Braves Field - Check it out!

[marckymarc71]

http://www.ballparktour.com/Former_Boston.html

I never knew that parts of Braves Field were still standing and used for Boston University. Imagine, you can sit in the exact same Pavilion and close your eyes and I bet you can almost hear the crowd watching Babe Ruth pitching for the Red Sox in the 1916 World Series!

[donzblock]

The entrance to Braves Field is striking.

[tonypug]

At least it wasn't totally destroyed like some other great ballparks.

[DODGER DEB]

Which proves that the politicos running Boston in the mid 50's were much smarter than the idiots WE had running City Hall in NY in 1960!! :evil

c.

[CaliforniaCajun]

http://www.ballparktour.com/bravesfield_dia.jpg

Wow, a slugger would really eat his heart out with 550' to center and 402' to the corners.

[efin98]

Which proves that the politicos running Boston in the mid 50's were much smarter than the idiots WE had running City Hall in NY in 1960!! :evil

c.

Not quite, they let the wrong team leave Boston!!!! If only they had a few more years...

And you would never know part of Nickerson Field was once Braves Field. The designers BU hired did an exceptional job, could never notice that part of the stands were over 90 years old...I didn't even notice until my father pointed that fact out and showed the plaque honoring the stadium.

[Coal Cracker]

Always nice to see an old stadium get a new life, at least in some capacity. When Yankee Stadium's demise inevitably arrives I hope at least part of the structure is left. I have heard that the playing field will be kept for local high school and college use.

http://www.baseball-statistics.com/Ballparks/Atl/braves.jpg

[538280]

Many old stadiums have been destroyed in the name of "progress", such as the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field, but I think more progress, and money, would be made if they were left open as tourist attractions, glad that Braves Field is still partly standing.

[538280]

Not quite, they let the wrong team leave Boston!!!! If only they had a few more years...


Very true. We might have Boston fans with their team winning 13 straight division titles, and only one World Series in those division titles, the Boston fans would be fuming. Meanwhile... in Atlanta

We would have fans celebrating their first World Series in 86 years. Go Atlanta Red Sox!

Seriously, though, the Braves move from Boston to Milwaukee might have been the most significant happening in baseball history. What would have happened if the Boston Braves had Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, and all the greats that lifted the great Milwaukee Braves of the late 1950s? What would be the Red Sox fate? Boston probably wouldn't be big enough to have two teams. It would have changed the whole history of the game.

What would happen if the Braves never did move to Milwaukee? That is a fascinating question, that brings up many frightening answers, especially to Red Sox fans.

[efin98]

The Red Sox of that era were all offense, some defense. The Braves were all defense, little offense. Bring in Eddie Matthews and Hank Aaron and you change the dynamic of the game. Fans flock to Braves Field to see the hot young team, the Sox are forced to make moves to get the team in the right direction...and the rest is history.

Who knows what teams would have ended up where. Who knows how the AL and NL would look and which cities would have gotten each others teams. Only one thing is certain, it's a shame it all had to happen in the first place...

[tonypug]

Lou Perrini wanted to stay in Boston at least one more year, to see if the fans would support the team. When faced with the possibility of Bill Veeck and the Browns grabbing Milwaukee first, he had to make the move. Thats why the move was so sudden , announced just a couple of months before the start of the season.Aaron , Mathews, Spahn were all on that team. It would have been interesting to see if the fans would have come out.

[JACKIE42]

This is what N.Y. Politicians let happen in 1960s.

http://www.thedeadballera.com/Stadiums/StadiumsPoloGrounds_photo8.jpg


http://www.thedeadballera.com/Stadiums/StadiumsEbbetsField_photo14.jpg

[538280]

This is what N.Y. Politicians let happen in 1960s.

http://www.thedeadballera.com/Stadiums/StadiumsPoloGrounds_photo8.jpg


http://www.thedeadballera.com/Stadiums/StadiumsEbbetsField_photo14.jpg

That's just sad, Jackie, it really is. As I said before, so many great symbols of history have been destroyed in the name of progress, when in reality, more progress and money would be made by keeping them around as tourist attractions.

[tonypug]

That's just sad, Jackie, it really is. As I said before, so many great symbols of history have been destroyed in the name of progress, when in reality, more progress and money would be made by keeping them around as tourist attractions.
Every time I see these pictures I get pissed off again.

[tonypug]

I know Marvin Kratter built the Ebbets Field apartments, anyone know who built the Polo Grounds apartments?

[DODGER DEB]

I know Marvin Kratter built the Ebbets Field apartments, anyone know who built the Polo Grounds apartments?


Probably another Kratter family member! :ughh

c.

[efin98]

And fitting for the trend, BU built several high rise dorms on the site of what I believe would be the grand stand...

