View Full Version : February 23, 1960.....
DODGER DEB
02-23-2007, 12:22 PM
On February 23, 1960, 47 years ago today, the first of several wrecking balls were used to tear down OUR beautiful home, EBBETS FIELD!
Only a loyal and true BROOKLYN DODGER FAN would understand the excruciating pain of seeing it with their own eyes, and helpless to stop it. :mad:
I was there and saw it with my own two eyes. I have never felt so helpless in my life, before or since. That pain is still so real...and still hurts as much! :(
c.
Shotgun Shuba
02-23-2007, 01:59 PM
It's sad to realize that something you love so much can be taken away and that sometimes the things that bring us the most joy are the things we have the least control over. One thing that cannot be taken away, the thing that is truly YOURS, is the memory of those great days. Millions, myself included, would love to have seen those days. You were very lucky.
55 chmps
02-23-2007, 02:37 PM
hard to believe that it has been gone for 47 years. Last year today i went to the old site that was Ebbets Field and those apartment buildings were disgusting compared to what used to be there.
DODGER DEB
02-23-2007, 02:42 PM
It's sad to realize that something you love so much can be taken away and that sometimes the things that bring us the most joy are the things we have the least control over. One thing that cannot be taken away, the thing that is truly YOURS, is the memory of those great days. Millions, myself included, would love to have seen those days. You were very lucky.
Thanks you Shotgun!
Believe me, I have never forgotten how lucky I, and my friends, were. WE were born at the right time, in the greatest place (at that time) in the world..... and WE remain eternally grateful for that good fortune.
c.
DODGER DEB
02-23-2007, 05:24 PM
http://stadiumpage.com/stadiumgraveyard/ebbets6.JPG
A thing of beauty is a joy forever!
A stadiumpage photo.
c.
Williamsburg2599
02-23-2007, 05:52 PM
20135
Original caption: Roy Campanella takes a long look at his old "Campy" grounds before demolition work starts at Ebbets Field. The former Dodger ballpark is being cleared for building of housing development. The memory of it will live in hearts of Brooklyn fans.
source:Corbis
Another shot:
20136
Yankeebiscuitfan
02-23-2007, 06:20 PM
A couple of years ago, I saw some film pictures of grown up men, crying while watching Ebbets Field being torn down. I could not imagine by then, what it meant to them.
But since I have frequently visited your board, I can.
Like I have said before in other threads:"Losing one's favorite team is the worst thing that can happen to a baseball fan."
EbtsFldGuy
02-24-2007, 02:09 PM
The 2 photos of Campy at EF are poignant.
He represents the time when Flatbush was ALIVE with the pulse of the Dodgers.
How sad to see him in a wheelchair, his mobility gone, on the field where he moved so well and effectively, a field itself about to be removed from existence.
To those who consider returning to the site of EF, I'd say this. If your curiosity compels you to go, that's one thing. But if you are not prepared for an emotional downturn, skip it. I went back 5 times one spring, and wish that I had not.
EbtsFldGuy
02-24-2007, 02:13 PM
If you have an interest, as I do, in what stands on the sites of former MLB parks, visit the URL below.
I spent most of a recent Saturday afternoon reading all the posts, and found it a fascinating experience.
The pictures and accounts of a visit to the Polo Grounds site were especially interesting.
http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=30132&page=4
POLO GROUNDS 1957
02-27-2007, 10:59 PM
If you have an interest, as I do, in what stands on the sites of former MLB parks, visit the URL below.
I spent most of a recent Saturday afternoon reading all the posts, and found it a fascinating experience.
The pictures and accounts of a visit to the Polo Grounds site were especially interesting.
http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=30132&page=4
Well i will say this i was happy to have made it to both the ebbets field and polo grounds sites in 1988.ebbets was torn down one year before i was born. and when i went to the polo grounds towers a flower pot came crashing down from one of the apartments above and missed hitting me.but i will say this i am happy that i made it to both sites.
MelOtt
04-07-2007, 12:56 PM
Wow those were some impressive pictures. Dont know if I could have the guts to go wandering around a project in NY but man those are amazing photos.
