New Homes for MLB Teams

As we all know, Shea Stadium (Pictured Above) will be torn down after the '08 season. Citi Field will then be our new home. Many fans are clamoring about "saving the apple", which I would like to bring over to Citi Field also. The thing is, many MLB teams are re-building. Lets take a look at how many new stadiums have been built since the year 2000.

1. AT&T Park opened in 2000. It is the home to the San Fransisco Giants.
2. Busch Stadium opened in April of 2006. The St. Louis Cardinals call this place home.
3. Opening in 2004, the Phillies home is Citizens Bank Park.
4. Home of the Cincinnati Reds, The Great American Ballpark opened on March 31, 2003.
5. In my opinion, one of the better looking stadiums around is Miller Park, home to the Milwaukee Brewers. It opened in 2001.
   
6. Minute Maid Park, the home to the Astros, opened in 2000.
7. Petco Park opened in 2004 and is the home to the San Diego Padres. The cost: $411 Million.
   
8. PNC park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the '06 All-Star Game opened in 2001.

Thats 8 new stadiums in the past 7 years. Now lets take a look at the future ballparks of the MLB...

• Cisco Field will be the home to the Oakland Athletics somtime around the '09-'12 seasons.
  
• Citi Field will be the home of the Mets starting in April of 2009. The stadium will cost $632.1 million dollars to be built. The new stadium will seat 44,100 people.
• The National will opn 2008 in a new stadium. Though they dont have a name yet, the stadium is said have more of a future look to it more so than the "Classic Style."
• Yankee Stadium II is under construction now and the team will begin to play there in April of 2009, just like the Mets.
• Many teams including the Twins, Marlins, and Rays have hopes and plans to build new homes in the near future.

That is alot of money being spent for ballparks. The average cost for a MLB ballpark these days is around $450-$500 million. Sheesh.