A's New Stadium?

[yankeessuck013]

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050812&content_id=1167761&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

 

OAKLAND -- A's owner Lew Wolff unveiled his plan on Friday for a new stadium on industrial land not more than a few Eric Chavez homers away from McAfee Coliseum.

 

Offering an artist's rendition of the proposed site, which would feature a hotel or condominiums and retail shops, Wolff conceded that the plan will require the clearing of several political and financial hurdles

[Manny Goes Boom]

That would be interesting, they need their own place, and a hotel would be crazy at a ballpark

[See Red]

Actually, Manny Goes Boom, the Rogers Centre does have a Hotel inside of it with 70 rooms overlooking the field.

[26 to 6]

I dont know if any of you have All Star Baseball 2004 and/or 2005 (that was my favorite baseball game franchise before Acclaim went down) but they have the future stadiums in the game, and the A's ballpark was pretty nice, as was the hotel. Obviously the plans might be a little different now, as when the games were made they used the most recent stadium proposals (i.e. the Yankee and Shea Stadiums that were proposed by Mayor Giuliani, the proposed Fenway before they signed on to stay in the current one, etc..), but if the stadium looks anything like the one in the game, then thats definately a plus.

 

Personally, I think one Bay Area team is enough, which is why I was hoping Reggie's bid would get the A's (he actually bid more, but the winners were friends of Selig's. He has a tendancy to award the teams to friends/associates of his, regardless of if there are any higher bids. Like Henry getting the Sox.) and then he could have moved them to Vegas as he planned, but with the popularity that is going to arise with this new stadium, then I think 2 teams could wor for the Bay Area.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

yeah, i had ASB 2004 and the A's stadium was pretty nice in it. I liked the future fenway too. But only 35,000 seats at that new stadium? That's not much. If they start to put together a few very big seasons soon then they will be complaining they need more seats and they need to expand, like the red sox are doing.

[yeszir]

So the A's gimmick to get people to go to their games is to make people live in a stadium complex?

[Sizzlin22]

PRetty much yes. I do like that idea though. Definitly a good way to add revenue.

[riverside sluggers]

pic of oakland A's stadium plans

[riverside sluggers]

yeah it might become the smallest ballpark in the majors, but Fenway will always be known as "America's most beloved ballpark"

[yankeessuck013]

pic of oakland A's stadium plans

 

like how it looks, reminds me of coors field

[riverside sluggers]

best park's plans that i like is for the new Washington Nationals ballpark that will open around 2009, its right on the riverfront, very cool looking. I'd go there to see a game

[BSL63087]

I think it looks kinda stupid

[riverside sluggers]

Boston's original plans for a new ballpark werent all that bad, keeping the Green Monster and the foul poles--it would have had a seating capacity of 44,130

[Sox fan in Tex]

It kind of looks cool. I guess you could also call it, "different"

[riverside sluggers]

the redone yawkey way

[yankeessuck013]

Boston's original plans for a new ballpark werent all that bad, keeping the Green Monster and the foul poles--it would have had a seating capacity of 44,130

 

yeah, i really liked those plans, like 3 levels and those seats to straightaway center

[riverside sluggers]

pics have been saved on my comp since like 2000 when the plans were released, haha

[yankeessuck013]

when does someone think we will get a new park....because fenway cant last forever....can it?

[riverside sluggers]

A proposal for a replacement for Fenway Park, made by then team CEO John Harrington on May 15, 1999, had the Red Sox moving across Yawkey Way into a bigger, modern version of Fenway Park, similar in design to the retro-style ballparks of Camden Yards in Baltimore and Jacobs Field in Cleveland. It would have been built on 15.5 acres bounded by Yawkey Way, Brookline Avenue, and Boylston Street, retained the old field dimensions and made to look like Fenway.

 

The field would have faced the same direction and many of the landmarks beyond the old outfield walls would have been visible from the new park, such as the Citgo sign. Portions of the old ballpark would have been torn down eventually to make room for new development in what is now center field, the bleachers, and first-base side of the ballpark. But the plans also envision part of the old Fenway Park being turned into a baseball museum and park. The new plan would have allowed construction to take place while the Red Sox continued to play in Fenway Park.

