Crosley Field
Encyclopedia
Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball
park located in Cincinnati
, Ohio
. It was the home field of the National League's
Cincinnati Reds
from 1912
through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals
football team, members of the second (1937) and third American Football League (1940–41). Contrary to popular belief, it was not the original home of the current NFL franchise of the same name
(the home of those Bengals in 1968 and 1969 was nearby Nippert Stadium
, located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati
)
Crosley Field was on an asymmetrical block bounded by Findlay Street (south), Western Avenue (northeast, angling), York Street (north) and McLean Avenue (west). The "Findlay and Western" intersection was the home field of the Reds from 1884
until mid-season 1970, when the team moved to Riverfront Stadium
.
The location of the diamond
and consequently the main grandstand
seating area was shifted several times during the park's existence. Some of the moves resulted in different names being assigned to the ballpark during its seasons of use:
and 1912
seasons, the entire seating area of the Palace of the Fans as well as the remaining seating from the original League Park were demolished and rebuilt in steel and concrete, with a double-deck grandstand around the diamond, positioned in the southwest corner of the lot. Beyond first and third base were single-deck covered pavilions extended to the corners, with bleachers in the right field area.
Redland Field, whose name was a reference to the Reds' name and color, was built for $225,000 by Harry Hake architect
s. It was one of many classic steel and concrete ballparks constructed during the first ballpark boom era of 1909–1923. Chicago's Wrigley Field
and Boston's Fenway Park
were also built during this era and remain in use today. Although occupying the site since 1884, the Reds dated their ballpark from the permanent structure opened in 1912.
Throughout its history, Redland/Crosley Field was usually among the smallest parks in either the National or American
leagues. It accommodated 25,000 fans in 1912
; even at its peak, it never exceeded 30,000 seats, excluding temporary seating areas created for opening day and World Series games. Contributing to this was the fact that there were no bleachers in left or center fields; all outfield seating (about 4,500 seats), were in the semi-trapezoid
-shaped right field stands that came to be known as the "Sun Deck" (or, in the case of night games, the "Moon Deck").
Groundskeeper Mathias "Matty" Schwab, who had been hired in 1894
had the sod laid just in time for the Reds' first game at the new park, April 11, 1912. In the game, the Reds rallied from a 5–0 deficit to defeat the Chicago Cubs
10–6, the same team that had opened and closed at the Palace in 1902 and 1911 respectively. Schwab would be the Reds' groundkeeper until he retired at age 83 in 1963
.
The Reds' on-field success continued to be sparse most of the time, but the club won the National League pennant in 1919, the franchise's first league title in 37 years, going back to the AA inaugural season. It was also the 50th anniversary of the Cincinnati Red Stockings
' historic tour, and was a celebratory occasion for Cincinnati fans, especially when they scored an upset win over the Chicago White Sox
in the World Series
. The win was tainted by the fact, made public a year later, that the Series had been "thrown"
by the heavily-favored Sox. The Reds gradually returned to mediocrity and attendance flagged.
bought the struggling Reds in 1934
, team president Larry MacPhail
insisted that the ballpark be renamed in honor of the man many thought had rescued the franchise. Thus, the park was renamed "Crosley Field", and Crosley himself took the opportunity to advertise his Crosley cars
. Under Crosley's ownership, the park would undergo notable structural renovations.
With the effects of the Great Depression
in Cincinnati, the Reds convinced baseball owners to allow night baseball at Crosley Field. Without lights, Larry MacPhail insisted, the team would fold because of low attendance. Lights had been installed in a number of Minor League baseball
parks in the early 1930s, with positive results. The major league owners acquiesced; 632 individual lamps in eight metal stanchions were erected and on May 24, 1935, the Reds hosted the Philadelphia Phillies
and won 2–1 behind right-hander Paul Derringer
. In attendance at the game was Ford Frick
, President of the National League. In the White House
, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a button that lit up Crosley Field, where a crowd of 20,422 fans, sizable for a last-place team in the middle of the Great Depression, came out to watch the game. Lou Chiozza
was the leadoff man for the Phillies and thus has the distinction of being the first player to bat under the lights in a night game in the majors.