[Elvis]

And what about glorious Penn Station? That was a tragedy too. :(

[efin98]

Noticed another remnant of Braves field is still seen: the footprint of the stadium is clearly visible from the air and in the buildings built on the old grand stand area. Plus the old support for the grand stand is visible as a wall for the near goal for the home team, covered in ivy yet still visible as some sort of former support structure above field level as seen here (http://www.ballparktour.com/braves3.jpg) ...

[RedSox2004]

This is my favorite shot of the old Braves Field

http://www.dugout-memories.com/goffbrav.jpg


The scoreboard seen here was installed in 1948 and then moved to Kansas City in 1955

http://www.bpl.org/store/IMGs/STMedium/tm_st11399.jpg

Nickerson Field in 2005
http://www.burugby.com/uploader/images/2_w-newnickerson.jpg
http://www.fcatv.org/images/Superbowl/pressbox.jpg

[southendgrounds]

Very true. We might have Boston fans with their team winning 13 straight division titles, and only one World Series in those division titles, the Boston fans would be fuming. Meanwhile... in Atlanta

We would have fans celebrating their first World Series in 86 years. Go Atlanta Red Sox!

Seriously, though, the Braves move from Boston to Milwaukee might have been the most significant happening in baseball history. What would have happened if the Boston Braves had Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, and all the greats that lifted the great Milwaukee Braves of the late 1950s? What would be the Red Sox fate? Boston probably wouldn't be big enough to have two teams. It would have changed the whole history of the game.

What would happen if the Braves never did move to Milwaukee? That is a fascinating question, that brings up many frightening answers, especially to Red Sox fans.

Interesting dilemma. One of the Boston teams HAD to relocate between 1952 and 1961 with new markets ready for franchises and Boston's inability to support two teams. The Red Sox were the dominant franchise economically in Boston for years. The only time the Braves outdrew the Sox was in the early 1930's, when the Sox stunk and Fenway was desperately in need of upgrade. When Yawkey bought the Sox, rebuilt Fenway and brought in top talent, the Sox blew past the Braves and never looked back. Query what would have happened in Yawkey had bought the Braves instead.

However, the Braves had some great talent in the pipeline when they left Boston. Not only Spahn, Mathews and Aaron, but most of the major stars of Milwaukee were already on the team or in the system. The Sox would have been quite vulnerable if the Braves hung around as Yawkey lost interest in the Sox during the 50's. Ted Williams was the only thing keeping fans in the stands in Boston in the mid-late 50's. I could actually imagine Yawkey teaming with the Athletics or Senators to move to LA and SF before the Dodgers and Giants got the idea. Consider the "Los Angeles Red Sox".

What happens to Fenway if the Sox move? It would probably have been torn down or sold to BU like Brave's Field was. If so, by 1970 at the latest, Boston would probably have gotten a multipurpose stadium for the Braves and Patriots that would have been replaced in the 1990's by a nice retro ballpark. It's also possible that the Braves could have moved to Fenway, but unlikely because of Fenway's size. With extra revenue, Brave's Field could have been significantly remodeled, or its site used for an entirely new stadium.

The most intriguing thing about this alternative universe is the potential impact of Boston's baseball economics freed from Yawkey's racism and the Yankees' shadow. In the NL, Boston might have been dominant beyond what either the Sox or Braves have accomplished. Of course, you would still need good management, and there's never a guaranty of that.

[efin98]

What happens to Fenway if the Sox move? It would probably have been torn down or sold to BU like Brave's Field was. If so, by 1970 at the latest, Boston would probably have gotten a multipurpose stadium for the Braves and Patriots that would have been replaced in the 1990's by a nice retro ballpark. It's also possible that the Braves could have moved to Fenway, but unlikely because of Fenway's size. With extra revenue, Brave's Field could have been significantly remodeled, or its site used for an entirely new stadium.

Actually I think the Patriots would have had a new stadium built on Fenway's site to be used by BU and BC(no Alumni Stadium, no Nickerson Field). There would have been a brand new stadium built closer to downtown in the mid 60s or 70s to replace Braves Field, sort of like the plans for a new stadium that was batted around back in 1999.

The most intriguing thing about this alternative universe is the potential impact of Boston's baseball economics freed from Yawkey's racism and the Yankees' shadow. In the NL, Boston might have been dominant beyond what either the Sox or Braves have accomplished. Of course, you would still need good management, and there's never a guaranty of that.

I think Billy Southworth may have been able to pull them together and get them over the hump to the World Series sooner had the team had more money. The team may have been able to buy one or two hot young bats and possibly getting a local hot youths like Tony Conigliaro to keep the Braves in it for years to come.

