Ebbets Field is sold to real estate developer Marvin Kratter

Ebbets Field is sold to real estate developer Marvin Kratter

ByThis Day in Baseball

The sale of the historical, but out-of-date, Ebbets Field to real estate developer Marvin Kratter becomes one of the first indications the ballpark is nearing its end, and, perhaps, a harbinger of the Dodgers’ departure from Brooklyn. As part of the deal, club owner Walter O’Malley is given a three-year lease, with an additional two years to be added in January, to stay and play at the Flatbush facility, which means the ‘Bums’ have a potential home in the borough until 1961.

Wagner-Cashmore plan to build a $30-million downtown Brooklyn

Wagner-Cashmore plan to build a $30-million downtown Brooklyn

ByTom

  February 6, 1956 – Supporting the Wagner-Cashmore plan to build a $30-million downtown Brooklyn, NY sports center, Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley promises to buy four million dollars worth of bonds. The proposed legislation, which will be passed and signed by New York Governor Averill Harriman in April, becomes irrelevant due to a lack of…

Walter OMalley

Walter OMalley shows off a domed stadium idea 1955

ByTom

Walter O’Malley, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, wanted to build a domed stadium in Brooklyn with Buckminster Fuller, designer of the geodesic dome. It was to replace Ebbets Field and be where the Barclay Center is now. Robert Moses and New York City denied the project. The rest is history, but imagine if… “Walter O’Malley…

Municipal Stadium
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Municipal Stadium

ByTom

Municipal Stadium,  Kansas City, MO Ball Park First Game Date – 04/12/1955 (1) Starting Pitchers – vs. Tigers: 04/12/1955 Final Score 6-2 (KCA) Attendance – 32,147 Starting Pitchers Alex Kellner (KCA); Ned Garver (DET) First Batter – Harvey Kuenn (DET) Result – Flied to RF First Hits – Fred Hatfield (DET),Doubled to RF (1st) First…

Joe Adcock becomes first player to hit a ball into centerfield bleachers in polo grounds
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Joe Adcock becomes first player to hit a ball into centerfield bleachers in polo grounds

ByThis Day in Baseball

On April 29, 1953, Joe Adcock of the Milwaukee Braves becomes the first major league player to blast a home run into the center-field bleachers at the Polo Grounds. Adcock’s titanic shot against the New York Giants travels an estimated 475 feet, helping the Braves beat the Giants 3-2. Adcock’s blast was off Jim Hearn…

Connie Mack Stadium
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Philadelphia Athletics change the name of Shibe Park to “Connie Mack Stadium”

ByTom

1953 – The Philadelphia Athletics change the name of Shibe Park to “Connie Mack Stadium”, in honor of their longtime owner and manager. Mack was part-owner and manager of the franchise for a record 50 years. The Athletics will depart Philadelphia at the end of the following season, and the Phillies will continue to inhabit Connie Mack Stadium until the end of the 1970 season, when they will move to Veterans Stadium. After being badly damaged in a fire in 1971, Connie Mack Stadium will continue to decay until being torn down in 1976.

Norma Bel Geddes
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Norman Bel Geddes designs a 5,000 seat complex for the Brooklyn Dodgers in Vero Beach, Florida

ByTom

1952 – Norman Bel Geddes, after designing a 5,000 seat complex for the Brooklyn Dodgers in Vero Beach, Florida, states that team owner Walter O’Malley has asked for a stadium design for the team. It is to have a retractable dome, garage, automatic hotdog vending machines, and artificial turf that can be painted in different colors.