Enquirer Reporter Howard Wilkinson shares his memories of Crosley Field as he and Reds Historian Greg Rhodes discover what little remains aty the original site.
I'm 77 yrs old and will never forget Crosley Field. One of the saddest photographs that I have ever seen, is in this video. It's the picture of the destruction of Crosley Field. I loved that place.
I appreciate reading all the comments about Crosley Field. I'm a lifelong Detroit Tigers fan. I went to my first game at Tiger Stadium in June 1965, just before my tenth birthday. I remember the last decade of the glory era before money took over the game. I remember the smell of the stale beer, the cigar smoke, and the intoxicating aroma of hot dogs on the grill at the concession stand. I've been to many ballparks over the years, major league, minors, and spring training sites, but Tiger Stadium was the most special place on earth. Crosley Field was a lot like Tiger Stadium. Old-time Reds fans are just as devoted to Crosley Field as Tiger fans are to Tiger Stadium. REAL BASEBALL was played in those parks. Tiger Stadium and Crosley Field should never have been torn down. I wish I could have seen a game at Crosley Field.
@James Clark i am a big Tiger's fan from Windsor Ont. Got to see my first game the year before the Stadium closed and then again 2 weeks before the final game. It was a magical place. I could feel the history when I was there. When i walked across one of those catwalks and out to the seating area I felt like I was being transported back in time. Beautiful place!
Just happened to be reading this the night before Reds 2020 "Opening Day" (such as it is). I like the fact that the Reds are playing the historic Detroit Tigers... (I was at Crosley when I was about 9 yrs. old.)
Great great great video. As a Pirate fan I have the same feeling for old Forbes Field. Not only the smell of stale beer but the smell of cigars is one thing I'll always remember. Crosley and Forbes exactly the same era 1909/1912 thru 1970. Both cities have had 2 ballparks sincebut seriously they don't make 'me like they used to!!
Your lucky that your grandma did right. I wish I had gone there but I'm from chicago and I didnt start going (ballparks)till 71. At least the owners finally realized they're better. And at least I saw Comiskey and Wrigley. My brother should've taken his kids (Comiskey) in 90 but he thought he was too busy
My first MLB game was at Crosley...9/9/69. Reds v SF. Gaylord Perry pitched for the Giants. McCovey hit a HR. And Charlie Hustle was tossed after complaining to the ump about Perry's spitballs. I was 9 years old at the time and even though Cincy lost, it was a magical night. Glad I was able to catch that one and only game at Crosley.
Dad took me to see my first MLB game at Crosley in 1961. I can still remember the sensation of walking through the concourse and seeing the field for the first time. It was magical to me. Pinson, O’Toole, Purkey, Edwards and Hutch and all the others were bigger than life to me.
You know there are people out there that have NO IDEA what you're talking about. They, obviously are not baseball fans. You, sir are one. As am I. Everything you you wrote could have been written by me. Just change the year to 1960 and the venue to Forbes Field!!
Wow, what memories. My Dad worked for Fisher Body (General Motors) in Fairfield OH when I was a kid. He used to get tickets to the ball game at work and we would go to Cincinnati to see the Reds play at Crosley Field. This was back in the 50's. Some of my best times with my Dad, he loved baseball and the Reds.
Cub fan here who was born in the 50's and I remember beautiful Crosley Field. Always loved when my Cubbies played there (although we usually lost back then). Ballparks are just just not that homey any more. Back then, just about in all ballparks the fans were right on top of the action.
I'm a nearly 71 year old from the NY Metro area. I thought the "Redlegs" had great uniforms. My Ted Kluszewski Topps card was one of my favorites with the cutoff sleeves. I grew up with the Yankees, Giants and Dodgers in NY. That doesn't mean that I ignored players from other teams or their ballparks. If the local NY stations should happen to broadcast an away game it was easy to discern the locations. I knew most of the best players from baseball cards, NY newspapers and some TV. And there was always Street and Smiths baseball previews and rosters. For the true Cincy fan, I was in the Navy with a Schoenling, but I never quaffed any brew. All in all, thanks for posting this. I haven't been to a baseball game since the Phillies home opener in 1993.
Thank you so much Howard for this special report on Crosley Field. I love learning about the old ball parks and what made them so unique and special to their fans.
My family and I took a cross country trip from Long Island to California in 1968. We stopped in Cincy and took in a Mets' game at Crossley Field. We got a lot of Mets' autographs of players who would go on to be World Series Champs the next year.
I got Powel Crosley's autograph in 1958 in Seattle when the Reds played an exhibition game vs. their farm club, the Seattle Rainiers, which had the most beautiful park in the minor leagues. Mr. Crosley was an old man by then. I saw Vada Pinson steal home twice in a double-header in Seattle 1958 when he was twenty, he went up to the Reds at the end of '58 and never came back. This is great, thank you.
great vid, i remember fondly sitting at crosley field and watching such as mays, clemente, bench, perez, marris and others hit home runs. Who can forget the terrace in the outfield? The line on the center field wall because it had to be built high because of I-75 being so close. 1960's in crosley field , a great place to be for young men and women who grew up watching baseball as it once was.
My first Major league game I saw in person was at Wrigley Field in 1966. What took my breath away was how green the grass looked, and the smells and noises of the ballpark were intoxicating for a 13-year old. The Cubs were playing the Dodgers, I got to watch Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax warm up, and I was so close I could hear all the players banter. Even though the Cubs lost[as usual], it was an amazing day in my young life.
I love those old scoreboards with all of the information you need, including out of town scores in both leagues. And this one seems to have been one of the largest.
As a kid growing up in GA during the 60s I “adopted” the Reds as my favorite team (Jim Maloney, Deron Johnson! Frank Robinson etc]. I always wanted to go to Crosley field but....alas .... I never got the chance. Thanks for the video.
I remember Crosley Field. Love it. My 1st game there was a DH against the Houston Colt 45s. I thought the park had the greenest grass. You can"t beat those old parks.
@@michaelcanney7218 DH here meaning Doubleheader, not designated hitter. For example, the Houston Colt 45s actually had two separate doubleheaders at Crosley Field in 1964, one on July 14th, another on August 29th. The Reds also hosted the Colt 45s to 2 DHs in 1962 and 1 in 1963.
Only one thing missing in this wonderful tribute to Crosley Field: the terrace. The terrace was a slope-an incline in left field to the wall. My brother and I would listen to radio broadcasts of our Brooklyn Dodgers at the Reds and hear Vin Scully describe a ball hit to the terrace; or a man fielding a ball on the terrace. We pictured something like an extended porch and could not fathom what such a thing would be doing on a ball field.
There are five parks that I wish I had seen. 1) Baker Bowl. 2) Polo Grounds. 3) CROSLEY FIELD. 4) Ebbets Field. 5) Braves Field. Even though I grew up in Atlanta as a Braves fan in the 1970's, I believe I would have loved this ballpark - and this team.
As a kid in the early 60's, saw my first first 2 reds games, there with the whole family. On the way out, I remember Jim Shelton selling peanuts saying "Get em while their hot". It ws Wilie Mays, Joe Nuxhall, and a crew cut rookie on second base named Pete Rose. A great experience.
I will always remember the First German Reformed Church with its tall steeple rising up past the Sun Deck in right field. Neighborhood ball parks were the best. I grew up in Huntington, WV in the 60's and my Dad and I used to take the C & O train up to Union Terminal where we would walk about 10 minutes north on Dalton Avenue to the ball park. Dad would always buy a scorecard for 10¢ and make me keep score. Compared to the sterile environments of today, I wouldn't trade a single memory of this old place.
