Top Comments: Used to be a Ballpark edition

At Netroots Nation: as the late Leonard Nimoy would say, In Search of Lost Sports Venues, after the jump …..

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When I visit new cities — most recently at Netroots Nation — I like to spend some time walking around town for sights that appeal to the eccentric in me.

As a rail buff, oftentimes grand old rail stations are no longer used for their original purpose — and St. Louis is among them, with its old Union Station now a multi-use facility (hotel, retail space, exhibit space, etc.).

     The old Union Station, St. Louis

For many years, Amtrak was served by what was called an Amshack— but since 2008, it now has the Gateway Station. Grandeur it ain’t — the inside is small, plain, functional and only has fast food outlets. Yet it is clean and, most importantly: it is multi-modal. Not only Amtrak, but Greyhound Bus, a light rail (subway) stop, a taxi stand and a car rental agency nearby. This is how public transport is adapting in the 21st Century.

         Gateway Station, St. Louis

Two years ago, I saw how Denver Union Station has been transformed (with its bus terminals now underground, providing shelter for passengers). In that situation, they were able to preserve its old historic building, as well.

Union Station, Denver — refurbished

But as you can see by the title of this Top Comments … I also have another hobby: seeking out old sports venues.

When Netroots Nation visited Minneapolis in 2011, I made time to find the Minneapolis Armory— built for the Minnesota National Guard in 1935, but which sports fans know as the last home of the NBA Minneapolis Lakers. After the retirement of the NBA’s first superstar George Mikan, attendance dropped, and the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960.

   George Mikan (with his hook shot)

In recent years, the Armory has served as a parking garage …. but there are plans to renovate the building as an entertainment center— yet keep its historic look.

Today a parking garage … tomorrow ??

In St. Louis, three baseball stadiums have had the title Busch Stadium. The present one opened ten years ago, situated next to the site of Busch Memorial Stadium (Busch Stadium II) which was a multi-purpose stadium that existed from 1966-2005.

I did not have time to visit the location of Busch Stadium I — better known as Sportsman’s Park— in the north part of town. Various incarnations lasted until 1965, and the Cardinals won a 1964 World Series there (it was re-named as Busch Stadium from 1953-1965).

     Sportsman’s Park (origins 1881? — 1965)

But the one venue I wanted most to see was the site of the old Kiel Auditorium. It ran for an entire city block, with the front of this grand building (with ornate limestone and Roman columns) as the Kiel Opera House. The opera house still exists today (albeit with a corporate name) on Market Street.

     The Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis (1934 - 1992)

What no longer exists was the back portion, the Kiel Auditorium. Local NN 2016 attendees recall it as a venue for concerts, before its demolishment in 1992. Today it’s the site of the Scottrade Center, home to the St. Louis Blues hockey team, in glass and steel.

The Opera House’s ornate limestone (seen on the right).

But I recall as a child seeing Chris Schenkel (on ABC) bringing us the NBA Game of the Week (on ABC) with Kiel as one of those venues he broadcast from.

        The basketball arena portion

And that is because — from 1955 to 1968 — Kiel was the home of the NBA franchise known as the St. Louis Hawks. In 1968 they moved to the state of Georgia and have been the Atlanta Hawks to this day.

The St. Louis Hawks won their only NBA title in the 1957-1958 season. The year before, they lost an epic 7-game final series to the Boston Celtics (in Bill Russell’s rookie season). In 1957-58, they won 4-2 against the Celtics (with Russell slowed down with an ankle injury). In 1999, I attended Bill Russell Night in Boston — with not only former team mates but also opponents (Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Oscar Robertson and many, many others) in attendance.

And one of those attendees was someone that Bill Russell considered one of his greatest competitors, the St. Louis Hawks’ Bob Pettit— who scored 50 points in the deciding sixth game of that series, 110-109 — with Russell saying:

"Bob made 'second effort'  a part of the sport's vocabulary. He kept coming at you more than any man in the game. He was always battling for position, fighting you off the boards”.

Bob Pettit (NBA 1954-1965)

With that title, the 1957-58 St. Louis Hawks achieved an enduring distinction: they were the last all-white team to win the NBA title. (Others in their sport: the 1953 New York Yankees, the 1953 Detroit Lions, the 1959 University of California basketball team and the 1969 University of Texas football team).

To wrap-up: I wonder how the former Edward Jones Dome (now known as The Dome at America’s Center) will fare, now that its prime tenants (the St. Louis Rams) are moving to Los Angeles? It’s just over twenty years old ….. will it endure like the ballparks of old? Or are stadiums now meant for planned obsolescence?

     St. Louis Dome (1995 — ????? )

Let’s close with the inspiration for this essay’s title: a song written by  the composer Joe Raposo (an ode to the Polo Grounds in Manhattan) which was entitled There Used to Be a Ballpark (Here) — and recorded by Frank Sinatra.

x YouTube Video Now, on to Top Comments: -------------------------------------

From ZenTrainer:

In the diary by bogbud about commentary from Trevor Noah— nice comment by igualdad … about a myriad of reasons to vote.

From elfling:

In the front-page story about the The Donald and The Vlad— a little helpful suggestion from a2nite sounds good.

From MikeTheLiberal:

In the diary by stuhunter3 about emergency website maintenance for Melania Trump— a top-freakin’ comment came from joeknapp — nothing more needs saying.

And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........

In the diary by Chxmi about right-wingers mistaken about Tim Kaine’s lapel pin— a veritable one-two punch came from Ottoe (about a foreign capital) and then from mojo111 (about the Tar Heel State’s GOP).   

TOP PHOTOS July 26th, 2016 Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful *PictureQuilt™* below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. (NOTE: Any missing images in the Quilt were removed because (a) they were from an unapproved source that somehow snuck through in the comments, or (b) it was an image from the DailyKos Image Library which didn't have permissions set to allow others to use it.)

And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:

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