Polo Grounds and its Former Tenants Emerge from the Shadows

"Everything about the Giants gets short shrift," said Peter Magowan, the former managing general partner of the San Francisco Giants, who grew up in New York and attended his first Giants game at the Polo Grounds in 1950. "It was unique and very quirky. It was a great old ballpark."

Remembrances of the Polo Grounds, as a ballpark and a football stadium, move into the forefront this weekend. Its most famous tenant will make a triumphant return, and a lesser-known one will be playing for a spot in a league championship game.

On Friday and Saturday, the San Francisco Giants bring their World Series trophy — and Willie Mays — to New York on an ancestral tour that includes a visit to Public School 46, near the Polo Grounds site.
NY TIMES

over 1 year ago strummer 15 comments 0 recs |

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A companion slideshow for the article

Polo Grounds Replay

And some good photos here too:
Did They Ever Play Polo at the Polo Grounds?

http://chargerdynasty.blogspot.com/ " If you have some spare money hanging around, it would be worth your time to place some bets based on my Chargers 38 Bengals 7 prediction"

by strummer on Jan 19, 2011 3:33 AM PST reply actions

Mays made his spectacular catch of Vic Wertz’s fly ball in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series in its absurdly spacious center field,

Whatever.

I’ve seen Jim Edmunds make that catch dozens of times.

/Yawn

"Do you smell that Kenny? That's hard news. Notice the lack of fornicating horses."

by Cody_ransom on Jan 19, 2011 8:23 AM PST reply actions

You've never seen Edmonds track down a ball 420-30 feet from home plate

Mays then spun around and fired the ball to the infield.

The centerfield dimensions at the Polo Grounds were massive.

http://chargerdynasty.blogspot.com/ " If you have some spare money hanging around, it would be worth your time to place some bets based on my Chargers 38 Bengals 7 prediction"

by strummer on Jan 19, 2011 8:58 AM PST up reply actions

/chasm'd

"Do you smell that Kenny? That's hard news. Notice the lack of fornicating horses."

by Cody_ransom on Jan 19, 2011 10:46 AM PST up reply actions

Note bullpen locations. Deep right and left center field (Mays’s power alleys) were each 455 feet from home plate, known as the ‘bullpen curve’.
The famous catch was 430 to 440 feet from home plate.

"If we had signed Guerrero or Sheffield, we would have been without Brower, Eyre, Herges, Hermanson,Tomko,Pierzynski, Feliz, Snow,Hammonds, Mohr and Tucker–obviously not being able to field a competitive team, especially from an experience standpoint"--B Sabean

by seyheystretch on Jan 19, 2011 10:17 AM PST reply actions 1 recs

I can't believe that's a stadium

Ain't no Posey like a Buster Posey cause a Buster Posey don't stop...hitting.

Giants baseball: We're stupid enough to WIN that (TM)

by quincy0191 on Jan 19, 2011 1:34 PM PST up reply actions

The more I look at this

The more my jaw drops.
Imagine what kind of HR numbers Mays (and others) could’ve had with a “normal” field…

I came, I saw, I told bad jokes and left.

by IanRogue on Jan 19, 2011 4:47 PM PST up reply actions

If the interwebs can be believed, that is indeed the shape of the facility. Here’s an aerial view of the general area. Until I just now looked this up, I had no idea what a bad ballpark the Giants played in.

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."
—Rogers Hornsby

by Lyle on Jan 20, 2011 6:22 AM PST up reply actions

Look at the lights in the OF! They are damn near pointing directly at the batter.

Overplayed memes:
EASTCOAST BIAS
2002 WS CANCELED
Blue Jays want all our player that we don't utilize correctly

by say hey nation on Jan 20, 2011 9:29 AM PST up reply actions

“Blind as a Batter”

I came, I saw, I told bad jokes and left.

by IanRogue on Jan 20, 2011 10:50 AM PST up reply actions

Polo Grounds had the shortest foul lines

and the deepest power alleys and CF.
A hitter such as Mel Ott was able to benefit from it (or cater his swing to it) by pulling the ball.
Mays was hurt by the deep power alleys.

Of course, the original Yankee Stadium, Fenway, and the LA Coliseum were (are) bizarre too.

http://chargerdynasty.blogspot.com/ " If you have some spare money hanging around, it would be worth your time to place some bets based on my Chargers 38 Bengals 7 prediction"

by strummer on Jan 20, 2011 2:01 PM PST reply actions

Those computer generated images exaggerate the dimensions a little bit

The curves in the alleys were more gradual near the bullpens.

This photo gives a more realistic view

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/85789350/Sports-Illustrated

http://chargerdynasty.blogspot.com/ " If you have some spare money hanging around, it would be worth your time to place some bets based on my Chargers 38 Bengals 7 prediction"

by strummer on Jan 20, 2011 2:35 PM PST reply actions

Two, things:

1) That is from 1962, well after the Giants left
2) Can’t really tell the curvature of the fence.

Overplayed memes:
EASTCOAST BIAS
2002 WS CANCELED
Blue Jays want all our player that we don't utilize correctly

by say hey nation on Jan 21, 2011 6:06 AM PST up reply actions

They didn't change the dimensions after 1957

http://chargerdynasty.blogspot.com/ " If you have some spare money hanging around, it would be worth your time to place some bets based on my Chargers 38 Bengals 7 prediction"

by strummer on Jan 21, 2011 1:44 PM PST up reply actions

the 7th photo down

showing the upper deck overhang, also shows the outfield wall. It was much more of a gradual, long radius curve

http://www.ballparktour.com/Former_New_York.html

http://chargerdynasty.blogspot.com/ " If you have some spare money hanging around, it would be worth your time to place some bets based on my Chargers 38 Bengals 7 prediction"

by strummer on Jan 23, 2011 2:33 AM PST up reply actions