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.

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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.

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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.

by Rich Watson

Its shape resembled a giant bathtub. The foul lines were so short they were more appropriate for a high school baseball game, and its center field could’ve been reached if one used a trebuchet in place of a bat. Not only did one of the winningest baseball teams play there, though, a number of the game’s most memorable events occurred at this place.

New York City’s Polo Grounds was unique among ballparks. Within it, the Giants dominated for years before the cross-town Yankees became a powerhouse. After the Giants left, the Mets moved in and established a new standard for futility.

And no one actually played polo there.

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