The sixth night game at Crosley Field was particularly notable for its wildness. The visiting St. Louis Cardinals
, the Reds' rival and the defending World Series
champions, were in town, and the fans showed up in droves. As the game progressed, the throng of Reds fans forced people onto the field of play which caused mass confusion for the police and umpires. (This was during a time in baseball when overflow crowds were often allowed to sit or stand on the fringes of the playing field.) Reds manager Chuck Dressen
could only follow the game via the scoreboard. At one point, he was heard to say: "I see the Cardinals got a run — but I don't know how they got it".
During an eighth inning officials' time out, a local burlesque performer named Kitty Burke
came out of the crowd, picked up the Reds outfielder Floyd "Babe" Herman's
bat, stepped into the batter's box, and dared the Cardinals' starter, Paul "Daffy" Dean
, to throw her a pitch. He accommodated Burke with a soft toss; Burke grounded weakly to first base. The "pinch hit" appearance was never recorded as an official at bat, of course, but nonetheless, Burke began promoting herself as the first woman in major league history. Allegedly, the Reds gave her a uniform.
The late 1930s finally brought some prosperity to the club again, along with some changes to the ballpark. After the 1937
season, home plate was moved out by some twenty feet, decreasing the park's dimensions. The following summer, Crosley was the host site for Cincinnati's first Major League Baseball All-Star Game
. In the middle of a pennant winning season of 1939
, their first in twenty years, the Reds added roofed upper decks to the left and right side pavilions. This gave Crosley Field some 5,000 additional seats and the appearance it would retain for the rest of its existence. The Reds lost the World Series
to the powerful New York Yankees
in 1939, but would bounce back to win the pennant again in 1940, and defeat the Detroit Tigers
in a seven-game thriller.
, who took full advantage of Crosley's cozy dimensions. Crosley Field again hosted the All-Star Game in 1953
.
After a poor season in 1960, the Reds put everything together in 1961 and won the National League pennant, an effort documented in pitcher Jim Brosnan
's book, Pennant Race. The dream season ended for the Reds at the hand of the Yankees, whose slugging duo of Roger Maris
and Mickey Mantle
had demolished the rest of the American League. Maris, who had set a record with 61 home runs that season, also knocked one into the Moon Deck in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the World Series
.
Crosley Field was the site of the major leagues' first save, after the save became an official statistic in 1969
. Los Angeles Dodgers
pitcher Bill Singer
earned the save on April 7, 1969, in the season-opener, working three scoreless innings
after taking over for Dodgers starting and winning pitcher
Don Drysdale
. Singer did not allow a hit, walking one batter and striking out one, as the Dodgers beat the Reds
, 3–2.
The Reds would continue to be a frequent contender, gradually building up toward what would become known as the "Big Red Machine". By the time the Reds reached that peak, though, Crosley would be but a memory.
Crosley Field's decline had begun in earnest in the mid-1950s with the automobile
supplanting the train as the main method of transportation. The ballpark was located in the dense west end. Businesses (such as the Superior Towel and Linen Service, a.k.a. "The Laundry", as well as a large factory) bounded the park on three sides. The neighborhood was not suited for the automobile; parking increasingly became a major problem in the last fifteen years of Crosley Field's existence, as did crime — especially during night games.
Around 1960, Powel Crosley was courted by a group seeking to return a National League
franchise to New York City
to replace the Dodgers
and the Giants
, who had moved to Los Angeles
and the San Francisco
after the 1957
season, respectively. The moves left the American League
Yankees
as the city's sole baseball team. Crosley was unwilling to move. However, he died the following year and his estate sold the team a few months later to Bill DeWitt
, who kept Crosley's name on the park.
Complicating matters was that legendary football coach Paul Brown
, the founder of the Cleveland Browns
who had been deposed by new owner Art Modell
in 1963, was wanting to get back into professional football. He was granted an American Football League
franchise for Cincinnati, the Bengals
. A contingency of that agreement was that an appropriate facility be ready by the time the 1970 National Football League
season began, which would be the first season that the AFL was fully merged with the NFL.
An agreement was struck to build a multi-purpose facility on the dilapidated riverfront section of the city. Riverfront Stadium seated about 60,000 people and was deemed a logical solution to a myriad of problems. The Reds were part of that agreement, and Crosley Field's end was in sight.
