[Chicago2016]

Discuss sports stadiums of the past present and future here.
I have made a couple of reports already with help of Wikipedia.

ROGERS CENTRE
My Rating: 4/5 Stars


Rogers Centre home of the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB)
Rogers Centre opened on June 3, 1989 and cost $250,000,000 to complete.
Rogers Centre was designed by Rod Robbie and Michael Allen and was constructed by Ellis-Don Construction of London, Ontario.

Wikipedia: (Background Information)

A cold, rain-soaked November 1982 Grey Cup, held at the outdoor Exhibition Stadium, spurred the process of looking for a new stadium. The game was tormented by cold weather and rains, the washrooms overflowed, and spectators were exposed to the harsh weather. In attendance was Ontario Premier Bill Davis, and the misery of that day was seen by over 7,862,000 television viewers in Canada (at the time the largest TV audience ever in Canada [1]). The following day, at a rally at Toronto City Hall tens of thousands of people who were there to see the Grey Cup winners began to chant "We want a dome". So too did others who began to discuss the possibility of an all-purpose, all-weather stadium. Seven months later (June 1983) the Premier announced formally that a 3 person committee would look into the feasiblity of building a domed stadium at Exhibition Place. (As a point of interest the 1983 Grey Cup Game was played at the newly-opened BC Place domed stadium in Vancouver).

Rogers Centre was originally named the Sky dome but Rogers Communications bought the naming rights in 2005.

SkyDome, as it was then called, was the first major team sports arena in North America to sport a functional, fully retractable roof.

It also features a hotel overlooking the ballpark and a Hard Rock Cafe in the stadium!

Large Jumbotron

Besides baseball, Rogers Centre hosts Canadian football, monster truck rallys, concerts, an NCAA bowl game, and more.

Timeline:
* 1986 - October 3rd - Official ground breaking on the site.
* 1989 - June 3rd - Stadium officially opens, hosting a live opening night event.
* 1989 - June 5th - Stadium sees its first Blue Jays game.
* 1989 - June 5th - Fred McGriff hits the first home run ever at SkyDome.
* 1989 - June 7th - John Cerutti records the first Blue Jays win at SkyDome.
* 1989 - The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 43-40 in what many consider to be the greatest Grey Cup of all time.
* 1990 - September 17th - ML baseball attendance record is broken as 49,902 fans watch the Jays beat the Yankees.
* 1990 - ML baseball season attendance record is broken with 58 sellouts and a total crowd of 3,885,284
* 1991 - July 9th - Host of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game
* 1992 - The Calgary Stampeders defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 80th Grey Cup.
* 1993 - October 23rd - The Blue Jays win their second straight World Championship after Joe Carter hits a walk off home run.
* 1995 - June 22nd, - 2 acoustic panels fall off the inner ceiling in the 7th inning injuring 7 fans.
* 1995 - July 9th - A worker dies when installing lights for a computer show (falling 25 feet)
* 1998 - November - Skydome files for bankruptcy protection
* 1998 - Skydome is bought by Sportsco.
* 2001 - August 3rd - the roof was closed in the 3rd inning of a Toronto Blue Jays game, at the request of home plate ump Tim Welke due to a major infestation of aphids.
* 2005 - February 2nd - Rogers Communications buys the Stadium and renames it Rogers Centre.
* 2007 - November - Rogers Centre plays host to the first Grey Cup in Toronto in 15 years.

Thanks:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Centre
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Miller Park Home Of The Milwaukee Brewers:

My Score: 4/5 Stars
Miller Park Opened on April 6, 2001. It hosted the infamous 2002 All-Star Game which ended in a tie thanks to Bud Selig. This isn't Soccer!
Miller Park features a retractable roof and plenty other of fun features.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ay_25_2005.jpg
Also the famous Sausage Race is held at Brewers games which is a fan favorite.
When a home run is hit by the Brewers their mascot Bernie Brewer slides down the slide and waves a flag.

Wikipedia:
On September 25, 2006, one day after the final Brewers home game of the season, the roof failed while opening and was stuck partially open. A shattered lower guide roller was the cause of the failure. The rollers are attached to the bottom of each of the 10 bogies, the train-like devices that help move the roof that are being replaced during the off season.

