Detroit City Council to decide fate of historic Navin Field Tuesday Nov. 24

CALLING ALL SUPPORTERS OF NAVIN FIELD!

This is your last chance to ask Detroit City Council to do the right thing: 
To preserve a public park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, site of historic Tiger Stadium. 

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, on the 13th Floor of the CAYMAC (aka the City County Building), the full nine-member Detroit City Council will discuss the transfer of the Tiger Stadium site, (a.k.a. Navin Field) to the Detroit Economic Development Corporation.

This historic ballpark, lovingly restored by the volunteers of the Navin Field Grounds Crew since 2010, now sits on the verge of destruction. 

Please let City Council know how important it is to preserve this beautiful, historic green space in the heart of Detroit's oldest neighborhood. We encourage you to focus not on the history of the site, but on the health and safety of our children and the health of our environment. 

Detroit doesn't need nine acres of lush, green grass torn apart and replaced with nine acres of plastic. (That's not preservation. That's demolition.)

It is CRITICAL that we get a good turnout on the 24th, so please join us to show your support for real grass and the preservation of a public park (as called for in Senator Carl Levin's $3.8 million earmark).

If you cannot attend in person, we ask that you please contact Detroit City Council, as well as Senator Carl Levin's office and Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy Chairman Thomas Linn, to express your concern over the fate of Navin Field ... before it's long gone:

We ask that you voice your respect for Detroit PAL. 

PAL's mission is an admirable mission and an honorable mission, one we can all support. But we simply cannot support their idea of destroying historic Navin Field and replacing it with artificial turf.

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Suggested email subject line:


"Please keep the grass at old Tiger Stadium"

**Scroll down for suggested petition language.**

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WHO TO CONTACT:

Former U.S. Senator Carl Levin 

via Angela Madar 
amadar@honigman.com
313-465-7000, ext. 7949
Twitter: @SenCarlLevin 

Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy
Chairman Thom Linn
Linn@MillerCanfield.com
313-496-7511


Detroit Planning Director Maurice Cox
via Keinya Carter
CarterK@detroitmi.gov
313-224-1421

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation

CEO Rodrick Miller

Miller@degc.org
Twitter: @RodrickMiller
313-237-4602

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DETROIT CITY COUNCIL

President Brenda Jones
bjones_mb@detroitmi.gov

Stephen Grady, Ms. Jones' Chief of Staff
GradyS@detroitmi.gov
313-224-1245

Councilman Gabe Leland
LelandG@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-2151

Councilwoman Mary Sheffield
CouncilMemberSheffield@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-4505

Councilman Scott Benson
BensonS@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-1198

Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda-López
councilmemberraquel@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-2450  


Councilwoman Janeé Ayers
councilmemberayers@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-4248

Councilman George Cushingberry
cushingberryg@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-4535

Councilman James Tate
councilmembertate@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-1027

Councilman Andre Spivey
CouncilmanSpivey@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-4841 

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WHAT TO SAY:
(feel free to add your own comments)

Dear _______________________,

I’m writing to respectfully request that if the City is going to transfer the Tiger Stadium site, aka Navin Field, to the Economic Development Corporation, that it remain a natural grass field, with meaningful public access.

Not only would a natural-grass playing field honor the ballpark’s illustrious history, it would also help protect Detroit’s fragile environment.

But most importantly, it would help to ensure a safe and healthy playing field for our children.

It's well-known that real grass results in fewer and less severe injuries than artificial turf. And with the safety of artificial turf still very much in question, even those fields with alternative infills, I’m urging you to err on the side of caution.

Please protect and preserve this historic ballpark as a green space in the heart of Corktown.
For our kids, for our community, and for our environment.

For more information, please visit tinyurl.com/SaveTheGrassAtTigerStadium,
tinyurl.com/GrassIsGreenerDetroit, and tinyurl.com/KeepDetroitGreen.


Sincerely,

___________________________________

City Council hearing Nov. 19 on the future of Navin Field, site of historic Tiger Stadium

CALLING ALL SUPPORTERS OF NAVIN FIELD!

Come voice your support at Detroit City Council Thursday, November 19, for the preservation of a public park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, site of historic Tiger Stadium.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, on the 13th Floor of the CAYMAC (aka the City County Building), Detroit City Council will discuss the transfer of the Tiger Stadium site, (a.k.a. Navin Field) to the Detroit Economic Development Corporation.

This will be your only chance to let Council know how important it is to preserve this beautiful, historic green space in the heart of Detroit's oldest neighborhood. (You'll have one to two minutes to speak your piece, so come armed with compelling stories of "The Corner."

