The Sporting News January 20, 1960

[DODGER DEB]

Some other tidbits about the disposition of the seats:

Harry Avirom, the wrecker, passed away in 1987. Another item from The NY Times in early 1960 described how he put the seats up for sale to anyone who would take them away. Demand did not sound that brisk -- 100 calls and 50 letters initially. And since it appears that The Big O only carted away roughly 7,000 seats, it sure seems like a fair quantity must have gone somewhere.

When Avirom's company demolished the Polo grounds in 1964, he was quoted as saying it would be picked clean as a bone. Over 7,500 seats were sold at $3 a pop. The Birmingham Blue Dukes took 500, Yonkers Raceway 600, and St. Augustine, FL took 2,100. But that makes it seem like there were plenty unaccounted for there too.

Avirom used the oddest turn of phrase when he compared the job he did on the Polo Grounds to his approach at Ebbets and the old Belmont Park. The Brooklynite said he went after the Giants' old home with a vengeance, while noting that "Ebbets Field we took down tenderly." (LA Times 10/18/1977)

Tender, huh, Dodger Deb?

They no doubt used a different dictionary than WE used in BROOKLYN if they called what they did, and how they did it,"tender", VI!

UGH!!

c.

[VIBaseball]

Some other tidbits about the disposition of the seats:

Harry Avirom, the wrecker, passed away in 1987. Another item from The NY Times in early 1960 described how he put the seats up for sale to anyone who would take them away. Demand did not sound that brisk -- 100 calls and 50 letters initially. And since it appears that The Big O only carted away roughly 7,000 seats, it sure seems like a fair quantity must have gone somewhere.

When Avirom's company demolished the Polo grounds in 1964, he was quoted as saying it would be picked clean as a bone. Over 7,500 seats were sold at $3 a pop. The Birmingham Blue Dukes took 500, Yonkers Raceway 600, and St. Augustine, FL took 2,100. But that makes it seem like there were plenty unaccounted for there too.

Avirom used the oddest turn of phrase when he compared the job he did on the Polo Grounds to his approach at Ebbets and the old Belmont Park. The Brooklynite said he went after the Giants' old home with a vengeance, while noting that "Ebbets Field we took down tenderly." (LA Times 10/18/1977)

Tender, huh, Dodger Deb?

[kramer_47]

The Sporting News January 20, 1960

If you spring my air fare to North America.

Come back for a visit and I'll show you around town.

[VIBaseball]

One sad thing that struck me was that the number of broken windows jumped sharply in the stadium's last few weeks after the handover on New Year's 1960. I'll find and post the photo from late January/early February.

Here is the contrast.

[VIBaseball]

And another from the May 27, 1960 NY Times. Interesting note: this story says that Kratter Field has 600 seats, but the earlier reports said that 2,200 were donated. So what became of the other 1,600?!:noidea

[VIBaseball]

Here's a photo from the NY Times, March 3, 1960:

[runningshoes]

Why do you want to come with me.

If you spring my air fare to North America.

[runningshoes]

Why do you want to come with me.

If you spring my air fare to North America.

[DODGER DEB]

You can do it a night with infrared.

H--- NO! BROOKLYN fans have never run and hid from anything(or anyone) in OUR lives....why would WE start NOW? If they want to take US on, I say, let them try...believe me, they have no idea what they would be up against.

If you have ever seen US in action, you would totally understand!

c.

[runningshoes]

I can see the headlines now in the Daily News, " Senior citizens caught digging under the Brooklyn Bridge".

You can do it a night with infrared.

[kramer_47]

The Sporting News January 20, 1960

Well, just the other day it was reported here in NYC that they uncovered some buried US Civil Defense Drums from the 1950's under the BROOKYLN BRIDGE. They found food rations in the drums that, they claim, were good enough to eat, like saltine crackers.

Keeping in mind that there is a whole lotta space under that great Bridge, it wouldn't surprise me at all to find some of OUR Ebbets Field seats buried there. There is only only person who would know for sure.....JAYKAY, WE need your help, again!!!

c.

I can see the headlines now in the Daily News, " Senior citizens caught digging under the Brooklyn Bridge".

[kramer_47]

The Sporting News January 20, 1960

I'm sure there must be some still alive who was involved in the demolition.

Someone knows exactly where they are.

I think Cal knew, he was into alot of things, he didn't say I think they are there he wanted to go there and get them.

[kramer_47]

The Sporting News January 20, 1960

Are you planning a field trip soon?

Why do you want to come with me.

[VIBaseball]

I would love to have one of those box seats here in my house, I bet everyone of you would like to have one too.

Marvin Kratter, the "developer" of the Ebbets site, donated about 2,000 of the seats to the prison that used to operate on Hart Island. They had a ballfield there. The prison was shut down, and you can't set foot on Hart Island without special permission.*

But I've seen photos of the remnants of the seats:

http://www.hartisland.com/landscapes/pages/Ebbets%20Field%20Seat.htm

I also remember seeing a story about how some corrections officer was given a restored seat in 1998. It was something along the lines of a "gold watch" retirement benefit.

http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/nycdoc/html/samstart.html

* There was a sad story a couple of years ago about some boys who decided to take a small boat over from City Island next door. The boat swamped, it was January, and nobody responded to their desperate cell-phone call for help. The family was rightly upset about how the 911 system reacted -- one of the problems was finding the origin of the call.

[DODGER DEB]

I'm sure there must be some still alive who was involved in the demolition.

Someone knows exactly where they are.

NAH! The Professor's BROOKLYN CURSE took care of them for their part in that horrific act in 1960.

Hang loose! Jaykay will come forth and tell US what WE need to know about where they are, or even if they still exist!

c.