Veterans Stadium Demolition Photos

[Sinn Fein]

It truly breaks my heart. It's like watching an old friend being hacked into pieces.

http://mysite.verizon.net/johnny97/vetsmash1.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/johnny97/vetsmash2.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/johnny97/vetsmash3.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/johnny97/vetsmash4.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/johnny97/vetsmash5.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/johnny97/vetsmash6.jpg

[Ballbuster1]

I really think they could have fixed it up and made it
work as a one game field. Then they would have only
needed to build one stadium and saved alot of tax bucks.
R.I.P. Vet!

[Sinn Fein]

I have said that from the beginning. The Yankees can be a competitive team in OLD-ASS Yankee Stadium, I am sure the Phillies could have been a competitive team in a refurbished Veterans Stadium.

[wackadoo]

i'll miss it.:cry3:

[ih8Uboo-boo]

Originally posted by Sinn Fein
I have said that from the beginning. The Yankees can be a competitive team in OLD-ASS Yankee Stadium, I am sure the Phillies could have been a competitive team in a refurbished Veterans Stadium.

The Vet was an AWFUL place to see a baseball game. Especially if you sat in the outfield. You couldn't see anything hit deep at you wherever you sat out there.

I won't miss watching baseball games there. Personally, I thought that the Phillies should have moved out and left the Eagles there and renovated it. Eventhough lurie would have pissed and moaned. The Vet was a great place to watch a football game (Except for the 100 level).

[AngryHugo]

I'm going to miss it, but mostly from all the cool shit I saw there, not the building itself. Got to see Lefty pitch a few times, and he was amazing. Those demolition pics kinda remind me of Ground Zero a little bit. I definitely want to go down there for the implosion.

[wackadoo]

Originally posted by AngryHugo
I'm going to miss it, but mostly from all the cool shit I saw there, not the building itself. Got to see Lefty pitch a few times, and he was amazing. EXACTLY!!!!:clap: you said it perfectly. the vet was a dump! but it was OUR dump!!!!

[Sinn Fein]

Competing egos led to the demise of the Vet. Neither the Phillies nor the Eagles would "settle" for staying at the Vet (no matter how much it was fixed up) while the other team got a brand-spanking-new stadium.

The city of Philadelphia owns the Vet, so I found it rather odd that the Phillies were able to whore it out one last time by selling off the seats, etc. I wonder where all of the money is going that came from people like my brother who shelled out $280 for a pair of seats.

Both teams were in a position to hold the city hostage over getting a new stadium. Subtle threats of moving the teams and things of that nature forced the city to get it done for both teams. Yea, the corporate sponsors who have naming rights for the new stadiums coughed up alot of cash. But, John Q. Taxpayer is also paying a large part of the cost.

[Silent Game]

I'll never forget my first game at the Vet.I guess I was about 9 years old and our little league coaches and parents took us all out to see the Phils.
I was pumped..bigtime..as any 9yr. old kid who loved baseball,and lived in Philly in '79 would be.
We were all practically running inside.The place was electric...and when I first walked inside from the concourse into the bleachers,I stood there in awe for a few seconds.
I saw all of my favorite Phils warming up on the painted green surface..lol..The PA announcer was pumping up the crowd and the packed grandstands(yep..they used to pack that place) reeked of peanuts and popcorn.
It was my belief at the time that I had just witnessed heaven on earth.I wasn't sitting in my seat..just kind of hovering on it.
The Mets were in town and I think it was Dick Ruthven on the mound for us.Joel Youngblood led off for the Mets and he proceeded to take Ruthvens very first pitch of the day over a leaping Gary Maddox's head at the 408 mark of Centerfield.
I slumped down in my seat and my eyes welled up...lol
One of my coaches reassured me that it would be o.k as there was still a whole game to play.
I think the final score was Mets=12 Phils=4
I never liked Ruthven after that..lol
Even though we took the title in '80...I look back on that day as my introduction to Philly fandom..and all the heartache and letdown that goes with it...lol
I'll miss the Vet.That was a cool place.

[PyThomas]

So, did any military veterans' organizations raise a stink when the new stadiums chose to take corporate sponsor names instead of calling one of the newer places the new Veterans Stadium?

