Polo Grounds [IV] / Brush Stadium (1911-1963)

[RichardLillard1]

Think about how fast that was happening, the ball was coming down from the arc and he was running towards the point he caught it at.

You think they didn't react, but it was more likely that they couldn't tell what EXACTLY was happening. I bet a picture taken a couple of seconds later would have some very different looks from the fans.


Richard


Edit: I would also think that a fair amount of them just couldn't see what was going on because that wall is so high.

[RichardLillard1]

I found this while looking for that unusual gras pattern, maybe it was for decoration? Either way, it appears to have been on both sides of the dirt.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a286/RichardLillard1/2205602142_105ea509fd.jpg

I also saw this one of the 1923 World Series.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a286/RichardLillard1/1923_world_series_at_the_polo_groun.jpg


Richard

[SHOELESSJOE3]

[QUOTE=RichardLillard1;1306483]Think about how fast that was happening, the ball was coming down from the arc and he was running towards the point he caught it at.

You think they didn't react, but it was more likely that they couldn't tell what EXACTLY was happening. I bet a picture taken a couple of seconds later would have some very different looks from the fans.


Richard [Quote]


I think the same. In the last picture the ball is not yet in his glove, I think the reaction of the fans a couple of seconds later would appear much more animated, excited.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

New York Times 1923.

[metfan13]

New York Times 1923.


I wonder if there were any comments in the papers at the time? Some people questioning the absurd dimensions? Questioning why you'd have bleachers that far away from the action.

[StanTheMan]

Well, it's original purpose was for polo (New Yorkers play Polo??) I guess the Giants bit off more than they can chew. Imagine Major League ballparks with those measurements::confused:

Polo was not played at the Polo Grounds as most of us know it. (Mays, Thomson, etc) The name was taken from a PRIOR Giants ballpark further south in Manhattan that just stuck with the Giants and their fans in the last 1800's.

As for fans ability to see Mays when he was making the catch... the could see him, but they do seem ambivalent in the famous photo.

Here's another angle... while it does not show any fans, it appears the "wall" (really just tthe batters eye backdrop) might not have obstructed too many fans. I'm thinking there were more fans in the right-center bleachers that could see the play than you might originally think. This shot is probably taken from the Photographers Perch we discussed a few pages back with the photos of giant zoom lens cameras.

51339

I'm always amazed at Willilams and Dark in this photo. Neither of them (It's Williams fault, really, as it is his play) are in any position whatsoever to be the cutoff man. No way they EXPECTED him to catch it, and if he did so, they still need to be the cutoff man. Look how far Wertz has ran... and Williams in still on the dirt of the infield?

51340

[SHOELESSJOE3]

I wonder if there were any comments in the papers at the time? Some people questioning the absurd dimensions? Questioning why you'd have bleachers that far away from the action.

I read articles from some of the bigger newspapers and no mention about the odd configuration. Only one comment in the NY Times that had anything to do with dimensions, only that CF distance was 150 feet deeper than before.

[jints15]

Think about how fast that was happening, the ball was coming down from the arc and he was running towards the point he caught it at.

You think they didn't react, but it was more likely that they couldn't tell what EXACTLY was happening. I bet a picture taken a couple of seconds later would have some very different looks from the fans.


Richard


Edit: I would also think that a fair amount of them just couldn't see what was going on because that wall is so high.

You are right my dad was sitting to the right of Mays half way up the bleachers and he always said that he never saw the catch only the ball being thrown back to the infield and never new what happened until the fans not in the bleachers reacted to the catch.

[RichieA13]

You know, come to think of it, you are right. The years the PG had someting OTHER than Chesterfield advertisements, it was complete crap. The Babe's best all around year of all time for example, was played in an unimpressive park beacause they were not touting cigarettes.

The huge "wall" in CF? I hope you don't mean the batters eye screens.... The are pretty tiny when compared to an entire ballpark. The walls in front of the bleachers are the shortest (height) in the entire park, so you cannot be thining of those.

Perhaps the Clubhouse wall? Impressive indeed, but only with a Chesterfield sign on it. And it was not a wall at all, just one side of building, really. Without a Chestefield sign, that side of a building sucked indeed. :yawn:


I hate to politely disagree with you, Stan. During Babe's tenure at The Polo Grounds, there was the beautiful, ornamental facade/freize around the top of the stadium (first two photos below). Also, I always felt the later Knickerbocker Beer billboard in CF was just as cool (if not cooler) than the Chesterfield ad, personally (last photo below).

[chip saunders]

I alway's wish I could have seen a game at the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field. They both had such cool and peculiar nooks and cranny's. Games must have been fun there.

[StanTheMan]

I hate to politely disagree with you, Stan. During Babe's tenure at The Polo Grounds, there was the beautiful, ornamental facade/freize around the top of the stadium (first two photos below). Also, I always felt the later Knickerbocker Beer billboard in CF was just as cool (if not cooler) than the Chesterfield ad, personally (last photo below).

We need a sarcasm smiley so that Richie can get up to speed!! If anyone invents one, please go back and place it in my original post to help out my new pal RichieA13!

Hell yes the ornamental facade (which btw displayed the coats of arms of all the NL clubs and had to be handpainted frequently at great expense) was wonderful. Certainly the giant "Have a Knick" sign was better than the Chesterfield sign, etc.

My post seemed pretty clear to me, but calling me a wise-azz today would not be the first time I've ever heard it....

Cheers,
Bryan

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Here is a photo from 1934 showing the Polo Grounds during a Giants football game.

[RichieA13]

We need a sarcasm smiley so that Richie can get up to speed!! If anyone invents one, please go back and place it in my original post to help out my new pal RichieA13!

Hell yes the ornamental facade (which btw displayed the coats of arms of all the NL clubs and had to be handpainted frequently at great expense) was wonderful. Certainly the giant "Have a Knick" sign was better than the Chesterfield sign, etc.

My post seemed pretty clear to me, but calling me a wise-azz today would not be the first time I've ever heard it....

Cheers,
Bryan


That one went RIGHT over my head, Bryan!! I'm glad to hear that we are in total agreement. Alot of times, when I am being funny and/or sarcastic, I like to use the dancing smiley face. :dance I vote for him! That early facade was awesome! Anyone know WHY it was removed? Anyone have any close ups of the different crests?

[StanTheMan]

Stew Thornley's excellent book "The Land of the Giants" mentions something about the high cost of maintaining the crests/coats of arms leading to their demise. Apparently, they were hand-painted as needed. With the harsh NY winter, I'm sure fresh paint was required every few seasons if not more frequently?

I'll look for some photos... there might already be a few in the thread?

BTW, that dancing smiley sucks unless he's holding a Chestefield and sucking on a Rheingold.

[RichieA13]

Stew Thornley's excellent book "The Land of the Giants" mentions something about the high cost of maintaining the crests/coats of arms leading to their demise. Apparently, they were hand-painted as needed. With the harsh NY winter, I'm sure fresh paint was required every few seasons if not more frequently?

I'll look for some photos... there might already be a few in the thread?

BTW, that dancing smiley sucks unless he's holding a Chestefield and sucking on a Rheingold.

That was sarcasm again, right Bryan......??!!
I'm GETTING IT!!!! (L:)L)...........:dance

[StanTheMan]

That was sarcasm again, right Bryan......??!!
I'm GETTING IT!!!! (L:)L)...........:dance

Very good. You are getting it. Now go jump off a building. :dance :cap: :highfive: :rofl: :hp

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Here is a photo showing the Reds playing the Mets at the Polo Grounds on 6-11-1963

[RichieA13]

Very good. You are getting it. Now go jump off a building. :dance :cap: :highfive: :rofl: :hp

YOU first!!!!!!!!:dance :dance :dance :dance :dance

[bleacherbum73]

Here's one from 1914. Caption says Clarke and Norcross of Brown University.

Photo taken from Shorpy.com. A very interesting site by the way. Tons of old photo's covering everything.

[bleacherbum73]

October 9, 1913. The scene at the Polo Grounds in New York after the third game of the World Series. Philadelphia Athletics 8, New York Giants 2.

Photo courtesy of Shorpy.com

[bleacherbum73]

Another Shorpy.com photo.

Earl Smith, New York National League (Giants) June 9, 1923

[bleacherbum73]

October 8, 1912. First game of the 1912 World Series, between the New York Giants and Boston Red Sox. Right field grandstand at New York's Polo Grounds.

From Shorpy.com

[bleacherbum73]

More from Shorpy.com

John "Shano" Collins, first baseman for the Chicago White Sox, at bat in 1920 at the Polo Grounds, New York.

[Pelt]

Wow! Great pics.

*runs off to shorpy.com*

[mandrake]

Must have been a Yankee game vs White Sox. I wonder if this is before or after the scandal broke in 1920, because they are few people there. Also, note the 9th avenue elevated lines parked behind the stands. In the early 1950's, they built housing projects on the old rail yard next to the Polo Grounds, helping to destroy the PG.

[Lpeters199]

I like this picture because people are visible in the football press box down the rightfield line.

[Lpeters199]

Lots of people are standing atop Coogan's Bluff, even though almost none of the field was visible from there.

[Pelt]

Great football shot. Don't see too many with the old ornamentation still up.

Here's one of the Polo Grounds outfield and Manhattan Field before any division between the two. You can clearly see the clubhouse to Manhattan Field on the right.

52313

Here's a reference shot with the PG on the left and MF on the right and where the MF clubhouse is.

52314

[Lpeters199]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSReU42Vstc

[Lpeters199]

That guardrail doesn't look too stable.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/millerracers2000/2212118918/in/set-72157603603498104/

[Lpeters199]

Not much of the park is visible, but the upper right corner of the picture unmistakably shows the left field upper deck.

[alpineinc]

These have probably been seen by many, but not posted here before, from the great Digital Ballparks (http://www.digitalballparks.com/) site and the "Summer of 1957" film.

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Outside_1_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Outside_2_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Outside_3_V2T.jpg


Last game

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Behind_The_Plate_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_From_RC_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_LF_Line_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Empty_Seats_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Grandstand_Area_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Outfield_Wall_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Home_Plate_V2T.jpg

[alpineinc]

More last game

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_CF_Close_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Exit_V2T.jpg


Other shots

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_LF_Corner_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Scoreboard_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_LF_Line_Close_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_Grandstand_Close_V2T.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/National/Polo_-_From_CF_Close_V2T.jpg

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

Not much of the park is visible, but the upper right corner of the picture unmistakably shows the left field upper deck.

52851

In that topmost photo - just to the right-hand side of that "Knickerbocker" sign - can be seen an upper-RH portion of the BX-CO Courthouse!

Cool!

[Lpeters199]

Caught off base at the Polo Grounds.

[Lpeters199]

A view from the bridge.

[driver62]

Caught off base at the Polo Grounds.

52868

The player caught off base looks like Roy McMillen of the Reds.

[Lpeters199]

His opinion in 2004:



His opinion in 1963:

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074753/index.htm

[StanTheMan]

Would like to see the "in color at night" photo, but a bad link or something is preventing this???

Edit.... now it is there.

[DiggerODell]

With respect to RichardLillard1's first line of this thread "This thread should show pictures of New York's Polo Grounds through the years. From its wooden beginnings to the sad demolition in 1964." I sincerely hope I don't offend, taking some liberties and showing photos of the area as I found it this past July, the same day the All Star game was to be played at Yankee Stadium across the Harlem River.

The one observation I have had upon having now visited the site of Ebbets Field and Polo Grounds (and this is merely my observation, it does not mean it is so) is the Apartment complexes which have replaced the two parks . . . in an odd sort of way, they represent the ballparks themselves. What I mean is simply this, when you think PG . .. one will usually go to mind of the famous events which occured "inside" the ballpark, such as Bobby Thomson's HR on Oct 3, 1951 or Merckle's boner which just recently would have been 100 years to the day on Sep 23 and there are many others like the short porch in left field . . . The outside was not much too look at . . . (again, IMHO, but too me it is not what folks immediately think of when they ponder PG). That is much the way it is now. The inside is welcoming and you are able to walk the same earth in which all the events happened so long ago.

Where as, with EF, when conjured up today, you think of the "outside" . .the beautiful way it fit into the neighborhood in Brooklyn, that brickwork outside the rotunda and the majestically displayed letters "EBBETS FIELD". Not implying for one moment that wasn't beautiful on the inside, and it was! But typically, you think of the round front on the corner of Sullivan Pl. & McKeever Pl. It's not what I would deem inviting for you to peer inside. You view where it stood from the outside, much like (again IMHO) folks might have when the park still existed.

