Globe Life Park in Arlington

Globe Life Park in Arlington
The Globe
Globe Life Park in Arlington in 2018
Former names The Ballpark in Arlington (1994–2004)
Ameriquest Field in Arlington (2005–2006)
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (2007–2013)
Address 1000 Ballpark Way
Location Arlington, Texas
Coordinates 32°45′5″N 97°4′58″W / 32.75139°N 97.08278°W / 32.75139; -97.08278Coordinates: 32°45′5″N 97°4′58″W / 32.75139°N 97.08278°W / 32.75139; -97.08278
Public transit Collins Street at Andrews Street
Owner City of Arlington
Operator Rangers Baseball Express
Executive suites 120
Capacity 48,114[1]
Record attendance 52,419
Field size Left Field Line – 332 feet (101 m)
Left Center – 390 feet (119 m)
Deep Left Center – 404 feet (123 m)
Center Field – 400 feet (122 m)
Deep Right Center – 407 feet (124 m)
Right Center – 377 feet (115 m)
Right Field Line – 325 feet (99 m)
Backstop – 60 feet (18 m)
Surface Latitude36 Bermuda Grass
Construction
Broke ground April 2, 1992
Opened April 1, 1994
Closed September 2019 (estimated, unless Rangers make playoffs)
Construction cost $191 million
($315 million in 2017 dollars[2] )
Architect David M. Schwarz Architectural Services, Inc.
HKS, Inc. (architect of record)
Structural engineer Walter P Moore/Datum[3]
Services engineer M–E Engineers, Inc./Dunn Consulting[4]
General contractor Manhattan Construction Company
Tenants
Texas Rangers (MLB) (1994–present)

Globe Life Park in Arlington is a baseball park in Arlington, Texas, located between Dallas and Fort Worth. It is home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball and the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame. It was constructed as a replacement for nearby Arlington Stadium and opened in April 1994 as The Ballpark in Arlington. Ameriquest bought the naming rights to the ballpark on May 7, 2004, and renamed it Ameriquest Field in Arlington. The Rangers severed their relationship with Ameriquest on March 19, 2007, and announced the park would be renamed Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company, a subsidiary of McKinney, Texas-based Torchmark Corporation, bought the naming rights for the facility on February 5, 2014.[5]

Voters in Arlington approved extending the sales and hotel taxes in November 2016 to fund Globe Life Field, a new ballpark set to be built in the area adjacent to the current ballpark and open in 2020.[6]

History

In April 1989, Rangers owner Eddie Chiles sold the team to an investment group headed by George W. Bush.[7] The aging Arlington Stadium was outdated and did not have amenities that helped make other baseball franchises more profitable. As a result, the team could not compete with other big-city teams for good players. In an effort to fund the project through public money instead of private financing, the Rangers threatened to leave Arlington. The city of Arlington spent $150,000 on an advertising campaign to persuade voters to approve the funding through a referendum by printing brochures, placing telemarketing calls, and planning a “Hands Around Arlington Day.”[8] On January 19, 1991, over 65% of voters approved the deal, allowing the city government to cover 71% of the costs ($135 million out of $191 million) of building the new ballpark. The deal called for the city to raise the sales tax by half a cent to go toward construction. Both houses of the Texas Legislature unanimously approved the public purpose of the ballpark, and Texas Governor Ann Richards signed it all into law.[9]

As part of the deal, the city created a separate corporation, the Arlington Sports Facilities Development Authority (ASFDA), to manage construction. Using authority granted to it by the city, the ASFDA seized several tracts of land around the stadium site using eminent domain for parking and future development.[10]

Construction on the stadium, which was dubbed The Ballpark in Arlington, began on April 2, 1992 a short distance away from Arlington Stadium, the stadium it would replace, and the new Ballpark in Arlington opened on April 1, 1994 in an exhibition contest between the Rangers and the New York Mets. The first official game was on April 11 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The largest crowd to watch a Rangers baseball game was on October 30, 2010, when 52,419 fans watched Game 3 of the 2010 World Series against the San Francisco Giants.

