Best Book about the Polo Grounds?

[StanTheMan]

I have always been a Cardinals fan, but I have always been fascinated by the Polo Grounds, and the unique baseball that must have been played there simply due to the uniqueness of the outfield configuration, the distance to the foul poles, etc. If you did not have a centerfielder who could run, you were in trouble in that park. And how in the world did every hitter who ever batted there NOT try to pull the ball on nearly every pitch? How could you pitch inside there if you did not have a big time fastball? 475 foot outs... my goodness, what a place.

If there was one stadium I could go back in time and see a game in, it would undoubtedly be the Polo Grounds...

My question is, what is the best book about the Polo Grounds???

Looking at several of them online, I am leading towards "Land of the Giants" and the fact that it is readily available is nice too...

I am more interested in the history of the ballpark than of the Giants themselves, but you could not have one without the other could you.....

Thanks in advance for your replies, and for the great photos posted of the PG in the other threads.... I'm looking forward to picking up a book about my favorite ballpark.... one I have never been to.



Completely off topic, how in the he11 did Thompson's homer make it into the seats in the lower deck, with the overhang of the upper deck the way it was? I know on the famous radio call that the it was "a line drive into the lower deck of the left field stands... and they're going crazy, they're going crazy..." but that must have been a "line drive" in the truest sense of the word!!!

[POLO GROUNDS 1957]

I have always been a Cardinals fan, but I have always been fascinated by the Polo Grounds, and the unique baseball that must have been played there simply due to the uniqueness of the outfield configuration, the distance to the foul poles, etc. If you did not have a centerfielder who could run, you were in trouble in that park. And how in the world did every hitter who ever batted there NOT try to pull the ball on nearly every pitch? How could you pitch inside there if you did not have a big time fastball? 475 foot outs... my goodness, what a place.

If there was one stadium I could go back in time and see a game in, it would undoubtedly be the Polo Grounds...

My question is, what is the best book about the Polo Grounds???

Looking at several of them online, I am leading towards "Land of the Giants" and the fact that it is readily available is nice too...

I am more interested in the history of the ballpark than of the Giants themselves, but you could not have one without the other could you.....

Thanks in advance for your replies, and for the great photos posted of the PG in the other threads.... I'm looking forward to picking up a book about my favorite ballpark.... one I have never been to.



Completely off topic, how in the he11 did Thompson's homer make it into the seats in the lower deck, with the overhang of the upper deck the way it was? I know on the famous radio call that the it was "a line drive into the lower deck of the left field stands... and they're going crazy, they're going crazy..." but that must have been a "line drive" in the truest sense of the word!!!Hello the best book i think out on the polo grounds is a book wrote by stew thornley called NEW YORK'S POLO GROUNDS land of the giants ISBN-1-56639-796-0 TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS copyright 2000.
This book covers the great history of the historic polo grounds. i am sure that the book is in print still. i do see the book on the internet all of the time.

Another good book about the giants was called GIANTS DIARY ISBN-0-938190-96-2 copyright 1987 by fred stein and nick peters. i dont think that this book is still in print you may have to look on the internet for this book.
Another good book on the giants is the giants encyclopedia by TOM SCHOTT and NICK PETERS. ISBN- 1-58261-064-9. hopefully this info will help you.

[musial6]

From one Musial fan to another, try Fred Stein's UNDER COOGAN'S BLUFF, 1978.

[StanTheMan]

Land of the Giants by Stew Thornley is excellent. I learned a lot about the great PG.

I also picked up "A Day in the Bleachers" by Arnold Hano, about his experiences in the bleachers on the day of Mays' catch in the 54 World Series.

It is touted as the first of the "fan at the game" books and the "best of these types of books" by Roger Angel. I agree. Good Read.

Anyone every read "Pafko at the Wall?"

Bryan in Indy

[Brownie31]

Land of the Giants by Stew Thornley is excellent. I learned a lot about the great PG.

I also picked up "A Day in the Bleachers" by Arnold Hano, about his experiences in the bleachers on the day of Mays' catch in the 54 World Series.

It is touted as the first of the "fan at the game" books and the "best of these types of books" by Roger Angel. I agree. Good Read.

Anyone every read "Pafko at the Wall?"

Bryan in Indy

StanTheMan:

Another very good book is Noel Hynd's "The Giants of the Polo
Grounds" from 1988. This book is a very well written history of
the New York Giants.

It is available on the internet at abebooks.com.

Brownie31