[Shotimes] OT outliving a stadium

[James F. Ryan III]

1966, and it's being replaced???  I don't get it.

Here in the NJ/NY area:
-Yankee stadium has been around since the 1920's!!!
-Shea Stadium (Mets and Jets (until 1983)) has been around since the early
60's.  Shea was also the first stadium that used motorized stands so it
could convert from baseball to football stadium.
-Madison Square Garden #4 (Knicks and Rangers) has been around since the
late 60's.
-Giants Stadium (Giants, Jets, Metrostars, and other teams from defunct
NASL, USFL, and XFL) has been around since 1976.
-Continental Airlines Arena (3-TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPION DEVILS!!!!! and NBA
Nets) has been around since 1981.

Some stadiums and arenas seem to only last 25 years these days.  Giants
Stadium is slated to be replaced in 2009, but Yankee, Shea and MSG have no
plans for replacement.  I don't get it.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donald Mallinson" <dmall@mwonline.net>
To: "'v8sho'" <v8sho@v8sho.com>; "SHOtimes" <shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2005 6:34 PM
Subject: [Shotimes] OT outliving a stadium


> You know you have put on a few years when you (meaning me, and a lot of
> you SHO folk out there) have outlived an entire stadium!
>
> Story today in our paper mentioned that this is the last year of use for
> Busch Stadium in St. Louis.  I thought to myself that it was kind of
> early to be tearing it down, but then they mentioned that it was opened
> in 1966.
>
> I have fond memories of Busch Stadium as a member of the Marching
> Saluki's band as a trumpet, then Mellophone player and finally the
> announcer for the half-time shows starting in 1967.  That is why I
> remember the stadium as being new.  Haven't been there in many years,
> but it's unique arches always looked cool to me.
>
> Also as a performer at half-time for NFL games I loved the fans in St.
> Louis.  We played at a few other NFL stadiums and always (especially at
> Green Bay) the fans could care less about the half-time, sometimes
> becoming hateful that we were delaying the reappearance of their beloved
> team.  Not really, but in their beer addled brains we were not
> entertainment!
>
> Busch stadium though was like having 50,000 aunts and uncles.  We
> rewarded the fans by being the only half-time band ever to that time
> (maybe ever to today) to play to the side of the field opposite the TV
> camera's during a nationally televised game!  Back then they still
> showed at least some of the half-time, but today you don't see any of
> the half-time unless it is a big production number with body parts being
> exposed.  College bands can't get a break today.  WE would come off the
> field from giving it all and could not take a step without someone
> shoving a beer in our hands!  (now this was cool to someone about 18
> years old!).
>
> Best memory is the special version of the Tribute to America that we did
> for pre-game.  Started with a special version of Aaron Coplands Tribute
> to the Common Man and blended into a single snare with the band at one
> end of the stadium in front of the goal post.  Then a single trumpet on
> the upper level of the stadium at the opposite end from the band would
> do the first section of the Star Spangled Banner.  For the second
> section another solo trumpet would play from the first level behind the
> band, then the band would come in and build to a great crescendo for the
> remainder of the song.  I swear you could hear a pin drop on the
> astroturf at the beginning, as the crowd enjoyed this so much and had so
> much respect for the performance and the tradition.  This was not a
> version that people sang along with till the third portion of the song.
> KMOX Television used a recording of us for their sign on/sign off for a
> couple of decades, and may still use it.
>
> I will miss Busch Stadium, and it feels funny to outlive (assuming
> nothing bad between now and when it comes down) an entire landmark!  ;)
>
> Don Mallinson
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