New Ballpark

On May 20, 2016, the Rangers announced that they intend to move from Globe Life Park to the new Globe Life Field for the 2020 season.[11] The new air conditioned stadium will feature a retractable roof,[12] which many argue could increase stadium revenue from those who would otherwise not want to sit in the heat during games as the season progresses throughout the hot Texas summer, in particular those that occur in the afternoon. Voting for the new ballpark began on November 8 (the same day as the 2016 presidential election) for residents in the city limits of Arlington.[13] The ballpark was passed with a 60% favorable vote.[6] It will open as early as the 2020 season.[6]

The new stadium would be built south of Globe Life Park, on the site of a current surface parking lot between Randol Mill Road and Cowboys Way. Space between the new stadium and Globe Life park will be an entertainment complex called Texas Live!, developed by The Cordish Companies, which is expected to include sports bars, restaurants and a 300-room hotel to be developed in three phases.[14] The first phase, dubbed "Rangers Republic", would be a two-level venue with multiple restaurants and providing interactive games and authentic memorabilia; the second phase is the Live! Arena, a multi-level venue providing restaurants, a performance stage for concerts, and an outdoor beer garden; Arlington Backyard, the third venue to anchor the entertainment district calls for a large, covered venue that could host concerts, charitable functions, and community events.[15]

Unlike Arlington Stadium, city officials will not bulldoze Globe Life Park, but will redevelop the structure as part of the Texas Live! complex. The redevelopment would retain the ballpark's outfield office complex and retain the facade and most of the concourse would be repurposed. Potential uses include repurposing the concourse for condos and retail, as well as turning the current field into an amphitheatre.[16] This will be the team's second move to their third ballpark in Arlington since they began in 1972 (their first ballpark was Arlington Stadium). Unless the Rangers make the playoffs, home plate will be removed from this park to Globe Life Field in September 2019, and as late as October.

Features

Design

Park by the Home Plate Entrance at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

The stadium was designed by David M. Schwarz Architectural Services of Washington, D.C. The Rangers chose to build a retro-style ballpark, incorporating many features of baseball's Jewel Box parks. A roofed home run porch in right field is reminiscent of Tiger Stadium, while the white steel frieze that surrounds the upper deck was copied from the pre-1973 Yankee Stadium. The out-of-town scoreboard (removed in 2009 and replaced with a state-of-the-art videoboard) was built into the left-field wall—a nod to Fenway Park. The numerous nooks and crannies in the outfield fence are a reminder of Ebbets Field.[17] The arched windows are a reminder of Comiskey Park.

However, it has a few distinct features of its own. Several traditional Texas-style stone carvings are visible throughout it. A four-story office building in center field encloses it, with a white steel multilevel facade similar to the facade on the roof.

As the stadium was built on one of the former Arlington Stadium parking lots, the irregular dimensions of the outfield were planned independently, rather than being forced by neighboring structures. The home plate, foul poles (replaced prior to the 2016 season), and bleachers were originally at Arlington Stadium. The Home Plate was inserted into place by Richard Greene (then Mayor of Arlington), Elzie Odom (Head of Arlington Home Run Committee and later Mayor of Arlington), and George W. Bush (former part Rangers owner, later Texas Governor and President of the United States).

The stadium's 810-foot (250 m)-long facades are made of brick and Texas Sunset Red granite. Bas-relief friezes depict significant scenes from the history of both Texas and baseball. The calculus of seating arrangements represented a new economic model for the sport: a critical mass of high-dollar seats close to the infield boost ticket revenue. The stadium has three basic seating tiers: lower, club and upper deck. Two levels of luxury suites occupy spaces behind sliding glass doors above and below the club tier.[18]

The stadium has a large number of obstructed-view seats. In some cases, the view is cut off by an overhang or underhang, and others are directly in front of the foul or support poles. Also, the design of the upper deck leaves it one of the highest in baseball. The view from the grandstand reserved sections in left is particularly obstructed.

