I was enjoying a summer evening at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark with a friend last year, savoring the crowd, the game and the park’s immaculate green pasture.
Then my eyes landed on the upper deck along the first baseline that extends out into right field. There were no seats or bleachers visible. Only advertising banners draped across each section.
The faded tarps have been there for years, at least since the ownership group that renamed the team the OKC Dodgers took over, maybe longer. I mentioned to my friend Steve that I found the tarps covering the seating area unsightly.
“It’s not a good look,” replied Steve, who, like me, is a partial season ticket holder.
Don’t get me wrong. Oklahoma City has a beautiful ballpark that has retained its attractiveness since it opened in April 1998. However, the tarps do nothing but detract from the ballpark’s charm.
The sight stirs memories of when I attended an Oakland Athletics game in 2004 at what was then called McAfee Coliseum. I knew it as Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum growing up.
Anyway, there is no charm to that stadium, beginning with the chipped concrete exterior and on to the narrow, dark concourse.
But the A’s venue has come to be known for the massive tarps that circle the entire upper deck. It’s as if the team gave up on its fan base years ago. Which, of course, it did, and is relocating soon to Las Vegas.
Back to the Bricktown Ballpark. I’ve enjoyed many summer nights there over the years and seen some spectacular games and individual plays. The team continues to attract fans in large numbers, especially on weekends.
I guess it comes down to what the team’s management thinks detracts from the ballpark experience more: empty upper deck seating areas on most nights or fading advertising banners covering those seats. I take it as a sign that no one anticipates crowds large enough to need them ever again.
I contend that an entire second deck of seating covered in fading tarps makes the Ballpark looks less inviting and a little tired. It’s not sending a signal of anything fresh and exciting.
So, I’m proposing some changes that would help the look and appeal of the ballpark. I’m not sure if it’s the responsibility of the team or the city for upkeep, maintenance or rehab of the park.
But here goes.
First, I would reinstall seats in the first two upper deck sections closest to home plate. Then I would install bleacher seating in the remaining upper deck sections down the first base line.
The team could market the two sections with actual seats as special group sections or maybe for special events. My friend Russ even suggests carving out a “party deck” into the area.
As for the bleacher seating, the team could market that as general admission seating and invite the public in for $10 a ticket or something like that.
And the tarps all would go into the nearest dumpster.
The point of all this is to restore the beautiful Bricktown Ballpark close to its original look and make it even more inviting.
So, I’m asking the OKC Baseball Club and the City of Oklahoma City to consider the possibilities and make our ballpark look as beautiful as it was on April 18, 1998.
Let’s eliminate comparisons to a tired old stadium like that in Oakland. Our ballpark is better than that.
Jim Stafford's BlogOKC 