June 6, 2009 [LINK / comment]

Judge saves Tiger Stadium

Two days ago I wrote that Tiger Stadium (or the remnants thereof) could be demolished in a matter of weeks or months, because city officials in Detroit are on a vendetta against it. It turns out, however, that it was a lot closer than that. On Tuesday the city rejected the latest redevelopment/preservation plan presented by the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, and wrecking crews wasted no time, getting started on Friday. Two hours later, Judge Isidore Torres granted a request for a temporary restraining order, saving what's left of the ballpark from imminent doom, for now at least. Attorneys for for both sides will be at a court hearing on Monday morning. See the Detroit Free Press.

Sicks' Stadium update

The Sick's Stadium Sicks' Stadium diagram has been revised, with an enhanced profile and greater attention to details such as the light towers. Most notable among the corrections are that the roof extends a few feet farther forward than I had previously estimated, and foul territory is smaller. Sicks' Stadium was home of the ill-fated Seattle Pilots, one of only two major league teams to only last one year; they moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers in 1970. That takes care of the first two ballparks in Seattle, with just SAFECO Field to go...

Target Field "topped off"

Good news from Minneapolis: construction workers have put in place the final structural steel beam at Target Field, which is now more than 75 percent completed. The crew celebrated the "topping off" by having a barbecue lunch. See startribune.com; hat tip to David Pinto. The folks in the Twins Cities have a lot to look forward to next year, as the future home of the Twins has a very unique architectural design. It will boost the fan experience immeasurably, and will add a lot to life in downtown Minneapolis.

It was just a little over two years ago that the same construction milestone was reached in Washington, at Nationals Park. How time flies!

U.Va. evens series

UPDATE: In the NCAA Super Regionals, the U.Va. Cavaliers were down 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, but staged a two-run rally to take the lead and win the game against Ole Miss. That evens the series at 1-1, and the deciding game in the series will be at 3:00 PM tomorrow, broadcast nationwide on ESPN. After that, the winners go on to Omaha for the College World Series. It's ironic that U.Va. was playing as the "home" team, since the tournament is being held in the home field of Ole Miss!

Big league gratitude is owed to U.Va. alumnus Ryan Zimmerman, who just made a $250,000 contribution to the Virginia Athletics Foundation to help out the Cavalier baseball program. More specifically, it will be used to expand Davenport Field. See virginiasports.com.