**We encourage you to focus not on the history of the site, but on the health and safety of our children and the health of our environment. Detroit does not need nine acres of lush, green grass torn apart and replaced with nine acres of plastic.**

(That's not preservation. That's demolition.)

It is CRITICAL that we get a good turnout on the 19th, so please join us to show your support for real grass and the preservation of a public park (as called for in Senator Carl Levin's $3.8 million earmark).

We ask that you voice your respect for Detroit PAL. PAL's mission is an admirable mission and an honorable mission, one we can all support. But we simply cannot support their idea of destroying historic Navin Field.

Please share this event with your friends and family and all supporters of green spaces and public parks to speak up and speak out.

In the meantime, we ask that you please contact Detroit City Council by phone or by email to express your concern over the fate of Navin Field ... before it's long gone:


DETROIT CITY COUNCIL

President Brenda Jones
bjones_mb@detroitmi.gov

Stephen Grady, Ms. Jones' Chief of Staff
GradyS@detroitmi.gov
313-224-1245

Councilman Gabe Leland
LelandG@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-2151

Councilwoman Mary Sheffield
CouncilMemberSheffield@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-4505

Councilman Scott Benson
BensonS@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-1198

Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda-López
councilmemberraquel@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-2450 
Janeé Ayers
councilmemberayers@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-4248

Councilman George Cushingberry
cushingberryg@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-4535

Councilman James Tate
councilmembertate@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-1027

Councilman Andre Spivey
CouncilmanSpivey@detroitmi.gov
(313) 224-4841 

Tiger Stadium community meeting Wednesday Oct. 28

The future of Navin Field hangs in the balance

Please join us Wednesday, October 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Come join the public discussion on:

• public access 

• artificial turf vs. natural grass

• retail and residential development

• and more

Representatives will be on hand from the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, the Navin Field Grounds Crew, Detroit PAL, and Tiger Stadium Partners.

So mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 28.

We hope to see you there.

________________________________________________________

IBEW Local 58 is located at 1358 Abbott St, in historic Corktown.  

Click here for directions.

NFGC viewing party: Game 5 of the 1984 World Series

Calling all Tigers fans ... 

Come relive the magic of the Detroit Tigers’ last world championship on the site where it all happened: 

At the historic corner of Michigan and Trumbull. 

Join the Navin Field Grounds Crew as we celebrate Sparky Anderson, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Larry Herndon, Willie Hernandez, Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson, and all the ’84 Tigers as they send Goose Gossage and the Padres packing in the decisive Game 5 of the 1984 World Series. 

The party gets underway Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015, at approximately 7:30 p.m. at Navin Field, site of historic Tiger Stadium.

We'll have a big 10-by-10-foot screen on the field with the original NBC feed. But instead of the national broadcast team, we’ll listen to Detroit's legendary radio duo of Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey! 

(Click here for a sneak peek.)

Bring a chair, snacks, and non-alcoholic drinks as you please. We'll be set up in the infield with the screen right behind home plate. If you have a camping lantern, feel free to bring it. (Remember, there are no lights at Navin Field.) We ask that you please help us keep the field clean and to encourage guests to clean up after themselves. 

We'll have extra trash bags if anyone needs them. If you fill up a bag, we ask that you please take it home with you if possible, as we only have so many garbage cans onsite.

Thanks for your understanding!

So bundle up and bring your friends and family to the historic corner of Michigan and Trumbull TONIGHT ... and relive the Roar of '84!

Just say 'NO' to artificial turf at historic Tiger Stadium

To voice your support for real grass at Navin Field, site of old Tiger Stadium, please call or write the following:

JUST COPY AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING
 (feel free to add your own comments):

Dear _______________________,

I’m writing to express my support for natural grass at historic Tiger Stadium. Not only would a natural-grass playing field honor the ballpark’s illustrious history, it would also help protect Detroit’s fragile environment.

But most importantly, it would help to ensure a safe and healthy playing field for our children.

It's well-known that real grass results in fewer and less severe injuries than artificial turf. And with the safety of artificial turf still very much in question, I’m urging you to err on the side of caution.

Please protect and preserve this historic ballpark as a green space in the heart of Corktown.
For Detroit, for our children, and for the love of the game.

For more information, please visit tinyurl.com/SaveTheGrassAtTigerStadium,
tinyurl.com/GrassIsGreenerDetroit, and tinyurl.com/KeepDetroitGreen.


