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September 24, 2022
New Blog Topic:
What Are Your Impressions Of Some Of The Old BallParks?
Many thanks again to Ray Banko who has come up with another great idea. Ray thought it would be interesting to hear stories from our readers about visiting some of the old ballparks.
This could be either your first time at the park or maybe some incident or event from visiting the park in your past that you vividly recall and is forever etched into your memory. Since I’m always looking for ways to make the website more interactive, this could turn into a very interesting thread.
Ray, you may recall, came up with the idea of having our readers share experiences from meeting ballplayers. That thread set a record for comments on my Baseball History Comes Alive website and is still running on the front page.
Since Ray can explain his idea better than I can, I’ll let you read what Ray sent me. This will give you a good idea of what we’re looking for:
This may or may not be of interest to you. I’ve always had an affinity for old baseball parks, many of which are unfortunately gone. However, the memories of those that I visited such parks are not. For me personally, I think it might be interesting to hear about experiences, impressions, etc. that people had when visiting these old ballparks.
As a very young boy, my first visit was to Cleveland’s cavernous Municipal Stadium for a night game. I recall walking up a somewhat dark ramp and then seeing this huge illuminated, manicured field. (I recall nothing about the game other than the large crowd reacting wildly to a Rocky Colavito home run).
The only other old ballpark that I visited was Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, the antithesis of our hometown stadium, where the Giants and Willie Mays played the Pirates and Roberto Clemente. I can still picture the ivy growing up the outfield walls. The experience of watching a major league game in such a quaint, intimate environment is something I will never forget. -Ray
Well, to answer your question, Ray, “Yes…it does interest me! Very much so!”
So if you have a story to tell about your impressions of an old ballpark, let’s hear it. To start things off, I selected as the featured photo a nice pic of Forbes Field from about the time Ray visited it.
Please feel free to leave your comments and/or reflections in the comments section below.
Thanks,
Gary
Here’s a link to see the entire Blog Archives
As a life-long Cubs fan, one of the things I remember most about going to Wrigley Field in the 1950s is the price of tickets! If memory serves me correctly, I think bleacher seats costabout 25 cents, grandstand $1.25. My parents would put about $2 in my pocket, put me on the El, and away I’d go! Things were a lot different back then for sure! Of course the park has always been beautiful, even if the Cubs stunk back in those early days. Come to think of it, THAT part hasn’t changed much over the years!
Municipal Stadium was not Spectator-friendly for baseball or football! It’s funny you remember Rocky. He was my favorite, #6 before being traded for Harvey Kuenn, and #21 when he returned a few years later! June 5 or 6, 1959, at old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, the game was televised (at that time, very few were), hit 4 consecutive Home Runs!
My Senior year in HS, 1970, I had Season Tickets. Had I moved 1 seat to the left, I’d have been in Lake Erie! There was a pole or poles in front of us, we had to shift to our left or right in order to see anything in-between the 30s. Even then, we couldn’t tell much about what was going on! There’s more, but when I was a kid, it was the Greatest place in the World to go to!
Haha! Great story Deno…thanks!
Deno,
You and I are the same age (Collinwood High ’70). It’s true that Municipal Stadium wasn’t much of a baseball park, except when the Yankees came to town for a weekend series during the Mantle/Maris era. You probably recall that they would often draw 70K + for each game. Somehow, the struggling Indians would often find a way to win more from the powerful Yankees than they should have. They seemed to play over their heads when the Yankees came to town. Fred Whitfield, an average hitter, used to feast on Yankee pitching which earned him the moniker “The Yankee Killer.”
After the Colavito trade (along with others due to “Trader Lane”), fan interest for the most part dwindled and attendance fell off dramatically. For regular season games, us kids would take a bus to the Stadium and would buy ‘Grandstand’ tickets for (I think) 65 cents. We would ALWAYS move down into the Box Seat section by the 2nd. or 3rd. inning. The ushers knew what we were doing and almost always looked the other way.
I remember watching the televised game when Colavito hit 4 HRs. I believe it was on a Friday night. The kids in the neighborhood talked about it for weeks, and we all ended up imitating Colavito’s bat stretch behind his back, along with his pointing the barrel at the pitcher. I can still picture exactly what I was doing when I heard on my transistor radio, in total disbelief, that the Indians traded Colavito for a guy that I never even heard of.
