U.S. Stamps Honoring Old Major League Parks Arouse Fond Memories

Baseball Digest, June, 2001 by John Kuenster

DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE, THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE WILL ISSUE A NEW set of 34-cent stamps honoring legendary baseball parks that were home grounds for many of the greatest players in history.

These stamps depict six parks no longer in existence including the Polo Grounds in New York, Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Crosley Field in Cincinnati, and the original Comiskey Park in Chicago as well as Detroit's Tiger Stadium, which remains empty but has not been razed as yet.

Old versions of arenas still in use--such as Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field--are also featured on three other stamps, while Sportsman's Park, which once had joint occupants in the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns, is displayed on the stamps' cover folder.

In looking at copies of the stamps, I found myself thinking of the times I spent covering games at these parks, punching out typewritten stories in quaint press boxes, watching on-field dramas unfold, and talking with the players before and after their battles were won or lost.

The majors seemed so rich in talent in those days of the 1950s and 1960s, perhaps because that talent was compressed into fewer teams.

It was an age of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, Stan Musial and Ted Williams, Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella and Duke Snider, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson, Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox, Al Kaline and Carl Yastrzemski.

The parks these future Hall of Famers played in featured quirky dimensions, crazy incidents, some off-the-wall fans, and incredible games that remain with me to this day. What follows are a few random recollections of those baseball fields that have formed such a big part of the game's history.

The Polo Grounds was shaped like a bathtub, and it was only 257 feet down the line to the stands in right field, and 279 feet to left field.

Looking at the distance down the right field line for the first time made me realize the big advantage a left-handed pull hitter had over the pitcher. Mel Ott, a little guy by today's standards (5-9, 170 pounds), batted left-handed and in the 22 years he played for the New York Giants (1926-1947), he hit 511 home runs.

A check of the record book shows that Ott hit 323 of his career HR total at home. Pitchers must have made quite a few mistakes in trying to keep the ball outside on him when he was zeroing in on the right field stands in the Polo Grounds.

The shape of the park challenged left and right fielders in playing caroms off the walls on long drives by opposing hitters.

"You had to be careful playing left or right field at the Polo Grounds," recalled Andy Pafko, "because the angle of the walls caused balls to be deflected in odd ways."

Pafko played left and right field for the Dodgers and Braves in the early 1950s. "If the ball hit off the wall and you didn't play it properly," he added, "it'd get by you and go for a double or a triple."

Besides its unusual dimensions, one other aspect of the Polo Grounds that sticks with me was its press box. You had to descend a spiral staircase gingerly, lugging a typewriter, scoring book, notebook and other encumbrances before reaching your seat in the press box, and once there, thankful you had made it without tumbling, you felt like you were sitting in a cramped submarine.

In writing about Ebbets Field, you have to mention the Dodger fans who were a special breed--passionate, knowledgeable, raucous, and a little nutty. They included "Howling Hilda" Chester who clanged her cowbell in the left-center field bleachers, and the "Dodger Sym-Phony" band that played at games.

There was a big clock above the right-center field scoreboard that was once broken by Bama Rowell of the Boston Braves with a long drive that later inspired Roy Hobbs' colossal clout in the movie, "The Natural."

The slanting lower portion of the right field wall was a nightmare for defenders, but Carl Furillo learned to master the wacky bounces when a ball ricocheted from it.

"It wasn't easy to play right field at Ebbets," agreed Pafko, "but runners didn't take chances against Furillo. He mastered the caroms, and was called the `Reading Rifle' because of his great arm."

One other unusual aspect of Ebbets was the Abe Stark sign that offered a free suit to any batter who hit it. The sign was three feet high and 30 feet long, and was located at the bottom of the scoreboard.

Roberto Clemente was one Pirate who made a lasting impression on me when I first saw him cover the ground in right field in Forbes Field. He could chase down and catch balls in right center that seemed impossible to reach.

The deepest outfield corner, just to the left of the flag pole in straight-away center, was a daunting 457 feet from home plate. And, another memorable aspect to Forbes was its infield surface. It was rock hard, and if a ball took a bad hop, it could seriously hurt a fielder in the event the ball hit him in the face or neck.

That's what happened to Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series. Kubek was struck in the throat on a bad hop that forced him to leave the game. He couldn't even speak after the ball hit him.