Tradition and Technology Merge in New Houston Stadium

By MICHAEL A. LUTZ

March 26, 2000 12 AM PT

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON — Fans attending the first game at the Astros’ new home might be confused. Are they walking into the past or future?

Actually, Enron Field is both--a place where the 1890s and the new millennium meet.

The main entrance to the 42,000-seat ballpark on the edge of downtown is refurbished Union Station, which once greeted the rail traffic that was a cornerstone of Houston’s economy.

Fans will stroll through the same high, ornate archways and pillars where travelers passed. Their destination: baseball played on grass for the first time in 35 years, since an experiment to have grass indoors failed at the Astrodome.

At $251 million Enron, a steam-snorting 19th-century locomotive engine will roll on an 800-foot track atop the left-field wall after home runs.

The three-paneled retractable roof, 242 feet above street level, is the latest in stadium technology.

“It’s going to change baseball like nothing else has changed baseball in Houston,” Astros owner Drayton McLane said. “The stadium is downtown, which is something we haven’t had in Houston, and it’s worked in other places the last 120 years all over the United States.”

The Astros’ first game at Enron, an exhibition, is against the New York Yankees on Thursday, repeating the historic first game in the Astrodome, when Houston beat the Yankees and Mickey Mantle hit the first homer indoors.

There were no rainouts in the Astrodome, of course, and since Enron’s roof can be closed in about 15 minutes, McLane doesn’t expect any problems from the elements. The only thing fans might have to worry about is a stray mosquito or two.

“We’ll have the roof open 65 percent of the time and when it’s really hot, we can close the roof and have 75-degree temperatures,” McLane said.

Enron joins two other new stadiums opening this season: Comerica Park in Detroit and Pac Bell Park in San Francisco.

Since 1965, the Astros had toiled in the pitcher-friendly Astrodome. Hitters are now looking forward to the shortest left field line (315 feet) in baseball and playing on grass with brighter lighting.

“The first thing is that we can see better than the Astrodome,” outfielder Daryle Ward said. “Some of the pitches would be a little blurry in the Astrodome. In the Dome it was more of a battle, like two guys sword fighting.”

The Bermuda grass will be kinder to the aching joints of veteran players.

“I’ve been pretty vocal about not missing anything about the Dome,” third baseman Ken Caminiti said. “It’s been a good deal for everyone else, but it’s been pretty tough on my body.

“There are a lot of memories there, but I’m looking forward to the new field. It’s a more personable park, less spacious, and it’s supposed to be hitter friendly.”

Pitchers see a bigger challenge.

“Whoever made the left field fence is not my friend,” starter Jose Lima said. “The guy who made the center field is my best buddy.”

The 435-foot center field is the deepest in baseball.

“If you start worrying about the left field line you’re in trouble as a pitcher,” Lima said. “If you keep the ball down and throw strikes you’ll be fine. And, who knows? It might not be a hitter’s park. It’s short, but we don’t know how the ball will carry.”

Fans will encounter an entirely new environment in the intimate downtown setting. The Astrodome was surrounded by 24,000 parking spaces. McLane says the same 262-acre circumference around Enron Field provides 14,000 parking spaces, and that should be enough since studies show that an average of 3.1 people per vehicle attend the games.

The Astros expect some fans to use public transportation and others who work downtown to walk to games.

“Where we’ve had big crowds at the Astrodome with 40,000-50,000--that’s a long walk across the Astrodome parking lot,” McLane said. “You just don’t see it in city blocks like you do in the Astrodome.”

Traffic problems are expected, with many nearby streets still being widened and repaired.

Ticket prices will increase slightly. Fans 14 and younger still get into the bleacher seats for $1. Field box seats increased from $21 to $25 and mezzanine seats remain $12.

Officials originally predicted Enron Field would be completed by opening day. They now say the stadium is ready for baseball, but it might take 160 days after the opening to add the finishing touches.

It’s just another challenge for Astros president Tal Smith, who oversaw construction of the Astrodome. He recalls standing proudly on the Astrodome field the night before it opened and saying emotionally: “You know, we did it.”

“That was such an attraction that exposed a lot of people to the game,” Smith said. “I think the same thing is going to happen at Enron.

“A lot of people who haven’t been devoted fans will want to see Enron Field. Hopefully, many will remain fans.”