Matt Lupica - The Baseball Stadium Insider: A Dissection of All Thirty Ballparks, Legendary Players,and Memorable Moments

MATT LUPICA

FOREWORD BY STEVE BLASS

Black Squirrel Books

Kent, Ohio

L ike millions of other baseball fans, I remember every detail about the first time I walked into a Major League ballpark. It is, in every sense, a rite of passage in America.

For me, it was truly a momentous day. When I was a ten-year-old from the small town of Falls Village, Connecticut, my father drove us to Brewster, New York, and then we took a commuter train the rest of the way to Yankee Stadium.

While walking through the dark tunnel, underneath the stands, for a 1952 game between the Yankees and my beloved Cleveland Indians, my father took a quick glimpse at our tickets to confirm that we had arrived at our section. We suddenly entered the grandstand, and I got my first glimpse inside Yankee Stadium. The site was breathtaking. My first impression was how the perfectly manicured green grass looked like a bed of emeralds under the massive light towers. I then looked up to see the famous white faade stretch across the top of the upper deck. I glanced quickly at the small scoreboard in right field thatin just four yearswould be the backdrop of the iconic photo of Don Larsens last pitch of his World Series perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. I had seen it all on television before, but now it was live. Now it was in color. And it all seemed so massive.

There is nothing like being in a ballpark in person. The sights. The sounds. And as a former Major Leaguer, I could certainly appreciate the memorable line given in the movie, Field of Dreams, when Shoeless Joe Jackson, played by Ray Liotta, said, Id wake up at night with the smell of the ballpark in my nose, the cool of the grass on my feet. The thrill of the grass.

The thrill of the grass, indeed!

Throughout baseball history, its ballparks have become a vital part of their communities. Ask an old Brooklyn fan what it felt like when the city took a wrecking ball to Ebbets Field after their beloved bums were moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 season. For so many, it was like a death in the family.

And as for Dodgers owner Walter OMalley? Around the Flatbush Avenue part of the borough, its been said that If you asked a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, If you had a gun with only two bullets in it and were in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and OMalley, who would you shoot? The answer: OMalley, twice!

The great Frank Sinatra even recorded a heartbreaking song based on the Dodgers move entitled There Used to Be a Ballpark. Can it hardly be a coincidence that Brooklyn struggled economically, and crime rose from almost the exact year Ebbets Field was torn down and continued for decades?

And spare me the argument that the Dodgers needed a bigger and newer ballpark than the jewel that was Ebbets Field. Fenway Park opened a year before Ebbets Field and seems to be doing quite well in its old age. And that other treasure, the one up on Chicagos north side, Wrigley Field, was opened just a year after Ebbets and continues to be as much a part of that citys soul as any other landmark.

As a Pirates pitcher in the 1960s and 1970s, my career was split between Forbes Field, an older park that opened in 1909, and Three Rivers Stadium, which had a design similar at that time to Veterans Stadium, Riverfront Stadium, and Busch Stadium. The modern Three Rivers Stadium was, naturally, more comfortable to play in, but I missed some of the grit of old Forbes Field. My only regret is that I miss the ballpark smell of Forbes Field. I know it was mostly a result of stale beer and cigar/cigarette smoke, but I miss it just the same.

My first experience at Forbes Field was for my tryout with the Pirates in 1960. To show how times have changed, following my workout, my father and I sat up in the stands to watch the Buccos play a doubleheader. By the fifth inning of the second game, there were streams of beer cascading down the aisles throughout the ballpark. Because the Pirates didnt sell beer at Forbes Field at the time, fans were allowed to bring coolers into the stadium, provided they bought an extra ticket for it. What a hoot!

Can you imagine any club passing on beer revenues today?

Dodger Stadium is another one of my favorite ballparks. The backdrop of Chavez Ravine and the pine and palm trees beyond the bleachers make it a beautiful place to play. But there is one reason why Dodger Stadium will always be close to my heart. It was the venue of my first big league win against none other than Hall of Famer Don Drysdale in his prime back in 1964. So one could conclude that some ballplayers have favorite ballparks in part because of the success or big moments they may have enjoyed in them.

Today, as a color analyst for the Pirates, I have the luxury of working the broadcast booth at PNC Park and looking out at one of baseballs most beautiful backdrops. Beyond the outfield bleachers, the Steel City skyline glistens behind the Roberto Clemente Bridge. And now that the Pirates performance on the field has matched the stadiums brilliance, its like a carnival atmosphere at every home game.

Enjoy this book about baseballs ballparks, where lifelong memories are made at every game.

Steve Blass pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1964 and again from 1966 to 1974, compiling an overall record of 10376 to go along with a career ERA of 3.63. The pinnacle of his career came in 1971, when he helped lead the Pirates to their fourth World Series championship. In that series, Blass turned in two complete game wins, allowing seven hits and two runs over the course of 18 innings.