“One of the best memories I have of a game I attended at the Vet was Kevin Jordan’s pinch-hit grand slam against the Braves.”

Most of my memories involve guys like Chris James and Len Matusak.

If you grew up with the Vet, as you and I did, there wasn’t much to get emotionally attached to. It didn’t bother us to see it go. Fenway and Yankee Stadium have more big-time memories. Plus, you’re one of new generation of “sabermatics” stats-grounded sports commentators. If you’re like a lot of the others (I like this approach, btw) you try to tamp down emotional observations for factual ones. So I can see why nostalgia doesn’t carry much weight with such bloggers.

Wrigley is obviously different. Not too many winning moments there, either. But that just encouraged them to develop and embrace something else – the storyline that the team is so consistently bad that it makes them special. And, therefore, the stadium special.

It’s largely media-made. Most Cubs fans would knock it down in a second to have a team that wins the World Series and competes for a title on a semi-regular basis.

As a pragmatist, and someone who embraces progressive thought, I certainly understand your opinion. And ultimately, you’re right. These inferior structures can’t be kept forever.

That said, I think considerable sentiment towards these places is more than appropriate. It’s no different than having a park you and your family went to for decades paved over, or a beach you went to for decades closed, or a theme park you grew up at shuttered and locked.

Ultimately, when the new park, beach, or theme park comes, you’ll likely attend, and likely enjoy the experience.

But the originial one will probably shine brighter, despite the tangible evidence to the contrary. Nothing can compete with childhood memories, and old ballparks make up a considerable portion of many of ours. I think it’s appropriate to mourn the loss.