Prior to the 2012 season, the visitor bullpen was reconfigured to be parallel to the field after the previous visitor bullpen configuration had an excessive amount of heat during hot weather games. To allow construction, a few rows of bleacher sections were removed.

Greene's Hill

Globe Life Park in Arlington in 2006, with Greene's Hill in center field

Greene's Hill is a sloped section of turf located behind the center field fence at the home field of the ballpark. The Hill serves as a batter's eye, providing a contrasting background behind the pitchers which enables hitters to more easily see the baseball after the pitcher's release. It was originally designed as a picnic area for fans but the Rangers have never initiated this policy. It was named after former Arlington mayor Richard Greene in November 1997. For a couple of years in the 2000s, the Rangers had the "T" from the Texas Rangers logo mowed into the grass, but this is no longer done. In 2010, the Rangers started a tradition where they had four girls run around on it with giant Texas state flags when the Rangers scored, similar to what many football teams do when their teams score. Unlike most batter's eyes, fans are allowed to run onto the hill to catch a home run.

Seating capacity

Years Capacity
1994–1995
49,292
1996
49,178
1997–1999
49,166
2000–2005
49,115
2006–2008
48,911
2009–2011
49,170
2012 48,194[19]
2013–present 48,114[1]

The stadium contains 5,704 club seats and 126 luxury suites.

Field dimensions

The field is one of the most notoriously hitter-friendly parks in baseball, due to the high temperatures, relatively short fences, and the design of the stadium which has allowed the area's high winds to swirl and lift balls that wouldn't normally make it out. In truth, the park would give up even more home runs if not for the office building in center and the field being 22 feet (6.7 m) below street level.[20]

With a combination of the park's design and the naturally good hitters who've played for the Rangers, the team has put up some rather high home run totals. In 1996, the Rangers hit 221 home runs. They eclipsed 200 again in 1998 (201), 1999 (230), 2001 (241), 2002 (230), 2003 (239), 2004 (227), and 2005 (260, four short of the all-time record of 264 by the 1997 Seattle Mariners). Many of the Rangers' already-skilled hitters take advantage of this, some even racking up multiple 30+ Home run seasons, such as Ian Kinsler, Adrián Beltré, and Josh Hamilton.[21] The longest home run recorded was 491 feet to right field by Rangers RF Nomar Mazara on May 25, 2016.[22]

Dimensions[23]

Dimension Distance
Left Field332 ft (101 m)
Left Center Field390 ft (120 m)
Center Field400 ft (120 m)
Right Center Field377 ft (115 m)
Right Field325 ft (99 m)

Lack of retractable roof

The Ballpark during the day

Despite being hailed as a wonderful venue in its infant years, articles in The Dallas Morning News began to suggest that the ballpark would have been better served by having a dome or retractable roof –much like Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros–, due to the often oppressive heat that settles over Texas in summer during baseball season, with temperatures on the field being in excess of 110°. Many argue that the intense heat is a liability in attracting players, particularly starting pitchers.[24]

That being said, it is questionable that retractable roof technology was a good candidate at the time the stadium was constructed, when modern mechanical retractable-roof ballparks like Chase Field, Safeco Field, Minute Maid Park, and Miller Park would not open until several years after it, although Toronto's SkyDome had been open since 1989.

