?

Of course, the stadium would need to fill a purpose during the three years between events. That’s where the second phase of kicks in.

Bud Selig has been Commissioner (or Acting Commissioner) of Major League Baseball since 1992, and his current term expires 31 December, 2007. Bud has been particularly concerned about his legacy, and the World Baseball Classic figures to be a high point in his portfolio.

Though the mailing address for the Commissioner’s office has remained on Park Avenue in New York, the majority of people involved in the baseball world have known for years that Bud rules out of Milwaukee, where he was a used car salesman prior to becoming owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. I don’t think the location of the Commissioner’s office is as important is it might seem, but Milwaukee does seem a bit off the beaten path.

In turn, I suggest that Major League Baseball buy Tiger Stadium from the City of Detroit, renovate it, and move the Office of the Commissioner to a suite in the building. Surrounding buildings could be purchased for league offices and the like, and the increased activity in the area would further stimulate the still-struggling economy of Detroit. For old times’ sake, have the Tigers drop by every so often to play a few games. I guarantee fans will show up for fifteen games a year at the old park. Hold some collegiate games there, as well, to give young hopefuls the opportunity to step on a diamond where so many of the all-time greats have trodden.

Baseball, more than any other American sport, is intimately linked to its past. The legends of the game continue to make their presence felt, decades after their last day in uniform. The MLB needs to realize this connection, step in, and do the right thing. Just because Tiger Stadium is old doesn’t mean it’s not worth saving.

The next World Baseball Classic will be held in 2009. If Bud can get this done, he’ll be doing the sport, and his legacy, a huge favor.

If you’re interested in helping to preserve Tiger Stadium, please visit theFriends of Tiger Stadium website for more information. To take a virtual tour of the stadium, click here.