[jocelyn]

I am trying to find anything that names my grandfather as a player for the Boston Braves. I do not have much info to go on. His name was Maurice Proulx and I know he was an alternate pitcher for two consecutive seasons. My grandmother thinks he played in the late 1940's but is not certain. I looked at every roster list for the Boston Braves on the baseball-almanac website and found nothing. Anyone have any other suggestions? I'm trying to piece together collectibles as well as anything reffering to my grandfather for my father's birthday. Any helpful ideas are appreciated. Thank you!

[G-String Blues]

You might want to contact the folks who put this site together.

http://www.retrosheet.org/

[yanks0714]

I am trying to find anything that names my grandfather as a player for the Boston Braves. I do not have much info to go on. His name was Maurice Proulx and I know he was an alternate pitcher for two consecutive seasons. My grandmother thinks he played in the late 1940's but is not certain. I looked at every roster list for the Boston Braves on the baseball-almanac website and found nothing. Anyone have any other suggestions? I'm trying to piece together collectibles as well as anything reffering to my grandfather for my father's birthday. Any helpful ideas are appreciated. Thank you!

I checked baseball.refrence for that name. It scored no hits meaning that he probably did not appear in MLB. However, he may have pitched in the Braves Minor League farm system. baseball.reference does not track players who were in the farm system only.
Not sure what your grandmother means by and alternate pitcher. My guess is that he was in the Minor Leagues.
Sorry I can't be of more assistance.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Here is a old photo of braves field jury box in right field.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Here is a photo of braves field from above.

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

Here is a braves field seating diagram from the 1950s.

[Brownie31]

I would like to know where Braves Field & Fenway Park were in relationship to each other geographically. Were they close by each other or in completely different parts of town as with Comiskey Park & Wrigley Field in Chicago? Also were their fans' demographics different, again as with the White Sox & Cubs?
Brownie31

[efin98]

I would like to know where Braves Field & Fenway Park were in relationship to each other geographically. Were they close by each other or in completely different parts of town as with Comiskey Park & Wrigley Field in Chicago? Also were their fans' demographics different, again as with the White Sox & Cubs?
Brownie31

They were less than a mile from one another, just down Commonwealth Ave. Easilly walkable or by trolley.

[Brownie31]

elfin98: Thanks very much. Have a great weekend!-Brownie31

[Chef Bill]

In this Google satellite image you can easily see Fenway Park just right of center, and the site of Braves Field, now Boston University's Nickerson Field, about one mile west along the Mass Turnpike. The red roof of the old ticket office (see great photos from Polo Grounds 1957, Coal Cracker, and others in this thread) is visible just south of the grandstand.

http://www.google.com/local?f=q&hl=en&q=4+Yawkey+Way,+Boston,+MA&t=k&ll=42.348903,-71.103129&spn=0.012687,0.040727&t=k

[soberdennis]

Not quite, they let the wrong team leave Boston!!!! If only they had a few more years...

And you would never know part of Nickerson Field was once Braves Field. The designers BU hired did an exceptional job, could never notice that part of the stands were over 90 years old...I didn't even notice until my father pointed that fact out and showed the plaque honoring the stadium.
It's easy to say the wrong team left Boston. But 285,000 fans "packed" Braves Field in 1952. The Sox get that for a homestand in a smaller ballpark.
I'm not a Sox fan. But it is very unfortunate that the Braves were not supported their last year in Beantown. A rate of less than 4000 a game.:ughh
By not supporting the Braves Boston never had Aaron. They also lost out on a chance to root for Sammy Baugh by not supporting the Redskins.
Boston could have done better for the Braves.

[soberdennis]

Very true. We might have Boston fans with their team winning 13 straight division titles, and only one World Series in those division titles, the Boston fans would be fuming. Meanwhile... in Atlanta

We would have fans celebrating their first World Series in 86 years. Go Atlanta Red Sox!

Seriously, though, the Braves move from Boston to Milwaukee might have been the most significant happening in baseball history. What would have happened if the Boston Braves had Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, and all the greats that lifted the great Milwaukee Braves of the late 1950s? What would be the Red Sox fate? Boston probably wouldn't be big enough to have two teams. It would have changed the whole history of the game.

What would happen if the Braves never did move to Milwaukee? That is a fascinating question, that brings up many frightening answers, especially to Red Sox fans.
Mathews and Spahn played in Boston.

[efin98]

Mathews and Spahn played in Boston.

Mathews was there for only a year before the move and would have required a few years to become the Braves' version of Ted Williams.

Spahn may have been great, but he lacked the big slugger to bring in the fans...you can only do so much with pitching, slugging brings in the fans.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Here is a old photo of braves field jury box in right field.


Does anybody have a panoramic or overhead photo of Braves Field when it was 402'-550'-402'? I'd love to see that, but never have.