It was believed that the Sunday, September 28, 1969 game against the Houston Astros
, which was that year's last home game for the Reds (who won 4–1), would be the final game ever at Crosley Field. However, delays in final construction of Riverfront Stadium, led to the Reds opening the 1970 season at Findlay and Western, against the Montreal Expos
. New additions to the Reds that season were figures who would become Reds legends: manager George Lee "Sparky" Anderson
and shortstop
Dave Concepción
, who had actually been signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent
in 1967
as a pitcher. The 1970 Reds were pennant-bound, but Crosley Field did not figure into that event.
The Reds last game at Crosley Field was played on June 24, 1970, against the San Francisco Giants
. It became a legendary game in Reds history due to the way it ended. With the Reds trailing Juan Marichal
and the Giants 4–3 in the eighth inning, catcher
Johnny Bench
tied the game on a solo home run
. The next batter, first baseman
Lee May
won it on a solo home run
of his own. The ninth inning was a relatively easy one for Reds reliever
Wayne Granger
; Bobby Bonds
grounded out to first base.
One of the highlights of the closing festivities was mayor Gene Ruehlmann taking home plate out of the ground and taking it via helicopter
(which had landed on the field), to Riverfront Stadium and installing it in the artificial turf
. After a brief road trip to Houston, which saw them sweep the Houston Astros, they returned to Cincinnati and opened Riverfront Stadium against the Atlanta Braves
. They lost 8–2.
and playing field size.
Probably the most famous (or notorious) feature of Crosley Field otherwise was the fifteen-degree left field incline, called "the terrace". Terraces were not unusual in old ballparks. Most of them were constructed as a way to make up the difference between field level and street level on a sloping block. And most of them were leveled out ("Duffy's Cliff" at Fenway Park
is one example) or covered by bleachers (as with Ebbets Field
and Wrigley Field
, for example).
The story of the Crosley Terrace is the reverse of the long-departed "Duffy's Cliff". There was no terrace in evidence during the ballpark's days as the Palace, which had a fairly high wall whose base was below street level. The terrace came about when the new ballpark was constructed for 1912. The club received permission to expand the playing field, by way of the city closing the eastbound lane of York Street. Instead of building a very high wall and retaining a level playing field, the club built a somewhat shorter wall with its base at roughly street level, with the sloping terrace making up the difference in grade.
As baseball boomed during the 1920s, many clubs built additional seating in their once-spacious outfield areas. The outfield area at Findlay and Western was already small, so building inner bleachers was not practical, and the Crosley terrace persisted and became one of the park's trademarks. It was used, as Duffy's Cliff had been, for temporary spectator seating, in the days when standing-room-only crowds would be allowed at the fringes of the field behind ropes. The terrace also served as a "warning track", in lieu of the more typical dirt or gravel warning tracks that began to appear at most other ballparks by the 1950s. The slope was at least as much warning to an outfielder as a flat track was. Although the terrace was most prominent in left field, it extended clear across the outfield.
The Crosley terrace was nowhere near as extreme as the terrace at Nashville's Sulphur Dell
, but it still frustrated many outfielders, mostly left fielders and mostly from visiting teams. Babe Ruth
was victimized by it on May 28, 1935, playing for the Boston Braves in his brief final season. He was headed for the Hall of Fame, but one day as Ruth was headed up the Crosley terrace, he fell down on his face.
Frank Robinson
, however, loved it. In the early 1990s, when the Baltimore Orioles
were planning their future home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards
, Robinson, an Orioles executive and one-time Reds star, unsuccessfully lobbied to get the team to install a terrace in left field.
When the Houston Astros
' new facility, Enron Field
, was being built, a prominent addition to the field was a 30-degree center field incline with a flagpole, which was dubbed "Tal's Hill" in reference to its proponent, Astros executive Tal Smith
.
To commemorate their Crosley Field years, the main entrance of the Cincinnati Reds' new park, Great American Ball Park
, features a monument called "Crosley Terrace" that features inclines and statues of Crosley-era stars Joe Nuxhall
, Ernie Lombardi
, Ted Kluszewski
, and Frank Robinson
. References to the terrace are also visible. This monument was designed by architecture firm Populous and sculptor Thomas Tsuchiya
.
The Negro Leagues'
Cincinnati Tigers
in 1936
and 1937
called Crosley home.
