Remembering Nostalgia: SF's Downtown Stadium - Revision history

Ccarlsson at 04:35, 24 January 2025

2025-01-24T04:35:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:35, 23 January 2025
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	[[Image:That-Was-Nothing-Wait-Til-Giants-Come-to-Bat-minutes-after-1989-quake-by-Gary-Reyes-Oak-Tribune.jpg]]		[[Image:That-Was-Nothing-Wait-Til-Giants-Come-to-Bat-minutes-after-1989-quake-by-Gary-Reyes-Oak-Tribune.jpg]]

	'''Minutes after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake at Candlestick Park where the World Series was about to start game 3.'''		'''Minutes after the [[Loma Prieta Earthquake, 1989\|1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]] at Candlestick Park where the World Series was about to start game 3.'''

	''Photo: Gary Reyes, Oakland Tribune''		''Photo: Gary Reyes, Oakland Tribune''

Ccarlsson: upgraded images

2025-01-24T04:33:15Z

upgraded images

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:33, 23 January 2025
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	''agitational flyer by Chris Carlsson, 1989''		''agitational flyer by Chris Carlsson, 1989''

	[[Image:~~basebnew$tilden_s~~-~~baseball~~-~~player~~.jpg]]		[[Image:Remembering-Nostalgia-flyer-1989.jpg\|450px]]

	~~'''Douglas Tilden's 1899 statue of a baseball player, Golden Gate Park '''~~

	~~''Photo: Chris Carlsson''~~

	{\| style="color: black; background-color: #F5DA81;"		{\| style="color: black; background-color: #F5DA81;"
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	Instead, why not put $100 million into something useful like a ''serious'' upgrade in public transportation, bicycle routes, and recreational facilities (like neighborhood ball fields!) for the citizens of SF? Or expand the community health clinic system? The needs of SF's residents far exceed what is being provided by public or private sectors, and it's high time that such grandiose expenditures be put toward those needs rather than satisfying blackmail demands from millionaires. Vote no on blackmail. See you at the 'Stick for the World Series in October!		Instead, why not put $100 million into something useful like a ''serious'' upgrade in public transportation, bicycle routes, and recreational facilities (like neighborhood ball fields!) for the citizens of SF? Or expand the community health clinic system? The needs of SF's residents far exceed what is being provided by public or private sectors, and it's high time that such grandiose expenditures be put toward those needs rather than satisfying blackmail demands from millionaires. Vote no on blackmail. See you at the 'Stick for the World Series in October!

			[[Image:That-Was-Nothing-Wait-Til-Giants-Come-to-Bat-minutes-after-1989-quake-by-Gary-Reyes-Oak-Tribune.jpg]]

			'''Minutes after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake at Candlestick Park where the World Series was about to start game 3.'''

			''Photo: Gary Reyes, Oakland Tribune''

Ccarlsson at 04:10, 24 January 2025

2025-01-24T04:10:04Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:10, 23 January 2025
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	'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Primary Source</font></font> </font>'''		'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Primary Source</font></font> </font>'''

			''agitational flyer by Chris Carlsson, 1989''

	[[Image:basebnew$tilden_s-baseball-player.jpg]]		[[Image:basebnew$tilden_s-baseball-player.jpg]]
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	''Photo: Chris Carlsson''		''Photo: Chris Carlsson''

	'''''Written in August 1989, before the Loma Prieta Earthquake, the Bay Bridge World Series or the election which defeated the downtown stadium plan by a few thousand votes, just after the quake. It was also several years before the 1994 strike which altered many fans' relationship to baseball, possibly forever. Nevertheless, new baseball stadium proposals continue to lurk over San Francisco politics, with Safeway Chairman and Giants owner Peter Magowan slowly ramping up to a new plan for a huge [[Pac Bell Ballpark\|sports/entertainment complex]] on the bayshore near China Basin. ~~(CC, 6/95)~~'''''		{\| style="color: black; background-color: #F5DA81;"
			\| colspan="2" \|'''Written in August 1989, before the Loma Prieta Earthquake, the Bay Bridge World Series or the election which defeated the downtown stadium plan by a few thousand votes, just after the quake. It was also several years before the 1994 strike which altered many fans' relationship to baseball, possibly forever. Nevertheless, new baseball stadium proposals continue to lurk over San Francisco politics, with Safeway Chairman and Giants owner Peter Magowan slowly ramping up to a new plan for a huge [[Pac Bell Ballpark\|sports/entertainment complex]] on the bayshore near China Basin. ''—Chris Carlsson'', June 1995'''
			\|}

