Preservation vs. Demolition

There's a lot of talk around here lately about preservation issues. With all of the new development happening in the city, there are battle lines being drawn on what's acceptable to demolish and what should be renovated. The hottest property in the battle is old Tiger Stadium.

Tiger Stadium has sat empty for five years now since the Tigers built Comerica Park. There have been many plans on what to do with the property. Some of the plans include: turning it into a museum, converting it into a mall, converting it into condos, building a Hispanic university, making it a minor league ballpark, playing high school football and baseball championships there. None of these plans have come to anything. Many of them are laughable.

Abandoned buildings have been a problem for Detroit for a long time now. Now that things are starting to happen downtown, the preservationists are trying to save as many of the old buildings as they can. I admire some of what they are doing, but there comes a point in time that you have to realize that something is just not feasible.

There were some saddening photos from inside the Stadium in the News today. There are large weeds growing in the seats. There are broken drains in the depths of the stadium that have cause it to flood from the rain. There is cracking and falling concrete.

The current plan for the property is to demolish the stadium and replace it with retail and condos. The main gate would be kept in tact and the infield turned into a park that local little leagues could play on. Will it happen? Who knows. It's a good plan though. Building for the future while remembering the past.

I have an old picture on my office wall that I love. It's of the stadium back when it was called Briggs. 1948. Detroit was in it's heyday and all was well with the world. Briggs Stadium was something to be proud of back then. Now it's just an empty shell and a reminder of what's wrong with this city. It's time to let the old ballpark go.

Baseball may not mean what it used to in this country, but there are still those who hold it in high regard. It's not the stadium that needs their attention. It's the game. It will not only be remembered on the site but played in it's purest form. Kids playing for the love of the game and playing on the same site as all of those great players of the past. That thought brings a smile to my face.

The Dichotomy of Life

It's summer now. I'm watching my daughter play outside and remembering what it was like to be young again. Being a parent can be a double edged sword. On one hand, you get to experience the joys of childhood through the eyes of your child. On the other, you're reminded of what you're missing out on now that you've "grown up".

Do you remember how long the days seemed when you were young? An hour seemed like an eternity to me back then. Unless, of course, I was out playing. I wasn't afraid of what people might think of me. All I knew was, I was having fun. The sillier I looked, the more fun it was.

The older I get, the quicker time seems to slip away. It was just yesterday when my daughter was born. Tomorrow she'll be dating. 16 years in the span of two days, or so it would seem.

These days, I usually stop to ask, "What will the neighbors think?" I find myself afraid to look silly in front of others. When did this happen? Am I old because I ask this question or do I ask this question because I'm old?

I've decided that I'm too young to be old. 35 may have seemed ancient when I was a kid, but I still have a lot of life left in me. It's time to start enjoying the small things again. Who cares what the neighbors think.