Anyhow, hope that all made some sense . . .ha! Also, because the tour of PG is not around 4 blocks like EF . . . I'll pass on any further descriptions or legends. Basically I"m walking in from 8th Street at the subway station enterance, walking along where the Right Field bleachers would have been, down the 1st base line towards homeplate and finally to where approx homeplate was.

[DiggerODell]

With respect to RichardLillard1's first line of this thread "This thread should show pictures of New York's Polo Grounds through the years. From its wooden beginnings to the sad demolition in 1964." I sincerely hope I don't offend, taking some liberties and showing photos of the area as I found it this past July, the same day the All Star game was to be played at Yankee Stadium across the Harlem River.

[DiggerODell]

With respect to RichardLillard1's first line of this thread "This thread should show pictures of New York's Polo Grounds through the years. From its wooden beginnings to the sad demolition in 1964." I sincerely hope I don't offend, taking some liberties and showing photos of the area as I found it this past July, the same day the All Star game was to be played at Yankee Stadium across the Harlem River.

[DiggerODell]

With respect to RichardLillard1's first line of this thread "This thread should show pictures of New York's Polo Grounds through the years. From its wooden beginnings to the sad demolition in 1964." I sincerely hope I don't offend, taking some liberties and showing photos of the area as I found it this past July, the same day the All Star game was to be played at Yankee Stadium across the Harlem River.

[DiggerODell]

With respect to RichardLillard1's first line of this thread "This thread should show pictures of New York's Polo Grounds through the years. From its wooden beginnings to the sad demolition in 1964." I sincerely hope I don't offend, taking some liberties and showing photos of the area as I found it this past July, the same day the All Star game was to be played at Yankee Stadium across the Harlem River.

[StanTheMan]

Good stuff Digger. I'll speak for most of us on this thread, we have neve viewed that many up close and personal photos of the Towers. I'm gland you posted them, if anything for helping change some preconceived notions perhaps?

If you had no preconceptions of the neighborhood, Harlem itself, etc. one would probably say the place looks to be in good repair. Pretty Clean. Kids playing in the water, a few playgrounds in the background, etc.

Could be in any urban area of any big city in the US, could it not?

[Lpeters199]

If you ever go back again, I'd like to see pictures of the old apartment buildings that were there while the Polo Grounds still existed, and some shots that include the Harlem River and Coogan's Bluff from below. Thanks for posting your pictures.

[jingram]

A view from the bridge.

53244


That's a really interesting view, and thanks for posting it. It must be from a book or magazine...is the original any larger, or perhaps clearer?

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

With respect to RichardLillard1's first line of this thread "This thread should show pictures of New York's Polo Grounds through the years. From its wooden beginnings to the sad demolition in 1964." I sincerely hope I don't offend, taking some liberties and showing photos of the area as I found it this past July, the same day the All Star game was to be played at Yankee Stadium across the Harlem River.

I don't find anything offensive about those. In fact, they show quite profoundly what we may have lost.

About 10 years ago I took it upon myself to stand around downtown Stamford CT, about where a popular Stamford plumber stood 25 years prior(early 70s) and "updated" his well-received book about how much the town had changed in the 30 years since post-WWII. In some cases, entire streets, which stretched off into infinity in his day, now simply ended against a WALL - as in the Mall, which replaced about 1/8 mile of old Main Street.

I then paper-clipped my black&whites to the pages containing the same POV as taken by the plumber around 1970. The effect is sobering, and with Trump Parc nearing completion and a new twin-towered 40 story Ritz Carlton complex that could be complete 2010-2012, looks like I'll have to update some of my own. It never ends around here! :eek:

[Sean O]

wait wait wait wait, the plaque says the Giants were world champions in 1904? That's BS. I'm officially counting 1904 as a championship for the sox then.

[Lpeters199]

That's a really interesting view, and thanks for posting it. It must be from a book or magazine...is the original any larger, or perhaps clearer?
Correct--the picture was published in the June 6, 1955 issue of Sports Illustrated. You can find it at this web address:

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/

[HitchedtoaSpark]

RichardLillard:

Do you still have the full-size version of the 1909 panorama posted at the beginning of this thread? If so, could you possibly PM it to me? Much appreciated.

[alpineinc]

Attention PG fans! Check out the 1963 Mets Promotional Film I uploaded to YouTube - Parts 1 and 2 have some great PG shots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9EjUft3peM

Also, here's some great screen shots from the film:

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg1.jpg?t=1224979768

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg2.jpg?t=1224979793

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg3.jpg?t=1224979816

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg4.jpg?t=1224979839

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg5.jpg?t=1224979863

[alpineinc]

More -

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg6.jpg?t=1224979939

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg7.jpg?t=1224979955

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg8.jpg?t=1224979971

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg9.jpg?t=1224979990

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspg10.jpg?t=1224980006


And my favorite:
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/63metspgmrmetdoll.jpg?t=1224980035

"Here, boy - I'll take all the Mr. Met bobble heads you got - and go fill up your bag and I'll buy those too!

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

Alpine, thats a cool video. Unfortunately, it may be just a matter of time before the goons at MLB Advanced Media have the video taken down for "copyright infringement". I've had 3 or 4 videos taken down that I thought no way would MLB give a darn. They are truly greedy, money grubbing grinches.

[alpineinc]

Yeah, if that happens I'll probably re-upload them under a different name and tag - have you tried to re-up yours? If that doesn't work, I'll probably chop them up even more and put them in my Shea photobucket below (only 100mb limit there), little more under the radar there. At YouTube they're getting a fair share of hits already with little fanfare, so I'll keep everyone posted. These vids have to be out there though - no one plays them anywhere and they're really vital historical documents. The Man can't keep us down, lol!

[RichardLillard1]

With respect to RichardLillard1's first line of this thread "This thread should show pictures of New York's Polo Grounds through the years. From its wooden beginnings to the sad demolition in 1964." I sincerely hope I don't offend, taking some liberties and showing photos of the area as I found it this past July, the same day the All Star game was to be played at Yankee Stadium across the Harlem River.

I LOVE those photos! It is amazing to see how far this area has come in the past few decades.

My only beef is that sign, a nice picture of the Polo Grounds should be there.


Richard

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

I once re-up'ed one under a different username and used the title "nothing from 1995" (it was a 45 second ESPN Detroit Tiger highlight). It took 6 months, but the MLB goons somehow found it. I think because I later added a few tags (Tigers & Redsox) in order to get more views. Be careful, because YouTube will suspend your account for multiple violations.

The next obscure video that MLB removes will be reuploaded continuously until they find me and take me to court (though I always use public wifi spots and anonymous e-mail addresses). Sometimes a little civil disobedience is good.

Hopefully I can still access BBF from the big house:crossfingers:

[alpineinc]

Teddy Ballgame at the NL park, 1954.

http://img.nytstore.com/IMAGES/NSAP1520_EXTR.JPG

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

The current demolition of Shea Stadium now makes up for the sad day in 1964 when the Polo Grounds was demolished.Shea was always a poor replacement for the Polo Grounds.

[metfan13]

The current demolition of Shea Stadium now makes up for the sad day in 1964 when the Polo Grounds was demolished.Shea was always a poor replacement for the Polo Grounds.

How do you feel about the field replacing the field that replaced your field?

[DiggerODell]

Good stuff Digger. I'll speak for most of us on this thread, we have neve viewed that many up close and personal photos of the Towers. I'm gland you posted them, if anything for helping change some preconceived notions perhaps?

If you had no preconceptions of the neighborhood, Harlem itself, etc. one would probably say the place looks to be in good repair. Pretty Clean. Kids playing in the water, a few playgrounds in the background, etc.

Could be in any urban area of any big city in the US, could it not?

Great observation STM, after walking around there for an hour or so I was thinking similary. It occured to me while snapping photos and just generally looking around imaging all those days of the ballpark residing on the property . . . that if PG hadn't actually stood here once, there probably would be absolutely no reason to take photos there, that this would have just been another apartment building of nondescript.

It is a nicer area than I had imagined and even read about by others. I had it mind that it would be a real ghettoish with trash blowing every direction and folks looking at you as if they'd like to clean your clock. I found the folks in the area to be amiable at best and indifferent at the very least to my roaming their territory.


If you ever go back again, I'd like to see pictures of the old apartment buildings that were there while the Polo Grounds still existed, and some shots that include the Harlem River and Coogan's Bluff from below. Thanks for posting your pictures.

Lpeters199, one of my only regrets after visitiing old PG and EF is that I didn't take enough photos! I was so awestruck at being in the vicinity of both of those shrines that I had to lend some moments to just staring at the area and imagining what it would have been like back in the day. I guess I should count myself lucky that I managed to capture what I did, but since my daughter will be living in Queens for at least another couple years, I do plan to get back to both areas and concentrate on taking photos of the surrounding areas as well as areas I was exposed too.

Another regret is that it was getting late in the afternoon on All Star game day and I needed to get back to Queens to see the game on the telly, so I wasn't able to explore the Brush Stairs and photo the older apartment buildings nor take some photos of PG from/and of the Harlem River. Next time.




I don't find anything offensive about those. In fact, they show quite profoundly what we may have lost.



One thing I've observed on this thread that we haven't lost NYF1YF2 . . . is the memory and interest of the old PG. I've found myself actually mezmorized for long moments if not entire evenings, studying some of the photos folks have uploaded here. Simply amazing! A treasure to behold by all, I wish I'd have found BBF years ago!


I LOVE those photos! It is amazing to see how far this area has come in the past few decades.

My only beef is that sign, a nice picture of the Polo Grounds should be there.


Richard

Thank you Richard for that kind endorsement! I'm glad you and perhaps others enjoyed them. It was totally a pleasure to visit NYC in July (I bet not all say that?? ha!) and get to visit two locations I've dreamt about seeing all my life, PG & EF sites. I also got to dine at Grimaldi's (near the Brooklyn Bridge) & Vinny Vella's (up near the Williamsburg Bridge) pizzaria's (not on same day mind you) in Brooklyn, what a treat! Made a P.I.G. hog of myself! Washed it down with some great brews too! I didn't even mind waiting an hour in line on the street at Grimaldi's near the Brooklyn Bridge, it was totally worth the wait! And Coney Island on a hot midweek July afternoon . .don't get me staaaaaarted . . ha! I better regress or I'll get a "your off topic" slam from someone . . .

Some other posters and I mentioned the horrible rendering of ballpark on the entrance of the PG buildings earlier in this thread. There has got to be some starving artist in NY who is also an old ballpark buff that could volunteer to repaint it with the actual and PG rendering??? I know there are bigger things to be worrying about in the world but that is plainly an insult to the memory of the Polo Grounds.

[florida_yankee_fan]

************************************************** *

[alpineinc]

Sporting News, 1937.

Some nuggets: Blue flag for win, red flag for loss atop the center field clubhouse, ads go for $500 a pop on the outfield walls, and cricket games at the old Manhattan Field??

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/polosn1937.jpg?t=1225588974

[StanTheMan]

The current demolition of Shea Stadium now makes up for the sad day in 1964 when the Polo Grounds was demolished.Shea was always a poor replacement for the Polo Grounds.

Indeed, and the riots, burning and looting, and the general crime spree perpetrated by those who loved the original Polo Grounds further south in Manahattan was severe indeed. 1800's mobs were a salty lot.

People who loved the original PG certainly hated the one in Harlem...... :noidea

Knocking down Shea has them cheering in their graves!

[Lpeters199]

.............

[hbwriter]

plaque shot i just took--posted with some of my other travel shots

http://www.flickr.com/photos/popcultureroadtrip/

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

Cornell vs Dartmouth 1920's
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/3008475567_bb7c4fb786_o.jpg

Looking at this photo, one would think the PG was built originally for football and modified for baseball,
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3147/3009312092_8b26f022af_o.jpg

[alpineinc]

Nice finds!!! Taken from a dirigible, perhaps?

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

Given the angles, they most likely were.

[locke40]

I can't help but think that if the Polo Grounds survived until the mid-70's when Yankee Stadium was renovated, and the New York Football Giants were kicked out, they would have definitely moved into the Polo Grounds. Then, we would have had the New York Baseball Giants and the New York Football Giants playing in the same park; now, that would have been cool!!