I grew up in the 90s. Still have memories of Riverfront as a kid before they tore it down in 2002 I think it was. I wish I could have been alive in the 60s. Cincinnati was probably a much cooler place.
@@harveyboy7019 Riverfront was just another one of those cookie cutter stadiums of the 1970s--that, Three Rivers, Shea, the Oakland Coliseum, etc. They had almost the same symmetrical dimensions down the lines, to the power alleys, and to center. Astroturf and polyester uniforms. Great teams, shitty stadiums with no personality or soul. The new retro parks are so much an improvement.
As a kid just getting interested in baseball in about '68-'69, I remember those Saturday afternoon games on NBC, and quite a number were in Cincinnati. I always thought of C.F. as that ballpark where you could see cars steaming by in opposite lanes right past left and center fields. Then somewhere I heard that Houston power hitter Jim Wynn slugged one that hit a passing car, and I'm sure that couldn't have been the only time that happened.
Great presentation! Crosley Field was a magical wonderland to this kid growing up in Hamilton in the late 1950's! Fell in love with peanuts salted in the shell but I don't remember the gentleman featured in this video. Thanks for posting!
My Grandpa and my Dad took me and my brother to see the Reds here for my very first game, I was 7 years old and that's when I fell in love with baseball and the Reds. I can remember sitting in the rightfield sun deck with everyone yelling at Rusty Staub, Rusty go home, he would just turn around and wave to us. Years later I was able to take my Dad to Riverfront for a game, What great memories and I miss them.
@MrPocketfullOfSteel You're right about the Blue Ash field being the closest young fans who never had the privilege to sit in Crosley Field will get. The thing that can't be conveyed, save for film footage, is the magical backdrop of the buildings just beyond the fences and the Western Hills Viaduct and Clifton on top of the Hill there...All of that gave the fan a powerful sense of PLACEn. In the 60's, my pop and I (lost him September2014) would go quite often and one of the biggest thrills for me was watching Lee May. This under appreciated power hitter wielded a huge bat that still looked like it was the souvenir handed out on Bat Day. Lee would hit homers that would sail over the left field fence and hit the building across the street, sometimes breaking windows! I remember so many men wore hats, not ball caps, b ut hats that men used to wear, especially in big cities. Men don't wear hats anymore. I loved, even at 7 years old, the aroma of cigar smoke mingling with the scent of mustard and grass and that Spring/Summer BASEBALL AIR that the Gods seemed to blow especially on the Sacred Grounds where men with the zeal of little boys played their hearts out...Big Money had not yet reared it's horned head to spoil our Boys, but it was on it's way. One night in 1970, My dad and I were in the Moon Deck. It was early May and I heard that our Reds were going to play in a different ball park, but you don't internalize things when you're nine, you think, "Crosley will just still be here, though." When my dad took me to Riverfront for the first time, a little bit after the famous All Star game played there (look up 1970 All Star Game to see why), the REAL Magic of Crosley Field slammed into my young brain. There was no grass smell. There was NO GRASS. You didn't get that mélange (hope that is right word, lol) of aroma, sight, sound. It seemed that hats had disappeared overnight. It had the effect of being told a bed time story and you're mom had skipped 10 pages or something. That's the way it seemed to me, anyway. When the wrecking ball took Crosley from all of us, it seemed to take some innocence along with the rubble of the Temple of Bat and Ball. It was going to be a long, painful descent for the game and the boys who played it. The dilemma of Roy Hobbs we saw played out time and time again as our heroes took a bite from the apple offered from the Lady in Black. There was to be too many "Say it ain't so, Joe" hearbreaking realizations from kids who saw behind the curtain. Me? I was one of the lucky ones-- I caught the tail end of the Golden Era...And I still believe--In The Game. Thanks for posting this wonderful piece of history.
Great post *MichaelG*👍....I very much enjoyed it! Ha! I was born in 1966, my Dad said he took me to Crosley when I maybe 3yrs. old. I don't remember it, I have a feeling I was more 2yrs. than three. I had such an infatuation with that ballpark though, even as a child. Collecting pictures of Crosley etc. and going down there when it was just a big car lot. It was so sad for me then..... even as a child. Having said that, when Riverfront Stadium was built it was (for me) one of the first indelible things and/feelings that attached to this 4yr. old kid. Of course there was no smell of the grass.....but daggone....that stadium for a young child at least....and in that era....it simply could not get any better (for me at least).😁 It was basically all I knew. Know what I mean? Like you with your Dad, Riverfront Stadium was that for me and my brother and Dad. My Dad attended so many games there and were fortunate enough to see some milestones achieved and many Many Dramatic come from behind last at bat wins. The last weekend of games played there happened to coincide with the Bearcats football team playing the Suckeye....errrr I mean the Buckeyes over at Paul Brown Stadium. My Dad surprised me (we had tix for the UC-OSU game) and we walked over to Riverfront and watched our last Red's game at Riverfront Stadium. We left somewhere during the home half of the 7th inning and walked over to PBS. What a great day! Sorry for the passing of your Dad.😔 That has/had to be tough. I still have my Dad, he is in his mid 70's now. As for Lee May....Ha!....I used to imitate the ~`Big Bopper`~ when I was digging into the box in our palatial wiffleball field in our backyard in the Seven Hills Subdivision, which used to be beautiful BTW. But that is another story. Ha!
Hello, my friend...I very much enjoyed your response, as well. It's not surprising that you would still be infatuated with Crosley-- us Cincinnati Boys have baseball in our blood! Your recollections of Riverfront reminded me that I also had plenty of great times with my dad there as well. Also, one thing Riverfront had over Crosley was the thrill of seeing the skyline when you were out on the plaza. My wife and I used to love to just watch the city as the people scrambled for their cars after the game...then we went to the Skyline Chili at Clifton and Ludlow for a late night 4 way and chili sandwiches....MMMMM. Cincinnati is really a spectacular city, many faceted and it doesn't get the respect she deserves. I've lived in New York, Tampa Bay-- both awesome places to live, but Cincy has something that gets INSIDE you and won't let go. I get back there every chance I get. By the way, I used to live in Northbrook, and Mt. Healthy so I know what you mean about Seven Hills....All my old neighborhoods have changed; Bond Hill, Finneytown, The aforementioned and also Forest Park...Well, some have gotten BETTER. Treasure the time with your pop, I know you do. One thing that ALL of us from our childhoods back then remember as something we heard every night as we drove home with our dads from "The old ball orchard", is Joe Nuxhall (RIP) saying, "This is the old left hander rounding third and heading for home...g'night everybody." We're a lucky couple of guys. Write me anytime, my friend!
...wow..you were there firsthand...please note that the last season where you could compare the average workingman's wages to a major leaguer was 1968 where the rookie salary was $18,000...still a hefty salary for the time but after the Curt Flood incident and Catfish Hunter skewing things up the average Joe could not relate and understandably lost interest ....
@@MrPocketfullOfSteel Hey, man...Came across this comment and just thought I'd drop you a line to see how you and yours are faring in this crazy time! We must only be about five or six years apart in age (I'm going to turn 60 in October). Stay well, my friend.
@@1060michaelg Hey Michaelg - hope this finds you and finds you well. Strange - because I don't believe in coincidence that I would receive this today of all days. Kinda made me smile, I needed that. Sadly my Dad just passed away on April 1st, 2020 in an extremely strange manner that I won't get into here. But I WILL find out the particulars and for the last week my father in law has been hospitalized for going on a week. Sign of the times my man and I'm ready either way. Pray that you and yours are doing well. Feel free to write anytime. WWG1WGA.
