Time for a new Angels ballpark?

It was Angels owner Arte Moreno himself who reminded us of this little tidbit: when the Yankees and Mets open their new stadiums in 2009, Angel Stadium will be the fourth oldest in the major leagues. Really. We just did the research so we can confirm it is true.

Moreno wasn't even being asked about a new ballpark. He was actually being asked if there is anything new at the ballpark awaiting fans this year.

“They're working on all the maintenance stuff; it's an old stadium,” Moreno said. “A lot of people forget that. When the new stadiums open next year, I think we'll be the fourth oldest stadium. Let's figure it out. You have Boston and the Cubs. And then the Dodgers and ourselves. The Dodgers were in '62 and I think ours was '66. Think about it.”

It sounded as if Moreno was taking his first breath in a strategy to get a new stadium built. So Arte, is there a plan to make a push for a new yard?

“I don't know if we're there,” he said. “But if you look at the new facilities, there's always efficiency. The older the facility the more maintenance. Just like here when we remodeled this (spring training complex in Tempe, Ariz.), there are just some things structurally that you can do. But our decision was to obviously build a minor league complex. That was our largest investment here was the minor league complex and the fields.”

Here are all the major league stadiums and the dates they opened (some dates are exhibition games):

NATIONAL LEAGUE
AT&T Park, San Francisco (opened 3/31/2000)
New Busch Stadium, St. Louis (4/4/06)
Chase Field, Phoenix (3/31/98)
Citizens Bank Ballpark, Philadelphia (4/09/04)
Coors Field, Denver (4/26/95)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles (4/10/62)
Dolphin Stadium, Miami (opened 8/16/87; first Marlins game 4/5/93)
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati (3/28/03)
Miller Park, Milwaukee (3/30/01)
Minute Maid Park, Houston (3/30/00)
PETCO Park, San Diego (April 2004)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh (3/31/01)
Nationals Park, Washington D.C. (opens 3/29/08)
Shea Stadium, New York (4/17/64); Citi Field opens April 2009
Turner Field, Atlanta (3/29/97)
Wrigley Field, Chicago (4/23/14)

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Angel Stadium, Anaheim (4/19/66)
Comerica Park, Detroit (4/11/00)
Fenway Park, Boston (4/20/12)
Jacobs Field, Cleveland (4/4/94)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City (4/10/73)
McAfee Coliseum, Oakland (1966; first A's game 4/17/68); Cisco Field opens April 2011
Metrodome, Minneapolis (4/3/82); Minnesota Ballpark opens April 2010
Orioles Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore (4/6/92)
Rangers Ballpark at Arlington, Arlington, Texas (4/1/94)
Rogers Centre, Toronto (6/5/89)
Safeco Field, Seattle (7/15/99)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla. (3/3/90; first D-Rays game 3/31/98)
U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago (4/18/91)
Yankee Stadium, New York (4/18/23); New Yankee Stadium opens April 2009