[locke40]

I hope I'm alive when the next trend in building ballparks is turned back to this classical era, with support columns and a large roof. Those design elements really make a ballpark special.

[lollar]

Support Columns make it REALLY hard for people sitting near them to see

[locke40]

Support Columns make it REALLY hard for people sitting near them to see

People dealt with support columns for many, many years; I think we could handle it. If you do happen to sit behind one, you can still see 95% of the field, and if you sway slightly left and right, you can easily see the other 5%. The pros of having support columns FAR outweigh the cons.

[reh303]

People dealt with support columns for many, many years; I think we could handle it. If you do happen to sit behind one, you can still see 95% of the field, and if you sway slightly left and right, you can easily see the other 5%.

That sounds pretty terrible, actually.

[mrakbaseball]

we would have had the New York Baseball Giants and the New York Football Giants playing in the same park; now, that would have been cool!!
St. Louis Cardinals' baseball and football teams shared Busch Stadium, right?

[mandrake]

I can't help but think that if the Polo Grounds survived until the mid-70's when Yankee Stadium was renovated, and the New York Football Giants were kicked out, they would have definitely moved into the Polo Grounds. Then, we would have had the New York Baseball Giants and the New York Football Giants playing in the same park; now, that would have been cool!!

NY Giants Football team only played in YS 1956-1972 and then 1/2 of '73. Their real home was the Polo Grounds 1925-1955.
When the newest version of the Meadowlands was being built and PSL's were discussed, Wellington Mara wanted nothing to do with the PSL's and walked out of the meeting saying "I was happy playing in the Polo Grounds".

[alpineinc]

1947 Sporting News, from Gene Mack of the Boston Globe.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/sn4611mackpolo.jpg?t=1226249691

[J.R.]

That sounds pretty terrible, actually.

95% of the people who say this have never been to a park with the columns.

[metfan13]

95% of the people who say this have never been to a park with the columns.

I've been to a park with columns. It stinks to sit behind them.

[soup]

I like the chick in the upper right saying that she could hit a homer there haha

[StanTheMan]

1947 Sporting News, from Gene Mack of the Boston Globe.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/sn4611mackpolo.jpg?t=1226249691


I have this print, and a set (complete from what I can gather) of more than 30 or so different parks. I only have one of them framed.... Sportsmans Park hangs in my son's room.

Someday I will frame all the classics. PG, Ebbets, Yankee, Crosely, Wrigley, Comiskey, Tiger, Shibe, Griffith, etc... just need a house with a basement!

[Gary Dunaier]

I wish to apologize in advance for the following post. Respectfully, Gary Dunaier


95% of the people who say this have never been to a park with the columns.

I have never been to a park with the columnist from the New York Times.

[metfan13]

I wish to apologize in advance for the following post. Respectfully, Gary Dunaier



I have never been to a park with the columnist from the New York Times.

I've been to a park with columnists. It stinks to sit behind them.

[tugger]

I did sit next to Maury Allen of the Post in the Shea press box and saw Gooden get a no-decision vs. the Cards in 84. Allen seemed like a real good guy, no attitude to a fledgling reporter, and when Wally Backman came to the plate he observed that baseball seems to attract a-holes.

So Cunningham caught one behind the monument in the 22 series? Let Vic Wertz know so he doesn't feel so bad.

[alpineinc]

1912 (don't think it's been posted before).

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/711/popups/54124.jpg

[locke40]

I like the chick in the upper right saying that she could hit a homer there haha

That's definitely not a chick. It looks to be a young boy; notice the bow-tie.

[alpineinc]

Joe D bunting, '36 WS.

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/702/popups/47822.jpg

[SHOELESSJOE3]

1912 (don't think it's been posted before).

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/711/popups/54124.jpg

Great shot AL, I don't recall seeing this one before.

[tugger]

You could get away with columns in the days before TV. 50% of something was better then 100% of nothing.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

You could get away with columns in the days before TV. 50% of something was better then 100% of nothing.

What appears to be overlooked here. Some of the younger posters see a park with columns differently, horrid, what a way to watch a game.
I can't speak for all the parks with columns but I did attend a good number of game at Cleveland's Cleveland (Municipal) Stadium. It was like everything else in life, thats just the way it was at that time, no big deal, who thought much of it at that time. Looking back to those who never experienced it, I'm sure it looks a bit more unpleasant. The columns didn't seem to be everywhere. I'm sure there may have been 30 or more but it was a big park and you could often find seats to the left or right or even in front of the columns.

[Milwaukee County Stadium]

What appears to be overlooked here. Some of the younger posters see a park with columns differently, horrid, what a way to watch a game.
I can't speak for all the parks with columns but I did attend a good number of game at Cleveland's Cleveland (Municipal) Stadium. It was like everything else in life, thats just the way it was at that time, no big deal, who thought much of it at that time. Looking back to those who never experienced it, I'm sure it looks a bit more unpleasant. The columns didn't seem to be everywhere. I'm sure there may have been 30 or more but it was a big park and you could often find seats to the left or right or even in front of the columns.
Yeah I like support columns and they do not bother me at all, Infact when you are at a stadium with support columns the columns make it feel more like a stadium. I have been to County Stadium like 11 times and Wrigley Field 1 time and i had no problem watching the game at all.

[alpineinc]

Fateful pitch to Toni Lazzeri in Game 2 of the '36 WS - second grand slam ever in WS play...

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/611/popups/45317a.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/lazzeripg.gif?t=1226503097

[Gary Dunaier]

What appears to be overlooked here. Some of the younger posters see a park with columns differently, horrid, what a way to watch a game . . . . . It was like everything else in life, thats just the way it was at that time, no big deal, who thought much of it at that time. Looking back to those who never experienced it, I'm sure it looks a bit more unpleasant.

That's it exactly. When all the ballparks have posts you learn to accept them as part of the experience, or you don't go to games at all.

Look at all the people who say Shea Stadium was a dump and deserved to go. Tradition notwithstanding, I'll bet Yankee fans in 1964 were jealous that the Met fans were getting a brand new ballpark with all sorts of modern conveniences.

I'm not old enough to remember Ebbets Field, but I am old enough to know what life was like without DVRs and VCRs - if you wanted to watch a particular show you had to watch it when it was broadcast. There are people who don't know of life without being able to watch whatever you want, whenever you want.

[metfan13]

That's it exactly. When all the ballparks have posts you learn to accept them as part of the experience, or you don't go to games at all.

Look at all the people who say Shea Stadium was a dump and deserved to go. Tradition notwithstanding, I'll bet Yankee fans in 1964 were jealous that the Met fans were getting a brand new ballpark with all sorts of modern conveniences.

I'm not old enough to remember Ebbets Field, but I am old enough to know what life was like without DVRs and VCRs - if you wanted to watch a particular show you had to watch it when it was broadcast. There are people who don't know of life without being able to watch whatever you want, whenever you want.


And not everything new is bad and not everything old is good. It makes no sense to accept sitting behind poles if you don't have to. I suppose in the 1920s you guys would still have been riding horse and buggy cause who really needs to get somewhere the same day?

[DrBear]

The question is...is it OK that a small proportion of the fans may be inconvenienced (on days of full houses) so that other fans (in the upper deck) can get a closer view of the game?

[SHOELESSJOE3]

And not everything new is bad and not everything old is good. It makes no sense to accept sitting behind poles if you don't have to. I suppose in the 1920s you guys would still have been riding horse and buggy cause who really needs to get somewhere the same day?


Does that mean I'm included. I didn't say the older parks with columns were any better than the newer with none. Just saying at the time it didn't seem to bother spectators. Looking back by some who were not there, I would imagine it would appear to be a bigger deal. I could understand that.

[Yankeefan3783]

Joe D bunting, '36 WS.

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/702/popups/47822.jpg

Is that the courthouse in the Bronx in the distance?

[TJH1923]

Is that the courthouse in the Bronx in the distance?

Yes it is and you can also see the upper exterior of Yankee Stadium.

[alpineinc]

'34 ASG. Posted before?

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/605/popups/41467a.jpg

[metfan13]

Yes it is and you can also see the upper exterior of Yankee Stadium.

Are you sure? From that overhead picture I've seen, I'd think YS would be well off to the right.

[tdinan]

Are you sure? From that overhead picture I've seen, I'd think YS would be well off to the right.

The shots are taken from different angles.

[tdinan]

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/611/popups/45317a.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/lazzeripg.gif?t=1226503097[/QUOTE]

[Gary Dunaier]

Are you sure? From that overhead picture I've seen, I'd think YS would be well off to the right.

You may rest assured that the structure identified as Yankee Stadium is, in fact, Yankee Stadium. :nod:

[metfan13]

You may rest assured that the structure identified as Yankee Stadium is, in fact, Yankee Stadium. :nod:

Straight away CF in the PG?

Ok, now I have to find that overhead shot of both stadiums

[metfan13]

Never mind. I stand corrected. Just found the picture.

[alpineinc]

Has this wider angle of Thomson's "Shot" (and crop) been here before? If so, my apologies.

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/405/popups/27717.jpg

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/405/popups/27717a.jpg

[tugger]

look at all that crap on the field! Slobs!

Also, it's "Thomson."

[soup]

http://tbn0.google.com/hosted/images/c?q=69a4d53b0ddc56b9_large
is this working?

[soup]

http://tbn0.google.com/hosted/images/c?q=8e11651c6b3c20ee_large

[metfan13]

Are there any pics of the PG taken FROM the short porch in LF or RF, or from the overhanging 2nd level?

Wondering what it was like sitting there in HR territory, yet so close to the infield, then looking to the side as the OF runs straight away.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Has this wider angle of Thompson's "Shot" (and crop) been here before? If so, my apologies.

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/405/popups/27717.jpg

http://72.37.159.45/App_Themes/Images/Auctions_Images/405/popups/27717a.jpg

Some one did AL, maybe it was you. Anyway, thanks again, I didn't save these two the first time, now I have them. On another subject, shows the odd layout of the outfield dimensions, from 315 to 360 not that far away.

Polo may have been short, real short down the lines, but it gets deep real fast.

[alpineinc]

1952 (Sal Maglie photoshoot)

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c-8.jpg?t=1227246162

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c-9.jpg?t=1227246258

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c-10.jpg?t=1227246326

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c-11.jpg?t=1227246599

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c-12.jpg?t=1227246664


1954

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c6.jpg?t=1227245742

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c-7.jpg?t=1227245838

[CHiller]

Anyone know the reason for the screens on top of the outfield walls in center field, on either side of the clubhouse? They block the view of the first 20 or so rows in the bleachers. Are they batter's eye? I wouldn't think they would be needed, what with the clubhouse right in center field.

[GordonGecko]

Not too many suits in the crowd in these pictures. Maybe the pictures are from weekend games? Or were the suits all at Yankee Stadium

[soup]

Not too many suits in the crowd in these pictures. Maybe the pictures are from weekend games? Or were the suits all at Yankee Stadium

It looks like a lot of these shots were taken during the summer, hence the lack of coats. The Thompson shot (taken later in the year) there seems to be more coats in the crowd. And, I would imagine, a lot of the OYS pics were taken in the World Series, which seems like a time where people would have dressed more warmly and more "smartly"

[Gary Dunaier]

Anyone know the reason for the screens on top of the outfield walls in center field, on either side of the clubhouse? They block the view of the first 20 or so rows in the bleachers. Are they batter's eye? I wouldn't think they would be needed, what with the clubhouse right in center field.

I'm guessing batter's eye.

[tugger]

It looks like a lot of these shots were taken during the summer, hence the lack of coats. The Thompson shot (taken later in the year) there seems to be more coats in the crowd. And, I would imagine, a lot of the OYS pics were taken in the World Series, which seems like a time where people would have dressed more warmly and more "smartly"

Thomson, please.

[jingram]

Wow, those high-res Life photos of the Polo Grounds are nothing less than spectacular! They are large enough that you can almost get a feel for what the old ball park was really like. I'm becoming obsessed with what was one of the most unique and interesting of stadiums. Funny, I grew up a Yankees fan, but the NY Giants and the Polo Grounds are really growing on me. Thanks for putting up with all my previously answered questions and mis-posts, and for posting these awesome photos!

[tugger]

1954

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c-7.jpg?t=1227245838

Obviously ashamed of winning Game 1 of the WS on a pop up.