So many memories of Crosley from the 50's & 60's. Parking at Union Terminal for free 2 blocks away (and having kids offer to 'watch' your car for a quarter to make sure nothing happened to it). Seeing home runs hit into the laundry building behind left field. Sitting in left field and razzing the bullpen pitchers when they'd sneak a cigarette during the game. I wish they'd recreated the outfield terrace in the new park. It was a wonderful place to see a ballgame.
Gil Langhorst My sisters and mother saw the Beatles there also. Man I was so young and mad I didn’t get to go with them. I was eight years old and knew how big of a deal that was.
Gil Langhorst I remember riding along with my dad taking my older sister and mother to see them. I guess they thought I was too young to go. I was 11 years old and I was sad that I couldn’t see the Beatles. That is a memory you’ll never forget. Glad you got to see them.
Being there was one of the highlights of that fab tour. About two dozen of us fans brought out our gloves and tossed around a few balls for about half a hr. Beat the hell out of our visit to Riverfront to watch the Reds host the Cubs.
Those old ballparks had that stale beer smell (probably because of the roofs over the grandstands didn't allow rain water to wash off the steps)? Tiger Stadium was the same way, and nowadays, you don't get that all that much anymore (except maybe in a store bottle room that needs a good cleaning), you know, sticky floors, stale beer, now all we need is a game on, some organ music, and the experience is real!
I advised and and all baseball fans to pay a visit to Blue Ash, Ohio. There you'll find a replica of Crosley field. Whether you're a fan of the Reds or not, you'll find it worth the trip.
Incredible story I wish I could have seen Crosley field. I grew up going to Fenway park my cousin told me that Crosley was the only other MLB park to have a home run net on the outfield wall but I've never seen it.
A place my Grandfather, Father and Uncles knew well. Sadly, my first game was the 72 World Series loss to the Oakland A's Game 2, in Riverfront Stadium. That being said, I remember the Big Red Machine of the 70's my childhood heroes and the winner of Back to back WS's against the Red Sox, Yankees 76-77. I was every home game Standing room only. Stale bear was the predominant smell, and the German Brattwurst's and Metts. The 77 Reds, greatest team ever assembled pre free agent.
I ran into Jim Maloney a few years back late 90s. He was a trash compactor salesman for a commercial dealer. They just didn't make the big bucks in his day and I recall feeling bad for him although he was one of my childhood heroes when he pitched at crosley.
Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis was home to both Cardinals & Browns (AL). Browns became Baltimore Orioles in 1953. Babe Ruth hit towering home runs there, and also was thrown out stealing for the final out in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series won by the Cards. Sportsman’s Park later became the “first” Busch Stadium after Anheuser-Busch bought the Cardinals. The last game there was played in 1966. Like Crosley Field, the site has a memorial plaque at the site of its home plate.
...as a fan of the Mets in the late '60s I remember the classic ballparks that included Crosley Field and I think the outfield had a rise to it...along with Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia Park whose name I forgot but I remember Richie Allen crushing homers into the bleachers...classic ballparks that succumbed to greed and the wrecking ball...thanks for the video btw...mixed emotions but it's all good
@@willnchicago696 ...thanks Cubs fan...I actually remembered the name lying on the couch last night...those parks were old but they certainly had flavor...
I remember watching the games on television with Ed Kennedy and Pee Wee Reese. The pre-game show was Dugout Dope and loved the player interview. That right there would make you moody for a Hude. I was fortunate enough to see a game at Crosley the last year it was opened. Went there with the Boys Scouts. I have a signed Joe Nuxhall photo Of him sitting in the dugout. Those were great times watching young Pete Rose, Vada Pinson, Jim Maloney, Jim O’toole, Bill McCool, Woody Woodward, Chico Cardenas, and the others before the machine got started. Here is to all you dedicated Reds fans, Rock n’ Roll with Hudepohl.
Jim McCracken I got bamboozled cause my beer definitely wasn’t Burger even though it’s from the same place as me. There was a few times I have to admit that I got the urge. I’ll tell you this though I definitely had a few of those liquid downers, Little Kings.
Jim McCracken Yes I do remember that. O’le George is long gone but his beer is still here. How about this one, Some beers come from Milwaukee Some come from over the seas I’m not bamboozeled my beer is Burger It comes from the same place as me So pour me another fresh Burger Pour me a Burger or two I’m always at home while I’m sipping my foam Cause Burgers’ my own hometown brew.
My Paternal Grandfather, Step Great-Grandfather and Uncle would occasionally catch the L & N in Anchorage (just east of Louisville, KY) and go to see the Reds at Crosley. I was too young to make the trip with them before they got too old to go themselves.
I was thinking the same thing, George. As a kid growing up back in the 50's and 60's, I can remember all the televised Pirate games when they played at Crosley Field and that very terrace. Along with remembering the terrace, I can also remember outfielders who would occasionally misplay fly balls that were hit out there, especially center fielders.
I’m loving the photographs of the old ballpark, and people entering the stadium… any idea where I might be able to find some more photos, specifically from 1935 or 1936?
The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 when I was 7 years old. I will never forget the voice of Vin Scully calling games from Crosley Field. The stories he spun while calling a game made you feel like you were there.
Oh wow, you were there today? That had to be fun, it's been 12 yrs maybe since I was there.....I have to get back down there and reminisce. Nice win today by the Reds FWIW. :-)
I grew up six blocks away. We would walk to the games as kids. Walking south on Spring Grove ave. By the time you got to the western hills viaduct. You could smell the ball park. Peanuts. Cigars. The field. Draft beer. Hotdogs. Baseball had it's own smell. Back in the day. Lol. Sat on the sun deck several times in the sixties. We called it the bleachers.
As a Pirate fan in the 60s I would watch every away game that was on tv, and Crosley was my favorite road venue. It was fascinating to watch outfielders, especially for the visiting team, play deep fly balls to left. No other MLB park had anything like that left field terrace at Crosley until Houston tried a cheap imitation at Minute Maid Park in center field. Boy the Pirates and Reds had some wild games in those days. They can build ballparks with all the amenities in the world, but for my money nothing beats the old ballparks.
When I was 11 Ken Rebok took a few of us Huber Heights punks to Crosley for a game against St. Louis. We went early and mooched down to the front row to watch batting practice. The fence was like 3 feet high, and as the Cards warmed up, several balls rolled over our way. In the space of about 15 minutes, I reached over the little fence and grabbed three balls, one after the other, to my absolute amazement. On the third one, St. Louis shortstop Julian Javier came over and said "Let met borrow that ball, kid, and I'll give it back to you when we're done..." A guy behind us said I was a sucker and would never see the ball again. But Javier was true true to his word and returned it to me. I sold all three to Ken for 5 bucks on the way home, and thought I was a a millionaire :) R.I.P. Ken Rebok... a fantastic baseball and basketball coach, and an even better person. A Huber Heights legend!
Former site of both versions of League Park, and the Palace of the Fans as the other gentleman eluded too. I would've loved to have seen a game or two there
Any true baseball who would like to get a hint of how nice Crosley Field was should check out the replica of it in Ash, Ohio. Dads, please bring your kids w/ you. Don't forget a ball & glove.
The left field terrace was always a favorite. Frank Robinson could navigate it backpedaling up it but I understand Babe Ruth face flopped on the last year he played. Robinson wanted Camden Yards to have a terrace but got shot down. We would drive in from Lancaster Ohio down US 22 before the interstates.
