Shibe Park / Connie Mack Stadium

[DaBigMotor]

I can't say if the seats switched color immediately after the A's left town. Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium was owned by the A's and when the franchise was sold to Arnold Johnson in 1954, Johnson raised half the cash required for the purchase by flipping the ballpark to Phillies owner Robert Carpenter for $1.65 million. I have seen color photographs from 1959 of the inside of the ballpark, showing red seats, so the color changed at least by then. My first game at Connie Mack Stadium was in September 1964 at age 7. My last game there was the last game ever played at the ballpark, October 1, 1970 at age 13.

So how did Shibe compare to CBP?

I've read that CBP is supposed to invoke the old place. Do you feel that it does?

[alpineinc]

1946 Sporting News, from Gene Mack of the Boston Globe.

[abtine]

There's no reason they couldn't have gutted the insides and integrated a new structure with that spectacular facade. There's nothing close to it in sports, then or now.

If Soldier Field was worth working with, then this absolutely was.

No way could there be a ballpark in that neighborhood today. The last time I was out at the site of Connie Mack Stadium (as I knew it growing up), in the middle of the day, when I stopped at a stop sign a hooker knocked on my car window. A block away I glanced over and say someone smoking crack cocaine in a doorway. In the middle of the day! Imagine being out there at night. The neighborhood is just desolate.

[abtine]

Absolute beauty from xnedski of Flickr, from a personal negative.

Tuesday, May 30th, 1961, vs Milwaukee Braves, first game of a doubleheader - top of the 3rd, Johnny Callison holding on John DeMerit, Don Ferrarese pitching, and yes, 4 umpires. 3-1 Braves, final. Philly would take the nightcap, 11-4. No HR's from Aaron or Eddie Mathews today, but Aaron did hit the game-winning triple in this first game.

Couldn't have been Callison holding on the runner. Callison played in 138 games in 1961. He was a pinch hitter in 14 of them. Every other game he played in his customary outfield spot. On that woeful 1961 Phillies team the first baseman was Panch Herrera.

[alpineinc]

Couldn't have been Callison holding on the runner. Callison played in 138 games in 1961. He was a pinch hitter in 14 of them. Every other game he played in his customary outfield spot. On that woeful 1961 Phillies team the first baseman was Panch Herrera.

Retrosheet confirms you are correct, sir. Callison is the distant left fielder in this shot.

[piedmontphilly]

more pics of Shibe Park and Phillies spring training

http://images.google.com/images?q=ph...=source%3Alife

[alpineinc]

more pics of Shibe Park and Phillies spring training

http://images.google.com/images?q=ph...=source%3Alife

Good stuff! Here's a few good ones...

[mrakbaseball]

No to the NYC monopoly

Thanks alpineinc for the pics of ballparks not named Yankee, Citi or Shea. :applaud:
Baseball Fever should not be New York baseball fever.

[alpineinc]

Thanks alpineinc for the pics of ballparks not named Yankee, Citi or Shea. :applaud:
Baseball Fever should not be New York baseball fever.

I hear ya - although the pics have a New York team featured prominently in them!

I love NY baseball, both current and past - but I try to carry the torch for all the old parks (including all the Sporting News articles and stuff), and it's cool to see their threads bumped back to the top as often as possible.

[soup]

I hear ya - although the pics have a New York team featured prominently in them!

I love NY baseball, both current and past - but I try to carry the torch for all the old parks (including all the Sporting News articles and stuff), and it's cool to see their threads bumped back to the top as often as possible.

definitely. I will take credit for starting the LIFE pic posting but I'm glad others have found some great shots as well. I love looking at high quality digital photos of the parks I never got to see

[Paul W]

ed burns and time!

more amazing info taken from the 1937 ed burns ballpark descriptions and time photos - he mentions a mezzanine level for shibe park, which i had never heard of!

it's labeled "a" in the pix behind carl furillio...

something he did not mention was labeled "b" - a canopy that was hung between the two 3rd base upper deck sections. looks like it was used for media and/or special spectators,
i can see individual chairs up there.

anybody remember either of these features?

[Bazookadale]

No way could there be a ballpark in that neighborhood today. The last time I was out at the site of Connie Mack Stadium (as I knew it growing up), in the middle of the day, when I stopped at a stop sign a hooker knocked on my car window. A block away I glanced over and say someone smoking crack cocaine in a doorway. In the middle of the day! Imagine being out there at night. The neighborhood is just desolate.

Well, they could have followed Walter O's lead and had the government evict all the undesirables at the taxpayers expense!

[Bobby_Ayala]

I prefer the name Shibe Park myself.

[SultanOfWhat]

Oct 8, 1913 WS. This may be a better version of the 21 kb pic on the first pages of this thread. ***ETA: It is the same pic.

[alpineinc]

From OldTimeBaseball on Picasa.



Giants in town