Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium and Its Menagerie

This former Negro League ballpark became a short-term home for the migrant Athletics—and their pets.

by Rich Watson

After coming from Philadelphia, the Athletics lived in Kansas City only twelve years. This period isn’t discussed often—these A’s never made the playoffs—but it laid the groundwork for the A’s dynasty of the early seventies in Oakland. It was also the cause of further major league expansion in the late sixties.

The A’s played in Municipal Stadium, a place with an extensive history. One of the game’s most colorful and controversial owners began his tenure here. Among the impressions he left included turning the ballpark into a kind of zoo.

“Saturday Night at the Movies” Connected Canadian Viewers to Classic Cinema

In a special post written in memory of my friend Paddy, I discuss the TV show that nurtured her love of movies.

by Rich Watson 

For those of us who knew her, the death of film blogger Patricia Nolan-Hall has been heartbreaking beyond measure. Paddy’s friends have put together a Caftan Woman Blogathon, named for the blog she ran for fourteen years, in which we’ll discuss the films, TV shows and stars she loved. I’m interrupting our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this piece because it’s my blog and I can. 

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In the days before hundreds of cable channels and online streaming services, Americans grew up watching old movies on regular television. 

Some were events. I’m old enough to recall when watching The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments on the boob tube, in color, was a Big Deal. You made time to watch, often with family or friends.

For black and white films with less hoopla, there was a Late Show. You’d flip through the TV Guide to discover what was on and you stayed up to watch. Sometimes there was a creature feature hosted by Svengoolie or Vampira or somebody like that, in creepy makeup. Most times it was a regular picture from Old Hollywood, starring people you’d never heard of, talking faster than normal, dressed well, on elaborate sets.

Canadians had much the same experience. Then in 1974 came a TV show which raised the bar for what viewers not only saw, but learned. 

For one young woman, it was exactly what she wanted.

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.