[wamby]

The most intriguing thing about this alternative universe is the potential impact of Boston's baseball economics freed from Yawkey's racism and the Yankees' shadow. In the NL, Boston might have been dominant beyond what either the Sox or Braves have accomplished. Of course, you would still need good management, and there's never a guaranty of that.

There would have still been a Boston/New York rivalry, except that it would have the Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers. I think thet one would have been much better than Yanks/Red Sox.

[DODGER DEB]

There would have still been a Boston/New York rivalry, except that it would have the Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers. I think thet one would have been much better than Yanks/Red Sox.

I think you are right, wamby.

If the Boston Braves were anything like the Milwaukee Braves (and by all accounts they were), I can tell you the rivalry would have been, at the very least, equal to the Red Sox/pinstriper rivalry of today.

I remember in 1956 when WE came down to the last two days of the season fighting for the NL pennant with Milwaukee. They, and their fans, never forgave US for winning that one. They immediately painted a sign on their rightfield wall in County Stadium that said "OK, BROOKLYN, Wait "Til Next Year"! When WE went to Milwaukee in 1957, it was still there. The sad thing is, all they lost was a pennant....WE lost OUR TEAM! I would have been only to happy to trade places with them; the 1956 NL pennant for keeping OUR DODGERS in Brooklyn.

c.

[efin98]

I think you are right, wamby.

If the Boston Braves were anything like the Milwaukee Braves (and by all accounts they were), I can tell you the rivalry would have been, at the very least, equal to the Red Sox/pinstriper rivalry of today.

I don't think it would. Brooklyn/New York was the big rivalry then and a Brooklyn/Boston or even Boston/New York wouldn't have been as big.

I think the Braves likely would have picked up a rivalry with the Phillies, feeding off of the simmering Boston vs. Philly battles in basketball and later hockey.

[DODGER DEB]

I don't think it would. Brooklyn/New York was the big rivalry then and a Brooklyn/Boston or even Boston/New York wouldn't have been as big.

I think the Braves likely would have picked up a rivalry with the Phillies, feeding off of the simmering Boston vs. Philly battles in basketball and later hockey.

I agree, efin98, that the BIG rivalry in the '50's was indeed the BROOKLYN/GIANTS rivalry. However, having lived through it, I can tell you the Milwaukee/BROOKLYN rivalry, given a little more time, was also shaping up to be quite a rivalry. Of course, I am talking strictly baseball here. Once the Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953, they wanted (needed) to win badly, and WE stood in their way. That was the beginning of it.

c.

[Brownie31]

Everyone is (or at least should be!) familiar with Babe Ruth
getting traded to the Yankees (The Curse!) and how the
Red Sox subsequently served as the Yanks' private preserve
in the early 1920s. However, what is not as well known is
that over in the NL the Giants of McGraw and Stoneham had
the same kind thing going (though not quite as conspicuously)
with the Braves.

In the summer of 1922, both St. Louis teams were making
pennant runs when both the Giants and Yanks were able
to reach into their Boston branch offices for help. This led
the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce to pass a resolution
calling for an investigation into unfair practices!

No wonder Boston hates New York!

Brownie31

[Chief Knockahoma]

Interesting dilemma. One of the Boston teams HAD to relocate between 1952 and 1961 with new markets ready for franchises and Boston's inability to support two teams. The Red Sox were the dominant franchise economically in Boston for years. The only time the Braves outdrew the Sox was in the early 1930's, when the Sox stunk and Fenway was desperately in need of upgrade. When Yawkey bought the Sox, rebuilt Fenway and brought in top talent, the Sox blew past the Braves and never looked back. Query what would have happened in Yawkey had bought the Braves instead.

However, the Braves had some great talent in the pipeline when they left Boston. Not only Spahn, Mathews and Aaron, but most of the major stars of Milwaukee were already on the team or in the system. The Sox would have been quite vulnerable if the Braves hung around as Yawkey lost interest in the Sox during the 50's. Ted Williams was the only thing keeping fans in the stands in Boston in the mid-late 50's. I could actually imagine Yawkey teaming with the Athletics or Senators to move to LA and SF before the Dodgers and Giants got the idea. Consider the "Los Angeles Red Sox".

What happens to Fenway if the Sox move? It would probably have been torn down or sold to BU like Brave's Field was. If so, by 1970 at the latest, Boston would probably have gotten a multipurpose stadium for the Braves and Patriots that would have been replaced in the 1990's by a nice retro ballpark. It's also possible that the Braves could have moved to Fenway, but unlikely because of Fenway's size. With extra revenue, Brave's Field could have been significantly remodeled, or its site used for an entirely new stadium.

