|
|
Comiskey
Park
When
Comiskey Park opened in 1910, it was known
as the Baseball Palace of the World.
It was constructed of steel and concrete
with brick facade. It was the place
where the tradition of playing the Star
Spangled Banner began (in 1918) and the home
of the first exploding scoreboard (1960).
The most famous names in baseball history
played on its field - Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb,
and Lou Gehrig. It was the home of the
infamous 1919 "Black Sox" and the
1959 American League Champion "Go - Go
Sox." |
|
|
Baltimore
Memorial Stadium
Construction
of Memorial Stadium began in 1950. It
became home to the Orioles in 1954. It
was the first park made entirely of
reinforced concrete. The Orioles
played their last game there October 6,
1991, but demolition of the park was not
completed until February 2002.
The Stadium was also the home to the
Baltimore Colts and Ravens of the NFL. |
|
|
Milwaukee
County Stadium
County
Stadium was home to the Milwaukee Braves
from 1953-1965, and was later home to the
Milwaukee Brewers - the Green Bay Packers
even played a few games there every year.
County Stadium was the site of Hammerin'
Hank Aaron's final home run, number 755.
And slugger Willie Mays once hit 4 homers in
a single game there, April 1961. |
 |
Crosley
Field
Crosley Field was built as a home
for the Cincinnati Reds in 1912. For
the first 21 years it was known as Redland
Field. Crosley Field was the site of
the 1919 "Black Sox" World Series,
as well as the first Major League night game
May 24, 1935. It was also the site of
the 1938 and 1953 All Star games. |
|
|
Wrigley
Field
Wrigley Field was originally
designed and built as the home of the
Federal League Whales. Built in
1914, it was known as Weeghman Park.
In 1916 when the Federal League folded, the
Chicago Cubs took up residence. In
response to the building codes passed after
the Chicago Fire, it was built of concrete,
steel and brick. The wood for
these pens comes from stadium seats removed
in 1988. WRIGLEY FIELD HAS NOT BEEN
DEMOLISHED - IT IS STILL THE PROUD HOME OF
THE CUBS!
The Chicago Bears began playing their games
full-time at Wrigley Field in 1921, and
continued to play there for 49 years. Click
here to see RARE photos taken inside
Wrigley Fields' scoreboard. |
|
|
Yankee
Stadium
Yankee Stadium may be the most
famous ballpark in the world. Although
it was constructed in 1923 by the White
Construction company, it is better known as
"The House that Ruth Built".
Babe Ruth called Yankee Stadium home from
1920 to 1934. Yankee Stadium has been
home to more World Series games than any
other ballpark (has been home to more World
Champions than any other). The stadium
was closed after the 1973 season. It
was renovated from 1973 to 1975 and reopened
in 1976. YANKEE STADIUM HAS NOT BEEN
DEMOLISHED - IT IS STILL THE PROUD HOME OF
THE YANKEES. |
|
|
Polo
Grounds
The Polo Grounds were home to the
NY Giants, NY Yankees and NY Mets. It
opened in 1911 and was demolished after the
1963 Mets' season. It was the site of
the 1934 and 1942 All Star games, but the
most important game played there is
considered to be October 3, 1951, when Bobby
Thomson hit his "Shot heard 'round the
world," a last chance homer that
clinched the pennant from the hated
cross-town Dodgers.
--- Says Richie Aurigemma, founder of www.CollectibleStadiumSeats.com,
"Wood from the Polo Grounds is much
rarer than wood from Yankee Stadium.
When the Polo Grounds was razed in 1964,
most Giants fans were still annoyed at the
team leaving NY and had little interest in
owning a seat from the ballpark. When
Yankee Stadium was renovated in 1973-75 they
had an organized sale of the seats.
Therefore tens of thousands of seats found
their way into the hands of collectors and
fans." |
|
|
Sportsman's
Park
Sportsman's Park opened to the
public in April 1902 as home to the AL St.
Louis Browns. The NL Cardinals joined
the Browns in Sportsman's Park in 1920.
