In the course of moving a mile east from Tiger Stadium to Comerica Park, the Detroit ballclub left behind an unmatched trove of history and tradition. Professional teams played on the site as far back as the 19th century, and throughout the 20th, every Tiger home game was played at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. Every A.L. regular of the 20th century played on that field: long-vanished giants such as Cy Young, Nap Lajoie, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth, as well as more recent stars. And more home runs -- nearly 11,000 -- were hit on that site than anywhere else.

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In its last decades, Tiger Stadium was also the best place for fans as well, with the closest upper deck to the playing field, more cheap bleacher seats than any other park, and unforced quirks such as an overhanging right-field upper deck. For eleven years, the Tiger Stadium Fan Club held off two successive owners in their fight to save the park, but eventually money and clout triumphed.

Its $260 million replacement, Comerica Park, is surely an economic boon to ownership, with suites, club seats, eating and drinking places and concession stands aplenty. But there are far fewer cheap seats, the upper deck is much further from the field, and fewer people can be accommodated for big games.

Comerica is sited just north of downtown, and there is a splendid view of the skyline beyond right field. To accomplish this, the structure was set at an angle to the surrounding streets -- the first time that a non-circular urban big-league park adopted such an odd alignment. This also means that batters are facing almost due south, a situation that has disturbed Joe Falls, Detroit's senior baseball writer.

Comerica Park has a brick exterior, 42,000 seats, a small foul territory, and 345-420-335 outfield dimensions. Had it replaced a facility such as Riverfront or Three Rivers Stadium, fans and owners alike would count it a major step forward. It remains to be seen whether Detroit fans find it an improvement over its predecessor.(JP)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » April 11, 2000: The Tigers sink the Mariners, 5-2, in the first game played at Comerica Park in Detroit.