The most intriguing thing about this alternative universe is the potential impact of Boston's baseball economics freed from Yawkey's racism and the Yankees' shadow. In the NL, Boston might have been dominant beyond what either the Sox or Braves have accomplished. Of course, you would still need good management, and there's never a guaranty of that.


People forget but Yawkey was negotiating with San Diego during the spring and early summer of 1967. He just about had a deal when the '67 Cardiac Kids went on a 10 game winning streak to put them back in the pennant race and they started selling tickets when they got back from the strong road trip. Remeber, the Sox had been a mess for years. There were 500 people at Fenway the day Dave Morehead threw his no hitter in 1965. They were going to be the San Diego Red Sox in 1968 if not for Dick Williams and Yaz. The Red Sox have never looked back. Neither has the city. Boston was a dying city in the 50's and early 60's. Think Pittsburgh with an ocean.

[efin98]

Everyone is (or at least should be!) familiar with Babe Ruth
getting traded to the Yankees (The Curse!) and how the
Red Sox subsequently served as the Yanks' private preserve
in the early 1920s. However, what is not as well known is
that over in the NL the Giants of McGraw and Stoneham had
the same kind thing going (though not quite as conspicuously)
with the Braves.

In the summer of 1922, both St. Louis teams were making
pennant runs when both the Giants and Yanks were able
to reach into their Boston branch offices for help. This led
the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce to pass a resolution
calling for an investigation into unfair practices!

No wonder Boston hates New York!

Brownie31

There was more to the story than just trading away players in both cities.

[efin98]

People forget but Yawkey was negotiating with San Diego during the spring and early summer of 1967. He just about had a deal when the '67 Cardiac Kids went on a 10 game winning streak to put them back in the pennant race and they started selling tickets when they got back from the strong road trip. Remeber, the Sox had been a mess for years. There were 500 people at Fenway the day Dave Morehead threw his no hitter in 1965. They were going to be the San Diego Red Sox in 1968 if not for Dick Williams and Yaz. The Red Sox have never looked back. Neither has the city. Boston was a dying city in the 50's and early 60's. Think Pittsburgh with an ocean.

Hard to watch a team that reguarly stinks, which is what those 60s teams did. They had a streak of nine consecutive losing seasons, culminating in the 100 loss 1965 year. Couple that with two excellant teams over on Causeway St. and you have the makings of a move.


Frankly, the same holds true for the Braves in Milwaukee- the football team north of the city probably doomed them. It was football country, they couldn't keep up...

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Hard to watch a team that reguarly stinks, which is what those 60s teams did. They had a streak of nine consecutive losing seasons, culminating in the 100 loss 1965 year. Couple that with two excellant teams over on Causeway St. and you have the makings of a move.


Frankly, the same holds true for the Braves in Milwaukee- the football team north of the city probably doomed them. It was football country, they couldn't keep up...

If you want "regularly stinks," you really HAVE TO study the 1920-1949 Philadelphia Phillies. There were a lot of teams which stunk for a lot of years during those three decades: the Braves, White Sox, Red Sox, A's (from 1935 on, plus in the very early 20's) and the Browns (at times). But nobody stunk anything like the Phillies. They gave a rich new breadth of meaning to the word. They had come from out of nowhere in 1915 to make the Series and get their butts kicked, and they would do exactly that again in 1950, but in the meantime, they were just plain execrable and devoid of redeeming traits.

When you consider how abominable the A's got after Mack sold Cochrane, Simmons, Grove, Bishop, Dykes and "The Beast," it's hard to believe some dyed-in-the-wool baseball fan in Phillie didn't go psycho, you know? I mean, they really took their baseball seriously, and between his early dynasty and the incredible Grove/Cochrane/et al. dynasty, it had to just kill them to have TWO teams that stunk SO bad.

BHN

[Brownie31]

There was more to the story than just trading away players in both cities.

efin98:

I know about Ruppert and Frazee, but what was the
story in the NL? It seems that I read somewhere that
a NY Tammany Hall manowned the Braves (the name
coming from Chief Tammany's Braves).

Thanks for your help!

Brownie31

[EbtsFldGuy]

The former site of Braves Field is interesting in that from the highway outside you can look in and see it. Can't do that with any other former park that I know.

Boston University has put it to good use, as it was their football stadium until they dropped the sport a few years ago.

Every time I drive by there, I think of what MLB once was, with two teams in Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Chicago, and three in NYC.

[The Real McCoy]

I always remember Braves Field and a weekday radio broadcast I heard Red Barber do from there when the Dodgers got a final out in an inning just as a severe rain storm rendered the field unplayable.

The game became official (I think it was eight innings) and I've heard Scully describe it as the greatest play/play performance he ever heard. Barber had been tracking the storm, as he did the game, and as it came towards the stadium and finally arrived over the left field stands, the final batter (I want to say Sam Jethroe) grounded out to end the inning.

