Stadium Remains- Part Seven - Metropolitan Stadium

Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was home of the Minnesota Twins from their inception in 1961 through the end of the 1981 season. At that point the Twins (and the NFL Vikings) moved to the Metrodome. The stadium was abandoned for a few years before its demolition in 1985. The site of the stadium remained an unmarked vacant lot until 1992 when the massive Mall of America opened.

Home Plate Marker
As I always do when visiting MLB cities, I try to find the remains and/or historic markers of old ballparks. This one was actually quite easy to find as its in the middle of the largest shopping mall in the country. The home plate marker (pictured above) is located inside of an indoor amusement park called "Nickelodeon Universe".

"Log Flume" Ride with Old Stadium Seat
Located 520 feet from the home plate marker is the Log Flume ride. Up on the wall beyond the ride is a seat from the old stadium.

Metropolitan Stadium Seat with Killebrew banner
The seat represents the longest home run in the history of the Met. Hit by Harmon Killebrew on June 3, 1957, the home run traveled 520 feet into the far reaches of the stadium's bleachers. There is also a small plaque detailing Killebrew's achievements at the Log Flume.

Nickelodeon Universe Map with location of the Seat and Home Plate
This is probably the easiest stadium marker to visit. It is located just off the main north/south highway only a few miles south of Minneapolis. The theme park does not charge admission to enter and is located in the center of the gigantic shopping mall.

To see other images of the Met markers click HERE.

Check out images of Metropolitan Stadium before demolition at The Stadium Graveyard.

Stadium Remains - Part Six - Polo Grounds

The sixth ballpark profiled in the "Stadium Remains" series is The Polo Grounds. The Polo Grounds was the home of the New York Giants from 1890-1957. Additionally, the Yankees (from 1913-1922) and the Mets (from 1962-1963) called the park home. The old park was also home to the football Giants and Jets/Titans. In the picture above from Google Maps you can see the layout of what remains if you would like to visit yourself



The only monument to the actual park is a plaque (pictured above) that is located on the north-west of the four towers. Home plate on the plaque actually faces the wrong direction. If you are looking directly at the plaque from close up, you would actually be standing in the lefty batter's box.



Just to the west of the Polo Grounds Towers which replaced the park is the Brush Staircase. This staircase was built in the early 1900's to allow residents of the neighborhood on the other side of Coogan's Bluff to access the Polo Grounds easily. It is still there today, but is in a state of disrepair. A few years ago, there were some articles that the SF Giants, the Mets, Yankees, NY Giants and Jets had donated money to the city for a repair. As of March 2010, no repairs have been made. When I visited, the stairwell was fenced off and un-passable.



One of the legends of the Polo Grounds was Coogan's Bluff. This was an elevated area just to the West of the park. It was high enough that people could stand on the rocks and see the game below without paying admission.



This is a closeup of the two buildings in the previous picture. Between the two towers, you get a glimpse of the old Yankee Stadium. One month after my visit, that view is no more. Yankee Stadium has just a few pieces of it still standing and will soon join the Polo Grounds in the list of extinct ballparks. If you do look just to the left, you can actually see the new Yankee Stadium.

It really isn't a bad neighborhood. If you would like to make a visit like I did, just go at a normal hour and be smart. It is easily accessable by car and the B Subway line. (155th Street Station)

You can see these and more pictures of The Polo Grounds' Remains at StadiumPage.com.

Stadium Remains - Part Five - Fulton County Stadium

Fulton County Stadium was the home of the Atlanta Braves from 1966-1996. It was a basic no-frills multipurpose stadium which also served as the home of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. As you can see from the Google Map above, Fulton was located just to the north of the site of Turner Field (the Braves current home).



Though Fulton County Stadium was demolished in mid-1997, the park was actually still standing the first time I went to Atlanta in June 1997.



By the time I made my second visit, for the 2000 All Star Game, Fulton County Stadium was gone and the Braves had put together a nice monument to the old park. The outline of the infield and outfield was placed in the parking lot. Also, the spot where Hank Aaron's record setting 715th was marked with a replica fence and sign. As it is a short walking distance from the new ballpark, it is very easy to see this historic site.