 

Citing the economic obsolesence of Fenway Park as the reason, the Boston Red Sox wanted to be in a new stadium by 2003. Without the addition of 10,000 seats, including more luxury suites and other premium seats, the team said it would fall behind other teams in paying the player salaries needed to stay competitive on the field. The Red Sox were willing to pay the entire cost of a 44,130 seat replacement for Fenway Park, which was built in 1912 and seated 33,871 in 1999, but wanted public funds for such upgrades as improved transportation. The Red Sox were not considering selling private seat licenses in a new stadium and expected construction to cost about $350 million. In 1999, Massachusetts was the only state where there were four professional teams playing in privately financed facilities, so the Red Sox didn't expect public funds to be available for the stadium.

 

Leading up to the announcement to build adjacent to Fenway Park, there were several sites discussed as a possible location for a new Red Sox ballpark. The team's original preference was a site on the south side of Fort Point Channel near Summer Street which featured parking and proximity to mass transit. Another proposed location was the South Bay section of the Crossroads at Massachusetts Avenue site which straddled the Southeast Expressway. Both of these sites made headlines as possible locations of a proposed Megaplex which would have included a new Red Sox ballpark, a convention center and a domed stadium for the NFL's New England Patriots. In the spring of 1996 a Hood dairy plant in Charlestown which was the property of one of the Red Sox owners was proposed as a site for a new ballpark. Later, there was discussion about refurbishing Fenway Park or rebuilding it on its current site. An organization called Save Fenway Park! was organized in 1998 to promote ways to preserve the old ballpark.

[riverside sluggers]

New Fenway Features:

 

---The entrance to the new park would have been through what is now Yawkey Way, which would have been turned into a pedestrian walkway between the preserved sections of old Fenway and the main entrance to the new ballpark.

---The new ballpark would have had about 35 percent more space and over 10,000 more seats. It would also have had 100 luxury boxes, at least 5,000 premium club seats, upgraded concession areas, wider seats and bigger aisles.

---Restroom facilities would have been increased from eight for women and eleven for men to twenty-two for each.

---The Red Sox had said there would be no corporate name attached to the new park.

---Most of the characteristics and quirky dimensions of the playing field would have stayed the same, including the "Green Monster," Pesky's Pole, the center field triangle and the bullpens in front of the right field bleachers.

---The 1912 Tapestry Wall along the Gate A entrance on Yawkey Way, the infield, a large portion of the "Green Monster" and the manual scoreboard would have been preserved where they stand. In that area, a Red Sox Baseball Museum, Hall of Fame, and children's educational center would have been built.

---The team considered putting a ladder on the new left field wall.

---There would have been a red seat to commemorate where Ted Williams' 502-foot homer would have landed in the new park.

[yankeessuck013]

New Fenway Features:

 

---The entrance to the new park would have been through what is now Yawkey Way, which would have been turned into a pedestrian walkway between the preserved sections of old Fenway and the main entrance to the new ballpark.

---The new ballpark would have had about 35 percent more space and over 10,000 more seats. It would also have had 100 luxury boxes, at least 5,000 premium club seats, upgraded concession areas, wider seats and bigger aisles.

---Restroom facilities would have been increased from eight for women and eleven for men to twenty-two for each.

---The Red Sox had said there would be no corporate name attached to the new park.

---Most of the characteristics and quirky dimensions of the playing field would have stayed the same, including the "Green Monster," Pesky's Pole, the center field triangle and the bullpens in front of the right field bleachers.

---The 1912 Tapestry Wall along the Gate A entrance on Yawkey Way, the infield, a large portion of the "Green Monster" and the manual scoreboard would have been preserved where they stand. In that area, a Red Sox Baseball Museum, Hall of Fame, and children's educational center would have been built.

---The team considered putting a ladder on the new left field wall.

---There would have been a red seat to commemorate where Ted Williams' 502-foot homer would have landed in the new park.

 

ahhh....stop you are getting me excited for nothing

[yeszir]

This is about the A's here, not the sox. Fenway is not being demolished, thankfully. So stop talking about it!

[riverside sluggers]

i didnt say I was for it!! I was just talking about what the proposed plans were backn in 2000, Fenway cant be torn down since in 1912 it will be protected by the historical society as it becomes officially 100 years old. A new park wont even be talked about again for like another 15/20 years im betting on

[yankeessuck013]

someone here said that the red sox wanted to put in seats like they do at wrigley, with the seats on top of buildings. anyone have any info on this, articles, pics?

[riverside sluggers]

oh yeah i had mentioned that before, i heard about that watching the NESN pre-game report last week while they were talking to larry lucchino, he said that its at top of their list and could be in store for 06 or 07

[yankeessuck013]

that would be pretty cool IMO

[riverside sluggers]

yeah he said that would require the removal of the dunkin donuts billboard and another billboard