The opening shot of Forbes Field, man, that was a truly beautiful ballpark.
OT: Watching “Angels in the Outfield” (1951 original) with a cup of coffee.
- Thread starter LionJim
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I loved the place. My family had season tickets at Forbes from 1958 until it closed in 1970. In the late 60's I was dating the young lady who would become my wife and one year we saw 60 games. Babe Ruth hit his last home run at Forbes on May 25, 1935, playing for the Boston Braves.
This is my favorite photo, taken in 1912, three years after it opened. There is so much to see here but I often wonder what happened to the couple in the left foreground. Did they marry? Did the man die in WW1? Did they live to an old age and, if so, might I have known them in my youth?
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We used to carry a picnic basket with us - pretty much everybody did for doubleheaders. I remember the beautiful aroma of beer and hot dogs, beautiful memories.
I remember how they took the batting cage used in batting pratice and move it to center field and it stayed there for the game. I never saw anyone hit the cage out there as it was a long ways. Forbes Field was huge with a big outfield. As I remember no one ever pitched a no-hitter in Forbes Field. If not for the Pitt president buying up Oakland Forbes Field would be as old as Fenway Park.
That must have been something. A lot of history in that old ballpark.
I saw my first major league game there. A Sunday doubleheader against the Dodgers. Koufax and Claud Osteen pitched for the Dodgers. Can't remember the Pirate pitchers. Dodgers won the first game and Manny Mota hit a bottom of the ninth home run to win the second game for the Pirates.
As was I. I was saddened by the general trashing of place in the name of securing a souvenir. People ripped out grass, seats, signs, the scoreboard...anything they could get their hands on. It was chaos and it was pathetic. The Grand Old Lady deserved a dignified death, but she was ripped apart by a mob. Others walked out with their loot. I walked out with nothing but my memories, both happy and sad, of glorious days and nights watching men play a child's game. Alas, my final memory is the saddest of all.
Same thing happened when Connie Mack Stadium hosted its last game.
I knew Forbes Field was a classic park but Atlantis playing the South of France puts the field in a new level of classic.
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