	The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, children scampering through the stands, cigar smoke wafting amid the suds and peanut shells, "HOT DOG! RED HOT HOT DOG!" bellows a vendor, "COLD BEEEEER" chimes in another . . . Ah, baseball. Baseball's popularity is on the rise again, capitalizing on the middle-aging baby boomers' desire for those elusive qualities of human society: history, continuity, community.		The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, children scampering through the stands, cigar smoke wafting amid the suds and peanut shells, "HOT DOG! RED HOT HOT DOG!" bellows a vendor, "COLD BEEEEER" chimes in another . . . Ah, baseball. Baseball's popularity is on the rise again, capitalizing on the middle-aging baby boomers' desire for those elusive qualities of human society: history, continuity, community.
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	And this year we Bay Area baseball junkies are getting as much of the good stuff as we can stand: not one, but TWO contenders, and a really good chance for the long-dreamed-of Bay Bridge World Series. For Giants' owner Bob Lurie and the Spectacor Corporation which has the inside track to build the new stadium, should it be approved by SF voters in the fall, conditions could hardly be better. The enthusiasm generated by a winning team is the key requirement to winning the hearts and votes of the city's fans.		And this year we Bay Area baseball junkies are getting as much of the good stuff as we can stand: not one, but TWO contenders, and a really good chance for the long-dreamed-of Bay Bridge World Series. For Giants' owner Bob Lurie and the Spectacor Corporation which has the inside track to build the new stadium, should it be approved by SF voters in the fall, conditions could hardly be better. The enthusiasm generated by a winning team is the key requirement to winning the hearts and votes of the city's fans.

	The campaign to "save" the Giants is already in high gear, with Mayor Agnos diving into it with the full weight of his office and his opportunistic instincts. This campaign relies on perpetuating a basic confusion, a vague association between building a new stadium and somehow creating the kind of intimate, warm, idiosyncratic environment we tend to associate with "real" old-fashioned baseball parks like Chicago's Wrigley Field or Boston's Fenway Park. This confusion mixes up a downtown stadium with the history of ''neighborhood'' ballparks, like the aforementioned diamonds, or Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, Cincinnati's Crosly Field, Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, and so on.		The campaign to "save" the Giants is already in high gear, with [[Mayor Art Agnos\|Mayor Agnos]] diving into it with the full weight of his office and his opportunistic instincts. This campaign relies on perpetuating a basic confusion, a vague association between building a new stadium and somehow creating the kind of intimate, warm, idiosyncratic environment we tend to associate with "real" old-fashioned baseball parks like Chicago's Wrigley Field or Boston's Fenway Park. This confusion mixes up a downtown stadium with the history of ''neighborhood'' ballparks, like the aforementioned diamonds, or Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, Cincinnati's Crosly Field, Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, and so on.

	Here in San Francisco we had such a neighborhood ballpark at 16th and Bryant (now the home of the SF Auto Center and Safeway), from 1931-1960 called ~~[[1931-WWII: The Seals\|~~Seals Stadium]]. It was an open grandstand facing east and south, seating about 25,000, and it was considered the finest in the United States when it was first built. A number of bars and diners lined Bryant Street across from the park (the Double Play is still at the corner of 16th and Bryant). Workers on the waterfront, or in the many warehouses and small factories around the South of Market and Mission districts could hop an H-line streetcar, among a half dozen transit lines running near the stadium, to catch a game after work or on a weekend. The Giants played their first two seasons at Seals Stadium before moving to the "best, most modern baseball stadium in the U.S." --[[Candlestick_Swindle \| Candlestick Park]]~~-- in~~ 1960, built by ~~Mayors Robinson and~~ Christopher to lure the Giants to San Francisco.		Here in San Francisco we had such a [[Seals Stadium and Hamm's Brewery\|neighborhood ballpark at 16th and Bryant]] (now the home of the SF Auto Center and Safeway), from 1931-1960 called Seals Stadium. It was an open grandstand facing east and south, seating about 25,000, and it was considered the finest in the United States when it was first built. A number of bars and diners lined Bryant Street across from the park (the Double Play is still at the corner of 16th and Bryant). Workers on the waterfront, or in the many warehouses and small factories around the South of Market and Mission districts could hop an H-line streetcar, among a half dozen transit lines running near the stadium, to catch a game after work or on a weekend. The Giants played their first two seasons at Seals Stadium before moving to the "best, most modern baseball stadium in the U.S." —[[Candlestick_Swindle \| Candlestick Park]]—in 1960, built by [[Mayor George Christopher\|Mayor Christopher]] to lure the Giants to San Francisco.

