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

[DirtyBird]

This is easy

 

[DrungoHazewood]

While we're rambling on about radical redesigns, what if we just removed the lower seating area in left, the bullpens, the RC bleachers, and the standing area, and made the whole thing in play?  The resulting dimensions would be something like 400-425-465-450-370.  With a pretty hefty wall all around.  The Camden Yards homer park factor would go from something like 125 to 30.  And the triples would go from 25 or whatever to 200+.  Anything hit up the RC gap is at least a triple.  Anything hit over the CFer's head is at least a triple.  Billy Hamilton might hit an ISTP homer to straightaway left.  Every pitcher would flock to The Yards, but they'd never sign a free agent slugger ever again and Chris Davis would hit .144 with three homers, all on the road.

Edit: the only park of the last 120ish years I know of that was that big was the original configuration of Braves Field in Boston, which was over 400' everywhere.  In the deadball that might as well have been infinite fence distances.  I'm guessing there were years where no one hit a ball over the fence all season.  For example, in 1925, after the introduction of the lively ball around 1920, the Braves hit 12 homers at home (11 ISTP), and allowed 11 (10 ISTP).  Two total homers all year that cleared the fence.

[Dipper9]

10 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

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.

I'm 5'6 so I feel your pain.  The new rail makes it much better, but when it was the actual wall there with the padding, I had to be in the front row or I didn't see anything.  

*shortpeopleproblems*

[TheOtherRipken]

18 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.   

A few thoughts - 

if seats arent being used, find a way to eliminate certain areas and monetize them with something else (something interactive that kids would like for example, currently all they have is that one super bottle-necked kids area near the Eutaw Street as far as I am aware)
 

Movie theatres nowadays have less seats per theatre but much better seat experience so perhaps something like what you said above.

[Dipper9]

2 minutes ago, TheOtherRipken said:

A few thoughts - 

if seats arent being used, find a way to eliminate certain areas and monetize them with something else (something interactive that kids would like for example, currently all they have is that one super bottle-necked kids area near the Eutaw Street as far as I am aware)
 

Movie theatres nowadays have less seats per theatre but much better seat experience so perhaps something like what you said above.

Recliners with vibrating seats for each homer?  I'm in!

[Frobby]

6 minutes ago, TheOtherRipken said:

A few thoughts - 

if seats arent being used, find a way to eliminate certain areas and monetize them with something else (something interactive that kids would like for example, currently all they have is that one super bottle-necked kids area near the Eutaw Street as far as I am aware)
 

Movie theatres nowadays have less seats per theatre but much better seat experience so perhaps something like what you said above.

Movie ticket prices also have escalated significantly over the last 5-10 years, at least where I live.     While I’d love some extra leg room at the ballpark, I don’t know that I want to pay 50% more for that privilege.   

[DrungoHazewood]

23 minutes ago, Dipper9 said:

I'm 5'6 so I feel your pain.  The new rail makes it much better, but when it was the actual wall there with the padding, I had to be in the front row or I didn't see anything.  

*shortpeopleproblems*

Apparently I've not been out there in a while...

[DrungoHazewood]

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Movie ticket prices also have escalated significantly over the last 5-10 years, at least where I live.     While I’d love some extra leg room at the ballpark, I don’t know that I want to pay 50% more for that privilege.   

We have an old theater that was pushed to the brink of closing by a newer theater with stadium seating and other amenities. They completely redid the place and it now has recliners and alcohol and reserved seats, but it's still like $7 or $8 for a ticket.  Although the popcorn-soda combo is something like $800.  We'll usually go there instead of the new theater.

But maybe that's an idea.  At least take part of the ballpark and install Lazy Boy recliners with charging stations and good wifi.  A cell phone app enabled with a code on your ticket with direct links to replays and highlights and stats, heatmaps and statcast data.  And headphones to pipe in the undelayed radio broadcast.  Maybe this is the new, improved Club Level.  Waiters. Boogs delivered to your seat.  But at roughly current club level prices.

[DrungoHazewood]

23 minutes ago, TheOtherRipken said:

A few thoughts - 

if seats arent being used, find a way to eliminate certain areas and monetize them with something else (something interactive that kids would like for example, currently all they have is that one super bottle-necked kids area near the Eutaw Street as far as I am aware)
 

Movie theatres nowadays have less seats per theatre but much better seat experience so perhaps something like what you said above.

Here's the new frontier of stadium architecture: Reconfigurability, but not in the terrible old way of RFK and the Vet.  Maybe areas of the stadium that can be quickly converted from standing terraces and social/bar zone to seating, based on demand.  Normal configuration might seat 25,000.  But for a playoff game you can get 40k+.  OPACY has put in extra bleachers for playoffs, but something more integrated.

Someone should talk to the Germans.  They love their standing terraces, but they're banned for FIFA/UEFA competition after too many mass trampling incidents like the Hillsborough disaster.  So some stadiums will only put seats there when it's required.

[Camden_yardbird]

18 hours ago, Dipper9 said:

I think there has been some talk of removing some of the seats so that you can see into the stadium from the concession area, but that seems to me to be a major engineering change needed and not an easy task to complete in an offseason. 

This is without a doubt one of my favorite aspects of PNC park.  Being able to see the field as you are traversing the concourse really adds to the game experience.

[atomic]

3 hours ago, fansince1988 said:

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

I don’t see the need for standing room. Why should a family area be alcohol free?  I don’t see the need for any of these changes and see it as a waste of tax payers money. 

[DrungoHazewood]

40 minutes ago, atomic said:

Why should a family area be alcohol free?

Might as well get the five-year-olds used to guys drinking six beers and inappropriately heckling Xander Bogaerts.

Cue @Old#5fan lecturing us on how anyone under the age of nine should never, ever go to a baseball game.

[wildbillhiccup]

4 hours ago, fansince1988 said:

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

Respectfully disagree. The stadium has aged surprisingly well and in a vintage kind of way. And they already have the picnic area for family type events, there's no need to create another area. It's a MLB park not Disneyworld. 

[weams]

37 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Might as well get the five-year-olds used to guys drinking six beers and inappropriately heckling Xander Bogaerts.

Cue @Old#5fan lecturing us on how anyone under the age of nine should never, ever go to a baseball game.

I have no objection to a guy with two youngsters having a couple beers at the game if he chooses. I think the idea that  children need to be protected from the world as it is is often an issue. 

[DrungoHazewood]

9 minutes ago, weams said:

I have no objection to a guy with two youngsters having a couple beers at the game if he chooses. I think the idea that  children need to be protected from the world as it is is often an issue. 

I don't disagree.  But if young families want a section that caters to their demographic and keeps out the 25-year-olds who want to chug $100 worth of stadium beer, and that helps sell some tickets, I'm good with it.

One of my major problems with life in general is the pervasive idea that we should be very, very afraid of everything all the time.  Buy my products, vote for me... and I will save you from the Boogeyman who is standing behind every corner.