Frank Bibik Oh yeah, o’le Bobby Tolan had his bat high into the air. It was amazing how he dropped it down before swinging at the ball. Tony Perez played third and a huge fan favorite. It hurt bad when they traded Lee May.
@graciemaemarie11, the Reds actually have five World Series titles (1919, 1940, 1975-'76, and 1990), and only three other National League franchises have more. Only the St. Louis Cardinals with 11, the New York/San Francisco Giants with 7, and the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers with six have more World Series titles among National League teams than do the Reds (the Pittsburgh Pirates have an equal number to the Reds). It often gets lost because the Reds really haven't been big winners since the 1970s, but the Reds have actually been one of the most successful National League franchises throughout the history of the World Series. One thing many people fail to realize is that, until World War II, the three most successful franchises, in terms of World Series titles, were all American League franchises. We know of what the Yankees did, but the Red Sox and Athletics, with five each prior to World War II, also had more World Series titles than any other NL team had until the Cardinals broke into the group with three in five years from 1942-'46, giving them a total of six. And another thing about Crosley Field. In 1940, it was the scene where the Reds won the World Series at home for the only time in their history. All their other World Series titles were won on the road. The 1919 World Series was won at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the epic '75 classic was won at Fenway, their historic sweep of the post-season in '76 was completed at Yankee Stadium, and their upset of the A's in 1990 was completed in Oakland. Only the 1940 title was won at home.
One has to wonder how different baseball history would look if the Red Sox hadn't sold most of their best players, including Babe Ruth, to the NYYankees after 1919. (that coming from a Reds' fan)
@@fastfootedone If the Red Sox had taken the $$$ from the Babe Ruth sale, and invested in the team, they'd have been great. $450,000, the total proceeds, was an astounding sum in those days. Would be millions now.
COOL...MY grandfather caught a foul ball hit by Gus Bell (Sr.) April '56...I've got the ball and the scuff where it had hit on the wall. I wouldn't sell it for anything (well, there WOULD be a price, heh heh...)
I am not a Reds fan, but still felt sad hearing the reporter & the historian reminisce. Clearly they loved this park & all the greats who played here. Why was it torn down, and replaced with a new stadium? With lame artificial grass?
Edd Roush, Heinie Groh, Ella Rixey, doll Luque, Ewell Blackwell, Pete rose, tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Bid McPhee, Ernie Lombardi, Franck Mcormick, Lonny Frey, Noodles Hahn, tony Mullane. I could be here all day. But they all played there with the Reds.
I'm a Tigers fan who loves all kinds of baseball history. Crosley Field is part of that love. I love it when you went back to the old days of the game when parks were named for their team owners, wether it was Crosley Field, or Forbes Field, or Navin Fieldl or Ebbets Field. My favorite recollection of Crosley was a 1937 photo of the field flooded with Reds players in a rowboat surveying the field.Every fan in every city has wonderful memories tolive with.
I would'nt go so far as to my experience @ Riverfront "fun". Roughly 10,000 or so showed up to view that night game. The weather was kind of autumn-like. And the play of both teams was nothing to brag about. The biggest cheers were when the message broad up above in center field relayed results of how Carl Lewis & company had done in the Summer Olympics of that year..
Hey, no problem. I just wanted to make sure if someone saw this from out of town and didn't know.....to know it's in Blue Ash,Ohio and if I remember right the field to the left of it is/was the exact dimensions of Riverfront Stadium. But the Crosley is no doubt the one that draws the ohhh and ahhhs....they did a beautiful job there and it's the closest anyone will ever get to being at Crosley Field no doubt. My Dad said it's dead on.:-)
I saw giants their in 66 Willie macovey hit one that's still going. Set hey hit the clothing sign in left and didn't the player get a free suit? Ah memories!
Agreed, that form of nostalgia describing baseball's past as"innocent" is myopia of the worst kind. Ball players have always wanted to get paid, and owners always have wanted to make as much as they can from their investment. Nothing changes, just the sums get bigger.
Crosley Field was certainly a mixed bag. Great place to watch a game, unfortunately tough neighborhood, difficult parking, car vandalism, unsavory men’s rooms (at least before Howsam), etc...Reds doubled attendance at Riverfront not because it was an improved watching experience, people came to Riverfront for practical reasons.
No - they played at U of Cs football stadium (Nippert). Multipurpose stadiums were born when the Astrodome, Riverfront, RFK, THree-RIvers, Busch, Fulton County, and others(cookie-cutter stadiums) were being produced - then, the Bengals shared Riverfront until it was demolished.
Go watch a game at Fenway where you can't fit into the seat, which happens to point at left field instead of home plate, and then watch a game in Baltimore, and tell me which park is better.....
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I'm 77 yrs old and will never forget Crosley Field. One of the saddest photographs that I have ever seen, is in this video. It's the picture of the destruction of Crosley Field. I loved that place.
I appreciate reading all the comments about Crosley Field. I'm a lifelong Detroit Tigers fan. I went to my first game at Tiger Stadium in June 1965, just before my tenth birthday. I remember the last decade of the glory era before money took over the game. I remember the smell of the stale beer, the cigar smoke, and the intoxicating aroma of hot dogs on the grill at the concession stand. I've been to many ballparks over the years, major league, minors, and spring training sites, but Tiger Stadium was the most special place on earth. Crosley Field was a lot like Tiger Stadium. Old-time Reds fans are just as devoted to Crosley Field as Tiger fans are to Tiger Stadium. REAL BASEBALL was played in those parks. Tiger Stadium and Crosley Field should never have been torn down. I wish I could have seen a game at Crosley Field.
@James Clark i am a big Tiger's fan from Windsor Ont. Got to see my first game the year before the Stadium closed and then again 2 weeks before the final game. It was a magical place. I could feel the history when I was there. When i walked across one of those catwalks and out to the seating area I felt like I was being transported back in time. Beautiful place!
Just happened to be reading this the night before Reds 2020 "Opening Day" (such as it is). I like the fact that the Reds are playing the historic Detroit Tigers... (I was at Crosley when I was about 9 yrs. old.)
Great great great video. As a Pirate fan I have the same feeling for old Forbes Field. Not only the smell of stale beer but the smell of cigars is one thing I'll always remember. Crosley and Forbes exactly the same era 1909/1912 thru 1970. Both cities have had 2 ballparks sincebut seriously they don't make 'me like they used to!!
Great take buddy!!!
Just started taking my son who is 4 to some Reds games at Great American Ball Park., hope it means as much to him as it does us!
My grandma made sure that my very first MLB game I saw was at Crosley before the Reds moved - August 1969.
Grandma was very wise.
Your lucky that your grandma did right. I wish I had gone there but I'm from chicago and I didnt start going (ballparks)till 71. At least the owners finally realized they're better. And at least I saw Comiskey and Wrigley. My brother should've taken his kids (Comiskey) in 90 but he thought he was too busy
My first MLB game was at Crosley...9/9/69. Reds v SF. Gaylord Perry pitched for the Giants. McCovey hit a HR. And Charlie Hustle was tossed after complaining to the ump about Perry's spitballs. I was 9 years old at the time and even though Cincy lost, it was a magical night. Glad I was able to catch that one and only game at Crosley.
Dad took me to see my first MLB game at Crosley in 1961. I can still remember the sensation of walking through the concourse and seeing the field for the first time. It was magical to me. Pinson, O’Toole, Purkey, Edwards and Hutch and all the others were bigger than life to me.
