It’s safe to say that no sport cherishes its playing grounds more than baseball nor waxes more nostalgic about those now gone. And why not? Baseball stadiums not only possess their own distinct character, but their dimensions and quirks literally define the field of play. “Lost Ballparks” is a well-annotated photo gallery that briefly describes the stories of 60 of these dearly departed stadiums and does so chronologically based on when they were demolished. So the timeline begins in 1911, when Cincinnati’s Palace of the Fans, the home of the Reds, came down, and ends in 2015 when Candlestick Park in San Francisco finally bit the dust. Along the way, the books pays homage to both the famous big-league parks – Baker Bowl, Ebbets Field, Three Rivers Stadium, etc. – and such lesser-known minor-league parks as Russwood Park in Memphis, Tenn., and Holcomb Park in Des Moines, Iowa.
Here’s an excerpt from Lost Ballparks:
“The first D.C. park to last more than a decade was National Park, built in a hurry in 1911. In March of that year the original ballpark, also known as Boundary Field, burned when sparks from a plumber’s blowtorch set the ballpark on fire. The Senators quickly built a replacement which was just about ready to host 16,000 fans and President Taft on opening day in April.
“In 1920, the stadium was renamed after Senators owner Clark Griffith, the only man in major league history to serve as a player, manager and owner for at least 20 years each. Griffith Stadium’s left-field line was an astounding 407 feet away, making it an extremely tough park for right-handed batters, a circumstance that helped Washington’s Walter Johnson become arguably the greatest pitcher in baseball history. It wasn’t until 1957 – four years before the park’s closure – that a Senators player hit 30 homes runs in a season.”