[hbwriter]

another interesting LIFE shot

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=d5253850b561984c&q=polo+grounds+source:life&usg=__ylzQUN-a7JgOE82l8lPK3KxXDV4=&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpolo%2Bgrounds%2Bsource:life%26hl%3De n

[Gary Dunaier]

The images are reversed... the housing project is shown behind the right field stands instead of the correct left field seats.

[Lpeters199]

Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Randy Turpin.

[icee82]

I will be glad when they get all of the LIFE photos on google. These are some amazing high res shots and you can really get a feel for all of the old ballparks.

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

Yes it is and you can also see the upper exterior of Yankee Stadium.

Creepy!

This "Orion's Belt"(PG + OYS + BCC) will be fully broken once NYS officially opens and OYS starts to come down for real. What will the end of this unique alignment bring for the Yanks - for New York??

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

Are you sure? From that overhead picture I've seen, I'd think YS would be well off to the right.

If this doesn't raise the hairs on your neck then you need a DOCTOR . . .

[alpineinc]

The images are reversed... the housing project is shown behind the right field stands instead of the correct left field seats.

Here it is, brightened and tightened up a bit (and finally flipped the right way!)

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c-5.jpg?t=1227884021

[Gary Dunaier]

Here it is, brightened and tightened up a bit.

Brightened and tightened, but still flipped. :(

[locke40]

Brightened and tightened, but still flipped. :(

Here it is, flipped.

56076

[alpineinc]

Brightened and tightened, but still flipped. :(

Oh crap, knew I forgot something.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/c-5.jpg?t=1227912419

[RichardLillard1]

Now, that is one GREAT shot! I don't know who found this LIFE magazine resource, but there is some amazing stuff for the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium coming from it.


Richard

[locke40]

Now, that is one GREAT shot! I don't know who found this LIFE magazine resource, but there is some amazing stuff for the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium coming from it.


Richard

I agree, there is a wealth of information out there just waiting to be discovered. What I am finding incredibly interesting is the fact that "Fenway Park" returns zero (none, nothing) results. Meanwhile, all the New York teams have a ton of presence. I wonder what that means.

[RichardLillard1]

I'm wondering if TIME has an online resource dedicated to the New York teams because of the new stadiums, so we will likely never see anything about the other teams out there?

I would be curious as to what many of these publishing companies have in their vaults though. Much of it locked away from the public. So sad.

In any case, this definitely shows what other publishing companies are capable of presenting to us; masses of unseen photos, buried deep in their archives.

Makes me wonder what the New York Times, Post and other local papers have stashed away.


Richard

[soup]

Now, that is one GREAT shot! I don't know who found this LIFE magazine resource, but there is some amazing stuff for the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium coming from it.


Richard

I'm going to take credit for it, but I stole the archive link off of another messageboard. But I think I brought it over here for ballpark pics. Not that I need credit for it, cause it's a resource for us all

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Luke joins in, with Joe Adcock, Lou Brock and Hank Aaron homer into centerfield bleachers. Supposedly, although I have never found any proof, pitcher Schoolboy Rowe hit one in there in batting practice.

Bob Seeds hit a IPH that landed alongside the steps to the clubhouse, left or right and he may have reached the bleachers.

A bit off on the feet no where near 490 but still a good poke, those corner bleachers left and right changed over the yearS, home plate was moved more than a couple of times, they ranged from around 420+ to 430+.

[alpineinc]

1950 - family photo from escapedtowisconsin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/69805768@N00/3028647772/) on flickr.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3028647772_d3a0d13618_b.jpg

[mandrake]

Brightened and tightened, but still flipped. :(

Gary
I'm not sure which picture you are saying is flipped? Every shot that I looked at showed the housing projects behind 1st base/left field. RF had a parking lot behind it. I don't see a picture that is fipped.

[tugger]

Gary
I'm not sure which picture you are saying is flipped? Every shot that I looked at showed the housing projects behind 1st base/left field. RF had a parking lot behind it. I don't see a picture that is fipped.
That's right. The see-through stands are on the third-base-leftfield side.

[mandrake]

That's right. The see-through stands are on the third-base-leftfield side.

Sorry, I meant to say 3rd base/LF (I typed 1st base/ LF). There were no projects on the 1st base/RF side.

I prefer the pictures before 1950, when there were no projects next to the Polo Grounds period.

[Lpeters199]

Luke joins in, with Joe Adcock, Lou Brock and Hank Aaron homer into centerfield bleachers. Supposedly, although I have never found any proof, pitcher Schoolboy Rowe hit one in there in batting practice.

Bob Seeds hit a IPH that landed alongside the steps to the clubhouse, left or right and he may have reached the bleachers.

A bit off on the feet no where near 490 but still a good poke, those corner bleachers left and right changed over the yearS, home plate was moved more than a couple of times, they ranged from around 420+ to 430+.
Schoolboy Rowe did indeed reach the bleachers in batting practice in 1933. This is verification from his teammate, Charlie Gehringer.

http://books.google.com/books?id=0AEmKVlDh6MC&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197&dq=schoolboy+rowe+batting+practice&source=bl&ots=4sWLHlf_B0&sig=1lr82I28tkAdNv0WwvzTiRW6RRI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA197,M1

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Schoolboy Rowe did indeed reach the bleachers in batting practice in 1933. This is verification from his teammate, Charlie Gehringer.

http://books.google.com/books?id=0AEmKVlDh6MC&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197&dq=schoolboy+rowe+batting+practice&source=bl&ots=4sWLHlf_B0&sig=1lr82I28tkAdNv0WwvzTiRW6RRI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA197,M1

I'm not going to dispute what Charlie said, what I meant was I have never seen it written up in any newspaper article. Of course that does not mean it didn't happen, doubtful an event taking place in batting practice would make the news but it has happened at times, something that extraordinary.

Rowe was a big poweful guy, much bigger than the average player in that time period.

[alpineinc]

Gary
I'm not sure which picture you are saying is flipped? Every shot that I looked at showed the housing projects behind 1st base/left field. RF had a parking lot behind it. I don't see a picture that is fipped.

The original LIFE pic is reversed online. I had posted it that way, but when I reversed the image back, I renamed it the same on my photobucket, so now I guess it's linking to the revised photo twice.

[stuarthouse]

[QUOTE=Lpeters199;1367871]Schoolboy Rowe did indeed reach the bleachers in batting practice in 1933. This is verification from his teammate, Charlie Gehringer.

The bleacher arrangement was different before 1923, but Babe Ruth reached the centerfield bleachers on June 13 and June 14, 1921 in a series against Detroit. Distances estimated at 480' and 490' by Jenkinson. The 433' fence you hear tell of before 1923 was actually to deep right-center, not center.

Adcock, Aaron and Brock did it in modern times in actual games. Yes, that's Lou Brock. Don't ask me how. I have no idea!

[SHOELESSJOE3]

[QUOTE=Lpeters199;1367871]Schoolboy Rowe did indeed reach the bleachers in batting practice in 1933. This is verification from his teammate, Charlie Gehringer.

The bleacher arrangement was different before 1923, but Babe Ruth reached the centerfield bleachers on June 13 and June 14, 1921 in a series against Detroit. Distances estimated at 480' and 490' by Jenkinson. The 433' fence you hear tell of before 1923 was actually to deep right-center, not center.

Adcock, Aaron and Brock did it in modern times in actual games. Yes, that's Lou Brock. Don't ask me how. I have no idea!

Whats really strange, It's done one time in an actual game by Adcock, if I recall 1953.............. and then it's done on successive days Aaron and Brock.
This had to be the longest or one of the longest Brock ever hit, not a long ball hitter. At best in the area of 430+ feet.

[DiggerODell]

Obviously ashamed of winning Game 1 of the WS on a pop up.

This is the sort of photo I can sit back in my chair and stare at for entire day! tugger say's it's after game 1 of the WS . . . I don't know. It could be any day after a Giants loss to look . . . or a bad day inside the "want ads" . . . I love the disgarded sheet of the newsprint which looks flung back upon the benches. Absolutely wonderful photography . . . wish I had that knack. Thanks Alpine for posting it as well as the others.

Art of a moment frozen.

[Kootz]

Howdy Folks...

I am a newbie to this site... but a passion for The Polo Grounds has 'boiled in my blood' for 48 of my 55 years since my beloved, late Pops took me to NY Titan games in 1960, and the beloved Mets-Follies of '62-'63; I still have the Titan-program and a popcorn-cup/megaphone in mint-condition... perhaps I will scan some of that later but I DO have some items I have NEVER seen on ANY site; These are of the demolition of the PG and have been scanned & 'Photoshop-enhanced' from crumbling, 44-year-old copies containing articles/pics from The NY Post, NY Times and Daily News from early 1964 as Shea was 'looming in reality'... right thru the time the PG-Towers complex was completed. My Dad had been a die-hard NY-Giant fan... and this wonderful PG-thread makes me remember how lucky I was to have had him take me there... Time for me to share all these clippings he'd saved for me... as a piece of HIS boyhood was being dismantled, much in the way I'm feeling:applaud:, now with Shea! Enjoy!

[Kootz]

Enjoy these as well!

[Kootz]

Collect them all!

[alpineinc]

Great stuff! Last photo is particularly sad.

[mandrake]

Unbelievable find ! Puts to rest a few urban legends !:
1) That the Polo Grounds was falling apart.
2) That nobody cared about the PG like they did Ebbets Field
3) that the fans in 1964 had the same feelings for the old vs new ballparks just like we do in 2008.

If you could post your stuff under the Brooklyn Dodgers/NY Giants forums, it could help the Jints fans in their arguments over there.

[Nails4]

Three bucks a seat.... Holy S.:faint:

[mandrake]

Three bucks a seat.... Holy S.:faint:

No kidding. I have seen them priced as high as $4K each. Think of that return!

[tugger]

This is the sort of photo I can sit back in my chair and stare at for entire day! tugger say's it's after game 1 of the WS . . . I don't know. It could be any day after a Giants loss to look . . . or a bad day inside the "want ads" . . . I love the disgarded sheet of the newsprint which looks flung back upon the benches. Absolutely wonderful photography . . . wish I had that knack. Thanks Alpine for posting it as well as the others.

Art of a moment frozen.

I was being a wiseacre. Have no idea when pic was taken.

[Paul W]

600 seats to yonkers raceway?
passed by there a million times, never knew...
i'd guess that those would have been used in the stands between the clubhouse and the thruway?
look like plastic ones have been there a while...

[Paul W]

while in ny for shea's last weekend i had a chance to visit the polo grounds site with the legendary bill "the baker", heard frequently on wfan.
here he is at shea's last game also...

[JAS1960]

Hello All,
I have visited this site many times and I love this thread about my favorite old ballpark, the Polo Grounds. Although I never saw her when she was still standing, I did manage to pass by the site a couple of years ago while visiting New York as a touring musician. We came down through the Bronx on Jerome Avenue, past Yankee Stadium and crossed over the river where I got a clear view of Coogan's Bluff. My heart almost skipped a beat!

Did you ever wonder what it would have been like to sit in her stands along about twilight on April 9, 1964...the night before demolition began? Would the old girl creak and moan and would all the old ghosts be taking a last run out of the dugout, around the bases, out through centerfield and up the clubhouse steps? Could you hear the voices of Russ Hodges, Ernie Harwell, Gordon McClendon, Red Barber and the echo of the sharp crack of Thomson's bat? I've often wondered what her last night was like when she was still intact. You've got to think that the proud old Polo Grounds would not go willingly under the wrecker's ball. Just a thought.....

Keep up the good posts!
JAS1960

[lollar]

Here is a long clip from Game 1 of the 1936 World Series at the Polo Grounds

http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/1617552_039.do

[DiggerODell]

Here is a long clip from Game 1 of the 1936 World Series at the Polo Grounds

http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/1617552_039.do

I love this video clip! Say? Is that John McCain when he was a wee bit younger throwing out the first pitch from the stands, just after they show the Babe at the beginning? Having visited there, the old Polo Grounds site, makes this video clip special . . thanks to ya lollar.

[parlo]

Great stuff.
Considering the year, the film quality is pretty good.

[metfan13]

Great stuff.
Considering the year, the film quality is pretty good.

Yes it is. What I did was open up the game log from baseball-reference.com then replayed it bit by bit to figure out what was going on. Lots of great players in that clip.

