Tiger Stadium To Be Demolished, And 80 People Care

It's already surrounded by empty vodka bottles, tattered blankets and, uh, hubcaps, and that was before an economic development board voted on Tuesday to tear down Tiger Stadium's last remnants.

The group of conservationists fighting for Tiger Stadium's survival — the 80-or-so people who protested the ballpark's demolition Wednesday, sporting signs and a willingness to block the wrecking balls all day and night — wanted to turn the field into a $27 million community center, with the crown jewel being a youth baseball facility. But it's Detroit, and the money ran dry, so a city commission simply voted to knock the place down, citing "safety" and "security" concerns to cover up the real motive: development.

If the demolition crews can clear out the protesters, the soon-to-be apartment complex will be remembered in the same manner as Ebbets Field, Polo Grounds and, perhaps, Yankee Stadium: with a plaque. Of course, that's assuming it won't be stolen, like the last historical marker planted there.

Last of Tiger Stadium to come down [ Detroit Free Press] How best to honor Tiger Stadium? [ Detroit Free Press] Fans desperate to save old Yankee Stadium's Gate 2 [ Star-Ledger]