Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Five Reasons Why Shea Stadium is Synonymous With the 7 Train
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Three Rivers Stadium in the Seventies
This multi-purpose ballpark was home to dynasties in two sports during the Me Decade.
Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium was one of the so-called “cookie-cutter” stadiums of the sixties and seventies. Today these parks are remembered less fondly because of their similar design and their artificial turf. They remain a part of history, though, especially for Pittsburgh residents.
Despite its look, 3RS’ first decade in existence was unforgettable. Legendary athletes from both baseball and football played there, who led their teams to winning seasons.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
In Right Field at Tiger Stadium, You Had to Watch Your Head
One of the many quirks of this cherished ballpark was a right field with a bit of a roof.
by Rich Watson
We left-handers have a hard time making it in a world oriented for right-handers. Fortunately baseball has tried to give us a break by building ballparks with shallow right fields. The original Yankee Stadium skewed dramatically inward on the right side to accommodate Babe Ruth, though given the rate he hit home runs, he didn’t need the help.
Detroit’s Tiger Stadium was 325 feet from home plate; left field was 340 feet. What made it peculiar, though, had less to do with its horizontal view and more to do with its vertical one.
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Dodger Fandom Made Ebbets Field Special
The Dodgers welcomed their passionate fans into Ebbets Field as the fans welcomed “Dem Bums” into their homes and businesses.
by Rich Watson
Months ago, I outlined the Dodgers’ fandom when the team still lived in Brooklyn. To one not of that time, it’s hard to appreciate the tightness of the ties that bound that team to that place, and their point of convergence: Ebbets Field.
When I was younger, I dated a girl from Flatbush. She lived only minutes from the former site. At the time, neither of us knew much, if anything, about Dem Bums and what being part of that community meant.
Its like won’t be seen again.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
The Polo Grounds Went Through Four Incarnations (and a Weird Shape) to Become a Legend
The Manhattan stadium seemed ill-suited for baseball, yet it was home to some of baseball’s best and worst moments.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
The “Other” Wrigley Field Was the Setting For a “Twilight Zone” Episode
This West Coast version of Wrigley Field only lasted one year in MLB, but it was often used for TV and film.
by Rich Watson
This post is for the Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon, another long-running blog event—this year marks the eighth annual edition. I think the premise is self-explanatory. At the end I’ll tell you where and when you can read more entries in this vein.
————————
Chicago’s Wrigley Field, the home of the Cubs for over a century, is one of Major League Baseball’s oldest and greatest ballparks. Named for owner William Wrigley, the chewing gum manufacturer, he also owned the Cubs’ old farm team, the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League.
In 1925, he commissioned a new ballpark for the Angels and moved them there, on 425 East 42nd Place. It was called Wrigley Field before the one in Chicago. It also received lights long before its namesake.
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
That Time When a Game at The Astrodome Was Rained Out
The Astrodome was built to avoid weather issues. How could a ballgame get called on account of rain?
by Rich Watson
The Astros were born in 1962 as the Colt .45s, and the city of Houston was glad to have them. Watching games at Colt Stadium, though, was like sitting in a sauna. During the heart of the summer, game-time temperatures in the upper nineties were not unusual.
When co-owner Roy Hofheinz visited the Roman Colosseum, he learned it used to have an awning, called a velarium, to shield the audience from the sun. As a result, he financed and developed the creation of the Astrodome, the first domed sports stadium in the world.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Comiskey Park’s Exploding Scoreboard Was a Spectacle Like No Other in Baseball
One of the showcases of this Chicago ballpark was a scoreboard that put on a show of its own whenever the White Sox homered.
by Rich Watson
In 1948, James Cagney made a movie called The Time of Your Life, about the customers of a saloon. Cagney’s character played a pinball machine. At one point, he hit the jackpot and the game lit up, making all kinds of noise.
Bill Veeck saw the film. He was one of baseball’s great raconteurs and iconoclasts during his four decades as an owner for three different teams, including the White Sox. He looked for innovative ways to sell the game, from night baseball to integration to wacky fan promotions and more.
Seeing Cagney with his pinball machine inspired Veeck to commission the creation of something that would enliven the experience of coming to Chicago’s Comiskey Park.
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Before Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio Married a Different Hollywood Actress
When Joe D was coming into his own as a superstar, he met and married a movie star long before his romance with Hollywood’s ultimate blonde bombshell.
by Rich Watson
When Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe in 1954, it was headline news around the world. They were superstars in their respective fields, adored by the whole country and living their lives in the media spotlight. His relationship with her was abusive and marked by jealousy, yet the truth of it wasn’t well known at the time.
In 1939, DiMaggio was a star, but he was not yet the baseball legend he would become in later years. The fifty-six-game hitting streak, the hundred thousand dollar contract, the ascension to the Hall of Fame, the Mr. Coffee commercials, they all came much later—and before he even knew who Monroe was, a different film actress had caught his eye.
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon in “Fever Pitch,” an Ode to Red Sox Fandom
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
1920s Yankees Era Depicted in Kim Van Alkemade’s ‘Bachelor Girl,’ Inspired By Actual Events
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
How and Why Two Yankee Pitchers Once Swapped Wives
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Small Town Gossip Threatens Baseball Romance in Sherryl Woods’ Sweet Magnolias Book “Stealing Home”
Single mom finds love on the diamond with a little help from her friends.
For almost forty years, Sherryl Woods has entertained readers with her Southern blend of romances and mysteries. A former journalist, she has written over a hundred ten books in a variety of series, under her own name and with the names Alexandra Kirk and Suzanne Sherrill.
In 2007, she started a new series called “Sweet Magnolias,” centered around a trio of best friends in a small Southern town, and the first book combined her love of romance stories with another interest: baseball.