I remember trying to describe the game to my dad when he came home from work that night and, after about five minutes, realizing I wasn't coming any where close to the drama and suspense that Barber had achieved and I finally just said "the Dodgers won, it was an official game."

That was probably the first time I really had appreciation for just how good an announcer Red Barber was and how easy and effortless he made a difficult job sound.

[Williamsburg2599]

I always remember Braves Field and a weekday radio broadcast I heard Red Barber do from there when the Dodgers got a final out in an inning just as a severe rain storm rendered the field unplayable.

The game became official (I think it was eight innings) and I've heard Scully describe it as the greatest play/play performance he ever heard. Barber had been tracking the storm, as he did the game, and as it came towards the stadium and finally arrived over the left field stands, the final batter (I want to say Sam Jethroe) grounded out to end the inning.

I remember trying to describe the game to my dad when he came home from work that night and, after about five minutes, realizing I wasn't coming any where close to the drama and suspense that Barber had achieved and I finally just said "the Dodgers won, it was an official game."

That was probably the first time I really had appreciation for just how good an announcer Red Barber was and how easy and effortless he made a difficult job sound.
Typical New England weather. I've been to a game where it litterly poured everytime one of the teams took the field, but between innings it would only drizzle, sometimes stop. Then It would pick up again when one of the teams took the field again. It did this for 4 innings!:eek:

[Brownie31]

Typical New England weather. I've been to a game where it litterly poured everytime one of the teams took the field, but between innings it would only drizzle, sometimes stop. Then It would pick up again when one of the teams took the field again. It did this for 4 innings!:eek:

Mother Nature likes to show everyone who the real
big leaguer is! Sometimes it is a game like you relate
at other times it might Lambeau Field at 20 below
zero!

Brownie31

[efin98]

Mother Nature likes to show everyone who the real
big leaguer is! Sometimes it is a game like you relate
at other times it might Lambeau Field at 20 below
zero!

Brownie31

Add in summers where it could be 100+ for a week or raining cats and dogs for most of the month, years where it's 50 degrees in August or 30 degrees in April and September. It's amazing any sports are played in Boston during the summer!


"New England: If you don't like the weather, wait a minute".

[Brownie31]

"New England: If you don't like the weather, wait a minute".

"What follows the rain in Birmingham? Monday."

Brownie31

[efin98]

"What follows the rain in Birmingham? Monday."

Brownie31

It's amazing that anything gets played outdoor sometimes, but the weather is part of sports since the begining of time

[Brownie31]

It's amazing that anything gets played outdoor sometimes, but the weather is part of sports since the begining of time

Nothing is out of Mother Nature's grasp!

Brownie31

[teamrap]

Noticed another remnant of Braves field is still seen: the footprint of the stadium is clearly visible from the air and in the buildings built on the old grand stand area. Plus the old support for the grand stand is visible as a wall for the near goal for the home team, covered in ivy yet still visible as some sort of former support structure above field level as seen here (http://www.ballparktour.com/braves3.jpg) ...

The wall in front of the dormitories at Nickerson Field was not a support for the home plate grandstand ... the grandstand was bulldozed in 1958 and sat as a paved over hill when the Patriots played there in 1960 ... it was completly dug out when the dorms were built ... as a matter of fact the dorms have two floors below ground level

[teamrap]

Interesting dilemma. One of the Boston teams HAD to relocate between 1952 and 1961 with new markets ready for franchises and Boston's inability to support two teams. The Red Sox were the dominant franchise economically in Boston for years. The only time the Braves outdrew the Sox was in the early 1930's, when the Sox stunk and Fenway was desperately in need of upgrade. When Yawkey bought the Sox, rebuilt Fenway and brought in top talent, the Sox blew past the Braves and never looked back. Query what would have happened in Yawkey had bought the Braves instead.

However, the Braves had some great talent in the pipeline when they left Boston. Not only Spahn, Mathews and Aaron, but most of the major stars of Milwaukee were already on the team or in the system. The Sox would have been quite vulnerable if the Braves hung around as Yawkey lost interest in the Sox during the 50's. Ted Williams was the only thing keeping fans in the stands in Boston in the mid-late 50's. I could actually imagine Yawkey teaming with the Athletics or Senators to move to LA and SF before the Dodgers and Giants got the idea. Consider the "Los Angeles Red Sox".

What happens to Fenway if the Sox move? It would probably have been torn down or sold to BU like Brave's Field was. If so, by 1970 at the latest, Boston would probably have gotten a multipurpose stadium for the Braves and Patriots that would have been replaced in the 1990's by a nice retro ballpark. It's also possible that the Braves could have moved to Fenway, but unlikely because of Fenway's size. With extra revenue, Brave's Field could have been significantly remodeled, or its site used for an entirely new stadium.