[wackadoo]

Originally posted by Sinn Fein
The city of Philadelphia owns the Vet, so I found it rather odd that the Phillies were able to whore it out one last time by selling off the seats, etc. I wonder where all of the money is going that came from people like my brother who shelled out $280 for a pair of seats.
the phillies actually are paying for the demolition. that's why they can sell all the shit they're selling.

[Sinn Fein]

As much as I expectd there to be somewhat of an uproar, there wasn't. That kinda disturbs me.

So now we are going from having Veterans Stadium to having Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles) and Citizens Bank Park (Phillies). It stinks and I do not like it.

They already call the Eagles field "The Linc" and supposedly the Phillies stadium will be known as "The Vault" or some shit like that. Ugh.

[KaMoB]

Any Philly heads going down to watch the implosion this weekend. I know they said the best seats will be infront of the TV but I really want to see it in person, oh all the great memories I have of the 700 level at the Eagles games. RIP The Vet, we're all going to miss you.

[wackadoo]

Originally posted by KaMoB
Any Philly heads going down to watch the implosion this weekend. I know they said the best seats will be infront of the TV but I really want to see it in person, oh all the great memories I have of the 700 level at the Eagles games. RIP The Vet, we're all going to miss you. from what i hear (from WIP) you're not even going to be able to get close to the demo. they're blocking off the area for blocks, if not miles. you might be able to get into southern high school's field to see it, but i think that'll be blocked too.

plus aint it going down at like 5am?

[AngryHugo]

Originally posted by wackadoo

plus aint it going down at like 5am?

I think the plunger goes down at 7 AM. 5 may be a little early for a big KABOOM!!! on a Sunday morning. I should be able to see the whole thing from my roof. I'll take pics if I can get a clear shot.

[ih8Uboo-boo]

Originally posted by AngryHugo
I think the plunger goes down at 7 AM. 5 may be a little early for a big KABOOM!!! on a Sunday morning. I should be able to see the whole thing from my roof. I'll take pics if I can get a clear shot.

Where are you at Angry??

I wanted to have a kegger on my grandmothers front lawn... But its a little too close...

[AngryHugo]

I'm just off South St, near like 10th and Lombard. I can usually hear the fireworks from the Linc when they score. C'mon by!

[SPEWEY]

I already miss the Vet. I used to live 10 minutes away from it as a kid. In addition to all of the great memories from games there, I used to ride my bike up and down the ramps as well as sneaking onto the field when there was no game.

R.I.P. Vet :(

[Sinn Fein]

Some of my finest memories PERIOD involve the Vet. My mother is an anti-social homebody who never wants to leave the house and do anything to enjoy life. So, when I was a kid we never took vacations, really never did anything, which really sucked ass. But, we did have Phillies season tickets for a few years, and the years we didn't we still always went to a bunch of games.

I'm really upset over this. I stand by my belief that pure greed led to us, the fans, being sold a bill of goods by the Eagles, Phillies, and the city itself. The Vet could have been remodeled into a top-notch single-purpose stadium for one of the teams, and then they could have built a new stadium for the other team. But no, greed and egos got in the way. Both teams held the city hostage with their demands for a new stadium. The threat of moving the team is a reality, and the city had no choice but to buckle like a belt. Yea, there's corporate sponsorship. But tax dollars were still used. Plus, the city itself owned the Vet.

I am gonna get up early Sunday and watch it. I'm quite certain seeing them blow it up it'll bring a tear to my eye. The Vet is an old friend I will miss greatly.

[ih8Uboo-boo]

well said bro...:clap:

I grew up right across the street, I lived on 13th and Packer. My grandmother has home movies of my mom playing in front of their house and you can see the iron girders are going up in the backgroud. I know nothing else but the vet. Whenever someone would ask where I grew up or where I lived it was alway "Across the Street from the Vet..." now its going to be where the vet USED to be. It just don't seem right...

I've got a lot of good memories of that place, and some "not so good"

I'm going to miss it.

Good bye old friend...

[wackadoo]

Originally posted by AngryHugo
I think the plunger goes down at 7 AM. 5 may be a little early for a big KABOOM!!! on a Sunday morning. I should be able to see the whole thing from my roof. I'll take pics if I can get a clear shot. i was mistaken..5am is the start of gargano and martirano's coverage of the implosion on WIP.

