EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY:
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME
ARLINGTON STADIUM — ARLINGTON, TX (1993)
I saw close to 100 Major League Baseball games at the old Arlington Stadium during the 1970s and into the early 1980s. My dad took me to most of them. Those were great times. Saw some legendary teams play — including the Swinging A’s of the early 70s, the dysfunctional dynasty known as the Yankees in the ’77-’80 period with Reggie Jackson, and of course the hometown Rangers who had lots of characters and were always interesting. We could sit in the outfield for $1,50, then sneak down into the more expensive seats closer to the infield. Like I said — good times.
Arlington Stadium was originally tacky minor league ballpark. It was converted and then upgraded several times, but always seemed like a hopeless outdated dump. It’s suburban location was also a mistake, isolated some 20 miles outside of Dallas. However, that location proved immensely successful over time. After all, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys moved next door and built a 95,000-seat palace. And, two more major league stadiums were constructed (the Texas Rangers are on their third stadium in 30 years). Now, it may be the only city in the country with THREE professional sports stadiums all within walking distance to each other. I guess this all goes to show the validity and even prophesy of that movie line, “if you build it they will come.”
Shortly after Marieta and I were married, we visited the old Arlington Stadium (originally known as Turnpike Stadium). At its max, it only held 42,000 spectators. The stadium was an embarrassment, especially in a state like Texas which takes pride in everything being bigger and bettor than the competition. For many years, Arlington Stadium was the worst ballpark in the majors, even though it was a cheap place for fans to watch baseball and nearly every seat in the house was pretty close to the action.
Here’s a photo of Marieta in the stands and posing beautifully for the camera during an off day. Arlington Stadium was demolished exactly 30 years ago, in 1994. It’s now a parking lot for the other three newer stadiums. With a new baseball season underway, this photo seems appropriate on this day.