	As an avid baseball fan I have to confess I have mixed feelings about a plan to build a new stadium. My baseball heart wants a comfortable, warm, intimate ballpark in which to idle away the lazy summer evenings and afternoons of the baseball season. But in my rational mind, I can't begin to justify this profligate waste of money. Moreover, no park, possibly excepting a domed stadium, can bring warm summer evenings to San Francisco, rendering "real" baseball an elusive goal. Beyond that, the neighborhood groups that oppose any new stadium plan area absolutely right when they decry the numerous traffic problems that will accompany any plan. Even with a new light rail line going right to the front gates of a new stadium, Bay Area residents are unlikely to abandon their cars for public transit.		As an avid baseball fan I have to confess I have mixed feelings about a plan to build a new stadium. My baseball heart wants a comfortable, warm, intimate ballpark in which to idle away the lazy summer evenings and afternoons of the baseball season. But in my rational mind, I can't begin to justify this profligate waste of money. Moreover, no park, possibly excepting a domed stadium, can bring warm summer evenings to San Francisco, rendering "real" baseball an elusive goal. Beyond that, the neighborhood groups that oppose any new stadium plan area absolutely right when they decry the numerous traffic problems that will accompany any plan. Even with a new light rail line going right to the front gates of a new stadium, Bay Area residents are unlikely to abandon their cars for public transit.
Line 51:		Line 55:
	* bring ballpark "cuisine" back from the dead?		* bring ballpark "cuisine" back from the dead?

	I've been to Candlestick in beautiful hot sunny weather and found it a perfectly fine place to see a ballgame. I've been there when there were just a few thousand shivering fans watching balls disappear into the swirling fog and garbage, and realized we've already got a fantastically idiosyncratic ballpark! With a good-sized crowd and meaningful games, even foggy, windy weather is pretty tolerable. And with a classy, winning team like this year's, the Giants are likely to break the 2 million attendance ~~mark --so~~ what's the beef? A losing team will play to an empty ''new'' stadium, with fog and wind-swirled garbage, just like Candlestick.		I've been to Candlestick in beautiful hot sunny weather and found it a perfectly fine place to see a ballgame. I've been there when there were just a few thousand shivering fans watching balls disappear into the swirling fog and garbage, and realized we've already got a fantastically idiosyncratic ballpark! With a good-sized crowd and meaningful games, even foggy, windy weather is pretty tolerable. And with a classy, winning team like this year's, the Giants are likely to break the 2 million attendance mark—so what's the beef? A losing team will play to an empty ''new'' stadium, with fog and wind-swirled garbage, just like Candlestick.

	Finally, the park is not the real issue. The real beef is owner Bob Lurie's promise to play the Giants anywhere but Candlestick after the lease expires in '94. This multi-millionaire real estate magnate has the gall to blackmail the city of SF, trying to force the city and its business and political leaders to provide yet another white elephant real estate project, as if we didn't have enough already! As a big developer, Lurie is obviously biased in favor of more development for its own sake. But I don't really think Lurie is in this for the money. No, he wants to be a civic hero, the man who "saved" the Giants for San Francisco.		Finally, the park is not the real issue. The real beef is owner Bob Lurie's promise to play the Giants anywhere but Candlestick after the lease expires in '94. This multi-millionaire real estate magnate has the gall to blackmail the city of SF, trying to force the city and its business and political leaders to provide yet another white elephant real estate project, as if we didn't have enough already! As a big developer, Lurie is obviously biased in favor of more development for its own sake. But I don't really think Lurie is in this for the money. No, he wants to be a civic hero, the man who "saved" the Giants for San Francisco.
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	Bob, be a ''real civic hero'': GIVE OWNERSHIP OF THE GIANTS TO THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO! Then, and only then, will the City have a real stake in the team, and Lurie can properly assuage his guilty real estate-speculating conscience.		Bob, be a ''real civic hero'': GIVE OWNERSHIP OF THE GIANTS TO THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO! Then, and only then, will the City have a real stake in the team, and Lurie can properly assuage his guilty real estate-speculating conscience.

