Another reason we in Chicago still refer to it as Comiskey Park. He was a right bastard, dagnubbit, but he was OUR bastard, not some stupid cell phone company.

I think the Yankees, Dodgers and Orioles have it right naming the stadium after the team:

Yankee Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Classic names that are just related to the team. The day anyone tries to rename Yankee Stadium Steinbrenner Field or even worse Chase Manhattan Arena, I'm packing up and moving to the middle of the ocean somewhere.

To me it is more of that constant changing than the blatant and disgusting advertising. I was fine with "Enron" as long as it stayed "Enron", the fact that I had to start calling it something else a year after it was built is kind of annoying. Based on the short tenure of most sports stadiums currently, how about MLB make it so teams can only sell stadium rights for the life of the stadium?

The names kind of suck, especially the antiseptic ones, but the worst part is the biennial changes.

But ballparks named after companies have been around for years (Busch stadium).

But there is no more Pac Bell. SBC bought them out. SBC retired that name. They paid the money, they get to pick the name.

SBC is a Dow 30 company. Enron never held that distinction. SBC got the call in 1999 along with Microsoft, Intel and Home Depot. Chevron, Goodyear, Union Carbide and Sears got sent down to AAA as it were.

Wow. This is just a sign of the times now. Nothing you can do to fight it.

What is so great about "Pac Bell" Park anywho? Sounds the damn same to me. It's not like it's Pacific Ocean.

SBC is the same as Pac Bell. Both names suck.

it's an interesting story. as mentioned above, some corporate names have entered the lexicon, some change year after year. i much prefer the stadiums named after the team, or even the owner, but as Bob T inferred, everything is for sale these days. I just pray to god they never put ads on the uniforms.

Thanks for the link! Yeah, if Pac Bell got bought out by SBC (which, as an East Coaster, I did not know), they probably do have to change the name, but still...I'd just like to see these stadium names have a little more permanence. Corporate names, by their nature, change too often.

Another bad case was when NJ changed the name of the "Brendan Byrne Arena" to the "Continental Airlines Arena." Poor Brendan Byrne was still alive...

Comiskey is the biggest joke of all. I live in Chicago, and I've never heard anyone refer to it as "US Cellular Park" except on TV. It's awful.

An enterprising local writer suggested that we call it "The Joan," after their spokesperson Joan Cusack. I like that idea.

I think SBC may have already owned Pacific Bell by the time the park opened, but I would have to check to be certain. It just took a while for SBC to change the names of all the other companies it bought out.

The main argument used by the "Pacific Bell Park" guys seem to be that "Pac Bell Park" sounds nicer and "reflects the beauty of the park."

I just don't see that. It was a corporate name to start with. And now it's a different corporate name. What particular association did "Pacific Bell" have with San Francisco? Do we have such short attention spans that we get nostalgic for things that have only been around since 1999?

What if I pointed out that "McCovey Cove" isn't a cove? It's not even remotely close to being a cove.

Continental Airlines Arena was officially called the Meadowlands Arena for a few years between the ex-gov and the airline. It never should have been named after Byrne in the first place, but even as a rabid Devils fan the place is far too new and character-free for me to be overly concerned.

Here in Boston, the "Shawmut Center" was almost ready to open (the Shawmut bank logo screened on every seat) when Fleet bought them out. Now it's looking like the "Bank of America Center" is next. I have shirts older than this arena, and it's going on name number three...

Its kind of nice that Carl Lindner's insurance company kind of sounds like a baseball stadium name.

Great American Ballpark is corporate, but if you pretend hard enough it could have been a natural name.

Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, the four crown jewels of the baseball world, i for one could never see a sponsor name at any of these four great stadiums, i mean could you imagine Duncan Doughnuts Field at Fenway Park, or how about Chicago Title Stadium, or an above post, Steinbrenner Park, or god forbid, Nestle Stadium (Nestle has their western HQ in glendale, about 10mi from Dodger Stadium)

These 4 stadiums are old, yes, but they are still great to experience a game at. I for one have only been to Dodger Stadium, being a huge Dodger fan, i am somewhat biased, but i will be making the journey to see the 1st game the Dodgers will play at Fenway the 2nd week of June, and will be able to experience the park. but for me, Dodger Stadium is always such a treat to go to. I mean, its in a beautiful location, almost always perfect weather, and, as i told a Cards fan friend who went to a game there, Sandy, DD, Sutton, Fernandomania, Orel, to name a few pitched on that mound, a game there is just magical, thats the only way i can describe it, i am excited to make the trip to fenway, since i have been told its just a completely different high

So forget the Doghouse (petco), PhoneCompany Park(will always hate you giants, how many WS championships do you have since moving? ) and long live the four unsponsored Cathedrals of Baseball

oh yeah, Giants have ZERO WS Championships, go back to New York

Wrigley Field isn't a corporate name?

It is, but it was named after the person who started the business, not the business itself, like Busch Stadium. There really was a Wrigley who owned the Federal League team that first played in the stadium, and there really is a Busch family that owns the Cardinals and brews the beer. The same can be said for Turner Field. I don't have a problem with that. There's a direction relationship to the team.

Joe,
You made the comment '...ballparks named after companies have been around for years (Busch stadium)'. Actually, August Busch wanted to name the stadium Budweiser Stadium; however, the commisioner at the time would not allow it. Busch's response was to name the stadium after himself and then come out with a new brand of beer which, lo and behold, had the same name as the stadium.

At least the Giants' ballpark was built with private money; when taxpayers build it and the owner sells off the name it's really ridiculous.

I don't mind using corporate names when a new park is established. It just annoys me when the name of the park keeps changing. Candlestick was never 3-Com in my mind and Pac Bell will never be anything but Pac Bell to me.

Nobody pays me a dime to call it anything else and I don't work for anybody being paid to call it something else.

Concerning Wrigley Field.... The field was named "Weeghman Field" back when the Federal League Chicago Whales played there. IIRC it became "Wrigley Field" after William Wrigley bought it to move the Cubs there. Or something like that.

Y'all know there was another Wrigley Field in LA, right? The Angels played there for at least a year back in 1961; I saw a game there (Steve Bilko, Daddy Wags, et. al.).

Bank One got bought over by JP Morgan Chase a few weeks ago but the Diamondbacks are not changing the name of the BOB to the JPMCB (phew!)

I noticed you said the "BOB" will not be changed. I think Bank One lost out on their naming rights because I do not think people thought of the bank when they said "I'm going to the BOB." Thats why I can see Jerry Colangelo wanting to keep the name since it does not evoke a corporate image for many. The Diamondbacks have the final say on any name change. I wonder if Colangelo will change his mind for additional dollars.

JD Arney brought up Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati and thought that, while it was clearly a corporate name, it sounded pretty good as "just a name." Being a Cardinals fan, I have given a lot of thought to the new stadium in St. Louis. If the ownership group insists on sponsorship, the best blend of history/relevance and company moniker would be Gateway Park. Slips in quite nicely, although I don't want them to paint the seats white with black splotches (red seats only!). (I think they should name it that anyway and Gateway can come begging for the rights afterward.)

Do you know the 26 names associated with Yankee Stadium? If not do you know a sorce that I might find it ?

thanks