Recent Additions:

In time for the 2006 season there were three noticeable additions to the stadium. Two different sets of LED scoreboards were added. One replacing the formerly manually-operated "out of town" scoreboards located along the left and right field walls with a new set of LED scoreboards along the left-field wall. The new "out of town" scoreboards show continually updated information about other Major League games including the score, hits, errors, outs, and an image of the field displaying the runners on base. A second-tier scoreboard was also added along the bottom of the 300-level of the stadium stretching from foul pole to home plate to foul pole. The section of the second-tier scoreboard above home plate displays statistics for those unable to see the main scoreboard above the center-field wall. The final addition to Miller Park for the 2006 season was the addition of a field-level picnic-area in the corner of right-field. The picnic-area has a capacity of 75 and provides a place for fans to watch the game in a leisurely setting and be within feet of the right-fielder.

My Experience At Miller Park:
I have been to Miller Park plenty of times for Brewers/Cubs games and it is a very nice stadium with plenty of things to do. It features a cool arcade and plenty of other cool features that make it different from other parks.


Dimensions
Left Field - 344 ft / 105 m
Left-Center - 370 ft / 113 m
Center Field - 400 ft / 122 m
Right-Center - 374 ft / 114 m
Right Field - 345 ft / 105 m

Capacity:
43,000

Credit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_Park
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Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Home Of The Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Football and the Minnesota Vikings

My Rating: 2/5 Stars-Good design just not a place for sports. Too many flaws.
The Metrodome opened on April 3, 1982

Major Events Held At The Metrodome:

Major events

The 1985 MLB All-Star Game, games of the 1987 and the 1991 World Series, Super Bowl XXVI in 1992, were all held at the Metrodome.

The NCAA Final Four was held at the Metrodome in 1992 and 2001. Duke University was the winner on both occasions. The Metrodome has also served as one of the four regional venues for the Final Four in 1986, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2003 and most recently, 2006.

The Metrodome is the only venue in the world to host a MLB All-Star Game (1985), a Super Bowl (1992), an NCAA Final Four (1992 & 2001), and a World Series (1987 & 1991). It is widely recognized as one of the loudest venues in which to view a game[citation needed], due in part to the fact sound is recycled throughout the stadium because of the domed roof. The NFL has named the Metrodome the loudest NFL stadium, which is advertised throughout Vikings games.

The roof is the main feature of the Metrodome because it is air inflated. In fact when you walk out of the stadium or in the stadium you will feel a sharp air burst. Baseballs also get stuck on the roof or it interferes with play this is one of the reasons the Twins want a new stadium. The field is made of Astroturf. One problem with the stadium is some seats are not facing the hitter during baseball games causing people to have to turn their necks to see the pitch. The Twins plan on moving out of the dome in 2010.

Future Twins Ballpark


Controversy
Wikipedia:

The Metrodome is both beloved and reviled by Minnesota fans. The Twins have won both of their World Series championships in its friendly confines (and winning both Series by winning all four games held at the Dome), and the white roof, quick turf, and the right-field wall (or "Baggie") can provide a substantial home-field advantage for the Twins. Because it was designed for football, the Metrodome has severe disadvantages as a baseball venue. The way many seats are situated forces some fans to crane their necks to see home plate. Neither the main nor the upper concourse has visibility to the field, meaning fans risk missing play whenever they leave for the concession stands. The Dome's sight lines tend to be below average, with nearly 1,400 seats having obscured or partial visibility to the playing field. The Metrodome is widely known as a hitter's park, with a low left-field fence that favors right-handed power hitters, and the higher but closer right-field baggie that favors left-handed power hitters. Because the roof is very nearly the same color as a baseball, and transmits light, the Metrodome has a far higher error incidence than a normal stadium during day games, so instead of losing a fly ball in the sun, as is common for non-roofed stadia, fly balls can easily get lost in the ceiling. The Dome's appearance has been disparaged by area residents, being likened to a stale marshmallow lashed into an ashtray.

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