By the way, I saw an interview with Mickey Mantle in which he relayed a story associated with him holding out over a contract dispute. Someone told Mantle that if he didn’t sign, the Yankees were going to trade him to the Indians for Colavito and Herb Score. Once Mantle heard that, he said “CLEVELAND?” and he immediately signed!
I forgot “Wingy” was a Yankee killer. At that time, had someone given me the option to sign or be traded to Cleveland, “Where’s the Contract”!
Deno,
I remember reading box scores and always seeing the attendance for Opening Day in Cleveland as 70,000+, and then the next day they would be lucky to draw 4,000.
I think in those days they were lucky to hit the million mark for the season. The old joke used to be about the guy that calls the Indians office and asks “What time is the game tomorrow?” and they answer, “What time can you get here?”
Please forgive me, I left out 2 items in my comment above:
1). I meant to include Colavito (The Rock), as the one who hit 4 HRs.
2). 1970 – Brown’s Season Tickets.
Sorry!
As a youngster I spent some vacation time in Washington D.C with a great aunt and uncle who took me to Griffith Stadium to see the lowly Senators. There were no parking lots, you parked on the street and paid a local a quarter to watch your vehicle. We had box seats and to get to our seats we entered the field through a garage door in leftfield, walked along a cinder warning track along the third base line and an usher opened a gate to get to our seats. Other times we sat in the second deck. We usually saw the Yankees with Mantle and Berra, Roy Sievers and Harmon Killibrew were Washington players I recall. I remember a rookie, Ron Stillwell, a shortstop, he didn’t last long but I was him all summer in our whiffle ball games. Griffith Stadium was huge and a hard place to hit homers. Bob Cerv was another favorite player on the Yankees.
The Yankees starting lineup – LF #8 Yogi Cf – #7 Mantle RF – #9 Maris
3rd – #6 Clete Boyer SS – #10 Kubek 2nd – #1 Bobby Richardson 1st – #? Moose
Catcher – #32 Elston Howard Pitcher – #16 Whitey
Other Pitchers – Bob Turley Ryan Duren Bill Terry Don’t remember any of their numbers and I have no idea why I can remember what I can! However, even then, I loved to hate the Yankees!
Before Maris it was Hank Bauer. He had a face like an old catchers mitt!
I don’t remember whether I went to Wrigley field first, or Comisky Park first, but I know I was at both during the mid 50’s. At Wrigley my Grandpa would put us behind home plate. We went to Comisky Park more often, because he lived on the south side and we took the bus, CTA as I remember. At Comisky Park, we would get there about 9 in the morning and go in as soon as the gates opened for batting practice. We would sit in the first row in left field. Then when I got older, I got to go with my Grandpa’s lodge group to a night game at Comisky. It was always in July against the Yankees, and they had a block of seats behind 1st base. I always got the seat behind the support column. I (vaguely) remember seeing Mantle. The Sox always lost.
Is that Willie Mays on first in the Forbes Field photo?
Yeah, pretty sure that’s Willie.
What I’d like to know is how some of the old parks played. I’d especially like to know how the Polo Grounds affected how a pitcher pitched. How do you get a hitter to hit to dead center, instead of pulling down one foul line or slicing down another?
That’s a good question. Let’s hope some guys who remember the old parks respond. I’d especially like to hear responses to your Polo Grounds question.
Please allow me to disagree with regard to Municipal Stadium being a lousy place to watch or play baseball. If you’re telling me you could get better seats at Wrigley Field or Fenway or Memorial Stadium (Orioles) or the other Municipal Stadium (KC A’s) I’d re-direct you to the comments by Mr. Banko about the ease of purchasing a 75 cent upper deck ticket in Cleveland and then sliding into a $2 box seat half an hour later. There aren’t much better places to watch than that, especially not from Section 67 in Fenway Park or anywhere at Candlestick Park.
Municipal Stadium was always considered a good ballpark until comedians from LA and New York imitated each and repeated the lie that Cleveland was a joke (“The river caught on fire, ha ha ha!”) and the Stadium stunk (“Why it’s the Mistake on the Lake ha ha ha!”) a moniker never heard before around 1973. Then it became the unofficial label for people who’d never been to a game there and couldn’t find Cleveland on a map.
My best memory as a fan (I also briefly served as a ballboy for the Tribe in ’61, a story which perhaps is buried in Baseball History’s archives) was a game in 1959. My dad and I were in left field, our front row seats right next to the big yellow foul pole. A Boston hitter in the early innings lashed a drive just inside the foul line, and Minnie Minoso came racing to the corner where he took the (by now foul) ricochet off the bottom of the wall and without looking whirled and threw an absolute bullet to the second baseman, holding the runner, who deserved a double, to a single. My dad hollered praise at Minnie for about 30 straight seconds. What I remember best was how close Minoso was (I could have touched his cap) and the sweat on his face and upper lip as he fired the ball to second. Then he paused to check his work, and trotted slowly back to left field.