One thing to note. That #5 for the Yanks who doubles (and is almost out at second) is NOT Joe D. Frank Crossetti wore #5 for the Yanks in '36. Dimaggio was #9

[StanTheMan]

Fastastic find --- a great video. I found myself repeating the part about half-way through, when the camera pans above home plate, above the roof, and you can see three buildings atop the Bluff.

We've gone round and round before about the exact path of the Brush Staircase in many threads without much luck iirc.

[hbwriter]

LOVE that video--amazing

on a PG note I have a new book out next month--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yNBsTuuHzc

Arnold Hano (A Day in the Bleachers)wrote a great foreword about the Polo Grounds

[lollar]

1937 World Series Game One (I know it's at Yankee Stadium, but this is to keep the set here):

http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/541084_049.do

1937 World Series Game Two:

http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/541084_050.do


This is the third game of the 1937 Series

http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/541084_051.do

Game Four:

http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/541084_052.do

Here is video from Game Five of the 1937 Series:

http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/clip/541084_053.do

[hbwriter]

I have this new book out in March on the older version(s) Polo Grounds and a few of the photos are here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yNBsTuuHzc

More notable though may be the foreword by Arnold Hano who wrote A Day in the Bleachers--his words really bring the Polo Grounds to life--as he closes:

"People today will ask me, as Californians are often asked, “Where did you grow up?” And I answer only somewhat facetiously, “I grew up in the Polo Grounds.”

[Mary Ellen]

PaulW - where is the plaque in the housing complex. I am going looking for the Brush Stairs tomorrow with my brother & I would love to see the plaque.
Local live gives a really clear image of the stairs.

[hbwriter]

i took a favorite shot of the Polo Grounds, the field is lined for the Titans so early 60s, but it's an interesting angle. I tried to line it up with a Live Local shot and here's the rough comparison:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg185/hbwriter/Picture4.png

[chinese home run]

PaulW - where is the plaque in the housing complex. I am going looking for the Brush Stairs tomorrow with my brother & I would love to see the plaque.
Local live gives a really clear image of the stairs.

The plaque would be on the most northwest of the four apartment buildings- if you're going to take a picture of that, there is also a sign on 2971 Eighth Avenue- the building where the management building is- that has a sign on it that states, "This is the site that Willie Mays and the Giants made famous- Let's keep it clean- NYCHA" The lettering might be faded; that building would be the closest to Eighth Avenue (or Frederick Douglass Boulevard, as it's known in those points. Those two signs- along with the Brush Stairway- are the only evidence that baseball was played there. The Brush Stairway can been seen from the Harlem River Driveway on the east side and Edgecombe Avenue from the west, but I'd imagine it's still blocked off. Doesn't stop me from shedding a tear every time I go there, though.

Enjoy your visit-
CHR

[Mary Ellen]

CHR - my brother bailed on the PG visit today but we are re-scheduling for 2 weeks. So I went to Shea instead (sadly). Thank you for the location data it will come in handy.

Some excellent photos in this thread. I checked out historicaerials.com for the PG and it is clear as day in the 1954 photo and but a memory in the 1966 picture with the apartments under construction.

[Paul W]

here's the two images of the site with part of the field outlined.
the marker is located at the southeast base of the southern wing of the building marked with the arrow. the marker is probably located in the infield grass between the mound and 3rd.
pix of the marker are in an earlier post of mine 12-16-08...

[hbwriter]

Paul--i like what you added to my photo--thanks (what'd you draw it with?)

ce

[Mary Ellen]

Execllent, thank you Paul W. A big help.

[elmer]

original image of Polo Grounds itself 1 1/4"

[tdinan]

here's the two images of the site with part of the field outlined.
the marker is located at the southeast base of the southern wing of the building marked with the arrow. the marker is probably located in the infield grass between the mound and 3rd.
pix of the marker are in an earlier post of mine 12-16-08...

I think the marker is pretty much exactly where home plate was located. this comparison is a little inaccurate only because the angle is somewhat off. Only a direct overhead can properly locate the exact location of home plate.

[Paul W]

photoshop, i'm an artist...

[nov. 1957]

this is a shot from 10/2/1951 you can see the steps.

[NeoExelor]

original image of Polo Grounds itself 1 1/4"

http://thesituationist.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/face-on-mars.jpg

:O

[StanTheMan]

I think the marker is pretty much exactly where home plate was located. this comparison is a little inaccurate only because the angle is somewhat off. Only a direct overhead can properly locate the exact location of home plate.

It's close but not exact. Back a few pages you will find some current overhead photos of the site using Google Earth in which I drew a line from the plaque out towards where the clubhouse would be. The PG would not fit if the plaque were EXACT.

As mentioned, it's on the infield grass or something close to that.

[alpineinc]

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj90/alpineinc/ph10051.jpg?t=1234336989

[mandrake]

I love all pictures of the PG. I prefer the ones that have the 9th Ave EL still up, with the train yards north of the PG, and the pre 1923 expansion. (1911-1922)

Next, I like the 1923-1940 era with the trains and train yard still active, with lights going on top around 1940 or so.

Next, the train yard is gone; only the shuttle on the EL over to Yankee Stadium remains; the projects are not built (1940-1950)

After 1951, the projects are built north of the PG, attendance begins to plummet, and it's all over by 1957. These pictures are the saddest.

[Mary Ellen]

I don't know if this was posted before but I am glad to see the stairs may be restored.

[mandrake]

I don't know if this was posted before but I am glad to see the stairs may be restored.

Mary Ellen

I had posted this back a few months ago, maybe over in the NY Giants forum. The SF Giants, NY Yankees, NY Jets, and NY Giants all chipped in for the repair. The only team that used the Polo Grounds for a home stadium that did not chip in was.....the Mets.

I had commented that if these belonged to Ebbets Field instead of the Polo Grounds, Wilpon would not only repair them, he would have gold plated them, transported them to Citi Field, and encased them in bulletproof glass so the great unwashed would not touch them.

[Mary Ellen]

Mandrake that is remarkable. The Wilpons seem to have a disconnect with any part of baseball history that does not involve the Brooklyn Dodgers. I was hoping for some kind of Mets Museum in CF paying homage to the Mets past at PG and Shea but that is probably a pipe dream.

[mandrake]

Mandrake that is remarkable. The Wilpons seem to have a disconnect with any part of baseball history that does not involve the Brooklyn Dodgers. I was hoping for some kind of Mets Museum in CF paying homage to the Mets past at PG and Shea but that is probably a pipe dream.

Here is the Daily News article that I originally posted.

The old team spirit
Saturday, September 13th 2008, 4:00 AM

Step by step by step ... closer comes the day when the long forgotten and last remaining piece of the Polo Grounds - once one of New York's iconic sports venues - can be restored.

From across the continent, the San Francisco Giants are sending a check for $50,000 to repair the disintegrating John T. Brush Stairway, a 95-year-old structure on Coogan's Bluff in Highbridge Park.

The donation is a remarkable gift from a team that left New York a half-century ago.

And from across the Hudson, the hometown Jets and owner Woody Johnson are also pledging $50,000 toward restoring the stairs that once carried their devoted fans in and out of the stadium.

The two teams now join the football Giants and the Yankees, which last month both pledged money ($200,000 and $100,000, respectively) to the Parks Department to rebuild the stairway.

The fifth professional sports team that once called the Polo Grounds home, the Mets, has yet to announce its intentions.

This page floated the stairway-restoration idea, noting that the steps carried thousands upon thousands of fans down from the heights to the stadium and would today serve as a convenient passageway between the upper and lower tiers of Highbridge Park.

The generosity of the football and baseball Giants, the Yankees and the Jets, along with funds that have been allocated by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, represents two-thirds of the $1.2 million price tag.

The San Francisco Giants, now celebrating their 125th year, spent their first 75 in Manhattan, almost all of them at the Polo Grounds. The greatest Giant of them all, Hall of Famer Willie Mays, was part of the team's last World Series victory, in 1954.

In 1960, the Jets, then called the Titans, won their very first game at the Polo Grounds. Their final year uptown was 1963, under the direction of coach Weeb Ewbank.

Just a couple of examples of sports heritage the staircase commemorates and these teams appreciate.

The NY Yankees have not called the Polo Grounds 'home' since 1922 and they chip in $100 K. Even though most Mets fans don't say it, Wilpon could not shine Steinbrenner's shoes. Again, if it was part of Ebbet's field.........

[nov. 1957]

You wonder with the economic fallout since August if this restoration will ever happen. I live in Bergen County NJ. and I drive pass the steps often. Unfortunitly the steps lead down to an exit ramp with no bus stop or stores. So why would they restore it at this time?

[Lpeters199]

62627

62628

The first picture here shows the intersection of Edgecombe Ave & Harlem River Drive, just down the block from the Polo Grounds. Is the cross street 8th Avenue? Near the base of the water tower, the beginning of the ramp down the the Polo Grounds is visible. Life Magazine's photos have been a great resource.

In the second picture, the water tower and ramp can be seen again, plus the lower part of the Brush stairs before it became overgrown with shrubs.

[mandrake]

[QUOTE=Lpeters199;1432499
The first picture here shows the intersection of Edgecombe Ave & Harlem River Drive, just down the block from the Polo Grounds. Is the cross street 8th Avenue? Near the base of the water tower, the beginning of the ramp down the the Polo Grounds is visible. Life Magazine's photos have been a great resource.

In the second picture, the water tower and ramp can be seen again, plus the lower part of the Brush stairs before it became overgrown with shrubs.[/QUOTE]

155th Street is the street going east/west. 8th ave is the street below the Elevated line, running North/South. It is actually the "9th Ave EL" which ended up on 8th Ave at the end of the line at the Polo Grounds. The line came down in 1940, but the spur over to Yankee Stadium ran until Aug 1958

[DiggerODell]

It's odd how the last two novel's I've read actually mention something in the story about Polo Grounds. I had no idea before reading them that PG would even be mentioned. The novels are "The Hour I First Believed", Wally Lamb and "The Risk Pool", Richard Russo. Now, PG don't have a large part in either, so don't go out to the library to get these books because of that . . . I just thought it odd to have accidently read 2 in a row that mention it one way or another. I wonder anyone else ever get a kick out of this, or come across a novel that mentions other ballparks or has a story within mentioning them?

[alpineinc]

..........

[Wall-E Lives]

Where did Donald go?

[NJTankMets]

Late '40's -early '50's, from vieilles_annonces (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vieilles_annonces/3312904368/) on flickr.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3475/3312904368_a2fdc330c9_o.jpg

Wow that is an awesome shot of Big Blue before they became Big Blue

[locke40]

Late '40's -early '50's, from vieilles_annonces (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vieilles_annonces/3312904368/) on flickr.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3475/3312904368_a2fdc330c9_o.jpg

Great shot! Is that the Bronx Courthouse beyond center? It seems too close for being across a river some distance.

[nov. 1957]

that is to close to be the courthouse. you have the whole Harlem river to and yankee stadium to pass. does anyone know?

[Paul W]

yep, that's the courthouse. it was visible from the area behind home plate.
also, notice the same football scoreboard that was used in both places.
was used in the stadium until '60. the giants took it with them across the river, probably had a deal w/longines.

[jnakamura]

Where did Donald go?

He just posted a few days ago. I wouldn't worry (assuming you were worried).

[alpineinc]

Dodgers in town.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/3117613690_9a95a47341_o.jpg

[hbwriter]

That's a weird illusion of the courthouse--same thing happens at Forbes with that pagoda-looking building out beyond left field--in certain images in looks HUGE

[hbwriter]

All--Thought I'd share this piece I just wrote for Preservation magazine

http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/story-of-the-week/2009/the-last-of-the-polo-grounds.html

chris

[mandrake]

hbwriter

Haven't heard from you in a while. The stairway has been mentioned in a few other threads, but certainly not in your detail.

The last I had read, the football Giants had chipped in 200K, the Yankees 100K, the NY Jets 50K and the SF Giants 50K. The NY Daily news had reported that the Mets did not chip in. Looking at the article you provided, you listed the Mets chipped in and the total of all the teams was 500K; so do you know if the Mets chipped in the 100K ? If so, I will apologize to them on the forum because I implied that they were cheap!!!