The original 1937
Cincinnati Bengals football team played home games there.
During World War I
, the city's police force staged a review at Redland Field on October 17, 1917.
On August 21, 1966, Crosley Field hosted The Beatles
, who were in the midst of their final American
and Canadian
tour. The concert had been scheduled for the previous day, but was rained out.
On June 13, 1970, Crosley Field hosted The Cincinnati Pop Festival. The band lineup included: The Stooges
, Mountain
, Grand Funk Railroad
, Alice Cooper
, Traffic
, Mighty Quick, Bob Seger
, Mott The Hoople
, Ten Years After
, Bloodrock
, Savage Grace
, Brownsville Station
, Zephyr
, Damnation Of Adam Blessing, and John Drakes Shakedown.
Other events held there included a Roy Rogers
rodeo
, a political rally for Wendell Wilkie, and even an Ice Capades
show.
would run by it, the site would become premium real estate. and they should be fairly compensated for the increase in value. They also brought in an expert witness: Peter Edward Rose
. Rose espoused the positives of Crosley Field.
Eventually, a jury
set the sale price at $2.5 million. After the sale was made official, the city turned the park into an auxiliary auto impound lot while the Queensgate project was finalized. Ironically, given the parking shortage for many years, Crosley had itself become a parking lot. Two years later, the demolition of Crosley Field began in earnest. The park was soon gutted; seats sold for $10 and fans and present and former club employees scrounged for mementos. On April 19, 1972, Pete Rose, Jr. pulled a lever that sent a wrecking ball
into the side of Crosley Field. By autumn, just the faint outline of the grandstand remained.
Today, seven buildings occupy the site and a street runs through it. The old left field terrace area is now a parking lot, but it's still distinguishable due to its slope and its location next to York Street. Dalton Street, which formerly dead-ended into Findlay Street, was extended through the former field of play.
, Larry Luebbers of Union
, Kentucky
, built a replica of the Crosley Field playing field on his farm. To that, he added memorabilia that he had harvested during Crosley's demolition, such as seats, signage, and the old Crosley ticket booth; painted advertising on the fences; and opened it for the Cincinnati Suds professional softball
team, which he also owned. However, by 1984
, it was gone, too. Luebbers was forced to sell his farm to pay off his creditors. Luebbers' son, Larry Luebbers
, played for the Reds and several other clubs in the 1990s.http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/L/Pluebl001.htm
, came up with the idea to make one of the ballfields of a planned community sports complex a recreation of Crosley Field. Administrative aide Mark Rohr was put in charge. He tracked down memorabilia for the park; what he couldn't find was often donated by fans. Items such as usher's uniforms, signage, rooftop pennants, and a field microphone were given to the new project, which opened in 1988
with an Old Timer's game (which has since been discontinued). The scoreboard, which is a recreation, carries information from the final game at the old park. The field also has a white wall with "CROSLEY FIELD" in red letters in the appropriate font. This recreation was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans old enough to remember the real park, as well as many retired Reds players such as Pete Rose, Joe Nuxhall
, and Jim O'Toole
. A wall features a number of plaques commemorating Crosley-era Reds greats. Additionally, 400 seats from the original field were installed at the Blue Ash replica.
In an interview with author Greg Rhodes
, Rohr, who wasn't a baseball fan when the project began, stated: "Sometimes I have a hard time understanding the people who come and stare at this place with tears in their eyes; a woman actually hugged the ticket booth and kissed it". The field is also used regularly by teams in various levels of play. Moeller High School
's Varsity Baseball team plays its home games at Crosley.
flooded, submerging the field under 21 feet (6.4 m) of water. As a lark, Reds pitcher
Lee Grissom and the team's traveling secretary, John McDonald, got into a rowboat and entered Crosley Field over the left field fence and rowed to the area of the pitcher's mound. There was a photographer present, of course, and the picture has been well-circulated since then. For example, it can be seen on p. 40–41 of Lost Ballparks, by Lawrence Ritter.
