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Classic Baseball Stadium Artwork |
historic classic baseball stadiums artwork |
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Comiskey Park (Chicago White Sox)1910-1990 (demolished in 1991) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Comiskey Park printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards, outfield wall, light towers, and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Comiskey Park is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home to the Chicago White Sox, the park was built by Charles Comiskey and was built on the site of the former city dump. Originally named White Sox Park, it was renamed after the Sox owner and founder in 1913. The team reverted the park name from 1962 to 1975, and then once again began using the name Comiskey Park. Considered modern (the original capacity of 29,000 was a record at the time), Comiskey was known for a time as "The Baseball Palace of the World."
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including a couple of notorious ones: the 1919 "Black Sox" World Series, lost by Chicago, featured games 3, 4, 5, and 8 at Comiskey, and in 1979, the infamous Disco Demolition Night. Disco Demolition Night turned into a nightmare for the Sox, and rampaging fans stormed the field between games of the doubleheader, stealing equipment and destroying the field. The Sox suffered a forfeit in game 2.
Curious fact: Comiskey has been the site of 4 World Series — including one between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox.
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Crosley Field (Cincinnati Reds)1912-1970 (demolished in 1972) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Crosley Field printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards, stadium seats, and The Terrace, painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Crosley Field is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home of the Reds (and the original Cincinnati Bengals), Crosley Field was one of the smallest parks in baseball, both in capacity and field size. The famous "Terrace," a 15 degree incline in left field that played havoc with outfielders from visting teams, was the field's most notorious feature. Crosley was renamed and reorganized several times during its long history, wearing three names and seeing home plate moved a number of times.
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including major league baseball's first ever save, earned by the Dodger's Bill Singer on April 7, 1969 — the first year in which the save was an official statistic.
Curious fact: a sign behind the left field wall, advertising clothier Seibler Suits, promised a free suit to any player who hit the sign. Willie Mays led all visitors, earning 7 free suits during his career. The Terrace is now a parking lot, but the incline remains.
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Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Cleveland Indians)1931-1993 (demolished in 1995) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of the old Cleveland Municipal stadium printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Cleveland Municipal Stadium is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
One of the original multipurpose stadiums, Cleveland's Municipal Stadium was home to the Indians and the Browns until 1993, though the Indians played some home games at their older League Park site until the 1946 season. Its construction was one of the earliest to include structural aluminum. A mammoth facility, the team eventually installed inner fences to cut down on the huge outfield (the original centerfield was an incredible 470 feet from home plate). No player ever hit a home run into the centerfield bleachers. Good Indians teams in the late '40s took advantage of the giant seating capacity, setting major league baseball's attendance record in 1948 (and holding it until 1962).
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including Detroit's Cesar Guitierrez's 7 hit day in 1970.
Curious fact: enterprising team owner Bill Veeck would move the fences in and out (by as much as 15 feet) during the course of a season, depending on how it would favorably affect the Indians. Baseball banned that practice eventually.
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Tiger Stadium (Detroit Tigers)1912-1999 (demolished in 2009) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Tiger Stadium printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards, stadium seats, the overhanging deck in right field, and the light towers, all painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Tiger Stadium is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Tiger Stadium was home to the Detroit Tigers from 1912 until 1999. It also hosted the city's Lions NFL team from 1938 to 1974. Tiger Stadium opened on the same day as Boston's Fenway Park. Among the many architectural features to lend character to the Stadium were the 125' high flagpole (in fair play near center field) and the right field upper deck overhang. Declared a historic site by the state in the mid '70s, the stadium languished in decay for ten years after its closing. After several failed redevelopment plans, the stadium was finally demolished in 2009.
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including 3 All Star games and the day iron man Lou Gehrig finally sat down, on May 2, 1939 (when Tiger Stadium was known as Briggs Stadium). Babe Ruth's home run at the stadium on July 18, 1921 is felt by many fans to be the longest homer ever hit, clearing the centerfield fence, bleachers, and landing on the opposite side of the street intersection beyond the park. Estimates put the blow at nearly 600 feet.
Curious fact: 11, 111 home runs were hit at Tiger Stadium.
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Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Dodgers)1913-1957 (demolished in 1960) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Ebbets Fields printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards and stadium seats painted in full detail, right down to the iconic advertising. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Ebbets Field is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home of the star-crossed and beloved Brooklyn Dodgers, located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, Ebbets Field led a short but spectacular life. Like many city ballparks, the intimate dimensions led to unusual field characteristics, including a high and close right field wall and an incline running along the left field wall. In the 1940s, the famous huge scoreboard was installed in right field. Perhaps no ballpark engenders more nostalgia than Ebbets Field, thanks in part to the Dodgers infamous move to Los Angeles, a departure that stunned and saddened fans for decades. Citi Field, current home of the Mets, features architectural nods to Ebbets Field, including its exterior facade and the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.