[DiggerODell]

All--Thought I'd share this piece I just wrote for Preservation magazine

http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/story-of-the-week/2009/the-last-of-the-polo-grounds.html

chris

Nice article hb! It's good to hear something from the old Polo Grounds being restored. Last summer when I walked around the apartments, Brush Staircase was the area I most regret having missed. I looked up that day from about the area of where homeplate was towards the bluff and realized with my right hip going sour (I was walking with the aid of stick by then) I wouldn't make it. Oh well, perhaps another day.

Thanks again for sharing that article.

Almost forgot to mention, I ordered from Amazon, A Day In The Bleachers by Arnold Hano, it should arrive any day now . . . really looking forward to reading that having read all the great reviews of it on the PG thread.

[hbwriter]

Mandrake--they didn't want to break it down for me but your math seems right--

Digger--I'll pass that along to Mr. Hano :)

(I'm going down to interview him in a few weeks)

[Chris Jones]

On August 13, 2007 (the day the "Scooter passed away), I had some time before the Yankee game so I made my long overdue pilgrimage across the Harlem River, meandered my way around the apartments, and finally climbed the steep steps beside the bridge...to the road atop Coogan's Bluff (I have an inherited interest in the Giants...Mathewson was the first player I ever heard about...and Dad was briefly scouted by the Team in the early 40's.

Walking along the road and peering down into the tangle of brush (no pun intended) where the magnificent ballpark once stood, I searched in vain for the staircase. Little did I know it was up the slope.

I will be returning to the Bronx in May and hope to make a stop to pay my
and my dead Father's respects.

Thanks for the clarification!

Regards,

Chris

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

Here's a shot of the PG with YS and the Bronx CC in the distance.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3551/3345811542_e6132fd5a4_o.jpg

Due to work conflicts, I haven't checked most of these threads in a while. Great stuff continues to get posted here.

[DiggerODell]

Here's a shot of the PG with YS and the Bronx CC in the distance.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3551/3345811542_e6132fd5a4_o.jpg

Due to work conflicts, I haven't checked most of these threads in a while. Great stuff continues to get posted here.

. . . and from you, the best Mario. Where do you come with these? Awesome stuff.

[alpineinc]

Here's a shot of the PG with YS and the Bronx CC in the distance.


Amazing picture/angle!

[Mary Ellen]

All--Thought I'd share this piece I just wrote for Preservation magazine

http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/story-of-the-week/2009/the-last-of-the-polo-grounds.html

chris


Enjoyed your article very much. I am going to send Mr. Benape a donation - I am sure every bit helps.

[mandrake]

Enjoyed your article very much. I am going to send Mr. Benape a donation - I am sure every bit helps.

Me too. I'll put my money where my big mouth is. And if Fred and Lil Jeff ever read these forums, I APOLOGIZE FOR CALLING YOU CHEAP.
As Fonzie used to try to say " I was wrrrrrrrrrrrr.......well,not exactly right"

[Chris Jones]

Dear Chris, Mary Ellen, DiggerODell, and mandrake:

My daughter and I will be attending the Yankee game on May 4 and I certainly want both of us to see the staircase...a few questions:

- should we walk or take a taxi?
- how visible is the staircase from the street?
- how far from the bridge is it?
- is it "safe" enough to take my daughter?
- how much, if any, restoration/preservation has already taken place?

We're from Viginia, and will arriving at Penn Station between 1:00 and 2:00
the day of the game. For us, trips to the Bronx are not as frequent as I would wish...how long would it take (on foot or by taxi) to cross the bridge and locate the stairs...the photographs are great, but could one of you post
the exact location and what to look for?

This Southerer appreciates any information ya'll (Southern contraction)
can provide.

Thanks,
-Chris

[Chris Jones]

Dear Chris, Mary Ellen, DiggerODell, and mandrake:

My daughter and I will be attending the Yankee game on May 4 and I certainly want both of us to see the staircase...but a few questions:

- should we walk or take a taxi?
- how visible is the staircase from the street?
- how far from the bridge is it?
- is it "safe" enough to take my daughter?
- how much, if any, restoration/preservation has already taken place?

We're from Viginia, and will arriving at Penn Station between 1:00 and 2:00
the day of the game. For us, trips to the Bronx are not as frequent as I would wish...how long would it take (on foot or by taxi) to cross the bridge and locate the stairs...the photographs are great, but could one of you post
the exact location and what to look for?

This Southerer appreciates any information ya'll (Southern contraction)
can provide.

Thanks,
-Chris

[mandrake]

Well, in the daytime the area should be OK. It is a tough walk from Yankee Stadium. You could always take the IND subway (D train) and get out at 155th Street, which is one stop away. That leaves you on street level where the RF stands were at the Polo Grounds, so even that is a tough haul up the hill.

Somebody else who has walked around the grounds lately would be better qualified to say; I would post this under the NY GIANTS forum and you will get some expert opinion over there.

[Mary Ellen]

Chris

go to: local.live.com and search for 523 Edgecombe Ave, NY, NY and check the bird's eye view. Rotate the view with the dial in the upper left corner. It is an excellent view of the stairs.

[hbwriter]

Chris--Mandrake's take on it is good--the area is a little rough though, even by day, so if it's not too cost prohibitive, a cab might not be a bad way to go--certainly it's the most direct way to go--

chris

author's site: www.chrisepting.com

[DiggerODell]

Chris, I think everyone has hit the nail on the head. I took the D train from Yankee Stadium and it lets you out in a subway right in front of the Polo Ground apartments (approx under where the team lockers used to be). It's one stop from YS at the 155th St. Station. As for the neighborhood, "rough" is probably the best description. My daughter was with me as well but she's 24 and can pretty well handle herself if things got rough. We had absolutely no trouble whatsoever, but I will admit, after walking around the old PG site for about 45 min. I didn't really want to push my luck anymore than I already had and walk around the neighborhood and up the bluff to find Brush Stairs. Earlier in this thread, Others as well as myself posted some photos of the area around PG apts, not sure if that will be of any assistance to you.

I hope you have a great time at Yankee Stadium with your daughter on May 4.

[hbwriter]

I think I've posted this link before, but all of this (beautiful) Polo Grounds chatter takes me back to the magical day I spent with my son and this man, who for me is the living, breathing essences of the Polo Grounds--

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/27/magazine/tm-bleachers35

chris

(it's about a six page piece--just keep clicking "next page" if you want the entire thing)

[Paul W]

amazing that the stairs have lasted all these years, infrastructure was built to last back then - just look at the subway infrastructure. both have suffered from decades of neglect and are still with us.
i hope that what is being done to the park doesn't suffer the usual bloomberg treatment - over the top and commercialized!

[DiggerODell]

I think I've posted this link before, but all of this (beautiful) Polo Grounds chatter takes me back to the magical day I spent with my son and this man, who for me is the living, breathing essences of the Polo Grounds--

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/27/magazine/tm-bleachers35

chris

(it's about a six page piece--just keep clicking "next page" if you want the entire thing)

Uncanny timing Chris! I just came in from the mailbox where I received my brand spanking new copy of "A Day in the Bleachers" by Mr. Hano. Looking forward to the read and I will order up your "The Early Polo Grounds" when I'm finished. The story about you, your son Charlie and Mr. Hano out at Dodger Stadium (OK, you don't have much taste in ballclubs, but I won't hold it against ya . .ha!) seeing that game is a lovely story and was the first time I had personally heard of Mr. Hano and his book. Brought back awesome memories of taking my own son & daughters to the Rockies games at Mile High Stadium in '93-'94 and teaching them how to score a game. Thank You.

[hbwriter]

(OK, you don't have much taste in ballclubs, but I won't hold it against ya . .ha!)

----

D--okay, okay :) raised a Met fan/Yankee Stadium fan but have lived in CA for a long time - needed a local to root for and the Angels have been a delight--good, solid franchise and hey, 2002 was one for the ages

I may re-read A Day... since you bring it up!

Hope you enjoy The Early Polo Grounds - Mr. Hano's foreword in the book is some of the most marvelous baseball writing I have ever experienced

[DiggerODell]

(OK, you don't have much taste in ballclubs, but I won't hold it against ya . .ha!)

----

D--okay, okay :) raised a Met fan/Yankee Stadium fan but have lived in CA for a long time - needed a local to root for and the Angels have been a delight--good, solid franchise and hey, 2002 was one for the ages

I may re-read A Day... since you bring it up!

Hope you enjoy The Early Polo Grounds - Mr. Hano's foreword in the book is some of the most marvelous baseball writing I have ever experienced

2002 broke my heart! Still does when I get to thinking about it. Bottom 7, 3-2 series lead, 5-0 game lead, Ortiz pitching a masterpiece, I'm thinkin' "finally! The Giants are gonna win one, all my life dreaming of the Giants as champions, they haven't won one since the old days in New York at the Polo Grounds" and I'm even practicing the sound of it in my head "2002 World Series Champions, San Francisco Giants!". Oh well, thats enough. I don't like to think about things I don't like to think about . . . ha!

I grew up a Giants fan, living about 35 miles north in Benicia, CA. My grandma used to watch the Dodgers vs. Giants games on TV with me, she was a Dodger fan because as she used to say "Don Drysdale and Sandy Kolfax are so handsome" and that was the sole reason she liked em!!!!! Grandma's???? We used to have some fun evenings, me jabbing her, her jabbing me about who's team was best (late 60's, we all know who was best . .ha!)

I don't blame you really for who you support. I love the Rockies as much as I ever did the Giants and A's having lived in Colorado for 26 years now. It's the hardest game to watch out at Coors Field though . . . I don't openly root for either, I just sit and watch the game and see how it unfolds . . . either way I win, either way I loose. I actually prefer it when the Dodgers come to town, a ballgame is always more fun when there is a "villain" involved.

As usual, I'm way off topic (I'm gonna get 86'd someday off here if I don't watch it . .ha!) Time to read about the Giants last "hurrah" . . . with Mr. Hano writing the honors.

[Chris Jones]

Chris:

I, too, just this afternoon, ordered "The Early Polo Grounds" and "Roadside Baseball"...can't wait to ream 'em.

A couple more things about the staircase...is it better to go to Edgewood Ave. and work our way down, or work our way up from Harlem River Dr. (that IS the street between the bluff and the stairs, right?). And...are the steps themselves still accessible? Finally, if we drive past them, will we know it?

Again, thanks to all of you for the information and suggestions.

Regards,

-Chris

[hbwriter]

Chris--thanks so much--let me know how you like the books and if you'd like a signed bookmark just shoot me your address (chris@chrisepting.com)

and either way works--if you want to visit the home plate marker, then start below, then take the stairs located toward the right field side up to the road and once you make it there--look up the hill for the stairs--if you drive past, go slow and you should see them--you may even to just pull over and run up--just be aware, there's some rough activity through there so keep a good eye on your surroundings.

Being a native NYer, I pride myself on being street smart--i was shooting some photos there this summer and a guy who lives in the apartments came down and told me a couple of gang members were watching me from up top--he led me around though and I even shot a picture of him for the book!

[DiggerODell]

Does anyone know the year (or approximate) of each of these photos? I did duotone's on each, one of them Mario posted the other day. Just curious.

[mandrake]

Does anyone know the year (or approximate) of each of these photos? I did duotone's on each, one of them Mario posted the other day. Just curious.

Well, the first one has a few date 'markers'. Yankee Stadium is built, so it's at least 1923. It does not have lights, so that is before 1946. The Polo Grounds is expanded in the picture, post 1922-23. The 9th Avenue El and the train yards are there;that means it was before 1940. Also, there are no lights on the Polo Grounds, and they went up in 1940. So the best I can do off the top of my head (without cheating and looking up the water tower for the train yard) is between 1923 and 1940.

The second picture is a little easier. The projects to the left (north of the Polo Grounds) opened up in 1951. For some reason, I can't view that picture right now, so I will post this and take another gander.

[alpineinc]

I believe the Knickerbocker CF sign was put up in 1956, and taken down before 1962 when a Rheingold sign went up for the Mets.

[mandrake]

I believe the Knickerbocker CF sign was put up in 1956, and taken down before 1962 when a Rheingold sign went up for the Mets.

It also looks like the football Giants Longines scoreboard is out of the Polo Grounds, and that was removed in 1956 and put into YS. 1956-1961 is my guess.

[TJH1923]

Obviously there are no lights on either ball park. Yankee Stadium has the right field extension built. So if the Polo grounds had lights installed in 1940 the photo date is either 1937, 1938 or 1939. I don't know if the lights were installed prior to the 1940 season or during it. If it was during it could be 1940. The trees have foliage on them so I am going to say it is during one of those seasons.