Check out these and thousands of other photos at StadiumPage.com.

Stadium Remains - Part Four - Milwaukee County Stadium

Milwaukee County Stadium opened in 1953 when the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee. The Braves played there from 1953 until they moved to Atlanta after the 1965 season. Milwaukee went without its own major league team until 1970 when the bankrupt Seattle Pilots moved to County Stadium to be the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers played in County Stadium from 1970 until 2000 until they opened Miller Park in the old stadium's parking lot in 2001.



Most of the old County Stadium field is now occupied by Helfaer Field. Helfaer is a little league sized ballpark that is used by local youth teams. On Brewers game days, the park is open to anyone to play catch or have a quick game.



Located in the third base walkway/concourse of Helfaer Field is the marker for County Stadium's home plate. Apparently, there is also a marker beyond Helfaer's left field that marks the approximate landing spot of Hank Aaron's 755th and final home run. I don't know if this was dedicated after my visit in 2005, or if I was just unaware of it. Either way, I don't have any pictures of that marker.



Located just to the north of the home plate marker is a memorial to the Milwaukee Braves. Its a really nice piece made of black and grey granite. It shows the players from the first and last Braves games and also marks the Braves' only World Championship. This is still Milwaukee's only World Championship, a seven game series which was actually clinched in Yankee Stadium. Interestingly, the Yankees returned the favor in 1958 by taking game seven at County Stadium to win the 1958 World Series.



It's a really nice set up and well worth visiting if you're going to a game at Miller Park. Although the stadium saw only 43 full seasons, it was the site of three World Series and many home runs by the great Hank Aaron.

See these images and more at StadiumPage.com.

Stadium Remains - Part Three - Comiskey Park

The third ballpark profiled in the "Stadium Remains" series is Comiskey Park. Comiskey was the home of the Chicago White Sox from 1910-1990. The old park was located just to the north of the White Sox new home, U.S. Cellular Field. In the picture above from Google Maps the brown circle marks the spot of Comiskey Park's home plate.



It is a fairly simple monument to the old ballpark. A white marker for home plate and outlines of batter's boxes an foul lines.



As the old Comiskey site is now a parking lot for US Cellular, it is a great spot for White Sox fans to tailgate before a game.



You can see more pictures of Comiskey Park and U.S. Cellular Field at StadiumPage.com.

Stadium Remains - Part Two - Shea Stadium

By popular demand, here is a profile of Shea Stadium's "remains". As Citi Field was built in Shea Stadium's parking lot, Shea Stadium's remains are in Citi's parking lot. In the picture above, taken from the last row of Citi Field's Promenade, you can see the plate, all three bases and the pitcher's mound. Home plate is at the top. The parking lot was set up quite well and no cars park directly over any of the markers. They're quite easy to find and you can see dozens of fans checking them out and posing for pictures before every game. The markers are quite nice, made what seems to be a solid brass material. Each has one of the neon figures that used to adorn the bright blue Shea facade.



Here is home plate. This is the exact spot where Ray Knight triumphantly leapt onto to score the winning run in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.



Here is the marker for the pitcher's mound. Yes, the official term in the baseball rulebook is "pitcher's plate".



Just to the south is the first base marker.



Ninety feet away is the marker for second base.



And finally, here's third base.

This is the second of an ongoing series. You can see these and thousands of other photos of current and former ballparks at StadiumPage.com.

Stadium Remains - Part One - Forbes Field

One thing I like while visiting parks in other cities is tracking down the "remains" of past ballparks. Most teams/cities place markers or leave part of the ballpark in place.


Forbes Field Home Plate
Forbes Field was the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1909-1971. It was located on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Once Three Rivers Stadium opened, Forbes was demolished to make way for Pitt's student union building. The former site of home plate is located inside the building.


Forbes Field Outfield Wall
A short distance away from the building, a portion of the outfield wall and the flagpole were left in place.


There is also a brick line that outlines the former outfield wall.

See more of the Forbes Field site at StadiumPage.com