January 27, 2008 [LINK / comment]

Crosley Field update

The Crosley Field page has been updated with corrected diagrams as well as additional diagrams for 1912, 1927, and 1938. There are still a few inconsistencies, and I came up with a few slightly different estimates than what are published in Phil Lowry's Green Cathedrals. (The previous edition gave the left field and right field dimensions as 360 feet, which I knew was utterly impossible!) I learned a lot in the process of doing research, such as the fact that until late 1935, the famous outfield slope was only in left field. Because the light towers were a crucial feature, I included them in the Crosley Field diagrams, and will do likewise in future diagram updates.

Stadium page upgrades

The Crosley Field page is the first one to feature some aesthetic and functional enhancements that I have been planning for some time. For one thing, the layout of the dynamic diagram interface has been integrated with links to other stadiums (prior and subsequent), as well as the diagram key. What is especially cool is being able to compare the stadium with the prior one used by the team (if any), as well as the subsequent one (if any). The links to other stadiums will no longer appear on the bottom of the stadium pages. Within the next week or so, all stadium pages will adhere to this new standard, which should make it easier and more pleasant to navigate from one page to another. Until I get all that finished, there are bound to be a number of minor formatting glitches in the baseball pages, so please pardon the "construction mess."

While I was at it, I redid the Baseball banner image.

Marlins keep hoping

I've heard this one many times before, but the Marlins are getting desperate, and everyone knows that if they don't get a stadium deal soon, they will be forced to move out of the Miami area. The Marlins will pay at least $150 million toward the half-billion dollar retractable-roof stadium project. Negotiations are nearing a critical phase, and I hope they finally succeed in "getting to yes." See MLB.com.