The field witnessed a number of historic baseball moments, including Jackie Robinson's breaking the MLB color line in 1947 when he became the first black major league ballplayer. Robinson, of course, went on to win the Rookie of the Year award en route to an exceptional career.
Curious fact: the first televised soccer game in the U.S. took place at Ebbets Field on June 17, 1947.
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Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)1923-1973; reopened 1976 and closed 2008 (demolished in 2010) This printed collectable baseball has a detailed painting of the Yankee Stadium, reflecting the structural changes made in 1976, printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including new billboards, stadium seats, and Monument Park painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of new outside stadium where the name Yankee Stadium is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home to the New York Yankees since its opening in 1923, it became perhaps the most famous sports venue in the United States. "The House That Ruth Built" witnessed a lengthy list of notable moments, most supplied by the Yankees, but including Papal Masses, concerts, boxing matches, and more. The 1976 renovation (reflected on this piece) significantly changed the appearance of the Stadium, making it a wholly different ballpark in the minds of many fans.
To say the stadium has witnessed a number of significant baseball events is putting it mildy; among many other milestones and statistics, the Stadium hosted a whopping 161 postseason games. A full 37 out of the 83 World Series played during the stadium's existence were played at Yankee Stadium. There were 3 perfect games tossed there, including Don Larsen's World Series gem. In perhaps its most stirring moment, Lou Gehrig made his famous farewell speech on the Yankee Stadium infield on July 4, 1939.
Curious fact: Knute Rockne's famous "Win One for the Gipper" speech was made at Yankee Stadium at halftime of the 1928 Notre Dame - Army football game.
$19.95 + shipping (get this ball as part of a set and save)
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Shea Stadium (New York Mets)1964-2008 (demolished in 2009) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Shea Stadium printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Shea Stadium is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building. If you look closely, you can almost hear the jets going overhead!
The Mets first two seasons were played at the Polo Grounds while construction on Shea progressed. Built on the site of a public park, Shea (named for William Shea, the man who brought National League baseball back to New York) was a circular stadium with wide open spaces beyond the center field fence. Originally designed to accommodate football as well, Shea was converted for baseball use exclusively by the Mets when the Jets moved to their football team to Giants Stadium in 1984. Replaced by Citi Field in 2009, Shea actually witnessed more Mets games than Ebbets did Dodgers games. Its huge foul territory and spacious field dimensions helped contribute to its reputation as a pitcher's park, a fact no doubt also partly due to the Mets' long history of fielding excellent pitching staffs. The orange foul poles — the only such poles in the majors — were carried over to Citi Field, along with the giant apple that rises beyond center field when a Mets player hits a homerun. (The actual original Home Run Apple now resides outside Citi Field; the one in use there is a larger modern construction). The spot of Shea's home plate is commemorated by a plaque in Citi Field's parking lot.
The stadium has witnessed a number of memorable moments, not all of them baseball related: the Beatles concert in August of 1965 remains one of the most famous musical events in North American history. Jim Bunning's Father's Day perfect game was at Shea (the future U.S. Senator hurled his gem against the Mets).
Curious fact: the Yankees played their home games at Shea during the 1974 and 1975 seasons while Yankee Stadium was being remodeled. The Mets had long resisted the idea, but since the stadium was owned by the city, they had little leverage and ultimately had to agree.
$19.95 + shipping (get this ball as part of a set and save)
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Polo Grounds (New York Giants)1891-1963 (rebuilt after a fire in April, 1911; the final incarnation of the park was demolished in 1964) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Polo Grounds printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards, stadium seats — and the bleacher gap between them that saved the stadium from total devastation in the fire of 1911 — painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Polo Grounds is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building when it was added by the Mets, temporary tenants during the construction of Shea Stadium. This highly detailed baseball art memorializes the most famous of the many Polo Grounds variations, the "Polo Grounds IV" of 1911-1963.
Home primarily to the New York Giants baseball team, the Polo Grounds was actually a name given to four different stadiums. The original, as one might guess, was built to host the sport of polo, and the generic name was eventually made the official venue designation (though the name did not appear prominently anywhere on the stadium until it was added by the Mets). The third and fourth versions were actually the same ballfield; a fire in 1911 necessitated the stadium's reconstruction. Numerous quirks were the hallmark of this landmark stadium: all distances were technically unofficial since the team never marked the fences, but were amazingly non-uniform by any measurement: left and right field corners were 279 and 258 feet, but straightaway center was a veritiable different zip code from home plate at 483 feet. The huge overhang in left field intercepted numerous fly balls that would have been easy outs in any other park, turning them into home runs. Like many city ballfields, the odd dimensions where necessitated by the location, and the Polo Grounds, with its huge horseshoe grandstand, was in fact shaped like a giant bathtub.