	To get an idea of what we'll have if a new stadium gets built, rather than ahistorical fantasies based on Fenway or Wrigley, look at all the downtown stadiums built in the past 20 years: Riverfront in Cincinnati, Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Veterans in Philadelphia (built by SF stadium developer Spectacor), Busch in St. Louis and so ~~on--big~~, symmetrical, synthetic, ~~corporate--ironically~~, Candlestick was the first of this generation of ugly stadiums.		To get an idea of what we'll have if a new stadium gets built, rather than ahistorical fantasies based on Fenway or Wrigley, look at all the downtown stadiums built in the past 20 years: Riverfront in Cincinnati, Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Veterans in Philadelphia (built by SF stadium developer Spectacor), Busch in St. Louis and so on—big, symmetrical, synthetic, corporate—ironically, Candlestick was the first of this generation of ugly stadiums.

	Instead, why not put $100 million into something useful like a ''serious'' upgrade in public transportation, bicycle routes, and recreational facilities (like neighborhood ball fields!) for the citizens of SF? Or expand the community health clinic system? The needs of SF's residents far exceed what is being provided by public or private sectors, and it's high time that such grandiose expenditures be put toward those needs rather than satisfying blackmail demands from millionaires. Vote no on blackmail. See you at the 'Stick for the World Series in October!		Instead, why not put $100 million into something useful like a ''serious'' upgrade in public transportation, bicycle routes, and recreational facilities (like neighborhood ball fields!) for the citizens of SF? Or expand the community health clinic system? The needs of SF's residents far exceed what is being provided by public or private sectors, and it's high time that such grandiose expenditures be put toward those needs rather than satisfying blackmail demands from millionaires. Vote no on blackmail. See you at the 'Stick for the World Series in October!

	~~''--Chris Carlsson ''(1989)~~

	[[Candlestick Swindle \| Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 \| Next Document]]		[[Candlestick Swindle \| Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 \| Next Document]]

	[[category:Baseball]] [[category:dissent]] [[category:1980s]] [[category:real estate]]		[[category:Baseball]] [[category:dissent]] [[category:1980s]] [[category:real estate]]

Ccarlsson: Protected "Remembering Nostalgia: SF's Downtown Stadium": finished essay [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

2008-12-29T07:25:58Z

Protected "Remembering Nostalgia: SF's Downtown Stadium": finished essay [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

← Older revision	Revision as of 00:25, 29 December 2008
(No difference)

Ccarlsson: PC

2008-12-29T07:25:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:25, 29 December 2008
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			'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Primary Source</font></font> </font>'''

	[[Image:basebnew$tilden_s-baseball-player.jpg]]		[[Image:basebnew$tilden_s-baseball-player.jpg]]

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	''--Chris Carlsson ''(1989)		''--Chris Carlsson ''(1989)



	[[Candlestick Swindle \| Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 \| Next Document]]		[[Candlestick Swindle \| Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 \| Next Document]]

	[[category:Baseball]] [[category:dissent]] [[category:1980s]] [[category:real estate]]		[[category:Baseball]] [[category:dissent]] [[category:1980s]] [[category:real estate]]

Ccarlsson at 22:25, 2 October 2008

2008-10-02T22:25:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:25, 2 October 2008
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	* bring warmer weather, less fog and cold wind to San Francisco evenings?		* bring warmer weather, less fog and cold wind to San Francisco evenings?

