Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Five Reasons Why Shea Stadium is Synonymous With the 7 Train


The best way to have gotten to Shea Stadium was via the elevated train that runs through Queens. They had some things in common.
by Rich Watson 


The Shea Stadium site, says Google Maps, is seven minutes by car from the house I grew up in. Because I lived so close, I seldom relied on the 7 train to see my Mets. 

When I did use it, my perspective of the stadium changed. The sight of it, looming through the windows of the train car as it left the 111th Street station, inspired me. It recalled past glories, especially the 1986 championship season. It made me hope for future ones.

CitiField may be the Mets’ home now, but the ghost of Shea and the 7, in my mind at least, remain linked. 

They had a few commonalities.

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Yankee Stadium and Monument Park


Baseball legends were remembered in this piece of Yankee Stadium real estate, a tradition continued today in the ballpark’s namesake.
by Rich Watson


Yankees manager Miller Huggins died of a form of blood poisoning on September 25, 1929 at age fifty. The former Red and Cardinal led Babe Ruth’s squad to three championships. The American League cancelled its schedule the day of his funeral and the World Series observed a moment of silence for him.

Three years later, in his honor, the Yankees built a granite slab with his image and accomplishments inscribed on it in bronze. They placed it in front of the center field flagpole at Yankee Stadium for all to see and remember. Its inscription calls him “a splendid character who made priceless contributions to baseball.”

When Ruth and Lou Gehrig died in the forties, similar markers joined the one for Huggins. They formed the foundation of a memorial unique in all of sports, one that could only have come from the House that Ruth built.

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.
by Rich Watson

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.