The year
is 1994, and a new era in North Texas Baseball is about to make its debut, when
the Texas Rangers open up the NEW BALL PARK IN ARLINGTON, against the Milwaukee
Brewers, April 11th 1994.
Now, 25
years later, the last 81 home dates of the 2019 season will be a footnote in
the history of this old lady, we have learned to love her, and at times speak
ill of her.
Oh you
can hear the complaints about the heat, and the summer saps the
players—pitchers aren’t as sharp as they were in the early part of the season,
base runners aren’t as quick because of the heat, all the excuses you can think
of, but the truth, it’s the same in the other dugout as it is for your side of
the field.
So now
after this season, a new field will open up, and a new chapter in Texas Rangers
Baseball will unfold, and it will be a stadium that will be domed, and cool on
the inside all year round, and with new feel and new designed, the Rangers will
have something to give their fans and their players to ogle about for several
years. Or until they get tired of it.
Lets
face it, old stadiums don’t hang around anymore. Even OLD Yankee stadium was
torn down, the House that Ruth Built, they called it, Old Tiger Stadium in
Detroit was raised after they built the new one just not that far from the old
one. Old Cominsky Stadium in Chicago, after the new one was built across the
street from the old, and so will the new ball park here, that will be behind
the right field area and across from the new TEXAS LIVE area that was opened
last summer.
Memories,
that come rushing into our minds about this home of the Rangers, the opening
day, the Perfect Game later that season from Kenny Rogers (the pitcher—not the
singer) the Major League All Star Game, the first Western Division Title, and
the first post season playoff game to follow, just to be in the building for
that event was amazing!
Being a
part of SIX of those Western Titles, and TWO American League Pennants and
seeing TWO World Series played in this
building!
The Final
year, will have memories as well, the term LAST TIME will be said near the end
of the season, and then when it is all said and done with, they will dig up the
pitching RUBBER and HOME PLATE and take them over to the new building and plant
them in their proper spots, and unlike OLD Arlington Stadium, the building
where the Rangers called home from 1972, to 1993, they raised that stadium, and
left markers where home plate and the pitching mound were, 60 feet 6 inches
apart.
This old
building won’t be raised, it will be reconfigured to host football, the XFL
entry of the Dallas Team, and maybe the Arlington ISD along with the
resurrection of U.T. Arlington Maverick Football as well to take over the
stadium for their season, it is something that is in the works.
In the
meanwhile, this old lady, (25 years old is not that old) has seen her share of
Ups and Downs with this team that we call the Rangers. But in the process of it
all, the new ball park will be comfortable for fans and give them something to
enjoy, even on nights when it is storming outside, but inside, nice and dry and
cool!
Farewell
old friend, and thanks for the many memories you have given us, and hopefully a
new chapter will be written for the new ball field, and with that, new
adventures, and new memories for that field.
It is
indeed a field of dreams, if you build, THEY WILL COME! And no doubt that every
fan, no matter their age, will walk into the new ball field and marvel at what
they will see, and be a part of!
So like
many families, it is a tradition to hand down from one generation to another,
and the shared memories that will be created, and told to other generations of
how they came to the park to enjoy the boys of summer!
Leave YOUR comment below, we would love to hear YOUR thoughts!
Its just
a thought!
