Best Book about the Polo Grounds?

[StanTheMan Back after a decade or so Find all posts View Profile Close StanTheMan]

I have always been a Cardinals fan, but I have always been fascinated by the Polo Grounds, and the unique baseball that must have been played there simply due to the uniqueness of the outfield configuration, the distance to the foul poles, etc. If you did not have a centerfielder who could run, you were in trouble in that park. And how in the world did every hitter who ever batted there NOT try to pull the ball on nearly every pitch? How could you pitch inside there if you did not have a big time fastball? 475 foot outs... my goodness, what a place.

If there was one stadium I could go back in time and see a game in, it would undoubtedly be the Polo Grounds...

My question is, what is the best book about the Polo Grounds???

Looking at several of them online, I am leading towards "Land of the Giants" and the fact that it is readily available is nice too...

I am more interested in the history of the ballpark than of the Giants themselves, but you could not have one without the other could you.....

Thanks in advance for your replies, and for the great photos posted of the PG in the other threads.... I'm looking forward to picking up a book about my favorite ballpark.... one I have never been to.



Completely off topic, how in the he11 did Thompson's homer make it into the seats in the lower deck, with the overhang of the upper deck the way it was? I know on the famous radio call that the it was "a line drive into the lower deck of the left field stands... and they're going crazy, they're going crazy..." but that must have been a "line drive" in the truest sense of the word!!!

[POLO GROUNDS 1957 Registered User Find all posts View Profile Close POLO GROUNDS 1957]

polo grounds book

I have always been a Cardinals fan, but I have always been fascinated by the Polo Grounds, and the unique baseball that must have been played there simply due to the uniqueness of the outfield configuration, the distance to the foul poles, etc. If you did not have a centerfielder who could run, you were in trouble in that park. And how in the world did every hitter who ever batted there NOT try to pull the ball on nearly every pitch? How could you pitch inside there if you did not have a big time fastball? 475 foot outs... my goodness, what a place.

If there was one stadium I could go back in time and see a game in, it would undoubtedly be the Polo Grounds...

My question is, what is the best book about the Polo Grounds???

Looking at several of them online, I am leading towards "Land of the Giants" and the fact that it is readily available is nice too...

I am more interested in the history of the ballpark than of the Giants themselves, but you could not have one without the other could you.....

Thanks in advance for your replies, and for the great photos posted of the PG in the other threads.... I'm looking forward to picking up a book about my favorite ballpark.... one I have never been to.



Completely off topic, how in the he11 did Thompson's homer make it into the seats in the lower deck, with the overhang of the upper deck the way it was? I know on the famous radio call that the it was "a line drive into the lower deck of the left field stands... and they're going crazy, they're going crazy..." but that must have been a "line drive" in the truest sense of the word!!!

Hello the best book i think out on the polo grounds is a book wrote by stew thornley called NEW YORK'S POLO GROUNDS land of the giants ISBN-1-56639-796-0 TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS copyright 2000.
This book covers the great history of the historic polo grounds. i am sure that the book is in print still. i do see the book on the internet all of the time.

Another good book about the giants was called GIANTS DIARY ISBN-0-938190-96-2 copyright 1987 by fred stein and nick peters. i dont think that this book is still in print you may have to look on the internet for this book.
Another good book on the giants is the giants encyclopedia by TOM SCHOTT and NICK PETERS. ISBN- 1-58261-064-9. hopefully this info will help you.

[musial6 Registered User Find all posts View Profile Close musial6]

From one Musial fan to another, try Fred Stein's UNDER COOGAN'S BLUFF, 1978.

[StanTheMan Back after a decade or so Find all posts View Profile Close StanTheMan]

Land of the Giants by Stew Thornley is excellent. I learned a lot about the great PG.

I also picked up "A Day in the Bleachers" by Arnold Hano, about his experiences in the bleachers on the day of Mays' catch in the 54 World Series.

It is touted as the first of the "fan at the game" books and the "best of these types of books" by Roger Angel. I agree. Good Read.

Anyone every read "Pafko at the Wall?"

Bryan in Indy

[Brownie31 Urbi et Orbi Find all posts View Profile Close Brownie31]

Land of the Giants by Stew Thornley is excellent. I learned a lot about the great PG.

I also picked up "A Day in the Bleachers" by Arnold Hano, about his experiences in the bleachers on the day of Mays' catch in the 54 World Series.

It is touted as the first of the "fan at the game" books and the "best of these types of books" by Roger Angel. I agree. Good Read.

Anyone every read "Pafko at the Wall?"

Bryan in Indy

StanTheMan:

Another very good book is Noel Hynd's "The Giants of the Polo
Grounds" from 1988. This book is a very well written history of
the New York Giants.

It is available on the internet at abebooks.com.

Brownie31

[StanTheMan Back after a decade or so Find all posts View Profile Close StanTheMan]

Yes... Quite a thread resurrection here, but Brian Biegel's "Miracle Ball" is one of the best books I've ever read...

[theAmazingMet There IS a "we" in team Find all posts View Profile Close theAmazingMet]

Yes... Quite a thread resurrection here, but Brian Biegel's "Miracle Ball" is one of the best books I've ever read...

I started reading this as a "beach book" last weekend and I read 50 pages without putting it down. It's a really good read I agree. I'm also reading "the first fall classic" as my "train commute book" which contains a lot of PG references. That is also an excellent book. Started last week and I'm almost done.

[StanTheMan Back after a decade or so Find all posts View Profile Close StanTheMan]

I found Biegel's personal obstacles a bit of a distraction during my first read. The investigation, discoveries and determination to find the ball Bobby Thomson hit off Ralph Branca was absolutely gripping.

Second read (about a year later) was just as good, and found Biegel's issues a nice compliment, if not adding another layer to the difficulty of the task he took on. Daunting, etc.

"I'm going to find a ball that is more than 50 years old... One that no one has ever seen since the home run.". Who takes that on, and succeeds?

[Yankee7 Registered User Find all posts View Profile Close Yankee7]

Miracle Ball is the best book I have ever read

[The Real McCoy Registered User Find all posts View Profile Close The Real McCoy]

Land of the Giants by Stew Thornley is excellent. I learned a lot about the great PG.

I also picked up "A Day in the Bleachers" by Arnold Hano, about his experiences in the bleachers on the day of Mays' catch in the 54 World Series.

It is touted as the first of the "fan at the game" books and the "best of these types of books" by Roger Angel. I agree. Good Read.

Anyone every read "Pafko at the Wall?"

Bryan in Indy

I enjoyed "A Day in the Bleachers" very much. particularly interesting was how much the fan experience has changed in the past 60 years. no inane PA systems urging fans "to get loud." in those days the fans did it all on their own.

[chinese home run Registered User Find all posts View Profile Close chinese home run]

I would consider "A Day in the Bleachers" required reading for a baseball fan, whether they were Giants fans or not. Very well done.