As team rebuilds, Orioles have big plans for its main jewel, Camden Yards

[wildbillhiccup]

50 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

If they really wanted to do so, they could remove the entire third deck in left field fair territory, which would improve the view into the stadium for the Hilton and the Zenith, and improve the view looking out somewhat (but not of anything as attractive as the Bromo Tower, more like the top of the University of Maryland hospital). Maybe replace that area with a party deck. Obviously, if it were built now, that area would not be 30+ rows deep.

But that is a lot of money to spend just to make tickets artificially more scarce. It would only make sense to do that if the team were to have a financial interest in the Hilton and/or the Zenith.

The entire upper deck could probably lose the back 5-10 rows, but there isn't really much you can do with that space, short of putting up ugly billboards like at FedEx Field.

 

...or they could just tear down the Hilton. Whoever signed off on that building permit should be hung up by their toenails. 

[wildbillhiccup]

1 hour ago, Going Underground said:

Yes, did not want to print the whole article but it is mentioned.

Newer stadiums look different than Camden Yards. Many are smaller and include open concourses with field views, and stadium clubs for VIPs that offer prime, low-level field views.

At Camden Yards, “there simply aren’t the areas of the ballpark that allow for folks to gather and have a social experience,” Bader said. “We’ve got the roof deck and we’ve got the flag court and Legends Park area that have greater potential.”

Until now I've never though of myself as the old man shaking fist at the clouds kind of guy, but this statement me want to collectively throw every millennial in the harbor. 

[atomic]

3 hours ago, Dipper9 said:

This is just strange to me.  I go to the ballpark to, ya know, watch a baseball game.  But I guess as they say, "the world is a-changing." 

Every time I go they lose by 15 runs or something.  Not much reason to watch the  team.  Maybe they could have the team play in Bowie until they get better and have other events at Camden Yards.

[atomic]

On second thought have the Yankees, Red Sox and Nationals games at Camden Yards and Opening day.  Move other games to various minor league stadiums.  

[ThomasTomasz]

5 hours ago, Dipper9 said:

Camden Yards would be an ideal venue for a major WWE Pay Per View.  Just sayin'.  

It definitely won't be the rumble, and it would be too small for Wrestlemania......and too close to baseball season.  That leaves Summerslam, and I really wonder if they would risk getting a 100% humidity day for that kind of show.  

I would be there for it for sure, I just see the region being a huge factor.  Our area's best hope for that is if/when Dan Snyder gets a new stadium, because he wants a dome to host events like CFP games, Wrestlemania, Super Bowl, etc.  

[ThomasTomasz]

5 hours ago, Frobby said:

What is the upside to reducing the number of seats?    The stadium shell is what it is.   Of course, I’m a tall guy, so if they wanted to give each row a couple more inches of leg room, I wouldn’t complain.   

Party deck in upper left field or right field?  Perhaps ripping out all of the seats and putting in new ones that are bigger?  100% cupholders?  Bullpen party area?  

[weams]

 

[scOtt]

9 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

 

Once again I'll bring up my plan to remove the center field fence and put the turf area in front of the 30' wall out in between the bullpens and bleachers in play.  There'd be a half dozen inside-the-park homers a year!

[fansince1988]

There have been rumors of a large scale renovation for several years, but it's been all talk up to this point. Camden Yards is still a great place to see a game as is, but it does need a re-fresh in my opinion. The scoreboard in center field is obsolete, and is one of the most outdated scoreboards in professional sports. They also need to make the dimensions in LF larger by either moving home plate back again, or by moving the fences back. A few other suggestions:

• Remove all of the seats in the left field upper deck and make that entire area a social/standing room area with a brand new wide screen scoreboard as the backdrop, ie the Scoreboard Pavilion
• Create a grassy berm in left field beyond the fence and make that entire area alcohol free and for families and kids only
• Open the Concourses in the remainder of the upper deck and lower deck seating bowls to create more standing room

[DrungoHazewood]

1 hour ago, fansince1988 said:

The scoreboard in center field is obsolete, and is one of the most outdated scoreboards in professional sports.

They also need to make the dimensions in LF larger by either moving home plate back again, or by moving the fences back.