	* anchor a new neighborhood with genuine community growing around it? (And I don't mean the fake community of transient lawyers, stockbrokers, and salespeople for whom [[~~MISSON~~ BAY\|Mission Bay]] is being groomed as a safe enclave in a hostile city.)		* anchor a new neighborhood with genuine community growing around it? (And I don't mean the fake community of transient lawyers, stockbrokers, and salespeople for whom [[MISSION BAY\|Mission Bay]] is being groomed as a safe enclave in a hostile city.)

	* bring ballpark "cuisine" back from the dead?		* bring ballpark "cuisine" back from the dead?

Ccarlsson at 22:24, 2 October 2008

2008-10-02T22:24:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:24, 2 October 2008
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	'''Douglas Tilden's 1899 statue of a baseball player, Golden Gate Park '''		'''Douglas Tilden's 1899 statue of a baseball player, Golden Gate Park '''

			''Photo: Chris Carlsson''

			'''''Written in August 1989, before the Loma Prieta Earthquake, the Bay Bridge World Series or the election which defeated the downtown stadium plan by a few thousand votes, just after the quake. It was also several years before the 1994 strike which altered many fans' relationship to baseball, possibly forever. Nevertheless, new baseball stadium proposals continue to lurk over San Francisco politics, with Safeway Chairman and Giants owner Peter Magowan slowly ramping up to a new plan for a huge [[Pac Bell Ballpark\|sports/entertainment complex]] on the bayshore near China Basin. (CC, 6/95)'''''

	The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, children scampering through the stands, cigar smoke wafting amid the suds and peanut shells, "HOT DOG! RED HOT HOT DOG!" bellows a vendor, "COLD BEEEEER" chimes in another . . . Ah, baseball. Baseball's popularity is on the rise again, capitalizing on the middle-aging baby boomers' desire for those elusive qualities of human society: history, continuity, community.		The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, children scampering through the stands, cigar smoke wafting amid the suds and peanut shells, "HOT DOG! RED HOT HOT DOG!" bellows a vendor, "COLD BEEEEER" chimes in another . . . Ah, baseball. Baseball's popularity is on the rise again, capitalizing on the middle-aging baby boomers' desire for those elusive qualities of human society: history, continuity, community.
Line 11:		Line 15:
	The campaign to "save" the Giants is already in high gear, with Mayor Agnos diving into it with the full weight of his office and his opportunistic instincts. This campaign relies on perpetuating a basic confusion, a vague association between building a new stadium and somehow creating the kind of intimate, warm, idiosyncratic environment we tend to associate with "real" old-fashioned baseball parks like Chicago's Wrigley Field or Boston's Fenway Park. This confusion mixes up a downtown stadium with the history of ''neighborhood'' ballparks, like the aforementioned diamonds, or Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, Cincinnati's Crosly Field, Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, and so on.		The campaign to "save" the Giants is already in high gear, with Mayor Agnos diving into it with the full weight of his office and his opportunistic instincts. This campaign relies on perpetuating a basic confusion, a vague association between building a new stadium and somehow creating the kind of intimate, warm, idiosyncratic environment we tend to associate with "real" old-fashioned baseball parks like Chicago's Wrigley Field or Boston's Fenway Park. This confusion mixes up a downtown stadium with the history of ''neighborhood'' ballparks, like the aforementioned diamonds, or Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, Cincinnati's Crosly Field, Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, and so on.

	Here in San Francisco we had such a neighborhood ballpark at 16th and Bryant (now the home of the SF Auto Center and Safeway), from 1931-1960 called Seals Stadium. It was an open grandstand facing east and south, seating about 25,000, and it was considered the finest in the United States when it was first built. A number of bars and diners lined Bryant Street across from the park (the Double Play is still at the corner of 16th and Bryant). Workers on the waterfront, or in the many warehouses and small factories around the South of Market and Mission districts could hop an H-line streetcar, among a half dozen transit lines running near the stadium, to catch a game after work or on a weekend. The Giants played their first two seasons at Seals Stadium before moving to the "best, most modern baseball stadium in the U.S." --[[Candlestick_Swindle \| Candlestick Park]]-- in 1960, built by ~~Mayor~~ Christopher to lure the Giants to San Francisco.		Here in San Francisco we had such a neighborhood ballpark at 16th and Bryant (now the home of the SF Auto Center and Safeway), from 1931-1960 called [[1931-WWII: The Seals\|Seals Stadium]]. It was an open grandstand facing east and south, seating about 25,000, and it was considered the finest in the United States when it was first built. A number of bars and diners lined Bryant Street across from the park (the Double Play is still at the corner of 16th and Bryant). Workers on the waterfront, or in the many warehouses and small factories around the South of Market and Mission districts could hop an H-line streetcar, among a half dozen transit lines running near the stadium, to catch a game after work or on a weekend. The Giants played their first two seasons at Seals Stadium before moving to the "best, most modern baseball stadium in the U.S." --[[Candlestick_Swindle \| Candlestick Park]]-- in 1960, built by Mayors Robinson and Christopher to lure the Giants to San Francisco.

