Bulldozers are at Tiger Stadium; Demolition starts Friday?

According to info I heard last night at the game, The bulldozers are inside the stadium and ready to go;

Demolition may start this Friday! rant

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"We only work three hours a day, so the least we can do is give 100 percent."

Todd Jones

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Coming soon: A better signature!

Tiger Stadium will be gone by September

Nothing left but rubble

Goodbye, old friend! You served many Tiger greats over all those many, many years. Sad

Well...I promise all of you, I will drive by the old gal one last time Thursday either before or after the game and take as many pics as I can..and will share them with all of you. Sad

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"I'm glad we're in the other division," Terry Francona, manager of the East-winning Boston Red Sox, told the Associated Press. "That lineup just got scary."

Mayor gives Harwell reprieve to save portion of Tiger Stadium

By JOHN GALLAGHER • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • June 12, 2008

In a surprise reprieve, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has given Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell and his allies a new deadline of Aug. 1 to save a portion of the historic Tiger Stadium.

The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, of which Harwell is a board member, had missed a June 1 deadline to show progress toward raising $15 million to save one corner of the ballpark for a museum and community center. Demolition crews were expected to start knocking down portions of the stadium in coming weeks, after a demolition contract with the city was finalized on Wednesday.

But Kilpatrick told the Free Press today that he wanted to give Harwell and the conservancy one final opportunity to try to raise the money to save a dugout-to-dugout chunk of the stadium.

“History deserves a chance,” Kilpatrick said.

Between now and Aug. 1, demolition crews are expected to start tearing down the portions of the stadium that the conservancy does not envision saving as part of its plan. But they won’t be touching the areas the conservancy does want to save – the dugout-to-dugout stadium structure near home plate.

Kilpatrick made clear that this extension will be the final one.

“I just think they deserve a shot,” the mayor said. “If they don’t have it, then we move forward. If they do, then we figure out how we work together to move forward.”

Contact JOHN GALLAGHER at 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com.

Trying to save his butt???

no way!

Prolly.
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Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tiger Stadium gets one more last chance
Louis Aguilar and Brian J. O'Connor / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick gave the group trying to saving a portion of historic Tiger Stadium yet another extension Thursday.

Even though the contract to raze the stadium was finalized Wednesday, Kilpatrick gave Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy until Aug. 1 to continue efforts to preserve part of the old ballpark.

"The mayor met with the conservancy last week and it sounds like they have some leads in the hopper," said James Canning, the mayor's deputy press secretary. "The mayor felt it was necessary to give them another opportunity. He believes history deserves a chance."

Control of the former Major League Baseball stadium was handed over to demolition crews Wednesday, according to Detroit Economic Growth Corp., the city's quasi-public agency that handles development.

No date has been set for demolition but the joint venture of MCM Management Corp. of Bloomfield Hills and Farrow Group of Detroit has started the process of obtaining permits to tear down the fabled stadium on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull and sell most of it for scrap. DTE Energy has been contacted by the group to turn off the power at the stadium, said Waymon Guillebeaux, a vice-president at the DEGC.

The nonprofit conservancy group, which includes Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell, hasn't abandoned its efforts to produce a solid $12 million to $15 million plan that could save the baseball diamond, 3,000 seats and convert part of it to sport museum that would house Harwell's extensive collection of sports memorabilia. The group, which was given months of extensions to come up with a plan, missed a key deadline to produce $369,000 to the city on June 1. The group insists it will continue to fight for the stadium until it's actually torn down.

Since its closure after the Tigers moved to Comerica Park in 1999, the stadium has been a field of development dreams. Proposals have included converting it into a bull fighting ring, a Wal-Mart or some other big-box retailer, a home for a minor league baseball, a rugby field, the new Kronk gym, an upscale hotel and trendy lofts, and a warehouse for a local publisher.

In 1999, then-Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer's administration put out a request to developers nationwide for proposals for the stadium, but various plans ended up in disputes between developers and the city. In 2002, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick issued a request for proposals, though he focused more on drawing a big-box retailer.

The city has received just three complete proposals to redevelop Tiger Stadium since 2003, and all had severe shortcomings, according to a report given to the City Council last year before it approved the demolition plan.

After the demolition, the city will still control the land and intends to market it for development.

The demolition contracts already have been approved by the City Council and the DEGC; it is unclear whether the mayor alone could rescind or alter the contracts.

You can reach Brian O'Connor at (313) 222-2145 or boconnor@detnews.com.

You bet he's trying to save his big ol' butt. Kinda like trying to offer free beer at the Red Wings parade!
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There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

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bow

Really?? OMG! ummmm......and I just posted some pics thinking it would be the last time anyone would get pics of the old stadium! I hope they can save it!

Spoiler:
	and I better get back up there to clean a particular block! lol

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"I'm glad we're in the other division," Terry Francona, manager of the East-winning Boston Red Sox, told the Associated Press. "That lineup just got scary."

Well....that's better than nothing, I guess.
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"I'm glad we're in the other division," Terry Francona, manager of the East-winning Boston Red Sox, told the Associated Press. "That lineup just got scary."

Yeah....that it will. I'll make some calls to my relatives near Dearborn and get the scoop as to when that stuff starts coming down, and make another trip to get more pics....and maybe my Block...LOL
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"I'm glad we're in the other division," Terry Francona, manager of the East-winning Boston Red Sox, told the Associated Press. "That lineup just got scary."

GO KWAME!

Never thought I be posting that anywhere!

I never thought you would, either!
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"I'm glad we're in the other division," Terry Francona, manager of the East-winning Boston Red Sox, told the Associated Press. "That lineup just got scary."

Glad Tiger Stadium is getting a stay of execution;

After the game today; I went by the stadium and gave it a hug;

When no one was looking though!

People think I am a nut or something

hardly! You are a diehard Tigs fan! thumbs up

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There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

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"I'm on a mission. Mark my words: I'll be back, and I'll be able to do what I've been doing." Joel Zumaya

I would go give it a hug too! except it will be too dark to go down there safely after the game tomorrow night!
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There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971