[Gary Dunaier]

Well, in the daytime the area should be OK. It is a tough walk from Yankee Stadium. You could always take the IND subway (D train) and get out at 155th Street, which is one stop away. That leaves you on street level where the RF stands were at the Polo Grounds, so even that is a tough haul up the hill.

Somebody else who has walked around the grounds lately would be better qualified to say; I would post this under the NY GIANTS forum and you will get some expert opinion over there.

If the stairs are between Edgecombe Avenue and the Harlem River Drive street (not to be confused with the actual Harlem River Drive, which is next to the river), the Bx6 bus may be a better bet than the subway. The Bx6 bus runs along 161st Street in the Bronx, and along 155th Street in Manhattan (the elevated road next to the Polo Grounds Houses). The first stop in Manhattan is, in fact, Edgecombe Avenue, so you're good to go.

Can't tell you where the best place to see the steps is because I thought they were between the Harlem River Drive street and the Polo Grounds houses, so I've never looked for them in their "proper" place.

[nov. 1957]

By car if you are heading south on the Harlem River drive, you will have to get off at the 155th st. exit road (there is a sign for Yankee Stadium). The bottom of the steps are on the right side of the exit road set back a little in the grass area before you get to the traffic light that is 155th st. The Polo grounds towers will be on your left. So remember the bottom of the steps are on the right of the exit road not on the Harlem River Dr. Now once you get to the traffic light on 155th If you make a left you will head towards Yankee Stadium. If you make a right then make the next right you will be on Edgecomb Ave. The top of the Steps will be on your right side you cant miss it because it is fenced off. I cant help with mass transit.

This photo would be from the top of the steps area looking down to the road that is the exit road from the H.R. Drive to 155th ST.

I hope this helps

[Paul W]

the track out in the outfield was used for midget car racing in the years between the giants and mets...
the older pix was pre 1940, when the lights were added

[Chris Jones]

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Thanks to you all...now I know how to get there and where to look!

Regards,

-Chris

[DiggerODell]

Cool! thanks a bunch mandrake, alpineinc, TJH1923 & Paul W. Your all very helpful. Only someone from the area or knowledgable about it would know those minute details.

So, from what you have all said . . . I'm thinking between 1937-1939 on the older shot and 1958-1961 on the more recent. I was wondering though, on the right side of the 50's photo, on the roof, there almost seems to be the beginning of a painted name? I can see in the older photo, NY Giants on the facade, and that appears to be gone in the newer one. I thought perhaps that possible signage represented perhaps the NY Giants football team or perhaps even the NY Mets, but? Then one of you said there are no lights, and I'm assuming PG had lights during the Met years.

[mandrake]

Cool! thanks a bunch mandrake, alpineinc, TJH1923 & Paul W. Your all very helpful. Only someone from the area or knowledgable about it would know those minute details.

So, from what you have all said . . . I'm thinking between 1937-1939 on the older shot and 1958-1961 on the more recent. I was wondering though, on the right side of the 50's photo, on the roof, there almost seems to be the beginning of a painted name? I can see in the older photo, NY Giants on the facade, and that appears to be gone in the newer one. I thought perhaps that possible signage represented perhaps the NY Giants football team or perhaps even the NY Mets, but? Then one of you said there are no lights, and I'm assuming PG had lights during the Met years.

I would agree with your approximate dates for the 2 photos. I am little confused on the last part of your post; the lights were on the Polo Grounds from 1940-1964. I think the Mets put a sign up facing the Harlem River for 1962-63, but that would not show up on this angle. (I have seen it from the other side)

[DiggerODell]

I would agree with your approximate dates for the 2 photos. I am little confused on the last part of your post; the lights were on the Polo Grounds from 1940-1964. I think the Mets put a sign up facing the Harlem River for 1962-63, but that would not show up on this angle. (I have seen it from the other side)

Please don't be confused by my rambling, it was I who was confused about the lights, I beg pardon, and missed in my thinking as to when they were installed.

It seems during my travels through this thread, mostly about a year ago now, I seen the Mets sign and thought it was on the river side.

Also, I am currently reading Arnold Hano's "A Day at the Bleachers" great read thus far, I'm in the bottom of the 1st with Mueller up to bat. Mr. Hano notes that certain announcers had began to call Mueller "Mandrake" after the magician. Is there any relevance to the Giants slugger Mueller or the magician in your name on BBF?

[mandrake]

Please don't be confused by my rambling, it was I who was confused about the lights, I beg pardon, and missed in my thinking as to when they were installed.

It seems during my travels through this thread, mostly about a year ago now, I seen the Mets sign and thought it was on the river side.

Also, I am currently reading Arnold Hano's "A Day at the Bleachers" great read thus far, I'm in the bottom of the 1st with Mueller up to bat. Mr. Hano notes that certain announcers had began to call Mueller "Mandrake" after the magician. Is there any relevance to the Giants slugger Mueller or the magician in your name on BBF?

I took the name "Mandrake" in homage to Don Mueller, one of the forgotton stars of NY baseball. I once heard an interview of Monte Irvin by Bob Murphy, where Monte said that he will believe to his last day , that if Mandrake did not break his leg sliding into 3rd base right before Thomson hit the HR, that the Giants would have easily won the 1951 WS. The two players that replaced him in the WS may have gone hitless and stranded many runners in scoring position. Mueller had a hitting style similar to Rusty Staub; could hit with power but liked to spray the hits all over the field.

Even though I was not around to see the Giants and Dodgers, I have read many books on them. Let me know if the book you are currently reading is worth it. Thanks.

[StanTheMan]

I took the name "Mandrake" in homage to Don Mueller, one of the forgotton stars of NY baseball. I once heard an interview of Monte Irvin by Bob Murphy, where Monte said that he will believe to his last day , that if Mandrake did not break his leg sliding into 3rd base right before Thomson hit the HR, that the Giants would have easily won the 1951 WS.


But..... if Meuller is not injured, and Thomson does not wander down to third during the pitching change, then wander back to the plate muttering to himself, psyching himself up for the at bat..... only to THEN discover Branca is on the mound, does he still hit the Shot Heard Round The World? How would Thomson's psyche be if he stood in the on deck circle and watched Branca walk in, warm up, etc.?

He11... he'd probably still swing for the fences, he had the sign for the fastball coming to him from Sal Yvars either way.

[nov. 1957]

Why did the Mets build a shrine to the Dodgers?
By Brian Biegel

Friday, March 13th 2009, 4:00 AM

For the last three years, like many curious New Yorkers, I've been driving by Citi Field, just southeast of LaGuardia Airport, and eagerly gauging the progress of the new home of the Mets. It's a nice stadium - and a proud $600 million addition to the city.

But one big thing puzzles me: Why the new field - with its dark-painted steel, red brick, limestone, granite and cast stone - looks and feels much more like an homage to Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers than to the Polo Grounds and the New York baseball Giants. The Mets have a far stronger connection to the Giants than to the Dodgers. Always have, always will.

Consider: The Mets played their first two years of major league baseball (1962-1963) at the Polo Grounds. Their cap logo, orange color and all, is identical to the logo used by the Giants in their final years. The Mets founding owners, Charles and Joan Payson, were formerly minority owners of the Giants.

So why doesn't Citi Field resemble in the slightest the unforgettable horse-shoe shaped Polo Grounds?

Maybe it's because the Mets are betting on that marketable, "old-school" feel that's been behind successful throwback parks from Cleveland to Baltimore. Fans like the intimacy - and the sight lines. An Ebbets Field-style ballpark qualifies in that respect.

But the Polo Grounds, that unforgettable stadium and its treasure trove of baseball memories, deserves its due, too. It housed the original N.Y. Metropolitans from 1880-1885. The Yankees played there before their own stadium was built in 1923, then the Giants, and finally the Mets. It was where Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard Round the World to win the N.L. pennant in 1951. It was where Willie Mays' "The Catch" propelled the Giants to a Game-One victory in the 1954 world series against the Cleveland Indians.

And here's another odd choice: The main entrance to Citi Field is called the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, and looks more like a museum of the legendary Dodger than a place where the Mets will play 81 games a season.

It'd be preposterous to try and diminish what Robinson meant to baseball and America. There should be photos and statues of him displayed in every ballpark in the country. But at the place the Mets will call home, why isn't equal respect paid to Willie Mays? The Say Hey Kid spent his whole career with the Giants, except his final two years (1973-1974) when he transitioned to become an aging hero for the Mets. He retired wearing a Mets uniform.

And so, while Mets fans will be reminded of the Dodgers as they enter Citi Field, with architecture inspired and closely resembling the masonry used at Ebbets, both in color and texture, I will be thinking of the Giants.

I'll be thinking of former Giants director M. Donald Grant, who became chairman of the board from the day the Mets arrived in New York in 1962. I'll be remembering that he and Joan Payson had been the only members of the Giants' board to oppose the team's move west - and were the driving force behind bringing National League baseball back to New York.

I'm too young to remember the Giants playing in the Polo Grounds, or the Mets' first world championship in 1969. But I'm old enough to know that Citi Field should be more about the Giants than the Dodgers.

It's too late to change that, though. The cement has dried. Soon everyone at the new Ebbets Field will hear the umpire shout "Play Ball!"

Biegel is author of "Miracle Ball: My Hunt for the Shot Heard 'Round the World," being released in May.

[GordonGecko]

I agree with this article from the NY Daily News 3/13/09

Two sides to every story:
http://www.heralddeparis.com/fired-across-the-bow-new-york-daily-news-bad-opinions/27116
-------------------------
FIRED ACROSS THE BOW: New York Daily News, bad opinions
BY JES ALEXANDER ON MARCH 13, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC (Herald de Paris) - If you are going to write an opinion piece, it is often best to research your subject before attempting to publish it. It is no secret to any Mets fan that owner Fred Wilpon grew up a Brooklyn Dodger fan, that he regularly visited Ebbetts Field, and that he pitched on the Lafayette HS (Brooklyn) baseball team with Sandy Koufax. It is further clear to any Mets fan that Wilpon has no reverence for Mets history prior to the time that he and former co-owner Nelson Doubleday bought the team. For all the hoopla surrounding the Shea Stadium farewell, I do not recall anyone in the organization even mentioning Joan Whitney Payson or George Weiss or M. Donald Grant. They paraded out Bill Shea’s son, but I did not see a Payson or a de Roulet (the family some of the Payson descendants married into) anywhere. As far as Wilponmania is concerned, the Giant connection never occurred. Preposterous, yes, but that’s how Freddie-boy sees things. Personally, I am surprised the Wilpons even invited Willie Mays to the ceremony, because the only reason that Willie agreed to play for the Mets (do you really think the Giants wanted a 2nd rate pitcher that badly that they had to trade Willie Mays, who played more years for the SF Giants than he actually did for the NY Giants?) was because Joan Payson told him he owed it to the New York Fans to come home to end his career.

To say that the Mets history is more closely tied to the Giants than the Dodgers is also incorrect. True, the “NY” on the caps comes from the Giants, but the Mets colors were selected to represent BOTH the Giants (orange) and the Dodgers (blue). It also would have been unusual for the NY Mets to sport a “B” upon their caps for no particular reason, however, the fact remains that the principal owners of the Mets, who drove hard for expansion to bring the NL back to New York, were, former Giants shareholders. Similarly, when it was clear that Ebbetts Field had out-lived its usefulness, the City of New York pushed hard for the O’Malley’s to move the Dodgers to Willets Point, in Flushing Meadow, the eventual site of Shea Stadium. It was Walter O’Malley’s stubborn refusal to move his staunchly Brooklyn team to Queens that ultimately drove them to Los Angeles. True, the Mets played their first two years in the Polo Grounds, however, had Ebbetts field still been standing in 1962, the Polo Grounds may never have been used, at all. For all its own history, it was never billed as anything better than inhospitable. Even in the dark ages of the 1950s and 1960s, having to walk though a centerfield gate to get to the clubhouse was wholly bush-league.

Granted, I love the idea of a Willie Mays shrine at Citi Field, but Willie is already prominently enshrined in San Francisco, at their bay-side ballpark. Nor did Mays, who was arguably an overall better player, carry Robinson’s burden of breaking the color barrier in MLB, and changing the face of the entire American landscape, by breaking down racial barriers far beyond those of any ball field. I envision Robinson’s memorialization at Citi Field more a monument to his achievements in promoting equality for all people, and not just for his baseball abilities. And since you seem to be short on your baseball history, when Robinson was traded to the NY Giants, he promptly chose, instead, to retire. Therefore, the only way to honor Robinson the ball player is to depict him in a Dodger uniform.