	As an avid baseball fan I have to confess I have mixed feelings about a plan to build a new stadium. My baseball heart wants a comfortable, warm, intimate ballpark in which to idle away the lazy summer evenings and afternoons of the baseball season. But in my rational mind, I can't begin to justify this profligate waste of money. Moreover, no park, possibly excepting a domed stadium, can bring warm summer evenings to San Francisco, rendering "real" baseball an elusive goal. Beyond that, the neighborhood groups that oppose any new stadium plan area absolutely right when they decry the numerous traffic problems that will accompany any plan. Even with a new light rail line going right to the front gates of a new stadium, Bay Area residents are unlikely to abandon their cars for public transit.		As an avid baseball fan I have to confess I have mixed feelings about a plan to build a new stadium. My baseball heart wants a comfortable, warm, intimate ballpark in which to idle away the lazy summer evenings and afternoons of the baseball season. But in my rational mind, I can't begin to justify this profligate waste of money. Moreover, no park, possibly excepting a domed stadium, can bring warm summer evenings to San Francisco, rendering "real" baseball an elusive goal. Beyond that, the neighborhood groups that oppose any new stadium plan area absolutely right when they decry the numerous traffic problems that will accompany any plan. Even with a new light rail line going right to the front gates of a new stadium, Bay Area residents are unlikely to abandon their cars for public transit.
Line 41:		Line 45:
	* bring warmer weather, less fog and cold wind to San Francisco evenings?		* bring warmer weather, less fog and cold wind to San Francisco evenings?

	* anchor a new neighborhood with genuine community growing around it? (And I don't mean the fake community of transient lawyers, stockbrokers, and salespeople for whom Mission Bay is being groomed as a safe enclave in a hostile city.)		* anchor a new neighborhood with genuine community growing around it? (And I don't mean the fake community of transient lawyers, stockbrokers, and salespeople for whom [[MISSON BAY\|Mission Bay]] is being groomed as a safe enclave in a hostile city.)

	* bring ballpark "cuisine" back from the dead?		* bring ballpark "cuisine" back from the dead?
Line 51:		Line 55:
	Bob, be a ''real civic hero'': GIVE OWNERSHIP OF THE GIANTS TO THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO! Then, and only then, will the City have a real stake in the team, and Lurie can properly assuage his guilty real estate-speculating conscience.		Bob, be a ''real civic hero'': GIVE OWNERSHIP OF THE GIANTS TO THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO! Then, and only then, will the City have a real stake in the team, and Lurie can properly assuage his guilty real estate-speculating conscience.

	To get an idea of what we'll have if a new stadium gets built, rather than ahistorical fantasies based on Fenway or Wrigley, look at all the downtown stadiums built in the past 20 years: Riverfront in Cincinnati, Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Veterans in Philadelphia (built by SF stadium developer Spectacor), Busch in St. Louis and so ~~onbig~~, symmetrical, synthetic, ~~corporateironically~~, Candlestick was the first of this generation of ugly stadiums.		To get an idea of what we'll have if a new stadium gets built, rather than ahistorical fantasies based on Fenway or Wrigley, look at all the downtown stadiums built in the past 20 years: Riverfront in Cincinnati, Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Veterans in Philadelphia (built by SF stadium developer Spectacor), Busch in St. Louis and so on--big, symmetrical, synthetic, corporate--ironically, Candlestick was the first of this generation of ugly stadiums.