Great info and a great story, Tom. Thanks for sharing. I always love the personal stuff like this!
From a NY Giants fanatic going back a few years, Terry and Gary, pitchers pitched “out over the plate” not inside most of the time at the Polo Grounds. Therefore, many drives “barreled up” (see Vic Wertz) were tracked down in the vast open spaces of the odd horseshoe shaped park.
But you had to pull the ball severely to take advantage of the 279′ down the left line and the 257′ foul line in right. The distances became more formidable quickly, 414′ in left and 395′ in right. At the horseshoe curve in left center, behind the visitors bullpen, it was 455′ and 449′ behind the home pen in right center. Dead center, recessed between the bleacher sections at the clubhouse steps, was 483 feet.
I remember very few cheap shots down the lines. In 1947, when the Giants set the then record of 221 home runs, Johnny Mize hit 51, (29 at home 22 away). Walker Cooper hit 35, (12 at the PG 23 on the road). Rookie Bobby Thomson hit 29, (15 home 14 away). Only Willard Marshall, who belted 36 (25 home 11 away), with a wide open stance, benefited markedly from the the crazy dimensions, but only that year.
The 483′ at the recessed clubhouse steps was 60 feet from the edge of the 10 foot cinder track fronting the bleachers. The Wertz’ drive, caught by Mays a couple of feet into the track, traveled about 425 feet–not the 460 thought by some.
There was a second deck overhang in left field that captured a few fly balls as the outfielder was poised to make the catch. Also, there existed a small photographers ledge in right, off the upper deck, which protruded past the stands–but it covered a small area.
Citi Field, opened in 2009, was designed to be a cross between the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field.
Best, Bill
Thanks Bill, that’s great information from someone who was there. That’s what we were looking for…I knew you’d come through! By the way, do you know who was peeking out of the far left window when Willie made his famous catch? Click on the link to find out! https://wp.me/p7a04E-8PX
That’s a great story shared by Tom Hine about watching Minnie Minoso in vivid close-up action, with his dad, at Municipal Stadium!
That’s sort of what I suspected, Bill. That would seem to actually have made it EASIER to pitch in the PG than in a lot of parks.
But you’d need a fast ball with movement to really have success.
Went to Municipal stadium-1960 Yankees-Indians double header Full house. My dad took movie pictures of the game but he was inexperienced and they are fleeting. Did get them digitalized. Later went to Municipal as an adult many times, most times you could move down after the third inning. Saw All-Star game at Wrigley. Great experience. Been there several other times. Cozy place to view a game. On a lark took family to Fenway, got SRO tickets that were better than box seats in Pittsburgh (Three Rivers). Saw Clemens and Lee Smith pitch there. Got to sit down front after third inning. Never pitched in PG so don’t know much about that. LOL. But Ebbetts and Yankee Stadium always interested me; In those World Series they played 1947, 49, 52, 53, 55, 56, Yankees always negated Brooklyn right-handed power, Hodges, Campanella, Furillo, Robinson, with that deep left/center field in Yankee Stadium. Only lefthanded power Dodgers had was Snider. Yankees had more well-rounded lineup so they could threaten from both sides of the plate at Ebbetts Field or Yankee Stadium. Branch Rickey and O’Malley never did get another left-handed power to compliment Snider. Yankees pitchers always threw inside to righthanders at the Stadium. .
I don’t know if this would qualify as an “old ballpark” but my first major league game was at the original Yankee Stadium. My father took me to a game when I was 8 years old. He and a group of his co-workers from DuPont went to a game, and I got to go with them. I remember them all wearing suits and ties, and I had to wear my “good clothes” and dress shoes! If I close my eyes, I can still smell the ballpark- the beer, the cigar smoke, the concession stands…it all comes back. I couldn’t believe how green the grass was. My Dad told me that we would be sitting in the mezzanine; I was a little worried- I had no idea what that was!
I also jumped out of my seat every time a ball was hit in the air- they all looked like home runs to me! I know that the Yankees played the White Sox, but I really don’t remember much about the game other than it made me appreciate watching the game on TV a little more since I now had something to relate the experience to.