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including Willie Mays' sensational over the shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series, considered by many the definitive defensive play in baseball history.
Curious fact: when the final incarnation of the stadium was demolished in 1964, the wrecking crew wore Giants jerseys.
$19.95 + shipping (get this ball as part of a set and save)
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Connie Mack Stadium (Philadelphia A's and Philadelphia Phillies)1909-1970 (demolished in 1976) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Connie Mack Stadium printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Connie Mack Stadium is located, exactly as it was shown on the real building. When it opened in 1909 as Shibe Park, it was the first steel and concrete stadium in the major leagues.
Home to A's until their departure from Philadelphia in 1954, Connie Mack Stadium (originally Shibe Park, it was renamed in 1953) also served as home field for the Phillies until 1971, when they moved into the new Veteran's Stadium. Its most notorious feature, the 33 foot high "spite fence," was erected at Connie Mack's instructions to prevent the neighbors from watching games (without paying admission) from the rooftops of homes on 20th Street. The final game played in the stadium is part of Philadelphia lore, as fans literally dismantled the stadium during the course of the ballgame. The last years of the stadium were not filled with glory; the A's fortunes faded, and they left town, while the Phillies were perennial cellar-dwellars. In the end, property owner Jerry Wolman sold the dilapadated stadium to the city for 50 cents, and the decline continued until the stadium was razed in 1976.
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including the first night All Star Game in 1943. The A's, a long time power early in the century, played in 7 World Series at Connie Mack/Shibe Park, winning 3 championships.
Curious fact: the Stadium hosted 2 All Star Games: one, the first ever played at night, the other, the only one shortened by rain.
$19.95 + shipping (get this ball as part of a set and save)
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Veterans Stadium (Philadelphia Phillies)1971-2003 (demolished in 2004) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Veterans Stadium printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium with the name Veterans Stadium is on it.
Home to the Phillies and Eagles for a little more than three decades, the "Vet" was one of several multi-purpose stadiums built during the seventies, and like the others, the design left it somewhat functionally challenging for both football and baseball. The circular, layered design provided seating in seven levels, the highest of which was amazingly far from the field of play; it was almost impossible to watch a game from the upper deck without binoculars. One of the loudest venues in major sports because of the acoustic properties of the round, concrete slabbed stadium, it created a distinct home field advantage for the Phillies and the NFL's Eagles. Nonetheless, like Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh and Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, among others, it remains a classic study in a given sports architectural period.
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including the latest finishing game in baseball history, a Phils win over the Padres that ended at 4:40 a.m.
Curious fact: the stadium was imploded in a mere 62 seconds.
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Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Pirates)1909-1970 (demolished in 1971) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Forbes Field printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including the ivy covered walls and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Forbes Field is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home to the Pittsburgh Pirates (and for many years, the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the NFL Steelers), Forbes Field was considered enoromous when constructed. The capacity, around 30,000, and the playing field were both large for the day. Owner Barney Dreyfuss, an avowed hater of "cheap home runs," insisted on a design that limited the long ball. Triples and inside-the-park-homeruns, on the other hand, were relatively common at Forbes. Years later, after Dreyfuss's death and the team's acquisition of veteran slugger Hank Greenberg, the Pirates moved the left field fence in 30 feet. Called "Greenberg's Gardens" for a year, that corner was redubbed "Kiner's Korner" the next year, in a nod to new slugger Ralph Kiner.
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including the last triple header in MLB history and Babe Ruth's last three home runs.
Curious fact: Forbes Field was initiallly referred to as "Dreyfuss's Folly" — because of the (then) too-lengthy ten minute trolley ride from downtown Pittsburgh.
$19.95 + shipping
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Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh Pirates)1970-2000 (demolished in 2001) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Three Rivers Stadium printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards, the JumboTron, and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Three Rivers Stadium is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home to the Pirates following their move from Forbes Field, Three Rivers Stadium is one of the multi-purpose "cookie-cutter" stadiums of the '70s. It takes its name from the confluence of the Allegheny River and Monongahela River, which forms the Ohio River. Original designs called for an open center field, but concerns voiced by the NFL's Steelers, fellow stadium tenants, nixed that.
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including the first World Series night game on October 13, 1971 and Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit on September 30, 1972. On the girdiron, Three Rivers Stadium would witness, among other events, the famous Franco Harris "Immaculate Reception" in 1972.
