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From the Publisher
The Brooklyn Tip-Tops (in white) partake in Opening Day festivities with the Buffalo Bisons (in black) before playing their first home game at Brooklyn’s Washington Park in 1914.
Contents from Ballparks: A Journey Through the Fields of the Past, Present, and Future
Veterans Stadium – Philadelphia Phillies 1971-2003
With the neglected Connie Mack Stadium falling apart in its final seasons, the Philadelphia Phillies were happy in 1971 to move into government-funded stadium built to house them and the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately, Veterans Stadium turned out to be even more of a disaster than most of its multipurpose brethren. Most seats were far removed from the action, creating a cold and impersonal environment, and the nosebleed section was even higher up than at most modern superstadiums.
Shea Stadium – New York Mets 1694-2008
Few ballparks have squeezed as much action into so short a lifetime as Shea Stadium. In its four and a half decades, the giant ballpark in Flushing Meadows hosted a World’s Fair, a mass given by Pope John Paul II, and concerts by the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Billy Joel. In baseball, Shea housed the best of teams (the 1986 Mets), the worst of teams (the mid-1960s Mets), and everything in between. But it’s best remembered as the backdrop for the 1969 Mets, perhaps the most lovable and unlikely World Series champion of all time.
Turner Field – Atlanta Braves 1997-2016
When it comes to building ballparks, following the lead of the Montreal Expos is usually not a good idea. But that’s what Atlanta did in 1996, taking a stadium built for the Olympics—which otherwise would have stood as a white elephant—and retrofitting it for baseball. This move had backfired on the Expos in 1976, when Stade Olympique turned out to be not only a bad stadium but also a boondoggle of staggering proportions. Atlanta learned from Montreal’s mistakes, though, and Centennial Olympic Stadium was transformed into an enjoyable, if generic, place to watch a baseball game.
Highlighted Images from Ballparks: A Journey Through the Fields of the Past, Present, and Future
Willie Mays races back to make what many thought an impossible catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. The distance marker painted on the wall in deepest center field read 483 feet, so Vic Wertz’s drive probably traveled about 450 feet before dropping into Mays’s glove for an out. The play happened with two runners on base, so the catch played a huge role in New York’s eventual 5-2 win. This image also shows a well-known Polo Grounds landmark, the gravestone-like marker on the field of play honoring Eddie Grant, a former Giants infielder who died while rescuing soldiers under his command in the Argonne Forest during World War I.
Satchel Paige warms up at Yankee Stadium on May 11, 1941, as another Hall of Fame pitcher, Pete Alexander, looks on. Paige, signed by the New York Black Yankees for this game only, arrived in town ‘driving a long car, squiring a pretty girl, and ‘thinking about’ signing a Black Yankee contract’, one reporter wrote. Paige’s appearance drew a crowd of more than 20,000—a higher attendance than eight of the nine MLB games played that day—and Mayor Fiorello La Guardia threw out the first pitch. Paige pitched a complete game victory over the Philadelphia Stars, limiting them to five hits.
Shohei Ohtani
Before the 2018 season, the Angels scored a coup when they landed Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese wunderkind who was one of the most sought-after free agents in baseball history. A rare two-way player, the twenty-three-year-old Ohtani enjoyed perhaps the best week of any Angels player ever in early April 2018. He won two games on the mound, including a near-perfect game, while also homering in three straight games as designated hitter.
Publisher : Chartwell Books; Illustrated edition (October 16, 2018)
Language : English
Hardcover : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 0785836160
ISBN-13 : 978-0785836162
Item Weight : 4.14 pounds
Dimensions : 10.1 x 1.15 x 12.3 inches
Price: $15.99