The Rangers are planning to open a retractable roof ballpark as early as 2020.[25]

Renovations

The new HD screen on top of the right field porch

On December 3, 2010, the Rangers announced that extensive renovations to the stadium would be made and ready for the 2011 season.[26] These renovations included:

  • New Daktronics HD video displays in right field (atop the Home Run Porch) and center field (on top of the office building).
  • The out-of-town scoreboard on the left field wall (which had been replaced prior to the 2009 season) also was updated with HD technology.
  • The audio system throughout the stadium was completely overhauled, with new speakers and production equipment.
  • A new "Show Control System" which can display networked data such as videos, scores, and point-of-sale information anywhere in the stadium.
  • An IPTV system that can display live television content on ten HDTV channels to any display in the stadium.
A Panoramic Picture of Globe Life Park in Arlington. Taken May 11, 2016

Accidents

1994

On April 11, 1994, the first game at the ballpark, Holly Minter, who was posing for a picture while intoxicated, fell 35 feet over a railing in right field, fracturing several bones and causing the team to raise the height of the railings.[27]

2010

On July 6, 2010, firefighter Tyler Morris, leaning over the rail to catch a Nelson Cruz foul ball, fell 30 feet onto the section below him, causing a head injury and a severely sprained ankle to himself and minor injuries to fans he landed on.[28] The game was stopped for 15 minutes while paramedics treated him.[29]

2011

On July 7, 2011, firefighter Shannon Stone, from Brownwood, Texas, was attending the Rangers game against the Oakland Athletics with his six-year-old son, Cooper, when outfielder Josh Hamilton threw him a ball, as he had asked.[27] Reaching for it, he flipped over the railing and fell 20 feet, head-first, onto the concrete behind the out-of-town scoreboard in left field.[27] He was conscious and talking as paramedics tended to him, but he died en route to the hospital.[30] The cause of death was identified as blunt force trauma.[31] This was the fourth fall in the stadium's 17 years of history.[32] A moment of silence was held for him prior to the next day's game, both the Rangers and Athletics wore black ribbons on their uniforms, and the flags at the stadium were flown at half-staff in memory of him.[31] The Rangers Foundation set up a memorial fund for Stone's family.[33]

A tarp was placed over the opening through which Stone fell.[31] Rangers team president Nolan Ryan said the height of the railings exceeds the requirement of the building codes but said the team would do "whatever it takes" to ensure the safety of the fans;[34] on July 20, 2011, the Rangers announced they would raise all railings in the front of seating sections to 42 inches.[35] On August 10, 2011, the team announced it would erect a statue memorializing Stone.[36] Cooper helped unveil the statue on April 5, 2012. It depicts him and his father wearing baseball caps. They are holding hands and looking at each other as if they were talking. The inscription on the statue reads "In memory of Shannon Stone and dedicated to all fans who love the game".

On September 30, 2011, Cooper threw out the ceremonial first pitch to honor his father before Game 1 of the 2011 ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays.[37][38]

Notable events

MLB

College Baseball

It hosted the 2002 and the 2004 Big 12 Baseball Tournament. Since 2013, the UT Arlington baseball team annually hosts one game in the stadium every March.[39]

In Film and TV

Scenes from Disney's The Rookie were shot here.