The most intriguing thing about this alternative universe is the potential impact of Boston's baseball economics freed from Yawkey's racism and the Yankees' shadow. In the NL, Boston might have been dominant beyond what either the Sox or Braves have accomplished. Of course, you would still need good management, and there's never a guaranty of that.

It's interesting in that the Red Sox and Braves were a playoff game away of almost playing a "Subway Series" in 1948 ... in 1949 the Red Sox took the Yankees down to the last game of the season and then became a very bad baseball team with poor attendance until the 1967 "Impossible Dream" season, while the Braves became World Series Champions in 1957 and 1958 ... if the Braves had stayed a few more years, Tom Yawkey may very well had been the one to leave town, because he believed the poor attendance at Fenway Park in the 1950s was not due to his bad teams, but because of inadequate parking ... in 1958 he unveiled a plan to tear down the "Green Monster" and build a left field grandstand with parking, but couldn't get the city to pay for it, as was being done with other urban renewal projects in the city ... and being stubborn he wouldn't foot the expense himself ... his interest in the Red Sox slipped away and when Ted Williams retired in 1960, he totally lost interest in the Red Sox ... if the Braves had just hung around, who knows?

[teamrap]

I would like to know where Braves Field & Fenway Park were in relationship to each other geographically. Were they close by each other or in completely different parts of town as with Comiskey Park & Wrigley Field in Chicago? Also were their fans' demographics different, again as with the White Sox & Cubs?
Brownie31

Fenway Park and Braves Field were down the street from each other ... maybe about a little over a mile or so ... Fenway is two blocks south of Kenmore Square off Brookline Ave ... Braves Field (Nickerson Field) is about 10 blocks west of Kenmore Square, off Commonwealth Ave

[teamrap]

Lou Perrini wanted to stay in Boston at least one more year, to see if the fans would support the team. When faced with the possibility of Bill Veeck and the Browns grabbing Milwaukee first, he had to make the move. Thats why the move was so sudden , announced just a couple of months before the start of the season.Aaron , Mathews, Spahn were all on that team. It would have been interesting to see if the fans would have come out.

One of the major reasons, the Braves left Boston was a lack of fan support ... this lack of support was not because the Braves necessarily had a bad team, but a bad stadium ... Braves Field was a lousy place to see a game and fans hated going there ... beyond the left field (and still there today) is a major railway yard ... the wind at Braves Field was always coming in off the Charles River and blowing in from left field, which was totally open ... it was always windy and this wind brought in smoke from the locomotives constantly ... people couldn't take it and just stopped going there

[efin98]

The wall in front of the dormitories at Nickerson Field was not a support for the home plate grandstand ... the grandstand was bulldozed in 1958 and sat as a paved over hill when the Patriots played there in 1960 ... it was completly dug out when the dorms were built ... as a matter of fact the dorms have two floors below ground level

Fine, it's not support. The shape is off. Sorry for getting excited over the remove possibility of baseball history actually surviving.

[Capt Jack]

Interesting "alternative universe" scenario regarding the Braves staying in Boston and/or the Red Sox moving. can't buy the part about ANY "new" stadium being built within Boston city limits over the past 50 years however...that's where "reality intrudes".

Fifty (50%) percent of assessable property in City of Boston is tax exempt (plethora of colleges, universities, hospitals, churches, city and state government buildings, etc.) , This has made developable acerage an absolute mirage. The Patriots were "rescued" by a last minute hastily assembled package in Foxboro (30 miles away) after the "last ditch" stadium proposal in Boston was voted down in 1970. Otherwise, Nashville, Birmingham, Memphis, et al were ready and willing to offer the Pats a home.

The recent "new" Fenway park proposal was laughable....build a replica of Fenway two blocks away...with a gargantuan right field bleachers (field glasses a necessity to see the bullpen from the top row of the bleachers). No room for parking, infrastructure, etc. Thankfully, the Henry group saw fit to "retrofit" the existing park into a very fan-friendly venue!

Braves Field was a deplorable dump for decades. In the 30's, Braves owners tried to get dog racing approved for dates when the Braves were out of town.
The Patriots actually spent $500,000 (quite a sum for that time) in 1960 to "renovate" Braves Field for use as their first AFL field. That was the largest capital investment in Braves Field since 1948 (when lights were installed...many of which lasted until the mid '90's, when BU dumped football). It's inconceivable that, even had the Braves stayed and flourished in Boston during the 50's, that Braves Field would have remined their home.