As a young guy I watched the Blue Jays at the old Exhibition stadium in Toronto. like many multiuse parks (not unlike the Rogers centre) of the era it was a stale stadium... Yet it was a fun place to watch a game. Riding the trolley down to the stadium was one of the things I appreciated.
I am so happy that baseball has gone back to older style of single use parks.
THE OX
04-07-2007, 04:25 PM
Just for you bittersweet Ebbets Field nostalgia folks, let me recommend a song from Frank Sinatra's 1973 record album Old Blue Eyes Is Back
"There Used To Be A Ballpark" ...... (sigh!.....)
I was born in 1957 in Brooklyn and grew up there so I missed everything. Luckily, my dad, God rest his soul, told me everything about them. Til the day he died he always brought up the move and how it killed the people of Brooklyn. His hatred of O'Malley was as strong as his love for his team. I remember telling him that Pee Wee Reese died and watched the tears form in his eyes. He said that no matter how long I watched baseball, I'd never see a man like Pee Wee Reese.
It's sad to realize that something you love so much can be taken away and that sometimes the things that bring us the most joy are the things we have the least control over. One thing that cannot be taken away, the thing that is truly YOURS, is the memory of those great days. Millions, myself included, would love to have seen those days. You were very lucky.
DODGER DEB
04-09-2007, 07:32 AM
I was born in 1957 in Brooklyn and grew up there so I missed everything. Luckily, my dad, God rest his soul, told me everything about them. Til the day he died he always brought up the move and how it killed the people of Brooklyn. His hatred of O'Malley was as strong as his love for his team. I remember telling him that Pee Wee Reese died and watched the tears form in his eyes. He said that no matter how long I watched baseball, I'd never see a man like Pee Wee Reese.
Having known PEE WEE since I was a little girl, I can tell you, your Dad is so very right! There was only one PEE WEE, and, sadly, Baseball will never see the likes of him again. HE truly was #1, on and off the field......and I am so, so proud to say that HE was OURS!
Thank you for your post SNAP, and welcome to OUR Forum!
c.
Thanks Dodger Deb......Hopefully the Mets new field will bring back (somewhat) the feel of Old Ebbets......Needless to say, I despise the LA Dodgers..impostors!!
There Used To Be A Ballpark
(Written by Joe Raposo & recorded by Frank Sinatra)
"Oh, there used to be a ball park
where the field was warm and green,
and the people played a crazy game
with a joy I've never seen.
How the people watched with wonder,
how they laughed and how they cheered
Yes, there used to be a ball park....
right here....
And the people ate rock candy
on a great big 4th of July
and the fireworks exploded
all across the summer sky.
And the air was filled with wonder
from the hot dogs and the beer
Yes, there used to be a ball park...
right here....
Now the children try to find it,
and they can't believe their eyes
For the old team isn't playing,
and the new team hardly tries
And the sky has gotten cloudy
when it used to be so clear
and the summer....went so quickly...
this year....
Yes, there used to be a ball park...
right here....
Just reading these threads about the demolition of Ebbets Field and what became of the Ebbets Field site has me depressed.
Instead of tearing down Ebbets Field, it should have been maintained for schools and community groups in Brooklyn and in other parts of NY City. That would have given them the opportunity to play in a ballpark with a multitude of history. With the history of Ebbets Field being preserved. This sure beats the alternative that unfortunately became the reality.
chashale
04-29-2007, 12:46 PM
Any idea when the left field wall was built at Ebbets Field? I seem to recall pictures taken in the twenties, which did not include the wall. Any idea? Woops, seems like I just got the answer from Brownie on another thread,1932.
VIBaseball
02-11-2009, 07:26 AM
It's not quite the anniversary of this sad event yet, but the reason I bring it up now is this article about the CitiField naming rights deal, which quotes Long Island Congressman Peter King. King remembers going to games at Ebbets Field and says that he was part of the group of fans there on 2/23/60.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spking116031537feb11,0,4023011.story
KCGHOST
02-11-2009, 08:01 AM
That was certainly a sad day for all Brooklynites.