You know there are people out there that have NO IDEA what you're talking about. They, obviously are not baseball fans. You, sir are one. As am I. Everything you you wrote could have been written by me. Just change the year to 1960 and the venue to Forbes Field!!
Wow, what memories. My Dad worked for Fisher Body (General Motors) in Fairfield OH when I was a kid. He used to get tickets to the ball game at work and we would go to Cincinnati to see the Reds play at Crosley Field. This was back in the 50's. Some of my best times with my Dad, he loved baseball and the Reds.
Cub fan here who was born in the 50's and I remember beautiful Crosley Field. Always loved when my Cubbies played there (although we usually lost back then). Ballparks are just just not that homey any more. Back then, just about in all ballparks the fans were right on top of the action.
I'm a nearly 71 year old from the NY Metro area. I thought the "Redlegs" had great uniforms. My Ted Kluszewski Topps card was one of my favorites with the cutoff sleeves. I grew up with the Yankees, Giants and Dodgers in NY. That doesn't mean that I ignored players from other teams or their ballparks. If the local NY stations should happen to broadcast an away game it was easy to discern the locations. I knew most of the best players from baseball cards, NY newspapers and some TV. And there was always Street and Smiths baseball previews and rosters.
For the true Cincy fan, I was in the Navy with a Schoenling, but I never quaffed any brew.
All in all, thanks for posting this. I haven't been to a baseball game since the Phillies home opener in 1993.
There was some very beautiful & unique baseball stadiums way back, when baseball was great!!
What a great video and I love seeing the comments from folks who have been there. Thanks for the history everybody ❤❤❤❤
Thank you so much Howard for this special report on Crosley Field. I love learning about the old ball parks and what made them so unique and special to their fans.
My family and I took a cross country trip from Long Island to California in 1968. We stopped in Cincy and took in a Mets' game at Crossley Field. We got a lot of Mets' autographs of players who would go on to be World Series Champs the next year.
I got Powel Crosley's autograph in 1958 in Seattle when the Reds played an exhibition game vs. their farm club, the Seattle Rainiers, which had the most beautiful park in the minor leagues. Mr. Crosley was an old man by then. I saw Vada Pinson steal home twice in a double-header in Seattle 1958 when he was twenty, he went up to the Reds at the end of '58 and never came back. This is great, thank you.
great vid, i remember fondly sitting at crosley field and watching such as mays, clemente, bench, perez, marris and others hit home runs. Who can forget the terrace in the outfield? The line on the center field wall because it had to be built high because of I-75 being so close. 1960's in crosley field , a great place to be for young men and women who grew up watching baseball as it once was.
My first Major league game I saw in person was at Wrigley Field in 1966. What took my breath away was how green the grass looked, and the smells and noises of the ballpark were intoxicating for a 13-year old. The Cubs were playing the Dodgers, I got to watch Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax warm up, and I was so close I could hear all the players banter. Even though the Cubs lost[as usual], it was an amazing day in my young life.
I love those old scoreboards with all of the information you need, including out of town scores in both leagues. And this one seems to have been one of the largest.
As a kid growing up in GA during the 60s I “adopted” the Reds as my favorite team (Jim Maloney, Deron Johnson! Frank Robinson etc]. I always wanted to go to Crosley field but....alas .... I never got the chance. Thanks for the video.
I remember Crosley Field. Love it. My 1st game there was a DH against the Houston Colt 45s. I thought the park had the greenest grass. You can"t beat those old parks.
Was no DH in the national league in 1969
My first game was a DH against the Dodgers.
@@michaelcanney7218 DH here meaning Doubleheader, not designated hitter. For example, the Houston Colt 45s actually had two separate doubleheaders at Crosley Field in 1964, one on July 14th, another on August 29th. The Reds also hosted the Colt 45s to 2 DHs in 1962 and 1 in 1963.
Bobby Downs : I thought you meant designated hitter, too.
Tells you how rare double headers have become 😞
Only one thing missing in this wonderful tribute to Crosley Field: the terrace. The terrace was a slope-an incline in left field to the wall. My brother and I would listen to radio broadcasts of our Brooklyn Dodgers at the Reds and hear Vin Scully describe a ball hit to the terrace; or a man fielding a ball on the terrace. We pictured something like an extended porch and could not fathom what such a thing would be doing on a ball field.
Didn't Yogi Berra make a falling-down catch on the terrace in the 1961 WS? He played LF a lot after the Yankees brought up Elston Howard.
great looking old ballpark. center field view is awesome
There are five parks that I wish I had seen.
1) Baker Bowl.
2) Polo Grounds.
3) CROSLEY FIELD.
4) Ebbets Field.
5) Braves Field.
Even though I grew up in Atlanta as a Braves fan in the 1970's, I believe I would have loved this ballpark - and this team.
Connie Mack stadium too
As a kid in the early 60's, saw my first first 2 reds games, there with the whole family. On the way out, I remember Jim Shelton selling peanuts saying "Get em while their hot". It ws Wilie Mays, Joe Nuxhall, and a crew cut rookie on second base named Pete Rose. A great experience.
I will always remember the First German Reformed Church with its tall steeple rising up past the Sun Deck in right field. Neighborhood ball parks were the best. I grew up in Huntington, WV in the 60's and my Dad and I used to take the C & O train up to Union Terminal where we would walk about 10 minutes north on Dalton Avenue to the ball park. Dad would always buy a scorecard for 10¢ and make me keep score. Compared to the sterile environments of today, I wouldn't trade a single memory of this old place.
I grew up in the 90s. Still have memories of Riverfront as a kid before they tore it down in 2002 I think it was. I wish I could have been alive in the 60s. Cincinnati was probably a much cooler place.
@@harveyboy7019 Riverfront was just another one of those cookie cutter stadiums of the 1970s--that, Three Rivers, Shea, the Oakland Coliseum, etc. They had almost the same symmetrical dimensions down the lines, to the power alleys, and to center. Astroturf and polyester uniforms. Great teams, shitty stadiums with no personality or soul. The new retro parks are so much an improvement.
As a kid just getting interested in baseball in about '68-'69, I remember those Saturday afternoon games on NBC, and quite a number were in Cincinnati. I always thought of C.F. as that ballpark where you could see cars steaming by in opposite lanes right past left and center fields. Then somewhere I heard that Houston power hitter Jim Wynn slugged one that hit a passing car, and I'm sure that couldn't have been the only time that happened.
Great presentation! Crosley Field was a magical wonderland to this kid growing up in Hamilton in the late 1950's! Fell in love with peanuts salted in the shell but I don't remember the gentleman featured in this video. Thanks for posting!
Wow that's incredible. I wish I could have been alive then. What year did you graduate high school?
@@harveyboy7019 I graduated from high school in 1965 and, by the way, the late Frank Robison was my all time favorite professional athlete!!!
My mother took me to Crosley field....1959, i can still smell the beer, popcorn, & hot dogs...
Never forget the games my Dad took me to at Crosley when I was a kid. Mom took me to a day game in the summer of '69, Crosley's last season.
My Grandpa and my Dad took me and my brother to see the Reds here for my very first game, I was 7 years old and that's when I fell in love with baseball and the Reds. I can remember sitting in the rightfield sun deck with everyone yelling at Rusty Staub, Rusty go home, he would just turn around and wave to us. Years later I was able to take my Dad to Riverfront for a game, What great memories and I miss them.