[Ballbuster1]

Just got back from center city. Took the ol lady to see Les Mis at
the Academy of Music. We got off 95 at Broad street and stopped
to get a few last photos of the place. Lots of people there doing
the same. Drove by on the way home and it was total darkness.
Really a shame. It looked like the forgotten step-child.

[Sinn Fein]

It's gone... Doesn't seem real...

I watched it on WPVI Channel 6. They had an open mic and during the blast, you heard a drunken fan scream "FUCK YOU" as clear as a bell. It broke the silence.

[AngryHugo]

Well, it's down. I got quite choked up. I couldn't get a clear shot at the Vet from my roof, so no pics. It was like New Year's here. I thought I may be able to hear the blast, but everyone started screaming and blowing those big, obnoxious horns.

RIP Vet!!!

(It would've been cool if someone threw Mayor Street into the Vet right before the implosion....)

[Sinn Fein]

I'm a little choked up myself. The last thing I needed to see this morning was Woody the Wino. They should have tossed him in there.

[Darkstar]

wow, can't believe someone was awake to beat me to this. I watched them drop it on the CT news just before 7am.

[AngryHugo]

I'm pretty surprised about how small the pile of rubble is. They must've jackhammered the living shit out of it before they imploded it.

[Sinn Fein]

Originally posted by Darkstar
wow, can't believe someone was awake to beat me to this. I watched them drop it on the CT news just before 7am.

You honestly thought that the Philly crew wouldn't be watching? The Vet was almost like a 2nd home to lots of people.

[Sinn Fein]

Fox news has an article about it on their website.

Philly's Veterans Stadium Imploded (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114754,00.html)

[AngryHugo]

All I know is that I NEED to get a job blowing shit up. How cool would that be? I would just blow up stuff for fun, like a tractor trailer full of Boston creme donuts......

[Ballbuster1]

Originally posted by AngryHugo
I'm pretty surprised about how small the pile of rubble is. They must've jackhammered the living shit out of it before they imploded it.
They removed everything from the lower levels and alot of interior
walls, so it was pretty much an empty shell. Dropped just as planned.
Yeah, Sinn. I heard that on ch 6 too. Gonna call the fcc and tell them
I was offended and want wpvi fined!
:loll2:

[wackadoo]

Originally posted by Sinn Fein
I watched it on WPVI Channel 6. They had an open mic and during the blast, you heard a drunken fan scream "FUCK YOU" as clear as a bell. It broke the silence. heard that too sinn on ABC!! spitt my coffee out...the best line from my wife was "if the'r fining stern upto 500g, what do you thing ABC'll get for dropping an F bomb?:":antsmile:

[Sinn Fein]

Best part is, I got it on tape. :) The F-U that is, in addition to the demolition.

[wackadoo]

Originally posted by Sinn Fein
Best part is, I got it on tape. :) The F-U that is, in addition to the demolition. NICE!!! you should said the tape to the fcc and say your childeren are traumatized by this, NOT hoo-hoo.

[Ballbuster1]

Yeah, I recorded ch 6 from 6;30 am to 8:00.
The "fuck you" comes thru loud and clear.

[Sinn Fein]

By the way, there was a 2.3 earthquake in Camden today. Coincidence? I think not.

[ih8Uboo-boo]

Originally posted by Sinn Fein
By the way, there was a 2.3 earthquake in Camden today. Coincidence? I think not.

Do you have a better way to clean up camden???

[ih8Uboo-boo]

Just in case anyone wants to relive the memory, the Implosion is available "On Demand" if you have digital cable...

[Ballbuster1]

Originally posted by ih8Uboo-boo
Just in case anyone wants to relive the memory, the Implosion is available "On Demand" if you have digital cable...
Cool, On Demand is great. I still have the Ch.6 show on tape too.

[Sinn Fein]

I found this site (http://vetstadium.com/) which is the company that is selling what is left of the Vet Stadium seats. They got some cool photos of the Vet on the site. I still can't believe it's gone.

[Ballbuster1]

Anybody remember when South Philly used to look like this?

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/vetera04.jpg

[Sinn Fein]

I sure do. That was the good old days... The Vet, The Spectrum, and JFK. There was no Corestates, First Union, Wachovia, Lincoln Financial or Citizens Bank.