Announcement

At the end of 1997, when I created this page and the ballpark logo just above, I used an image from the program of a ballpark I had visited in 1983 in the midwest. At the time, I asked if anyone could identify the park. I got a few responses, but all wrong. At long last, on November 10, 1999, I received the correct answer from Paul Dewhirst of Sumner, WA, who knew that it was the old Comiskey Park in Chicago, IL.

Ballparks! There is something magical in these buildings. The colors, the smells, the sounds. Peanuts, popcorn, crackerjacks, and, oh yes, beer. I can never forget my first experience with a real ballpark and I was lucky. My first was Ebbets Field. It was 1952, and television was new and only in black and white. So when my brother took me by subway to my first game, it was a revelation: that ballparks were really in majestic and spectacular color and overwhelming with character (and characters).

What follows are portraits of some of the great ballparks. These are paintings that are so realistic as to look almost like photographs. They were done by excellent artists and the prints are available for sale as I've outlined below. These prints are publishedby Bill Goff, Inc. (goodsportsart.com), of Bantam, CT,and copyrighted © as indicated, and I wish to thank Bill Goff for allowing me to display these wonderful prints on this page. I have Bill Goff's ballpark prints of Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, and Camden Yards on the walls in my office and at home. I often find myself gazing at them and either remembering or imagining what it was like to be at these special places.

Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. This was a "ballpark" as ballparks were meant to be. It was located in a residential neighborhood east of Prospect Park. I sat in the center field bleachers on that fateful day in 1952, when I looked down on Duke Snider, #4, and fell in love with Dodger blue. Over the wall in right field was Bedford Ave, often a target for the Duke's homers. Happy Felton's Knothole Gang took place before each home game in the rightfield corner.

"Ebbets Field Matinee" by Andy Jurinko, ©Bill Goff, Inc. 1989

The Polo Grounds, located in Harlem, NY, just under Coogan's Bluff and across the river from Yankee Stadium. It was the home of the NY Giants, the NY Yankees (until 1922 when they moved to Yankee Stadium), and the New York Mets during 1962-1963. The clubhouses were located in centerfield and, at the end of the game, the players had to run to centerfield and up a flight of stairs to get to the clubhouses, often fighting off fans who were allowed on the field after the final out. This was the site of the infamous "Shot Heard Round The World," Bobby Thomson's homerun on October 3, 1951, to give the Giants the pennant after they had trailed the Brooklyn Dodgers by 13 games in August.

"Polo Grounds Matinee" by Andy Jurinko, ©Bill Goff, Inc. 1991

Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees since 1923. This is how it looked from the centerfield bleachers until the mid-1970's when the park was completely redone into the modern day Yankee Stadium.The Stadium is located at 161st St. and River Ave., in the south Bronx. I grew up just north of 180th St., and often walked to the Stadium or took the subway for the many games I saw from the early-1950's to the mid-1960's. This is the view I remember on the spring day in 1960, when Roger Maris played his first game there as a Yankee. I always rooted for the visiting team.

"Yankee Stadium Revisited" by William Feldman, ©Bill Goff, Inc., 1987

 

Before there were boring astroturf stadiums built in the 1970s, there were real ballparks like Sportsman's Park, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. After playing in dull Busch Stadium for several years, the Cardinals have now thankfully returned to a real old-fashioned ballpark, also known as Busch Stadium.

"Sportsman's Park Gold" by Andy Jurinko, ©Andy Jurinko 1992

 

 

While the prints shown here may no longer be available, many like them are available from:

Bill Goff, Inc., P.O. Box 457, Bantam, CT 06750

Telephone: 1-800-321-4633 for information.

Bill also has wonderful "HALLOWED GROUND BALLPARKS" calendars featuring the ballpark paintings.

Bill Goff is on the Internet. If you'd like to check out his pages, click here.

I just want to note that I have absolutely no financial interest in Bill Goff, Inc., other than as an enthusiastic customer. I love the artwork he sells and I'm happy to be able to show some here and tell the world about them.

If you're interested in reading more about ballparks past and present, I recommend the following books:

"Lost Ballparks, A Celebration of Baseball's Legendary Fields" by Lawrence S. Ritter, ©1992

"Diamonds, The Evolution of the Ballpark From Elysian Fields to Camden Yards" by Michael Gershman, ©1993

"Green Cathedrals" by Philip J. Lowrey, ©1992

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