@MrPocketfullOfSteel You're right about the Blue Ash field being the closest young fans who never had the privilege to sit in Crosley Field will get. The thing that can't be conveyed, save for film footage, is the magical backdrop of the buildings just beyond the fences and the Western Hills Viaduct and Clifton on top of the Hill there...All of that gave the fan a powerful sense of PLACEn. In the 60's, my pop and I (lost him September2014) would go quite often and one of the biggest thrills for me was watching Lee May. This under appreciated power hitter wielded a huge bat that still looked like it was the souvenir handed out on Bat Day. Lee would hit homers that would sail over the left field fence and hit the building across the street, sometimes breaking windows! I remember so many men wore hats, not ball caps, b ut hats that men used to wear, especially in big cities. Men don't wear hats anymore. I loved, even at 7 years old, the aroma of cigar smoke mingling with the scent of mustard and grass and that Spring/Summer BASEBALL AIR that the Gods seemed to blow especially on the Sacred Grounds where men with the zeal of little boys played their hearts out...Big Money had not yet reared it's horned head to spoil our Boys, but it was on it's way. One night in 1970, My dad and I were in the Moon Deck. It was early May and I heard that our Reds were going to play in a different ball park, but you don't internalize things when you're nine, you think, "Crosley will just still be here, though." When my dad took me to Riverfront for the first time, a little bit after the famous All Star game played there (look up 1970 All Star Game to see why), the REAL Magic of Crosley Field slammed into my young brain. There was no grass smell. There was NO GRASS. You didn't get that mélange (hope that is right word, lol) of aroma, sight, sound. It seemed that hats had disappeared overnight. It had the effect of being told a bed time story and you're mom had skipped 10 pages or something. That's the way it seemed to me, anyway. When the wrecking ball took Crosley from all of us, it seemed to take some innocence along with the rubble of the Temple of Bat and Ball. It was going to be a long, painful descent for the game and the boys who played it. The dilemma of Roy Hobbs we saw played out time and time again as our heroes took a bite from the apple offered from the Lady in Black. There was to be too many "Say it ain't so, Joe" hearbreaking realizations from kids who saw behind the curtain. Me? I was one of the lucky ones-- I caught the tail end of the Golden Era...And I still believe--In The Game. Thanks for posting this wonderful piece of history.
Great post *MichaelG*👍....I very much enjoyed it! Ha! I was born in 1966, my Dad said he took me to Crosley when I maybe 3yrs. old. I don't remember it, I have a feeling I was more 2yrs. than three. I had such an infatuation with that ballpark though, even as a child. Collecting pictures of Crosley etc. and going down there when it was just a big car lot. It was so sad for me then..... even as a child. Having said that, when Riverfront Stadium was built it was (for me) one of the first indelible things and/feelings that attached to this 4yr. old kid. Of course there was no smell of the grass.....but daggone....that stadium for a young child at least....and in that era....it simply could not get any better (for me at least).😁 It was basically all I knew. Know what I mean? Like you with your Dad, Riverfront Stadium was that for me and my brother and Dad. My Dad attended so many games there and were fortunate enough to see some milestones achieved and many Many Dramatic come from behind last at bat wins. The last weekend of games played there happened to coincide with the Bearcats football team playing the Suckeye....errrr I mean the Buckeyes over at Paul Brown Stadium. My Dad surprised me (we had tix for the UC-OSU game) and we walked over to Riverfront and watched our last Red's game at Riverfront Stadium. We left somewhere during the home half of the 7th inning and walked over to PBS. What a great day! Sorry for the passing of your Dad.😔 That has/had to be tough. I still have my Dad, he is in his mid 70's now. As for Lee May....Ha!....I used to imitate the ~`Big Bopper`~ when I was digging into the box in our palatial wiffleball field in our backyard in the Seven Hills Subdivision, which used to be beautiful BTW. But that is another story. Ha!
Hello, my friend...I very much enjoyed your response, as well. It's not surprising that you would still be infatuated with Crosley-- us Cincinnati Boys have baseball in our blood! Your recollections of Riverfront reminded me that I also had plenty of great times with my dad there as well. Also, one thing Riverfront had over Crosley was the thrill of seeing the skyline when you were out on the plaza. My wife and I used to love to just watch the city as the people scrambled for their cars after the game...then we went to the Skyline Chili at Clifton and Ludlow for a late night 4 way and chili sandwiches....MMMMM. Cincinnati is really a spectacular city, many faceted and it doesn't get the respect she deserves. I've lived in New York, Tampa Bay-- both awesome places to live, but Cincy has something that gets INSIDE you and won't let go. I get back there every chance I get. By the way, I used to live in Northbrook, and Mt. Healthy so I know what you mean about Seven Hills....All my old neighborhoods have changed; Bond Hill, Finneytown, The aforementioned and also Forest Park...Well, some have gotten BETTER. Treasure the time with your pop, I know you do. One thing that ALL of us from our childhoods back then remember as something we heard every night as we drove home with our dads from "The old ball orchard", is Joe Nuxhall (RIP) saying, "This is the old left hander rounding third and heading for home...g'night everybody." We're a lucky couple of guys. Write me anytime, my friend!
...wow..you were there firsthand...please note that the last season where you could compare the average workingman's wages to a major leaguer was 1968 where the rookie salary was $18,000...still a hefty salary for the time but after the Curt Flood incident and Catfish Hunter skewing things up the average Joe could not relate and understandably lost interest ....
@@MrPocketfullOfSteel Hey, man...Came across this comment and just thought I'd drop you a line to see how you and yours are faring in this crazy time!
We must only be about five or six years apart in age (I'm going to turn 60 in October). Stay well, my friend.
@@1060michaelg Hey Michaelg - hope this finds you and finds you well. Strange - because I don't believe in coincidence that I would receive this today of all days.
Kinda made me smile, I needed that. Sadly my Dad just passed away on April 1st, 2020 in an extremely strange manner that I won't get into here. But I WILL find out the particulars and for the last week my father in law has been hospitalized for going on a week. Sign of the times my man and I'm ready either way. Pray that you and yours are doing well. Feel free to write anytime. WWG1WGA.
So many memories of Crosley from the 50's & 60's. Parking at Union Terminal for free 2 blocks away (and having kids offer to 'watch' your car for a quarter to make sure nothing happened to it). Seeing home runs hit into the laundry building behind left field. Sitting in left field and razzing the bullpen pitchers when they'd sneak a cigarette during the game. I wish they'd recreated the outfield terrace in the new park. It was a wonderful place to see a ballgame.
My car got broken into one night at Union Terminal 🤬
I saw The Beatles there Aug. 21, 1966.
Gil Langhorst
My sisters and mother saw the Beatles there also. Man I was so young and mad I didn’t get to go with them. I was eight years old and knew how big of a deal that was.
Gil Langhorst
I remember riding along with my dad taking my older sister and mother to see them. I guess they thought I was too young to go. I was 11 years old and I was sad that I couldn’t see the Beatles. That is a memory you’ll never forget. Glad you got to see them.
Being there was one of the highlights of that fab tour. About two dozen of us fans brought out our gloves and tossed around a few balls for about half a hr. Beat the hell out of our visit to Riverfront to watch the Reds host the Cubs.
Those old ballparks had that stale beer smell (probably because of the roofs over the grandstands didn't allow rain water to wash off the steps)? Tiger Stadium was the same way, and nowadays, you don't get that all that much anymore (except maybe in a store bottle room that needs a good cleaning), you know, sticky floors, stale beer, now all we need is a game on, some organ music, and the experience is real!