	Instead, why not put $100 million into something useful like a ''serious'' upgrade in public transportation, bicycle routes, and recreational facilities (like neighborhood ball fields!) for the citizens of SF? Or expand the community health clinic system? The needs of SF's residents far exceed what is being provided by public or private sectors, and it's high time that such grandiose expenditures be put toward those needs rather than satisfying blackmail demands from millionaires. Vote no on blackmail. See you at the 'Stick for the World Series in October!		Instead, why not put $100 million into something useful like a ''serious'' upgrade in public transportation, bicycle routes, and recreational facilities (like neighborhood ball fields!) for the citizens of SF? Or expand the community health clinic system? The needs of SF's residents far exceed what is being provided by public or private sectors, and it's high time that such grandiose expenditures be put toward those needs rather than satisfying blackmail demands from millionaires. Vote no on blackmail. See you at the 'Stick for the World Series in October!

	''- ~~Chris~~ Carlsson ''(1989)		''--Chris Carlsson ''(1989)

	~~''photo: Chris Carlsson''~~


	[[Candlestick Swindle \| Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 \| Next Document]]		[[Candlestick Swindle \| Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 \| Next Document]]

			[[category:Baseball]] [[category:dissent]] [[category:1980s]] [[category:real estate]]

Gjamin: changed captions, credits

2008-04-07T04:23:04Z

changed captions, credits

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:23, 6 April 2008
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	[[Image:basebnew$tilden_s-baseball-player.jpg]]		[[Image:basebnew$tilden_s-baseball-player.jpg]]

	'''1899 statue ~~in Golden Gate Park by Douglas Tilden~~ of a baseball player '''		'''Douglas Tilden's 1899 statue of a baseball player, Golden Gate Park '''

	The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, children scampering through the stands, cigar smoke wafting amid the suds and peanut shells, "HOT DOG! RED HOT HOT DOG!" bellows a vendor, "COLD BEEEEER" chimes in another . . . Ah, baseball. Baseball's popularity is on the rise again, capitalizing on the middle-aging baby boomers' desire for those elusive qualities of human society: history, continuity, community.		The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, children scampering through the stands, cigar smoke wafting amid the suds and peanut shells, "HOT DOG! RED HOT HOT DOG!" bellows a vendor, "COLD BEEEEER" chimes in another . . . Ah, baseball. Baseball's popularity is on the rise again, capitalizing on the middle-aging baby boomers' desire for those elusive qualities of human society: history, continuity, community.
Line 55:		Line 55:
	Instead, why not put $100 million into something useful like a ''serious'' upgrade in public transportation, bicycle routes, and recreational facilities (like neighborhood ball fields!) for the citizens of SF? Or expand the community health clinic system? The needs of SF's residents far exceed what is being provided by public or private sectors, and it's high time that such grandiose expenditures be put toward those needs rather than satisfying blackmail demands from millionaires. Vote no on blackmail. See you at the 'Stick for the World Series in October!		Instead, why not put $100 million into something useful like a ''serious'' upgrade in public transportation, bicycle routes, and recreational facilities (like neighborhood ball fields!) for the citizens of SF? Or expand the community health clinic system? The needs of SF's residents far exceed what is being provided by public or private sectors, and it's high time that such grandiose expenditures be put toward those needs rather than satisfying blackmail demands from millionaires. Vote no on blackmail. See you at the 'Stick for the World Series in October!

	''Chris Carlsson ''(1989)		''- Chris Carlsson ''(1989)

	photo by Chris Carlsson~~, statue by Douglas Tilden~~		''photo: Chris Carlsson''


	[[Candlestick Swindle \| Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 \| Next Document]]		[[Candlestick Swindle \| Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 \| Next Document]]