Real nice remembrance Steve, thanks for posting!
Because I’ve got too much time on my hands I decided to research when the Pirates-Giants game was played. October 1st, 1966. Rescheduled game from Sept. 30. First game of doubleheader, Juan Marichal vs Woody Fryman. Willie Mays has just walked, Jim Ray Hart at bat. First base coach, Cookie Lavagetto. Bob Bailey3b, Gene Alley ss, Donn Clendenon 1b, Manny Mota lf. Giants won 5-4. Wish I had been there.
Great research, Kevin! Thanks!
Wrigley Field: digging up a dollar for a day at the ballpark – 12 cents each way bus fare (with student bus pass), 50 cents bleacher admission, 10 cent scorecard, 10 cent Coca Cola. Acres of empty seats, old joke about buy a seat, get a seat for your jacket and a seat for your lunch. Gate in right field bleachers where you would exit the bleachers after 4-1/2 innings were completed and watch the rest of the game from the grandstand. Staying after the game to either a) turn box and grandstand seats into the up position for the next day’s game, thus earning a ticket for the next day’s game; or b) standing outside the players’ gate on Addison Street to grab visitor autographs as the players boarded the team bus for the hotel.
Comiskey Park: the excitement and mystery of night baseball. Parking in the Mack Truck parking lot just outside the centerfield gate. The musty smell of cigarettes and stale beer in the concourse under the grandstand. Watching the magnificent Yankees of the ’50s and ’60s who seemed like physical giants next to Fox, Aparicio, Pierce, et al. Ford vs. Pierce in the Friday night opener with 48,000 in the stands. A one-time rain delay of three hours because, as it’s explained to you by your dad, “You don’t think the (tight-fisted) Sox are gonna give 48,000 rain checks, to you?”
Great memories, Andy! I share a lot of those from the north side!
Had seen that distant clubhouse shot before, Gary, and knew it was Joe G.
But then I forgot and it took me until the clue, “good friend of Yogi” to re-remember!
Can’t be that I’m getting old and foggy brained, right? So the reason must lay elsewhere.
Could be the recent shock treatments…or the pressure of being a Mets fan.
Additional joy of the era of old ballparks: only 16 teams and stable lineups. We knew every starting 8 and rotation by heart and would arrange our baseball cards accordingly. And those wonderful uniform numbers, we didn’t need a scorecard and if you had a number higher than the 40s you were probably just up for a cup of coffee.
But we didn’t have to internet to look up #14 Moose Skowron, #26 Ryne Duren, #19 Bob Turley, and #23 Ralph Terry. And note that all the position player numbers are retired, except Moose’s, although not always for the players listed.
With so many readers offering comments on old ballparks from days gone by, I’m reminded of sitting high above the field on the third-base side of Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, for a night game that was uncommonly cold and wet for mid-July. The year was 1961, the Yankees were in town, and I had just graduated from high school the previous month (Nebraska).
“It can be done in ‘sixty-one” was the Orioles’ rallying-cry that summer, but of course the Yanks stormed to another pennant, winning 109 games to Baltimore’s quite excellent 95, and swamping the Redlegs in the World Series, 4-1. A bunch of “Baby Birds” helped give New York a run for its money most of the year though, including kid pitchers such as Chuck Estrada, Jack Fisher, Milt Pappas and Jerry Walker, along with a young bomber by the name of Jim Gentile at first base, about whom Gary wrote an essay not long ago. I remember that Big Jim belted something like 46 homers on the year while the M&M Boys were chasing The Mighty Babe into immortality.
I was struck by the symmetry of the stadium, among other things, with foul poles measuring 309 feet from the plate. I was struck by the chilly weather, too, but most striking of all was that the game was rained out in the fifth inning with the Yanks leading. Everything that had happened in four and a half innings was accordingly wiped off the record books, including homers by — wait for it — Mickey Mantle and. . .Roger Maris, who would have ended the season at 55 and 62, respectively and at the least, but-for a fairly fateful rainout. Huh.
I thought of this non-game once again when Aaron Judge hit his 61st the other day, tying Maris for the most “clean” home runs in a single season. If not for bad weather one night in Baltimore, sixty-one years ago, Judge might still be trying to catch Roger right now.
“One for the book”? It really could be, especially if Mr. Judge continues to sit on 61 round-trippers the rest of the way.
Michael
Thanks Michael for calling that rained out game to our attention. Don’t think many are aware of that, I certainly wasn’t. Could take on added significance before this season ends!