I advised and and all baseball fans to pay a visit to Blue Ash, Ohio. There you'll find a replica of Crosley field. Whether you're a fan of the Reds or not, you'll find it worth the trip.
Great clip! Thanks for posting!
Wonderful; Thank you!
Incredible story I wish I could have seen Crosley field.
I grew up going to Fenway park my cousin told me that Crosley was the only other MLB park to have a home run net on the outfield wall but I've never seen it.
A place my Grandfather, Father and Uncles knew well. Sadly, my first game was the 72 World Series loss to the Oakland A's Game 2, in Riverfront Stadium. That being said, I remember the Big Red Machine of the 70's my childhood heroes and the winner of Back to back WS's against the Red Sox, Yankees 76-77. I was every home game Standing room only. Stale bear was the predominant smell, and the German Brattwurst's and Metts. The 77 Reds, greatest team ever assembled pre free agent.
You mean back to back WS in 75-76. And Sparky Anderson, "Captain Hook", was the beginning of the end of the complete game.
@@mikeprevost8650 a absolutely. 75 -76. My bad. Capt Hook was the greatest
Great stuff thanks for posting
I ran into Jim Maloney a few years back late 90s. He was a trash compactor salesman for a commercial dealer. They just didn't make the big bucks in his day and I recall feeling bad for him although he was one of my childhood heroes when he pitched at crosley.
Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis was home to both Cardinals & Browns (AL). Browns became Baltimore Orioles in 1953. Babe Ruth hit towering home runs there, and also was thrown out stealing for the final out in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series won by the Cards. Sportsman’s Park later became the “first” Busch Stadium after Anheuser-Busch bought the Cardinals. The last game there was played in 1966. Like Crosley Field, the site has a memorial plaque at the site of its home plate.
...as a fan of the Mets in the late '60s I remember the classic ballparks that included Crosley Field and I think the outfield had a rise to it...along with Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia Park whose name I forgot but I remember Richie Allen crushing homers into the bleachers...classic ballparks that succumbed to greed and the wrecking ball...thanks for the video btw...mixed emotions but it's all good
Mark Lennox
Phila old ballpark was Shibe Park
They left there to play at the Vet which was much like Riverfront in Cinn and Three Rivers in Pitts
@@willnchicago696 ...thanks Cubs fan...I actually remembered the name lying on the couch last night...those parks were old but they certainly had flavor...
Connie Mack Stadium in Philly.
@@randykohler3398 I thought it was Shibe Park but okay.
I remember watching the games on television with Ed Kennedy and Pee Wee Reese. The pre-game show was Dugout Dope and loved the player interview. That right there would make you moody for a Hude. I was fortunate enough to see a game at Crosley the last year it was opened. Went there with the Boys Scouts. I have a signed Joe Nuxhall photo Of him sitting in the dugout. Those were great times watching young Pete Rose, Vada Pinson, Jim Maloney, Jim O’toole, Bill McCool, Woody Woodward, Chico Cardenas, and the others before the machine got started. Here is to all you dedicated Reds fans, Rock n’ Roll with Hudepohl.
Jim McCracken
I got bamboozled cause my beer definitely wasn’t Burger even though it’s from the same place as me. There was a few times I have to admit that I got the urge. I’ll tell you this though I definitely had a few of those liquid downers, Little Kings.
Jim McCracken
Yes I do remember that. O’le George is long gone but his beer is still here. How about this one,
Some beers come from Milwaukee
Some come from over the seas
I’m not bamboozeled my beer is Burger
It comes from the same place as me
So pour me another fresh Burger
Pour me a Burger or two
I’m always at home while I’m sipping my foam
Cause Burgers’ my own hometown brew.
My Paternal Grandfather, Step Great-Grandfather and Uncle would occasionally catch the L & N in Anchorage (just east of Louisville, KY) and go to see the Reds at Crosley. I was too young to make the trip with them before they got too old to go themselves.
Can’t think of Crosley Field without remembering the terrace.
I was thinking the same thing, George. As a kid growing up back in the 50's and 60's, I can remember all the televised Pirate games when they played at Crosley Field and that very terrace. Along with remembering the terrace, I can also remember outfielders who would occasionally misplay fly balls that were hit out there, especially center fielders.
Nothing was better than Crosley Field.
I’m loving the photographs of the old ballpark, and people entering the stadium… any idea where I might be able to find some more photos, specifically from 1935 or 1936?
Great Job!
My dad took me to the last game at Crosley. Riverfront Stadium just didn’t have the same feel.
The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 when I was 7 years old. I will never forget the voice of Vin Scully calling games from Crosley Field. The stories he spun while calling a game made you feel like you were there.
Oh wow, you were there today? That had to be fun, it's been 12 yrs maybe since I was there.....I have to get back down there and reminisce. Nice win today by the Reds FWIW. :-)
I grew up six blocks away. We would walk to the games as kids. Walking south on Spring Grove ave. By the time you got to the western hills viaduct. You could smell the ball park. Peanuts. Cigars. The field. Draft beer. Hotdogs. Baseball had it's own smell. Back in the day. Lol. Sat on the sun deck several times in the sixties. We called it the bleachers.
As a Pirate fan in the 60s I would watch every away game that was on tv, and Crosley was my favorite road venue. It was fascinating to watch outfielders, especially for the visiting team, play deep fly balls to left. No other MLB park had anything like that left field terrace at Crosley until Houston tried a cheap imitation at Minute Maid Park in center field. Boy the Pirates and Reds had some wild games in those days. They can build ballparks with all the amenities in the world, but for my money nothing beats the old ballparks.
When I was 11 Ken Rebok took a few of us Huber Heights punks to Crosley for a game against St. Louis.
We went early and mooched down to the front row to watch batting practice. The fence was like 3 feet high, and as the Cards warmed up, several balls rolled over our way. In the space of about 15 minutes, I reached over the little fence and grabbed three balls, one after the other, to my absolute amazement. On the third one, St. Louis shortstop Julian Javier came over and said "Let met borrow that ball, kid, and I'll give it back to you when we're done..." A guy behind us said I was a sucker and would never see the ball again. But Javier was true true to his word and returned it to me. I sold all three to Ken for 5 bucks on the way home, and thought I was a a millionaire :) R.I.P. Ken Rebok... a fantastic baseball and basketball coach, and an even better person. A Huber Heights legend!
PS Me and Tim Tamplin got us a "fish sannich" between the 3rd and 4th innings :)
Former site of both versions of League Park, and the Palace of the Fans as the other gentleman eluded too. I would've loved to have seen a game or two there
Any true baseball who would like to get a hint of how nice Crosley Field was should check out the replica of it in Ash, Ohio. Dads, please bring your kids w/ you. Don't forget a ball & glove.
They didn't mention the left field terrace where the playing field inclined to the fence. It was like a little hill.
The left field terrace was always a favorite. Frank Robinson could navigate it backpedaling up it but I understand Babe Ruth face flopped on the last year he played. Robinson wanted Camden Yards to have a terrace but got shot down. We would drive in from Lancaster Ohio down US 22 before the interstates.
1M25S....Priceless!!! 1M09S...Morgana, "The Kissing Bandit".
Great video. Go Cubs!
Christopher Scott
Go sCrUBs....
Far far away....!!!
The greatest catch live I was watching it on T V Willie Mays caught a Bobbie Tolan shot to right center at crosley field!
Frank Bibik
Oh yeah, o’le Bobby Tolan had his bat high into the air. It was amazing how he dropped it down before swinging at the ball. Tony Perez played third and a huge fan favorite. It hurt bad when they traded Lee May.
