Phils To Implode Vet In February

From an AP report:

PHILADELPHIA -- After months of engineering studies, the Philadelphia Phillies decide that a big bang is the best way to take down Veterans Stadium early next year.

An implosion will bring down the much-reviled ballpark.

The home to the Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles for the past three decades will come down in one fell swoop in February.

The Phillies, who are responsible for demolishing the Vet, decided that a quick implosion is a better approach than demolishing the stadium over the course of several weeks with a wrecking ball.

The implosion will do less damage to nearby homes and to the Broad Street subway line, which runs near the stadium, said John Stranix, who is helping oversee the Vet demolition and construction of the Phillies' new ballpark.

"It's not the same impact and duration as using a wrecking ball," Stranix said. "It happens relatively rapidly, with very little vibration, and no impact on the surrounding facilities and communities."

Now the Phillies have to decide who will get to push the plunger.