- The scoreboard is fine.  It does its job, it doesn't detract from the game experience.  It might be somewhat older than some other scoreboards in North American top-tier professional sports facilities, but it's not like it's the tiny, low-resolution, barely video-capable screens you see in minor league baseball.  I've never been to a game at Camden Yards and thought "wow, we'd see a lot more fans and engagement with the game if only the video board wasn't designed in 2012."

- I'd like to see larger dimensions in all MLB parks. But I think that is a minority opinion.  In most parks including OPACY significantly altering dimensions would be a pretty major renovation, costing a lot of money.  And it runs counter to the modern game of all Ks and homers, all the time.

[DrungoHazewood]

7 hours ago, scOtt said:

We're not going to transform OPACY into a bathtub shape like the Polo Grounds, but we can reasonably approximate the nearly 500' distance to the CF clubhouse and the Eddie Grant memorial.  From the photo here, you can see that it's about 463 feet to the base of the big green wall below the outfield terrace bar.  I'd say that's about 30' tall.  So that makes it more-or-less impossible to hit a ball over that wall.  We'd also have the triangle up against the bullpen, where the ball could actually go over the pen and then land back in play, out of direct sight for some of the field.  Triple, ISTP homer heaven. And in theory that could also happen with the bleachers, with the ball just clearing the left-most seats and landing back in play.

Another option would be to move the bullpens somewhere else and open up that whole CF area to the playing field.  The back wall of the upper bullpen is about 465' from the plate.

No, none of this is ever going to happen.

[DrungoHazewood]

12 hours ago, ThomasTomasz said:

I would be there for it for sure, I just see the region being a huge factor.  Our area's best hope for that is if/when Dan Snyder gets a new stadium, because he wants a dome to host events like CFP games, Wrestlemania, Super Bowl, etc.  

Simpler, cheaper solution would be to relegate the Redskins to Arena Football and they could just play at the Capital One Arena.  With a few key acquisitions they might be able to compete at that level.

[Dipper9]

5 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

We're not going to transform OPACY into a bathtub shape like the Polo Grounds, but we can reasonably approximate the nearly 500' distance to the CF clubhouse and the Eddie Grant memorial.  From the photo here, you can see that it's about 463 feet to the base of the big green wall below the outfield terrace bar.  I'd say that's about 30' tall.  So that makes it more-or-less impossible to hit a ball over that wall.  We'd also have the triangle up against the bullpen, where the ball could actually go over the pen and then land back in play, out of direct sight for some of the field.  Triple, ISTP homer heaven. And in theory that could also happen with the bleachers, with the ball just clearing the left-most seats and landing back in play.

Another option would be to move the bullpens somewhere else and open up that whole CF area to the playing field.  The back wall of the upper bullpen is about 465' from the plate.

No, none of this is ever going to happen.

Nice work, but I don't like the aesthetics of what this would do to the playing field. What if they make the entire right field wall the height of the flag court?  Extend that all the way across to the center field wall area?  That might be pretty cool, and would definitely cut down on homers in the right center power alley. 

[Dipper9]

7 minutes ago, Dipper9 said:

Nice work, but I don't like the aesthetics of what this would do to the playing field. What if they make the entire right field wall the height of the flag court?  Extend that all the way across to the center field wall area?  That might be pretty cool, and would definitely cut down on homers in the right center power alley. 

You could even add "drink tables" so people can stand along this new flag court area and converse while the game is going on, so that would make the people happy to go to games to not watch the games. 

[DrungoHazewood]

13 minutes ago, Dipper9 said:

Nice work, but I don't like the aesthetics of what this would do to the playing field. What if they make the entire right field wall the height of the flag court?  Extend that all the way across to the center field wall area?  That might be pretty cool, and would definitely cut down on homers in the right center power alley. 

That's a decent idea.  I like those seats out there, but if we're hypothetically discussing major changes that's not bad.  One thing I'd like to see is making the standing room area more terraced so it's easier to see the game.  At 5' 7" I can just see over the wall to the playing field in that area.  My kids and wife need a stepstool.

No, my idea isn't necessarily aesthetically or architecturally pleasing.