Sportsman's Park was the site of the entire
1944 World Series when the Cardinals played
the Browns. It was the site of three
All Star Games and countless World Series
contests. The last game was played
there May of 1966. |
|
|
Tiger
Stadium
Built in 1912, Tiger Stadium was
originally called Navin Field. In 1935 the
name was changed to Briggs Stadium and
finally became known as Tiger Stadium in
1961. The great Ty Cobb called the place
home for 14 years, and was the site of
his 3000th hit. Kirk Gibson hit two
memorable home runs there in the 1984 World
Series and pitcher Denny McLain became the
last man to win 30 games in a season there
in 1968. New York Times calls Tiger
Stadium a "Baseball Cathedral".
The NFL’s Detroit Lions moved
in for a few decades, playing two NFL
championship games at Tiger Stadium before
leaving in 1975 for the nearby Pontiac
Silverdome. |
 |
Ebbets
Field
Ebbets Field was built in 1913 on
the site of the Pigtown garbage dump at a
cost of $750,000 as the home to the Brooklyn
Dodgers. The outfield wall is said to have
had more than 200 different angles which
could cause the ball to bounce erratically
in play. Ebbets Field was the site of the
first televised professional game in August
1939 as well as the site of Jackie
Robinson's first major league game, April
1947. The wrecking ball used to demolish the
ballpark in 1960 was used again 4 years
later to demolish the Polo Grounds.
|
 |
Shibe
Park
Shibe Park was home to the
Philadelphia Athletics from 1909 - 1954 and
the Phillies from 1938 – 1970. The
park was praised by players and fans alike
for its elegant intimacy and sported the
best playing surface in the major leagues.
It was renamed "Connie Mack Stadium
from 1953 – 1970. On June 3, 1932,
Lou Gehrig hit four consecutive home runs in
Shibe Park. |
 |
Forbes
Field
Forbes Field was opened in June
1909 as home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and
was named for British General John Forbes.
It was the site of Babe Ruth's final home
run, a blow which was reportedly the first
homer to clear the right field wall. It was
the site of the All Star Games in 1944 and
1959. It was demolished in 1971 and the land
annexed by
University
of
Pittsburgh
. Forbes Field's home plate rests in its
original location, although now encased in
class in Posvar Hall.
The Pittsburgh Steelers played home games at
Forbes Field from 1933-57 and at both Forbes
Field and Pitt Stadium from 1958-63. |
 |
Fenway
Park
Fenway
Park
is the oldest Major League park in use.
Built in 1912, it opened the same day as
Detroit
's Navin Field (Tiger Stadium). The outfield
wall is famous for its unique angles and
varying heights giving it an appearance
unlike any other field. Left field is
home of the Green Monster, a 37' tall wall
which seems an invitation to batters. The
Monster wasn't always green - prior to 1947
it was covered with advertisements. Right
field's Pesky's Pole sits just 302' from
home plate. Fenway was the site of the 1914
World Series, but the Red Sox weren't in it
- the cross town Braves played there because
their stadium had not been completed. |
 |
Robert
F. Kennedy (RFK) Memorial Stadium
RFK Stadium was built in 1961 as
home to the Washington Redskins football
team. The Washington Senators moved
there the following year, where they fumbled
around in the American League until they
moved to Texas following the 1971 season.
RFK Stadium was home of the All Star Game in
1962 and 1969. The Senators had to
forfeit the final game at RFK Stadium when
souvenir-seeking fans swarmed the field with
two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning.
RFK Stadium is currently the home of the
Nationals. |
 |
Griffith
Stadium
Griffith Stadium was built in
1911 as the home of the Washington Senators.
President Taft threw out the first pitch
their, initiating a tradition that was
carried out through President Kennedy.
In April 1953, Mickey Mantle hit one of the
longest home runs in baseball history, a 565
foot blast that landed in a yard across the
street from the park. Griffith Stadium
was the part-time home of several Negro
League teams, including the Homestead
Grays from 1938-1948. The last game
was played there in 1961 after which the
Senators moved to RFK Stadium. |
 |
Atlanta-Fulton
County Stadium
The Braves moved from
Milwaukee
to
Atlanta
in 1966, calling Atlanta-Fulton County
Stadium home. After the initial
excitement of baseball in the south wore
off, crowds diminished. In 1976, an
all-time low of 970 fans paid to see an
Astros/Braves double-header.