Ccarlsson at 05:51, 31 October 2007

2007-10-31T05:51:11Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:51, 30 October 2007
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	The campaign to "save" the Giants is already in high gear, with Mayor Agnos diving into it with the full weight of his office and his opportunistic instincts. This campaign relies on perpetuating a basic confusion, a vague association between building a new stadium and somehow creating the kind of intimate, warm, idiosyncratic environment we tend to associate with "real" old-fashioned baseball parks like Chicago's Wrigley Field or Boston's Fenway Park. This confusion mixes up a downtown stadium with the history of ''neighborhood'' ballparks, like the aforementioned diamonds, or Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, Cincinnati's Crosly Field, Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, and so on.		The campaign to "save" the Giants is already in high gear, with Mayor Agnos diving into it with the full weight of his office and his opportunistic instincts. This campaign relies on perpetuating a basic confusion, a vague association between building a new stadium and somehow creating the kind of intimate, warm, idiosyncratic environment we tend to associate with "real" old-fashioned baseball parks like Chicago's Wrigley Field or Boston's Fenway Park. This confusion mixes up a downtown stadium with the history of ''neighborhood'' ballparks, like the aforementioned diamonds, or Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, Cincinnati's Crosly Field, Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, and so on.

	Here in San Francisco we had such a neighborhood ballpark at 16th and Bryant (now the home of the SF Auto Center and Safeway), from 1931-1960 called Seals Stadium. It was an open grandstand facing east and south, seating about 25,000, and it was considered the finest in the United States when it was first built. A number of bars and diners lined Bryant Street across from the park (the Double Play is still at the corner of 16th and Bryant). Workers on the waterfront, or in the many warehouses and small factories around the South of Market and Mission districts could hop an H-line streetcar, among a half dozen transit lines running near the stadium, to catch a game after work or on a weekend. The Giants played their first two seasons at Seals Stadium before moving to the "best, most modern baseball stadium in the U.S." --Candlestick Park-- in 1960, built by Mayor Christopher to lure the Giants to San Francisco.		Here in San Francisco we had such a neighborhood ballpark at 16th and Bryant (now the home of the SF Auto Center and Safeway), from 1931-1960 called Seals Stadium. It was an open grandstand facing east and south, seating about 25,000, and it was considered the finest in the United States when it was first built. A number of bars and diners lined Bryant Street across from the park (the Double Play is still at the corner of 16th and Bryant). Workers on the waterfront, or in the many warehouses and small factories around the South of Market and Mission districts could hop an H-line streetcar, among a half dozen transit lines running near the stadium, to catch a game after work or on a weekend. The Giants played their first two seasons at Seals Stadium before moving to the "best, most modern baseball stadium in the U.S." --[[Candlestick_Swindle \| Candlestick Park]]-- in 1960, built by Mayor Christopher to lure the Giants to San Francisco.

	As an avid baseball fan I have to confess I have mixed feelings about a plan to build a new stadium. My baseball heart wants a comfortable, warm, intimate ballpark in which to idle away the lazy summer evenings and afternoons of the baseball season. But in my rational mind, I can't begin to justify this profligate waste of money. Moreover, no park, possibly excepting a domed stadium, can bring warm summer evenings to San Francisco, rendering "real" baseball an elusive goal. Beyond that, the neighborhood groups that oppose any new stadium plan area absolutely right when they decry the numerous traffic problems that will accompany any plan. Even with a new light rail line going right to the front gates of a new stadium, Bay Area residents are unlikely to abandon their cars for public transit.		As an avid baseball fan I have to confess I have mixed feelings about a plan to build a new stadium. My baseball heart wants a comfortable, warm, intimate ballpark in which to idle away the lazy summer evenings and afternoons of the baseball season. But in my rational mind, I can't begin to justify this profligate waste of money. Moreover, no park, possibly excepting a domed stadium, can bring warm summer evenings to San Francisco, rendering "real" baseball an elusive goal. Beyond that, the neighborhood groups that oppose any new stadium plan area absolutely right when they decry the numerous traffic problems that will accompany any plan. Even with a new light rail line going right to the front gates of a new stadium, Bay Area residents are unlikely to abandon their cars for public transit.

Ccarlsson at 05:49, 31 October 2007

2007-10-31T05:49:32Z

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	''Chris Carlsson ''(1989)		''Chris Carlsson ''(1989)

	~~Contributors to this page include:~~		photo by Chris Carlsson, statue by Douglas Tilden

	~~''Carlsson,Chris - Photographer-Artist ''~~

	~~Carlsson,Chris - Writer~~		[[Candlestick Swindle \| Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 \| Next Document]]

	[[Candlestick Swindle Prev. Document]] [[Candlestick Aerial View 1950 Next Document]]