[teamrap]

Interesting "alternative universe" scenario regarding the Braves staying in Boston and/or the Red Sox moving. can't buy the part about ANY "new" stadium being built within Boston city limits over the past 50 years however...that's where "reality intrudes".

Fifty (50%) percent of assessable property in City of Boston is tax exempt (plethora of colleges, universities, hospitals, churches, city and state government buildings, etc.) , This has made developable acerage an absolute mirage. The Patriots were "rescued" by a last minute hastily assembled package in Foxboro (30 miles away) after the "last ditch" stadium proposal in Boston was voted down in 1970. Otherwise, Nashville, Birmingham, Memphis, et al were ready and willing to offer the Pats a home.

The recent "new" Fenway park proposal was laughable....build a replica of Fenway two blocks away...with a gargantuan right field bleachers (field glasses a necessity to see the bullpen from the top row of the bleachers). No room for parking, infrastructure, etc. Thankfully, the Henry group saw fit to "retrofit" the existing park into a very fan-friendly venue!

Braves Field was a deplorable dump for decades. In the 30's, Braves owners tried to get dog racing approved for dates when the Braves were out of town.
The Patriots actually spent $500,000 (quite a sum for that time) in 1960 to "renovate" Braves Field for use as their first AFL field. That was the largest capital investment in Braves Field since 1948 (when lights were installed...many of which lasted until the mid '90's, when BU dumped football). It's inconceivable that, even had the Braves stayed and flourished in Boston during the 50's, that Braves Field would have remined their home.

Jack ...
The light towers at Braves Field were taken down in 1970, not the 90s ... I lived in the dorms overlooking the field, at the time

[Shotgun Shuba]

These are some of my pictures I took last weekend of Braves Field. Man, it was exciting. I must be a baseball geek. This is the famous ticket office/clubhouse

[Shotgun Shuba]

Here is a different shot

[Shotgun Shuba]

This is looking from the inside out towards Agannis St. I can see the Braves followers pouring in for the '48 Series opener through these gates.

[Shotgun Shuba]

The famous plaque. Thank goodness for SABR

[Shotgun Shuba]

The right field bleachers

[Shotgun Shuba]

Looking out towards the Jury Box. I can feel the Babe's aura and Tommy Holmes trotting home.

[Shotgun Shuba]

Under the stands, in the concession areas that remain the same as 1952, they say. I was really craving a dog.

[Shotgun Shuba]

These red seats mystify me. They are the only ones in the stands. They might be left from 1952 as a memory. If somebody knows, please tell me.

[Gary Dunaier]

These red seats mystify me. They are the only ones in the stands. They might be left from 1952 as a memory. If somebody knows, please tell me.

They can't be original seats... they didn't have plastic seats back then. Maybe when they installed these seats they decided to have them be red seats for the reason you state, but these are not original 1950s vintage seats.

[teamrap]

These red seats mystify me. They are the only ones in the stands. They might be left from 1952 as a memory. If somebody knows, please tell me.

Those red seats were put in 10-15 years ago (I think) as VIP seats for soccer ... they have nothing to do with the old Braves

[teamrap]

These are some of my pictures I took last weekend of Braves Field. Man, it was exciting. I must be a baseball geek. This is the famous ticket office/clubhouse

Those were the Braves executive offices, not the club house ... you'd see Lou Perini up there or Billy Southworth, not Sibby Sisti

[Calif_Eagle]

I am trying to find anything that names my grandfather as a player for the Boston Braves. I do not have much info to go on. His name was Maurice Proulx and I know he was an alternate pitcher for two consecutive seasons. My grandmother thinks he played in the late 1940's but is not certain. I looked at every roster list for the Boston Braves on the baseball-almanac website and found nothing. Anyone have any other suggestions? I'm trying to piece together collectibles as well as anything reffering to my grandfather for my father's birthday. Any helpful ideas are appreciated. Thank you!

After reading this I checked the SABR Minor League Data base, a truly Great site btw; & found no listing for anyone named Proulx that pitched in the 1940's. You can check for yourself at http://minors.sabrwebs.com/cgi-bin/index.php Sorry, Jocelyn was hoping to come up with something for you.


EDIT: just noticed that Jocelyn's original post was 3 years ago & that her post total is only 2. She probably wont see this reply, & its sort of out of place on this thread anyway, but nonetheless it IS a truly Great site for those who are interested in any specific players lifetime minor league statistics.

[CROM]

Those are some great pictures Shotgun.. i am mad at myself for just noticing this thread.

[Shotgun Shuba]

Thanks CROM. It was a great evening in October when I stopped by, on a whim, and just walked right in. There was a girl's lacrosse game or something going on. It wasn't 2008 for me, though, it was the early 50's and I was soaking in the history. I don't think most people in NE even know the Braves ever played in Boston. It is cool that so much of the structure still is there.