Posts by Byron Bennett
The Vet – Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia was home to the National League Phillies from 1971 until 2003. The stadium was part of a larger sports complex located south of downtown Philadelphia adjacent to Interstate 95 at Broad Street. The only sports venue still standing in the postcard pictured above is the Spectrum, which was once home to…
Read MoreComiskey Park The First
Comiskey Park, located on Chicago’s South Side, was home to the Chicago White Sox for 80 years from 1910 to 1990. The White Sox’s ballpark predated famed Wrigley Field (Weeghman Field) by four years. The Cubs did not begin play at Wrigley until 1916. The picture below shows the single-deck seating along first base. An upper deck was…
Read MoreThe Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1970 through 2000, was located in the North Shore section of Pittsburgh. The multipurpose stadium was nestled along the Allegheny River, adjacent to where that river converges with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River, hence the stadium’s name. It is hard to believe that…
Read MoreLe Stade Olympique
Built to host the 1976 Summer Olympics, Le Stade Olympique, or Olympic Stadium, was the home of the Montreal Expos from 1977 to 2003. Slated to be the first major league stadium with a retractable roof, problems with construction delayed completion of the roof such that a fully-functioning retractable roof was not operational until 1988.…
Read MoreMeet the Old Busch
Opened in 1966, the former home of the St. Louis Cardinals originally was known as Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium. The Cardinals left their previous home, Sportsman Park, in June 1970, and inaugurated the new, multi-purpose stadium later that month. The stadium’s original playing surface was grass, which proved difficult to maintain in a multi-purpose setting. Replaced…
Read MoreCrosley Field and the Corner of Findlay and Western
The corner of Findlay Street and Western Avenue hosted professional baseball from 1884 until June 1970. Home of the Cincinnati Reds, the earliest ballpark incarnation at that corner, League Park, lasted until 1900, when the grandstand was destroyed by fire. Portions of League Park undamaged by the fire, mainly seating in right field (the former League Park…
Read MoreThe Cinergy of Riverfront Stadium
Riverfront Stadium was home to the Cincinnati Reds from June 1970, through the end of the 2002 season. The stadium literally fronted the Ohio River, hence the name. Riverfront Stadium was renamed Cinergy Field in 1996, thus replacing a terrific, classic stadium name with a terrifically awful stadium name. While Cinergy Field may have been…
Read MoreHonus Wagner House
Most people in the United States know John Peter “Honus” Wagner as the player whose name and image appeared on the legendary T-206 tobacco card, the most valuable baseball card ever printed. Historians of the game also consider Wagner to be perhaps the best shortstop of all time. Born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, in 1874, Wagner lived…
Read MoreBraves Field and Boston University
Braves Field was the second home of the National League Boston Braves. Previously having played at the various incarnations of stadia at Boston’s South End Grounds, the team moved to Braves Field in 1915, playing there through the 1952 season. Braves Field is located just a mile west of Fenway Park on Commonwealth Avenue. The ballpark, or…
Read MoreFulton County Stadium Makes A Great Parking Lot – For Now
Atlanta/Fulton County Stadium was the fourth home of the National League Braves and the first in Atlanta. The Braves two previous homes were Braves Field in Boston and County Stadium in Milwaukee. Once nestled at the confluence of Interstates 75, 85, and 20, Fulton County Stadium is now a parking lot. Unlike other lost ballparks, however, Fulton County Stadium…
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