It was up next to I.75 then..i remember in 68 driving. Up 75.rite next to stadium.mrj
My dad used to go to Crosley Field. They offered free Burger Beer. The stuff was so nasty my dad got up and bought himself a Budweiser.
I remember the peanut guy. What I remember the most is the arm and hand coming out from behind the scoreboard to manually change the game stats.
Yep, remember the arm! I bet it was a real tight working space out there at the scoreboard! And hot!
LOL Great memory Douglas! I had forgotten.
@graciemaemarie11, the Reds actually have five World Series titles (1919, 1940, 1975-'76, and 1990), and only three other National League franchises have more. Only the St. Louis Cardinals with 11, the New York/San Francisco Giants with 7, and the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers with six have more World Series titles among National League teams than do the Reds (the Pittsburgh Pirates have an equal number to the Reds). It often gets lost because the Reds really haven't been big winners since the 1970s, but the Reds have actually been one of the most successful National League franchises throughout the history of the World Series.
One thing many people fail to realize is that, until World War II, the three most successful franchises, in terms of World Series titles, were all American League franchises. We know of what the Yankees did, but the Red Sox and Athletics, with five each prior to World War II, also had more World Series titles than any other NL team had until the Cardinals broke into the group with three in five years from 1942-'46, giving them a total of six.
And another thing about Crosley Field. In 1940, it was the scene where the Reds won the World Series at home for the only time in their history. All their other World Series titles were won on the road. The 1919 World Series was won at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the epic '75 classic was won at Fenway, their historic sweep of the post-season in '76 was completed at Yankee Stadium, and their upset of the A's in 1990 was completed in Oakland. Only the 1940 title was won at home.
One has to wonder how different baseball history would look if the Red Sox hadn't sold most of their best players, including Babe Ruth, to the NYYankees after 1919. (that coming from a Reds' fan)
cjs83172 but 1919 was bs.... chisox let reds win
@@fastfootedone
If the Red Sox had taken the $$$ from the Babe Ruth sale, and invested in the team, they'd have been great. $450,000, the total proceeds, was an astounding sum in those days. Would be millions now.
Great to see the way it was, I get sick when I see 3 interpreters in the dugout on American soil.
saw the Reds and Dodgers in 1955, nine years old, got a foul ball from Ron Fairly
COOL...MY grandfather caught a foul ball hit by Gus Bell (Sr.) April '56...I've got the ball and the scuff where it had hit on the wall. I wouldn't sell it for anything (well, there WOULD be a price, heh heh...)
I am not a Reds fan, but still felt sad hearing the reporter & the historian reminisce. Clearly they loved this park & all the greats who played here. Why was it torn down, and replaced with a new stadium? With lame artificial grass?
looks a little like Fenway Park without the Green Monster
It looks a lot better without that stupid wall
Edd Roush, Heinie Groh, Ella Rixey, doll Luque, Ewell Blackwell, Pete rose, tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Bid McPhee, Ernie Lombardi, Franck Mcormick, Lonny Frey, Noodles Hahn, tony Mullane. I could be here all day. But they all played there with the Reds.
I'm a Tigers fan who loves all kinds of baseball history. Crosley Field is part of that love. I love it when you went back to the old days of the game when parks were named for their team owners, wether it was Crosley Field, or Forbes Field, or Navin Fieldl or Ebbets Field. My favorite recollection of Crosley was a 1937 photo of the field flooded with Reds players in a rowboat surveying the field.Every fan in every city has wonderful memories tolive with.
William Snyder
You left out Comiskey Field
I would'nt go so far as to my experience @ Riverfront "fun". Roughly 10,000 or so showed up to view that night game. The weather was kind of autumn-like. And the play of both teams was nothing to brag about. The biggest cheers were when the message broad up above in center field relayed results of how Carl Lewis & company had done in the Summer Olympics of that year..
I remember the left field terrace. You could see that a section of left field ground was below street level.
Damn the same thing happened to tigers stadium Fenway is the last old girl left
Hey, no problem. I just wanted to make sure if someone saw this from out of town and didn't know.....to know it's in Blue Ash,Ohio and if I remember right the field to the left of it is/was the exact dimensions of Riverfront Stadium. But the Crosley is no doubt the one that draws the ohhh and ahhhs....they did a beautiful job there and it's the closest anyone will ever get to being at Crosley Field no doubt. My Dad said it's dead on.:-)
I saw giants their in 66
Willie macovey hit one that's still going. Set hey hit the clothing sign in left and didn't the player get a free suit? Ah memories!
Yep Bill, I saw SF in '68 and McCovey hit one out on I-75. He could launch 'em!
Thank you! Gotta LOVE baseball.......
The first Major League night game was played there in 1935.
There has never been an innocent day of baseball. What I remember about Crosley Field was the big slum you can see in left field.
Agreed, that form of nostalgia describing baseball's past as"innocent" is myopia of the worst kind. Ball players have always wanted to get paid, and owners always have wanted to make as much as they can from their investment. Nothing changes, just the sums get bigger.
never will forget the laundry or the "goat run"
Oh crap, that's right. Forgive me. The visit was part of a baseball tour I took back in "96. Thanks for the correction.
Crosley Field was certainly a mixed bag. Great place to watch a game, unfortunately tough neighborhood, difficult parking, car vandalism, unsavory men’s rooms (at least before Howsam), etc...Reds doubled attendance at Riverfront not because it was an improved watching experience, people came to Riverfront for practical reasons.
In mid-1970s late ("Peanut") Jimmy Shelton suffered complications from broken hip when he was attacked by hoodlums
Wish you could still get a beer and hot dog for 50 cents. A beer and dog now costs $12
No - they played at U of Cs football stadium (Nippert). Multipurpose stadiums were born when the Astrodome, Riverfront, RFK, THree-RIvers, Busch, Fulton County, and others(cookie-cutter stadiums) were being produced - then, the Bengals shared Riverfront until it was demolished.
25 cents for a beer.....SOLD!!
Doesn't Crosley have the distinction of having something in play in the outfield? (scoreboard/flag pole)
Pete rose greatest player in reds history
Intimate history you won't find in a book.
There was a hill or incline in left field.
you wish you could go back. in time and tell people to destroy the great ballparks just restore them !
?
Go watch a game at Fenway where you can't fit into the seat, which happens to point at left field instead of home plate, and then watch a game in Baltimore, and tell me which park is better.....
@Jim McCracken You should change your name to Phil....
That stadium should never been razed.
Did they play football at Crosley Field?
Can't stand new ball parks there to flashy and stupid looking to miss these old stadiums
Didn’t Jimmy Wynn hit one onto the highway in ‘64 or so?
It actually bounced up on onto the highway. The video is on TH-cam. Search Jimmy Wynn Crosley Field. Nuxhall is on the call.
How could anybody give this a negative review
Was this park considered a hitters or a pitchers park?
Definitely a hitter's park. Except when Koufax pitched. NO ONE could hit him!
Games went 1:45 min. when he was on the mound...
Also, It Was Like Another Fenway Park In Boston To Me!
They don't mention Burger Beer. How can you mention Crosley Field without mentioning Burger Beer.
Peanut Jim Shelton I remember him when I was a kid but it was after the reds moved to riverfront.
Wasn't the field flooded out at Crosley ?
1937
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There were a couple record Ohio River floods in the early '60s
Riverfront Stadium was flooded more than once I am pretty sure.
Yes during the 1937 flood. 2 players actually rowed a boat onto the water into the ball park.