It isn’t so much that I think you do not deserve your opinion, Mr. Biegel, but when the facts are so readily available, not having the foresight to look them up is pure ignorance on your part, because an opinion piece in a daily newspaper should definitively state your perspective, and not ask answerable.

[kfeser]

Sorry to the writer of the polo grounds letter, but the otiginal Polo Grounds was at the intersection of 5th ave and 110th street, not the coogans bluff address. Both places should be immortilized, and both were important. But clearly two different sites.

[penncentralpete]

Two sides to every story:
http://www.heralddeparis.com/fired-across-the-bow-new-york-daily-news-bad-opinions/27116
-------------------------
FIRED ACROSS THE BOW: New York Daily News, bad opinions
BY JES ALEXANDER ON MARCH 13, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC (Herald de Paris) - If you are going to write an opinion piece, it is often best to research your subject before attempting to publish it. It is no secret to any Mets fan that owner Fred Wilpon grew up a Brooklyn Dodger fan, that he regularly visited Ebbetts Field, and that he pitched on the Lafayette HS (Brooklyn) baseball team with Sandy Koufax. It is further clear to any Mets fan that Wilpon has no reverence for Mets history prior to the time that he and former co-owner Nelson Doubleday bought the team. For all the hoopla surrounding the Shea Stadium farewell, I do not recall anyone in the organization even mentioning Joan Whitney Payson or George Weiss or M. Donald Grant. They paraded out Bill Shea’s son, but I did not see a Payson or a de Roulet (the family some of the Payson descendants married into) anywhere. As far as Wilponmania is concerned, the Giant connection never occurred. Preposterous, yes, but that’s how Freddie-boy sees things. Personally, I am surprised the Wilpons even invited Willie Mays to the ceremony, because the only reason that Willie agreed to play for the Mets (do you really think the Giants wanted a 2nd rate pitcher that badly that they had to trade Willie Mays, who played more years for the SF Giants than he actually did for the NY Giants?) was because Joan Payson told him he owed it to the New York Fans to come home to end his career.

To say that the Mets history is more closely tied to the Giants than the Dodgers is also incorrect. True, the “NY” on the caps comes from the Giants, but the Mets colors were selected to represent BOTH the Giants (orange) and the Dodgers (blue). It also would have been unusual for the NY Mets to sport a “B” upon their caps for no particular reason, however, the fact remains that the principal owners of the Mets, who drove hard for expansion to bring the NL back to New York, were, former Giants shareholders. Similarly, when it was clear that Ebbetts Field had out-lived its usefulness, the City of New York pushed hard for the O’Malley’s to move the Dodgers to Willets Point, in Flushing Meadow, the eventual site of Shea Stadium. It was Walter O’Malley’s stubborn refusal to move his staunchly Brooklyn team to Queens that ultimately drove them to Los Angeles. True, the Mets played their first two years in the Polo Grounds, however, had Ebbetts field still been standing in 1962, the Polo Grounds may never have been used, at all. For all its own history, it was never billed as anything better than inhospitable. Even in the dark ages of the 1950s and 1960s, having to walk though a centerfield gate to get to the clubhouse was wholly bush-league.

Granted, I love the idea of a Willie Mays shrine at Citi Field, but Willie is already prominently enshrined in San Francisco, at their bay-side ballpark. Nor did Mays, who was arguably an overall better player, carry Robinson’s burden of breaking the color barrier in MLB, and changing the face of the entire American landscape, by breaking down racial barriers far beyond those of any ball field. I envision Robinson’s memorialization at Citi Field more a monument to his achievements in promoting equality for all people, and not just for his baseball abilities. And since you seem to be short on your baseball history, when Robinson was traded to the NY Giants, he promptly chose, instead, to retire. Therefore, the only way to honor Robinson the ball player is to depict him in a Dodger uniform.

It isn’t so much that I think you do not deserve your opinion, Mr. Biegel, but when the facts are so readily available, not having the foresight to look them up is pure ignorance on your part, because an opinion piece in a daily newspaper should definitively state your perspective, and not ask answerable.

I also agree that if you're going to publish (or post) an opinion piece, it is often best to research your subject before attempting same. To wit: there is one "t" in Ebbets.

[SparkyL]

I think that the crux of this issue is that the Mets are old enough now to have their own history and since they wanted to incorporate "some" historical aspects of one of the two NL teams that preceded them they should have done it more evenly to include elements of both.

But their history should have been the most prominant in every aspect - even if that meant a William A Shea, or a Payton or a Hodges rotunda.

[Mary Ellen]

Agreed SparkyL Shea was very important to the Mets and to baseball. He was instrumental in expansion. I have always felt the rotunda should have been named for Shea.

I guess until we see how (and if) he is honored at CF - for now... it seems he was kicked to the curb by the Wilpons.

[Paul W]

it's fred's business, he get's to choose.
the homage to the dodgers/robinson has been known from the start, why the fuss now?

[YankeeFanBx]

I'm so happy the Mets have a Jackie Robinson rotunda. Baseball retired # 42, and that was good.
Jackie was the 'first', as time moves on the importance of this is forgotten or just ignored. It changed America, and then, as now, many do not want or fell there was a need for change.
I just feel Robinson was American and baseball history, we should never forget our history.

[DiggerODell]

I took the name "Mandrake" in homage to Don Mueller, one of the forgotton stars of NY baseball. I once heard an interview of Monte Irvin by Bob Murphy, where Monte said that he will believe to his last day , that if Mandrake did not break his leg sliding into 3rd base right before Thomson hit the HR, that the Giants would have easily won the 1951 WS. The two players that replaced him in the WS may have gone hitless and stranded many runners in scoring position. Mueller had a hitting style similar to Rusty Staub; could hit with power but liked to spray the hits all over the field.

Even though I was not around to see the Giants and Dodgers, I have read many books on them. Let me know if the book you are currently reading is worth it. Thanks.

I think it was a great read. Mr. Hano makes you feel like your sitting there with him at the ballgame. It truly reminded me of how a ballgame is meant to be watched. He thinks things like a regular everyday fan might think things in the duration of a game. When he spoke of the NY weather that partiuclar day, it reminded me of how during the first Rockies season at Mile High, we used to sit in what was then called the "Rock Pile" seats out in left-center. You could look up towards Federal Blvd. from there and see a billboard with the local weatherman Larry Green and a digital display of the temperature. That entire season, I would write on my scorecard, who all was with me at the game (that varied game to game) and I would write the game time temperature. I have no idea where all those scoresheets are now, probably in storage for all I know. But reading Mr. Hano's story, in the perfect setting of the Polo Grounds, suddenly reminded me of those quirky type things we used to do at a game. There are a couple of observations of the "Mandrake Magician" as well by Mr. Hano in the book. Cool how you took your name in homage to Don Mueller, really cool.

Another good read (you may have already read it) is "The Echoing Green" by Joshua Prager. I'm a Dodger hater from way back (mostly of post '57 Dodgers), but even I felt a little remorse for Ralph Branca as well as the joy for the "Cheating Giants" and Bobby Thomson . . . ha!

[Mario Mendoza...HOF Lock]

Jackie Robinson was a Dodger. The Dodgers exist now in LA. Shouldn't the Dodgers be building an Ebbets clone instead of the Mets, as well as a Robinson rotunda? There's nothing wrong with the Mets honoring Robinson with a statue (as well as the retired #42 plaque on the premesis). But the Met's own 47 year history is being swept under the rug in order to fulfill Wilpon's boyhood memories & fantasies.

[nov. 1957]

The Mets should of celebrated the history of National League baseball in New York. How many people know there used to be a team called the NY Metropolitans in the late 1800's? The Giants & Brooklyn should both be represented, a statue of Jackie would be fine along with Willie, Ott, Hubble and of course Seaver and other greats. They really blew it.

[mandrake]

The Mets should of celebrated the history of National League baseball in New York. How many people know there used to be a team called the NY Metropolitans in the late 1800's? The Giants & Brooklyn should both be represented, a statue of Jackie would be fine along with Willie, Ott, Hubble and of course Seaver and other greats. They really blew it.

Sadly, many (not all) of the Mets fans who post on this forum hear the name "Hubble" and immediately think of a telescope. The name "Ott" conjures up Felix Millan getting bodyslammed, etc.

Sadly, the NY NL history disappears while the AL franchise proudly touts their heroes. IMHO, the accent on the new ball park should have been 80% mets, and the other 20% evenly split between the Dodgers and Giants. I would have liked to see a NL baseball 'museum' located somewhere on the grounds where Mets heroes would be honored (not just HOFers, but Kooz, Cleon, Agee,Keith, etc) and also have an area honoring the past greats of NL baseball.

Quick....who was the last NL player to hit .400 ?????

If the player was a Dodger, Wilpon would have a statue of him to remind us all.

(answer, Bill Terry, NY Giants)

[metfan13]

Sadly, many (not all) of the Mets fans who post on this forum hear the name "Hubble" and immediately think of a telescope. The name "Ott" conjures up Felix Millan getting bodyslammed, etc.

Sadly, the NY NL history disappears while the AL franchise proudly touts their heroes. IMHO, the accent on the new ball park should have been 80% mets, and the other 20% evenly split between the Dodgers and Giants. I would have liked to see a NL baseball 'museum' located somewhere on the grounds where Mets heroes would be honored (not just HOFers, but Kooz, Cleon, Agee,Keith, etc) and also have an area honoring the past greats of NL baseball.

Quick....who was the last NL player to hit .400 ?????

If the player was a Dodger, Wilpon would have a statue of him to remind us all.

(answer, Bill Terry, NY Giants)

This Mets fan would like to point out that it's Carl Hubbell

I happen to have a baseball sitting next to my computer at home signed by Ott, Hubbell, Terry and most other members of the 1937 Giants.

Let's see what the final results of the new park are before filing all the complaints. The new screens they're putting up outside are a nice tribute to Mets history. I believe there will be exhibits related to the Mets in and around the park. Not sure how much there will be about the Giants.

[mandrake]

This Mets fan would like to point out that it's Carl Hubbell

I happen to have a baseball sitting next to my computer at home signed by Ott, Hubbell, Terry and most other members of the 1937 Giants.

Let's see what the final results of the new park are before filing all the complaints. The new screens they're putting up outside are a nice tribute to Mets history. I believe there will be exhibits related to the Mets in and around the park. Not sure how much there will be about the Giants.

I think my typing is worse than my spelling ! And I am very envious of that 1937 baseball. It must be worth a mint !!!! The '37 WS was the reason my dad first hated the Yankees. He was a young kid and rooted for all 3 teams, until the Yankees rolled over the Giants in '36 and '37. By the time of the '41 Mickey Owens passed ball, he hated the Yankees for good, and became a die hard Dodger fan.

When I took my dad to the Citi preview place at Shea in 2008, he was wearing aBrooklyn Didger hat and jacket. The guide kept telling him how much CF would resemble Ebbets. He even pointed to the picture of EF in the back of the room. I was wearing my NY Giants jacket.....did not get one comment, period. No picture of the Polo Grounds anywhere.

Now, where DID you get that baseball ?

[hbwriter]

FYI, I have some nice postcards from the publisher from my new "The Early Polo Grounds" book--if you'd like one on me, email your address to:

chris@chrisepting.com

while supplies last--

the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Early-Polo-Grounds-Images-Baseball/dp/0738562874/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237682133&sr=8-4

[hbwriter]

The Early Polo Grounds - with a foreword by Arnold Hano - out today!

http://www.amazon.com/Early-Polo-Grounds-Images-Baseball/dp/0738562874/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238428883&sr=8-3

[cringey]

The Early Polo Grounds - with a foreword by Arnold Hano - out today!

http://www.amazon.com/Early-Polo-Grounds-Images-Baseball/dp/0738562874/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238428883&sr=8-3

Just placed my order right now, but Amazon seems to be sold out or back ordered.

[hbwriter]

Cringey-I heard they sold out fast--should be back in a couple of days--if you'd like, shoot me your address and I'll send off one of these Polo Grounds postcards for the book

chris@chrisepting.com

note to group--The Early Polo Grounds is on sale on amazon for just 14.95--way better than a bookstore