I played College Baseball there (81-85) for Canisius College as this was our home field. The echoes were amazing for hits w/ a wooden bat, you don't hear that anymore in newer parks.
Crack! Echo...Crack! Echo...The only thing that is remotely close to that sound is early BP at SkyDome (I cannot call it Rogers Centre) when the roof is closed and the stands are empty. As a Bisons season ticket holder I have enjoyed The Seasons of Buffalo Baseball 1857-2020. Your forward was a great lead into the book. One question, are there any additional photographs of the Bisons at Hyde Park Stadium that can be shared? Perhaps they can be included in the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit at Sahlen Field once it is set up again.
@@christopheroliver2465 thanks Chris. There’s very little in terms of photos of the Bisons at Hyde Park unfortunately. Which is a shame. And I don’t really know the reason why.
John, thanks for responding so quickly. My family had season tickets (or at least a prepaid booklet...that was how it was done) for the Niagara Falls Pirates when I was little. We were so fortunate to have pro ball a short walk away. Was too young to remember the Bisons there, but I have heard lots of Johnny Bench stories. To have a AAA team in NF, wow! I am certain that the people of the Falls did everything possible to make it a good experience for the Bisons.
No, it was at the corner of Jefferson Ave. and Best streets, in the Masten Park area {it was not that far from what is now City Honors School} . . . I only went inside the 'pile once, for a Buffalo Blazers {soccer} game, long after the Bills abandoned it . . . great memories, passing by it on the way downtown . . . but it outlived its usefulness long ago, and at least they kept the facade . . .
What a dump, but I loved every second I spent there. I remember the way the ball echoed throughout the park and the smell of stale beer. I still have a piece of rock I went and got when they were tearing the place down. They don't make them like that anymore.
Wow. Thanks for the memories. My dad and I went to 6 years of Bills games there from '65 to '70 on season tickets. Live in Florida now, but a Bills fan forever!!
i went to the first 4 Bills home games here (1959/60). we kept warm around barrels of molten tar. it stunk, we stunk from it and we loved it! 2019 now and i still say - Go BIlls!
I remember going to games while in College. The Earl of Bud was always there. Every year the Beach Boys would come and play and it would be crowded. You would have to park on peoples lawns and pay a few dollars and hope that they actually lived there.
It was perfect for The Natural because of its hodgepodge appearance. A lot of the old ballparks were built in stages, and each successive stage had a different style. I would say it most resembled Griffith Stadium in DC.
Great memories especially the locker rooms which we shared with the Bisons. All you could think about was Kemp, Gilchrist, Bench, Easter and all the other stars who used it. When they filmed "The Natural" they used us for batting practice shaggers. It's a damn shame that all the seats were sold off to a minor league team, those should have been sold off here in Buffalo. I do have 2 seats however.
Otis Taylor (WR for the Kansas City Chiefs) wrote in his book "The Need to Win" that of all the AFL stadiums he played in the one he hated most was War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo. He recalled all the players racing off the field after a game there because if they weren't the first to get to the locker room all the hot water for showers would run out. The stadium was located in a very run down part of Buffalo and the Kansas City team bus (and other visiting teams buses) was often pelted with rocks and eggs going to and from a game
The movie the Natural was filmed here... in the early 80's - They needed an old style stadium for the movies... Buffalo was perhaps the only choice.. a great choice... Glenn Close and Kim Basinger sat in those seats... Robert Redford, too!
my family and i ate free hot dogs and had a great conversation with the cardboard cutouts next to us while they filmed The Natural :) i was a little kid at the time and i nearly ran smack into robert redford during a postshoot press interview - one of the other baseball players(actors) stopped me just in time!
Interesting. I have never been to Buffalo. When I see the baseball diamond here it reminds me of the brief period the Dodgers played at the Los Angeles Coliseum. A venue not at all suited for baseball.
Never got to see the Rockpile, although I wanted to before it was torn down (was a student at UB @ the time). Watching The Natural, this montage explains some of the architectural features seen in the film that I never totally understood (particularly the foof placements; makes sense when viewing from the air and seeing it's an oval, not a baseball only stadium).
Sunday, December 10, 1972. Last NFL game at the Rockpile, a 21-21 tie against Detroit. I was in Grade 3. Remember seeing a picture of the 1979 Bisons and the football scoreboard still had the Lions and the Bills listed.
wow that stadium was frikin great...was the movie "the natural" really filmed there? i wish i could've seen some games at stadiums like that.just looked at tulane stadium and "the met" in minnesota.now we have domes and stadiums with no personality.just so the bigwigs get their stadium box seats which they sell for an insane amount to people who prolly don't even watch the games
I like to think of Buffalo War Memorial Stadium as a Major League baseball park, without a Major League Baseball franchise, because it wasn't just beautiful for baseball, but better-looking than a lot of MLB parks.
