MLB Rangers fans want "to see" the club's new $1B, retractable roof ballpark look an "awful lot like the team's current Globe Life Park," according to Loyd Brumfield of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. That has been the "sentiment so far based on responses to a stadium website that asks the public to detail the types of features it would like to see" in the ballpark, which is scheduled to open in time for the '20 MLB season. Rangers Exec VP/Business Operations Rob Matwick said, "Overwhelmingly, the things that seemed to resonate the most were architectural style and interior comfort, both in terms of seating and the air conditioning. Those were the two things they kept coming back to." He added that the public's "consistent checking of the box labeled 'architectural style' on the website surprised him, along with repeated references to Globe Life." Matwick: "When you drill down deep into the comments, the message is, 'We love Globe Life Park and want to keep as many of its features as possible.'" Brumfield noted preliminary designs "emphasized a large expanse of arches along the left outfield wall, which drew comparisons to Minute Maid Park." However, Matwick said that the arches at the Rangers' new ballpark "would be much more imposing than the ones" at Minute Maid Park. Another "unavoidable feature" of the new ballpark is the roof. In the "early stages of the design process, not much has been made of the retractable-roof concept or what it might look like." The Rangers "received about 2,000 responses on their website by the end of November" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/12).
