Ghosts of Civic's Past

I have been writing blogs about Baseball Road Trips for five years now. Every season has made me a better fan and I have grown the road trip concept into something greater than I would have ever imagined back in 2009. The experiences you have shared with me these years have taken us to all corners of this great country, seen some wonderful cities, watch games in beautiful ballparks, and meet terrific people. While the bulk of my traveling for 2013 will begin here in a few weeks, I think it is important to look back upon the past, smile, and see how far we have gotten. Inevitably, however, you can't help but look back on the 2009 blog and not wonder the fate of that venerable old ballpark of Civic Stadium. Well, earlier today, I took a stroll to the property on 20th and Willamette here in Eugene to see what was happening.

Since the last out back in 2009, Civic Stadium has been much debated and discussed. Owned by the local school district, three main entities put in proposals to redevelop the site. The first, Save Civic Stadium, was a non-profit group dedicated to saving the main grandstand and attempting to bring in minor league soccer. The second, the Eugene YMCA, wanted to build a new Y on the site. The third, Master Property, wanted to build a new Fred Meyer on the site. When the school board of Eugene was put into a position to make a decision, they chose to not accept any of the offers in lieu of finding another option.

Since then, the building has sat vacant. A few months back, the school district paid to take down the nostalgic light stanchions over the grandstands. Shortly thereafter, the Save Civic Stadium group organized a work party and tore down the outfield wall. The upper reaches of the old grandstand have been cordoned off, most likely by the fire marshal, because they are unsafe for people to be on. The same can be said for the box seat section below the main grandstand as that is blocked off as well.

While I wasn't able to get inside of the ballpark during my visit, you can see that the overall condition of the place is really rough. There is obviously a caretaker overseeing the property as I saw a camper trailer parked inside the gates with the door open. I also saw a junkyard dog prowling the premises who is there to dissuade people from jumping the fence to get inside.

An abandoned ballpark is almost as sad as an abandoned school, in my opinion. Here are places that brought so much joy to people, but now they are shuttered and the only thing that remains are the echoes of those long lost voices and memories. When those warm summer nights do come around, I'm sure the ghosts of those 50 years of baseball games do come back to life. Kind of creepy, but fascinating at the same time. 

Sadly, I think the stadium needs to be torn down. It has become an eye sore for the community, an unsafe place to be, and attracts vagrants. I recognize the value of the old ballparks, but sometimes these objects need to be left to die a peaceful death. I have my memories, and they do define me as a fan, but it is time for the stadium to be torn down. Places like Wrigley Field or Cheney Stadium are enduring, but at least they look nice and are represenatived of the communities they reside in. Civic Stadium was a gem, sure, but time and politics have let the stadium degrade to the point where we need to let her die a dignified death.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)