I Love Comerica Park, But It Needs An Upgrade

Most baseball fans are partial to their home park. I'll always have a soft spot for Comerica, but it's a fantastic place to watch a ballgame. It has great sight lines, awesome fans a lot of personality. But it's started showing that it has some city miles. The park first opened in 2000, meaning that it's about the quarter-century mark in terms of age. I have to give the people in charge a lot of credit; they've kept the place in pretty good shape. I never had the fortune of visiting the old Tiger stadium, so I can't compare it to that, but in relation to the several other Major League parks that I've been to, Comerica holds up just fine, but it could use a few changes.

As far as the field itself, I have no complaints. I liked that they moved in the fences, and while it looks like they kind of half assed the attempt, it's a welcome change. The field is kept in great shape, and as a spectator, you feel close enough to the action not to feel isolated. The issues that need fixing should be relatively inexpensive and not very time-consuming to fix. New President of Baseball Ops Scott Harris has talked many times about improving the player experience. Now, I would argue that the best way to do that would be to put together a team that doesn't suck, but that will come with time. You can improve the player experience by improving the fan experience.

As I said, the park opened in 2000 and shows when you walk around the concourse. There are a lot of cool features (the statues out in left field are awesome), but the TVs and many of the concession areas give off a very early 2000s vibe. This isn't the worst thing in the world. I was a child of the 2000s, but it makes the experience feel much less modern. There are minor things that need improvement. When the place is packed, the concourse feels very claustrophobic. Widening and cleaning up the concourse would improve the overall experience. But the biggest issue that plagues Comerica Park is that the experience as a whole should be more immersive. Watching a game at Comerica Park almost feels too casual. A Major League Ballpark is at its best when the fans have full access to what's going on in the game, including easy access to the pitch count and each team's lineup. That information is available at Comerica, but it's accessible through one of the worst scoreboards in Major League Baseball. The entire scoreboard needs a revamp. Tear it down and move it to center field. 

I realized something I hadn't before that last time I was at CoPa over the weekend. You can only hear the PA system from certain parts of the ballpark. I'm usually out in left field and can listen to everything just fine, but if you're walking around the concourse, you might be shit out of luck depending on where you're standing. That needs to change. The game moves faster than it ever has. If you go to the bathroom or need to get food, you might miss a fair amount of action and will need to look at your phone to catch up on what you missed. The number one priority at any ballpark is ensuring the game is accessible to everyone. Getting a new PA system should be relatively inexpensive in the grand scheme of things.

There's nothing catastrophically wrong about Comerica Park. I just feel like it's reaching that age where an upgrade would be very welcome. Now an upgrade COULD end up being a bad thing as well. I know how Chris Ilitch works, and I could easily see this organization using a ballpark upgrade as an excuse NOT to spend money anymore. That's the last thing I want. But I would like it if the Tigers used the Texas Rangers model. While the Rangers got an entirely new ballpark instead of revamping their old one, they used it as an opportunity to spend money on big-time free agents, and guess what? The team is excellent now, and they fill that park nightly. I would love to see a similar arc occur with the Tigers. "If you build it, they will come."