I went there for a Bison's game in 86 or 87 when I was only 5 or 6. I really remember it being very odd looking and kind of a dump, hence the name "Rockpile". Anyway, its one of those things that bites you in the ass later in life when you realize what's gone. Like another said, at least they kept the facade entrance!
At least you understood them. Most of the time they were in their undies or pajamas swiggin from bottles and yelling or mumbling on their about to fall apart front decks saying- God knew what (we made sure to move by real fast) but it wasnt pleasantries thats for sure. In 1972 the police presence made it look like a war was about to break out.
I always the bought the freshly roasted peanuts the black guy was selling from a cart outside the stadium. I remember going with my older cousin once and he said always put your money in your shoe when you go to the game in case you mugged and it was raining that day so we bought 2 sunday papers to sit on so our butts wouldn't get wet.
At 4:20 - I heard that there was some type of plexiglass wall put in for baseball games. Is that it a 4:20, and why??? It is for more advertising space, or because the outfield would have been too long somehow? And a distant memory: the old Bisons had a large 1st baseman, Bob Chance, who i saw hit a towering HR or 2 out that way (before the plexiglass). Anyone remember him?
Went to War Memorial the last year the Bills played there. Saw the Dolphins the year they went 17-0. Sorry, I’m a Dolphins fan. First time I had chicken wings. Miss the old stadiums.
Nice video...but the place was a dump, period. Let’s not revise history here: fact is, when Pilot Field opened downtown in 1988, everyone involved was thrilled about it and was happy they were leaving the old park.
I played College Baseball there (81-85) for Canisius College as this was our home field. The echoes were amazing for hits w/ a wooden bat, you don't hear that anymore in newer parks.
Crack! Echo...Crack! Echo...The only thing that is remotely close to that sound is early BP at SkyDome (I cannot call it Rogers Centre) when the roof is closed and the stands are empty.
As a Bisons season ticket holder I have enjoyed The Seasons of Buffalo Baseball 1857-2020. Your forward was a great lead into the book. One question, are there any additional photographs of the Bisons at Hyde Park Stadium that can be shared? Perhaps they can be included in the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit at Sahlen Field once it is set up again.
@@christopheroliver2465 thanks Chris. There’s very little in terms of photos of the Bisons at Hyde Park unfortunately. Which is a shame. And I don’t really know the reason why.
John, thanks for responding so quickly. My family had season tickets (or at least a prepaid booklet...that was how it was done) for the Niagara Falls Pirates when I was little. We were so fortunate to have pro ball a short walk away. Was too young to remember the Bisons there, but I have heard lots of Johnny Bench stories.
To have a AAA team in NF, wow! I am certain that the people of the Falls did everything possible to make it a good experience for the Bisons.
When ever I smell a cigar my mind always drifts back to going to the rockpile with my dad in the early Bills days .
No, it was at the corner of Jefferson Ave. and Best streets, in the Masten Park area {it was not that far from what is now City Honors School} . . .
I only went inside the 'pile once, for a Buffalo Blazers {soccer} game, long after the Bills abandoned it . . . great memories, passing by it on the way downtown . . . but it outlived its usefulness long ago, and at least they kept the facade . . .
What a dump, but I loved every second I spent there. I remember the way the ball echoed throughout the park and the smell of stale beer. I still have a piece of rock I went and got when they were tearing the place down. They don't make them like that anymore.
I’m waiting to see what happens to Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium. It was built maybe 3 years after Buffalo, and has some unique but obsolete features.
Wow. Thanks for the memories. My dad and I went to 6 years of Bills games there from '65 to '70 on season tickets. Live in Florida now, but a Bills fan forever!!
i went to the first 4 Bills home games here (1959/60). we kept warm around barrels of molten tar. it stunk, we stunk from it and we loved it!
2019 now and i still say - Go BIlls!
I remember going to the last game the Bisons played there.
Thanks.
I remember going to games while in College. The Earl of Bud was always there. Every year the Beach Boys would come and play and it would be crowded. You would have to park on peoples lawns and pay a few dollars and hope that they actually lived there.
The Beach Boys crowds would usually be worth about a months attendance for one game. Yeah the place sure perked up for the Earl.
It was perfect for The Natural because of its hodgepodge appearance. A lot of the old ballparks were built in stages, and each successive stage had a different style. I would say it most resembled Griffith Stadium in DC.
Great memories especially the locker rooms which we shared with the Bisons. All you could think about was Kemp, Gilchrist, Bench, Easter and all the other stars who used it. When they filmed "The Natural" they used us for batting practice shaggers. It's a damn shame that all the seats were sold off to a minor league team, those should have been sold off here in Buffalo. I do have 2 seats however.
Otis Taylor (WR for the Kansas City Chiefs) wrote in his book "The Need to Win" that of all the AFL stadiums he played in the one he hated most was War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo. He recalled all the players racing off the field after a game there because if they weren't the first to get to the locker room all the hot water for showers would run out. The stadium was located in a very run down part of Buffalo and the Kansas City team bus (and other visiting teams buses) was often pelted with rocks and eggs going to and from a game
And to think the Bills would actually get pelted with much worse!
