Before I left for Afghanistan in mid-March, I drove across Florida from my home in Tampa to my parents’ home in Melbourne. Along the way, on Florida State Road 520, just outside of Cocoa, Florida, I saw the remains of what was once the home of the Florida State League’s Cocoa Astros, the spring home of the Houston Astros, and for a season, the spring home of the then-Florida Marlins. Sadly, even at 55...
When the Baker Bowl was first opened, it was praised as the finest baseball palace in America. By the time it was abandoned, it had been a joke. The little known first home of the Philadelphia Phillies (as well as the Philadelphia Eagles) opened in 1887. N. Broad St., W. Huntingdon St., N. 15th St. and W. Lehigh Avenue surrounded it. It was rebuilt in 1895 and recognized as the first cantilevered design in...
Atlantic City historically has been a failure as a professional sports venue. Less than an hour away from Philadelphia, baseball has ironically been its biggest flop. Going back to the early part of the 20th century, successful franchises have consistently failed off the field in the “Las Vegas of the East”. The most glaring sports failure of recent memory was the folding of the Atlantic City Surf. This professional baseball team called Bernie Robbins...
Ten years ago, I was an intern at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. It was easily the most awe-inspiring summer of my life. One of the amazing opportunities I experienced was seeing several Oneonta Tigers games at . Now, I know what you’re thinking. Trish, is this a glorified high school field? In some ways, it sadly is. (That’s not even a shot at the Tigers.) Located an hour from...
The batter hits a frozen rope between second and short. The crowd cautiously begins to clap. After several innings of monotony, a rally has begun. I think for a moment. Should I get excited? It’s “Indy” ball. I think the first baseman tried to sell me insurance last week. A lot of ballparks in Independent Baseball fall into that post-1992 era of stadiums. Campbell’s Field has the same great site lines and amenities that...
Imagine a herd of bison loosed in a UNESCO world heritage site and you’ll understand the waves of dismay that coursed through parts of the baseball community when photos of a denuded and desecrated Rosenblatt Stadium hit the internet.
(This interview was printed in our second book The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2, currently available on Amazon for only $8.) This Part 3 of our extensive interview with Miami-based baseball historian Kurt Schweizer. Part 1 and Part 2 are available here. You can find more of Kurt’s efforts on his Original Miami Marlins Facebook page, his feature story on growing up on Miami baseball, and his photo essay of Miami Stadium. Bus Leagues Baseball: Have you...
(This interview was printed in our second book The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2, currently available on Amazon for only $8.) This is Part 2 of our interview with Kurt Schweizer. You can find Part 1 here. Bus Leagues Baseball: When did you start documenting the end of Miami Stadium? KS: Well, I knew, going back to about the early-90s, that its days were really numbered. There was a fight to save it from demolition, that was...
(This interview was printed in our second book The Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2, currently available on Amazon for only $8.) In an effort to continue exploring the history and impact of Minor League Baseball in Florida, I’ve been corresponding with Kurt Schweizer, unofficial historian of minor league baseball in Miami, especially the original Miami Marlins. With the Florida Marlins renaming themselves the “Miami Marlins” and moving into a new stadium in 2012, I thought it would...
I just returned from a summer road trip. My wife and I journeyed through ten states. The only live baseball action I saw during this entire time was viewed from 630 feet above the action. Astonishing. I still don’t know how this happened. The purpose of our trip was to visit my family in Kansas. We brought our eight-year-old son with us, and left him with his grandparents for an extended visit. I had...
2012 05 14 Scranton Wilks Barre/ Empire State Yankees vs Pawtucket Red Sox