Sincerely,

___________________________________

WHO TO CONTACT:

Suggested email subject line:
"Please keep the grass at old Tiger Stadium"

Mayor Mike Duggan's office 
313-224-3400
emailmayorduggan@detroitmi.gov

Mike Duggan on Twitter 
@MayorMikeDuggan

Chief of Staff Alexis Wiley
WileyA@detroitmi.gov
@AlexisWileyNews

Mayoral spokesman John Roach
RoachJ@detroitmi.gov
John Roach on Facebook

Tom Lewand Sr. 
LewandT@detroitmi.gov
313-224-3400

Former U.S. Senator Carl Levin 
via Angela Madar 
amadar@honigman.com
313-465-7000, ext. 7949
Twitter: @SenCarlLevin 

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation

CEO Rodrick Miller

Miller@degc.org
Twitter: @RodrickMiller

Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy
Chairman Thom Linn
Linn@MillerCanfield.com
313-496-7511

Detroit PAL
CEO Tim Richey
TRichey@DetroitPAL.org
313-833-1600
Twitter: @DetroitPAL

Jim Curran
jcurran@karoubassociates.com
517-896-4190

Detroit Planning Director Maurice Cox
via Keinya Carter
CarterK@detroitmi.gov

City Councilwoman Raquel Castaneda-Lopez
District 6
CouncilMemberRaquel@detroitmi.gov
313-224-2450

If you like, you can also CC the NFGC in your correspondence:

Email: NavinFieldGroundsCrew@gmail.com
Twitter handle: @NavinFieldCrew

RIP, Mel Farr (1944-2015)

Our condolences go out tonight to the family of Mel Farr, who died Monday night at the age of 70.

Farr played his entire NFL career in a Detroit Lions uniform and played every one of his home games at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

As the 1967 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Farr teamed with 1967 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Lem Barney to form a potent 1-2 combination on the Tiger Stadium gridiron.

Four years later, along with Bobby Rogers of the Miracles, Mel and Lem sang background vocals on Marvin Gaye's seminal 1971 hit "What's Going On."

(In fact, according to Lem's biography, they actually talked Marvin into recording it in the first place.)

While Mel and Lem never made it to the top of the league or the top of the charts, they still secured a place in the heart of Motown for the ages.

RIP, Mel.
You were a true superstar.

Five years in the making: The rebirth of Navin Field

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Navin Field Grounds Crew.

It was five years ago today that a group of volunteers came together and decided to clean up the site of Detroit's historic Navin Field on the site of old Tiger Stadium.

After the stadium's demolition in the fall of 2009, the entire site was left blighted and abandoned.

We simply could not allow this hallowed ground to become a garbage dump.

On Mother's Day of 2010, a local mailman named Tom Derry visited the old ball field with a few of his friends.

Much like Jack Buck, he could not believe what he saw. The field looked terrible. Giant weeds had overtaken the infield, the pitcher's mound, and the baselines. There was tall grass and trash scattered everywhere. It was an awful sight.

Then a thought occurred to Derry.

"I've got a riding mower," he told himself. "Maybe I can cut the grass." 

So Derry went home, called his friends, and Navin Field's first cleanup was scheduled for May 12, 2010.

More than 20 volunteers showed up that day to begin restoring this historic diamond.

In the midst of our cleanup, a city official showed up to question what we were doing:



We assured him we were merely there to clean up the field. 

After a brief chat, he left the field and assured us he would not call the police.

Moments later, the police arrived. 

But we pleaded our case, and they let us finish our work for the day.

Things would soon change, though. Derry was repeatedly warned that he would be arrested for trespassing if he returned to the field. 

Undeterred, he kept coming back with his riding mower, and the Navin Field Grounds Crew continued its quest to bring this historic field back to life.

Navin Field and the NFGC have come a long way since 2010.

Today, city officials no longer threaten the grounds crew. The police occasionally stop by on foot or on horseback to wish us well. The field itself looks great, considering all it's been through, and it's being used every day. 

The park is green, clean, and accessible to all.

We never thought that five years after that first clean-up we'd still be maintaining this historic field. But we're still here, and it's still very much a labor of love.

"The Corner" will likely have a new tenant soon, and we don't know how much longer we'll have access to the field. 

But as long as the NFGC is maintaining Navin Field, we promise it will be kept clean, the grass will be real, and the park will be accessible to everyone.

It's truly been an honor to preserve Detroit's field of dreams.

Come celebrate with us all summer long at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

Cleanups start Sundays at 10 a.m. And there's great fun for the whole family all day long. 

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For a complete calendar of events, visit Vintage Baseball at the Corner.