Actually opened in 1937, first game played was October 16, 1937, college football Tulane and Colgate.
I went to the last game played there. I was 10 years old.
Saw Johnny Bench play here for the Bisons before he went to the Reds.
A major highlight of that old park.
That was one cool looking stadium
I love seeing the old stadiums. Also a little fascinated by the scoreboards.
As a youngster, I remember watching home Bills games at War Memorial Stadium on TV. A lot of bad weather games with terrible field conditions
The movie the Natural was filmed here... in the early 80's - They needed an old style stadium for the movies... Buffalo was perhaps the only choice.. a great choice... Glenn Close and Kim Basinger sat in those seats... Robert Redford, too!
This is a great legendary stadium!
I agree with downtown. That place looks like such a dump it must have been really cool.
my family and i ate free hot dogs and had a great conversation with the cardboard cutouts next to us while they filmed The Natural :) i was a little kid at the time and i nearly ran smack into robert redford during a postshoot press interview - one of the other baseball players(actors) stopped me just in time!
Interesting. I have never been to Buffalo. When I see the baseball diamond here it reminds me of the brief period the Dodgers played at the Los Angeles Coliseum. A venue not at all suited for baseball.
Never got to see the Rockpile, although I wanted to before it was torn down (was a student at UB @ the time). Watching The Natural, this montage explains some of the architectural features seen in the film that I never totally understood (particularly the foof placements; makes sense when viewing from the air and seeing it's an oval, not a baseball only stadium).
Sunday, December 10, 1972. Last NFL game at the Rockpile, a 21-21 tie against Detroit. I was in Grade 3. Remember seeing a picture of the 1979 Bisons and the football scoreboard still had the Lions and the Bills listed.
A lot of the photos in this video, I personaly took.
Players hated this stadium, fans loved it.
lol
Let's not ever forget that,that 10 innocent people lost their lives less than 2 minutes from where the stadium once was
wow that stadium was frikin great...was the movie "the natural" really filmed there? i wish i could've seen some games at stadiums like that.just looked at tulane stadium and "the met" in minnesota.now we have domes and stadiums with no personality.just so the bigwigs get their stadium box seats which they sell for an insane amount to people who prolly don't even watch the games
3:16
Robert Redford, during the filming of 'The Natural'.
knock the cover off it Roy Hobbs
The house that Roy Hobbs built
I've been to many a bison game there. Sucked if you got stuck behind one of the pillars!
What song is this? Great Vid!
I like to think of Buffalo War Memorial Stadium as a Major League baseball park, without a Major League Baseball franchise, because it wasn't just beautiful for baseball, but better-looking than a lot of MLB parks.
Song Tierra Del Fuego George Lynch
George Lynch....sweet.
I went there for a Bison's game in 86 or 87 when I was only 5 or 6. I really remember it being very odd looking and kind of a dump, hence the name "Rockpile". Anyway, its one of those things that bites you in the ass later in life when you realize what's gone. Like another said, at least they kept the facade entrance!
I remember it was in a dumpy area way back in the 70's
oops, meant "roof", not "foof"
I fondly remember vicious racist insults being hurled at me as a little boy from the African-American people who lived there....happy times!
At least you understood them. Most of the time they were in their undies or pajamas swiggin from bottles and yelling or mumbling on their about to fall apart front decks saying- God knew what (we made sure to move by real fast) but it wasnt pleasantries thats for sure. In 1972 the police presence made it look like a war was about to break out.
I always the bought the freshly roasted peanuts the black guy was selling from a cart outside the stadium. I remember going with my older cousin once and he said always put your money in your shoe when you go to the game in case you mugged and it was raining that day so we bought 2 sunday papers to sit on so our butts wouldn't get wet.
Nice images, don't get the music !
all high
At 4:20 - I heard that there was some type of plexiglass wall put in for baseball games. Is that it a 4:20, and why??? It is for more advertising space, or because the outfield would have been too long somehow? And a distant memory: the old Bisons had a large 1st baseman, Bob Chance, who i saw hit a towering HR or 2 out that way (before the plexiglass). Anyone remember him?
Went to War Memorial the last year the Bills played there. Saw the Dolphins the year they went 17-0. Sorry, I’m a Dolphins fan. First time I had chicken wings. Miss the old stadiums.
Could use just seeing the photos and video without the music.
Not enough poles, should have added more
@downtownford Ugly...but COOL!!!!!
Nice video...but the place was a dump, period. Let’s not revise history here: fact is, when Pilot Field opened downtown in 1988, everyone involved was thrilled about it and was happy they were leaving the old park.
Really?
And then we root for the Browns.
4:07 What the hell were they thinking?
A year before the Bills left for Orchard Park(Rich Stadium) the stadium was a piece of shit to play in.