Curious fact: the gigantic Sony JumboTron scoreboard, perhaps the stadium's most dominant feature, was 25 feet high and 63 feet long.
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Busch Memorial Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)1966-2005 (demolished in 2005) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Busch Stadium printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Busch Stadium is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home to the St. Louis Cardinals for its entire existence, Busch Stadium also hosted the NFL Cardinals from 1966 to 1987. Perhaps the most famous of the stadium's elements was the "Crown of Arches," an architectural element that echoed St. Louis' famous Gateway Arch. Opened originally as The Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium, the park was named after the Busch family of Anheuser-Busch Company, which owned the club for many years.
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including six World Series and Mark McGwire's record-breaking 62nd home run of the 1998 season.
Curious fact: Busch Stadium suffers two terrible "deaths" in films: in The Black Hole, it's sucked into a (you guessed it) black hole; in Supernova, it's a meteor that does it in.
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Sportsman's Park (St. Louis Cardinals)1902-1966 This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Sportsman's Park printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Sportsman's Park is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home to both the Cardinals and the Browns until 1953, Sportsman's Park became host to the Cardinals alone when the Browns moved to Baltimore. Cards' great Stan Musial, like all lefthanded power hitters, enjoyed the relatively short porch in right, which ranged from 310' down the line to 354' in right center. The park's name was shared by several structures (1881, 1902, and 1909), but the final iteration (created here in wonderful detail) is by far the most famous of the venues.
The stadium has witnessed a number of historic moments, many featuring the Cardinals -- but it's as the practice and playing field for the St. Louis University's football team for which it might be best known! That team was coached by Eddie Cochems, also known as the "father of the forward pass."
Curious fact: The Budweiser eagle, located on top of the left-center scoreboard, would flap its wings after every Cardinal home run.
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Candlestick Park (San Francisco Giants)1960-2000 This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Candlestick Park printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including billboards and stadium seats painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Candlestick Park is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home to the Giants from 1960 until 2000, Candlestick was located on the shore of the San Francisco Bay (Candlestick Point) and was best known for its windy, chilly playing conditions. Frequent fog and dampness added to the difficult life for fans and players alike. Pitcher Stu Miller was once actually blown from the mound during an All Star game — and was charged with a balk for his troubles. The enormous foul territory made it a good pitchers' park (on days when the wind didn't play havoc with the fielders) but also meant most of the seats were a long ways away from the playing field. It is considered by some to be the first "modern" baseball park, having been constructed entirely of concrete, a first.
The stadium has witnessed a number of historic moments, including the October 17, 1989 earthquake that occured while the Giants were hosting a World Series game. The Beatles played their last live (commercial) concert at the Park in 1966. Willie Mays broke the all-time National League home run record at the park on May 4, 1966 and got his 3,000 hit there five years later.
Curious fact: the park was constructed with a radiant heat system in the concrete under the lower box seats. It was, however, horribly ineffective.
$19.95 + shipping
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The Kingdome (Seattle Mariners)1976-1999 (demolished in 2000) This printed baseball has a detailed painting of Kingdome printed on it. One panel of the baseball has inside field view of the stadium, including stadium seats and the 23' high wall in right ("Walla Walla") painted in full detail. Other panel of baseball has view of outside stadium where the name Kingdome is located, exactly as it is shown on the real building.
Home to the Seattle Mariners, Seahawks (NFL), and SuperSonics (NBA), the Kingdome was a true multipurpose stadium. It hosted the NFL Pro Bowl, the All Star Game, the NBA All Star Game, and the NCAA Final Four three times. Constructed when Seattle was granted a major league baseball expansion franchise (the Pilots) in 1967, construction finally started in 1972 and lasted nearly four years. As a baseball venue, the park featured huge foul territory (like many multipurpose stadiums), which resulted in seats quite far from the field. Some in the upper deck were as far as 617 feet from home plate. At one time the team covered seats in the upper deck to make the stadium seem less empty. Partly due to the enormous dimensions, the Mariners did not sell out a single game until 1990, when Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey, Jr. took the filed together — the first father-son tandem to play in the big leagues together. However, when the Mariners began fielding competitive teams, the dome's acoustics led to incredibly loud fan noise and provided a big advantage to the home team. This was perhaps even more so for the other sports. In 1994, part of the ceiling collapsed while the Mariners were readying for a game; the team was forced to play the remaining portion of their home schedule (20 games) on the road.
The stadium has witnessed a number of baseball moments, including the 1979 All Star Game and Gaylord Perry's 300th win.
Curious fact: speakers suspended from the ceiling were in play.
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