Construction was completed in 1965 and the
"cookie-cutter" stadium was home
to the AAA Crackers of the International
League. (NOTE: Some fans have doubted
that there ever were wooden seats in
the park - the records of American Seating
show that they installed 51,581 wooden seats
in 1964, and that they were replaced in 1976
with plastic seats.)
|
 |
Busch
Stadium
Busch Stadium opened in 1966 as
home to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was home
to the All Star Game in its first year. It
was constructed with plastic seating with
the exception of the bleacher benches which
were made of Douglas Fir. In 1987, all of
the original seats were replaced, again with
the exception of the wooden bleachers which
were left intact. During the first game of
the 1968 World Series, Bob Gibson struck out
a record 17 Detroit Tigers.
|
 |
Notre
Dame Stadium
Notre Dame Football Stadium was
designed by The Osborn Engineering Company,
which had also designed
Comiskey
Park
in Chicago, Yankee Stadium and the Polo
Grounds in
New York City
. It was built in four months and
opened October 4, 1930. Since that
1930 opening, the Fighting Irish have
compiled an impressive 243-70-5 (.772) mark
in Notre Dame Stadium, while an average of
52,219 spectators have watched |
 |
Cleveland
Municipal Stadium
The
Cleveland Indians played in Municipal
Stadium in 1932 and 1933. From 1933 to 1947
they only played weekend games in the park
as cross-town
League
Park
was smaller. In 1954 Municipal Stadium held
85,000 fans for a game against the Yankees.
In 1960, Ted Williams hit home run number
500 in Municipal Stadium.
|
 |
Seals
Stadium
Seals Stadium was the first home to the San
Francisco Giants. Seals Stadium was opened
in 1931 as home to the Pacific Coast League
Seals and Missions. The Missions moved
from the park in 1938, but the Seals played
there until the Giants arrived in 1958.
The Giants called Seals Stadium home for two
years until
Candlestick Park was built. Joe
DiMaggio once hit safely in 61 straight
games for the Seals.
|
 |
Dodger
Stadium
When Dodger Stadium opened in
April 1962, it was known as the "Taj
Mahal of Baseball." With a
capacity of 56,000, it is one of the largest
in Major League Baseball. Sandy Koufax
pitched a perfect game again Chicago Cubs
ace Bob Hendley who gave up just one hit -
September 9, 1965. Dodger stadium was
the site of St. Louis Cardinals
Fernando Tatis' 2 grand slams in one inning
against Chan Ho Park on April 23, 1999.
From April 1988 - April 1999, not a single
game was rained out at Dodger Stadium.
|
 |
Ohio
Stadium
The Horseshoe, as
Ohio
Stadium is known, was built in 1922 – home
to the
Ohio
State
Buckeyes. With its double-decked
horseshoe look,
Ohio
Stadium is listed in the National Registry
of Historic Buildings. More than 34
million fans have filled the stadium over
the past 80 years. The Horseshoe was
extensively remodeled in the 1990’s and
now seats more than 100,000 fans. |
 |
Green
Bay Stadium
City Stadium was home to the
Green Bay Packers from 1925 - 1956. When it
first opened it held just 5700 spectators.
Eventually it was expanded to seat 25,000.
The stadium still stands today, one mile
from downtown
Green Bay
. In 1956 the Packers moved to Lambeau
Field, although they played 2-3 games per
year at
County
Stadium
in
Milwaukee
until 1994. |
 |
Metropolitan
Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was built in
1956 for the American Association
Minneapolis Millers. In 1961, the Senators
departed Washington to become the Minnesota
Twins and they shared Metropolitan Stadium
with the NFL Vikings. In 1965 both the All
Star Game and the World Series were played
at Metropolitan Stadium. In 1981, the
Vikings and Twins moved to the Metrodome in
downtown Minneapolis and the stadium was
demolished three years later to make room
for the Mall of America. |
 |
Boston
Garden
Boston Garden was built in 1928
as home to the NHL Boston Bruins and for
boxing matches. The close confines ensured
that every fan was as close to the action as
possible, even if some of the seats were
obstructed by concrete pillars. The NBA
Celtics moved into the Garden in 1946.
Although the capacity was a mere 14,500, the
fan noise generated during a game was said
to be deafening. The Garden was demolished
in 1998. |