Other events

It was the venue for the Dallas/Fort Worth MDA Muscle Walk event that took place on September 20, 2014.[40] This was previously held at AT&T Stadium (formerly Cowboys Stadium) from 2010 to 2013.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sullivan, T. R. (October 30, 2012). "Rangers Resume Fan-Focused Park Renovations". Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. ↑ Sports Projects – Datum Engineers
  4. ↑ Walker Engineering – Sports & Entertainment
  5. ↑ http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article/tex/rangers-rename-home-stadium-globe-life-park-in-arlington?ymd=20140205&content_id=67468960&vkey=news_tex
  6. 1 2 3 http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/arlington/article113344593.html
  7. ↑ Los Angeles Times: "Chiles Reaches Agreement on Sale of Rangers" August 27, 1988
  8. ↑ "How George W. Bush scored big with the Texas Rangers". The Center for Public Integrity. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ Greene, Richard (February 12, 2016). "At ballpark, eminent domain worked as it is supposed to work". Star-Telegram. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  10. ↑ Bryce, Robert. "What Price Baseball?". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Rangers, Arlington announce new ballpark". MLB.com. May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  12. ↑ http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2016/11/08/arlington-voters-to-decide-on-tax-extension-for-new-ballpark/
  13. ↑ https://www.texastribune.org/2016/10/29/rangers-ballpark-vote-arlington-hinges-faith-econo/
  14. ↑ Mosler, Jeff (May 20, 2016). "Rangers new stadium plans unveiled; find out what it will cost and timeline for its construction". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  15. ↑ Whitely, Jason (September 20, 2016). "Rangers expand, move up construction of 'Texas Live!'". WFAA. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  16. ↑ Cadwallader, Robert (August 18, 2016). "Plans afoot to redevelop Globe Life Park if new stadium is built". Star-Telegram. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Daktronics LED Technology to Light Up Rangers Ballpark in Arlington" (Press release). Daktronics. February 5, 2009.
  18. ↑ from David M. Schwarz/Architectural Services, ISBN 0-9679143-6-1
  19. ↑ "Texas Rangers". Forbes.
  20. ↑ Pahigaian, Josh; O'Connell, Kevin (2004). The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip. Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press. ISBN 1-59228-159-1.
  21. ↑ "Home Run Statistics". ESPN. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  22. ↑ SportsDay DFW. "WATCH: Rangers' Nomar Mazara crushes upper-deck home run estimated as longest in MLB this season". Retrieved 2017-11-13.
  23. ↑ "The Ballpark in Arlington". Baseball Statistics. QATD Internet Ventures. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  24. ↑ "If Rangers Can't Curb Ballpark Heat, They'll Likely Lose Ace Cliff Lee". The Dallas Morning News. August 12, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  25. ↑ Rangers, Arlington announce new ballpark, MLB.com
  26. ↑ "Texas Rangers to Make Significant Ballpark Upgrades for 2011". Major League Baseball Advanced Media. December 3, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  27. 1 2 3 Spousta, Tom; Zinser, Lynn (July 9, 2011). "Grief and Questions After Death at Ballpark". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  28. ↑ "Fan Falls From Deck at Texas Rangers Game". KDFW. Dallas. July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  29. ↑ Cox, Chris (July 6, 2010). "Fan Falls From Stands at Rangers Ballpark". Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  30. ↑ Sullivan, T. R. (July 8, 2011). "Rangers Return to Work in Wake of Tragedy". Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  31. 1 2 3 Barzilai, Peter (July 10, 2011). "Rangers Ballpark Inspected; Josh Hamilton Recounts Incident". USA Today. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  32. ↑ "Texas Rangers Baseball Fan Dies in Plunge from Seat". BBC News. July 8, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  33. ↑ Sullivan, T. R. (July 8, 2011). "Rangers Express Regret, Support for Family of Fan". Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  34. ↑ Slusser, Susan (July 8, 2011). "Fan's Death Weighs Heavy on A's, Rangers Players". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  35. ↑ Associated Press (July 20, 2011). "After Fan Death, Texas Rangers to Raise Railing Heights at Ballpark". USA Today. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  36. ↑ Durrett, Richard (September 30, 2011). "Cooper Stone to Throw Out First Pitch". ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  37. ↑ Levine, Zachary (September 30, 2011). "Fan Whose Father Died at Game Throws Out First Pitch". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  38. ↑ Cooper Stone First Pitch: Rangers Open MLB Playoff Game With Throw From Son Of Shannon Stone (VIDEO)
  39. ↑ http://www.utamavs.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/070617aaa.html
  40. ↑ DFW Muscle Walk - Muscular Dystrophy Association (accessed June 7, 2014)
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Arlington Stadium		 Home of the Texas Rangers
1994 – present		 Succeeded by
Globe Life Field
Preceded by
Three Rivers Stadium		 Host of the All-Star Game
1995		 Succeeded by
Veterans Stadium
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