, who won eleven, led the Reds in this unofficial statistical category; Willie Mays
led all visitors with seven. Its demolition in the early-1960s netted 38 parking spaces.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
park located in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. It was the home field of the National League's
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
from 1912
1912 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Boston Red Sox over New York Giants -Awards and honors:*Chalmers Award**Tris Speaker, Boston Red Sox, OF** Larry Doyle, New York Giants, 2B-MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:...
through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals (AFL)
Cincinnati Bengals was the name of a short-lived professional football team that played in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is unrelated to the current Cincinnati Bengals. Originated by Hal Pennington , the team was formed as a member of the second American Football League in the 1937 season...
football team, members of the second (1937) and third American Football League (1940–41). Contrary to popular belief, it was not the original home of the current NFL franchise of the same name
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
(the home of those Bengals in 1968 and 1969 was nearby Nippert Stadium
Nippert Stadium
Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio is the University of Cincinnati's football stadium, home to their Bearcats football team in rudimentary form since 1901, and as a complete stadium since 1924, making it the fourth oldest playing site and fifth oldest stadium in college football.In 1895, the...
, located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
)
Crosley Field was on an asymmetrical block bounded by Findlay Street (south), Western Avenue (northeast, angling), York Street (north) and McLean Avenue (west). The "Findlay and Western" intersection was the home field of the Reds from 1884
1884 in baseball
-Champions:*First World's Championship Series: Providence Grays over New York Metropolitans *National League: Providence Grays*American Association: New York Metropolitans*Union Association: St...
until mid-season 1970, when the team moved to Riverfront Stadium
Cinergy Field
Riverfront Stadium , later known as Cinergy Field , was the home of the Cincinnati Reds National League baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals National Football League team. Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the stadium was best known as the home of "The Big Red Machine," as the...
.
The location of the diamond
Infield
Infield is a widely used term in sports terminology, its meaning depends on the sport in which it is used.- In baseball :In baseball the baseball diamond plus a region beyond it , has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-covered outfield...
and consequently the main grandstand
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
seating area was shifted several times during the park's existence. Some of the moves resulted in different names being assigned to the ballpark during its seasons of use:
- 1884–1901: League ParkLeague Park (Cincinnati)League Park was a Major League baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was the home of the Cincinnati Reds from 1884 through 1901....
- 1902–1911: Palace of the FansPalace of the FansPalace of the Fans was a Major League baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home of the Cincinnati Reds from 1902 through 1911....
- 1912–1970: Redland Field, renamed Crosley Field in 1934
Rebuilding
Between the 19111911 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over New York Giants -Awards and honors:*Chalmers Award**Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers, OF**Wildfire Schulte, Chicago Cubs, OF-MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:...
and 1912
1912 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Boston Red Sox over New York Giants -Awards and honors:*Chalmers Award**Tris Speaker, Boston Red Sox, OF** Larry Doyle, New York Giants, 2B-MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:...
seasons, the entire seating area of the Palace of the Fans as well as the remaining seating from the original League Park were demolished and rebuilt in steel and concrete, with a double-deck grandstand around the diamond, positioned in the southwest corner of the lot. Beyond first and third base were single-deck covered pavilions extended to the corners, with bleachers in the right field area.
Redland Field, whose name was a reference to the Reds' name and color, was built for $225,000 by Harry Hake architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s. It was one of many classic steel and concrete ballparks constructed during the first ballpark boom era of 1909–1923. Chicago's Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
and Boston's Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
were also built during this era and remain in use today. Although occupying the site since 1884, the Reds dated their ballpark from the permanent structure opened in 1912.
Throughout its history, Redland/Crosley Field was usually among the smallest parks in either the National or American
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
leagues. It accommodated 25,000 fans in 1912
1912 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Boston Red Sox over New York Giants -Awards and honors:*Chalmers Award**Tris Speaker, Boston Red Sox, OF** Larry Doyle, New York Giants, 2B-MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:...
; even at its peak, it never exceeded 30,000 seats, excluding temporary seating areas created for opening day and World Series games. Contributing to this was the fact that there were no bleachers in left or center fields; all outfield seating (about 4,500 seats), were in the semi-trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
-shaped right field stands that came to be known as the "Sun Deck" (or, in the case of night games, the "Moon Deck").
Groundskeeper Mathias "Matty" Schwab, who had been hired in 1894
1894 in baseball
-Champions:*Temple Cup: New York Giants defeated Baltimore Orioles, 4 games to 0*National League: Baltimore Orioles-National League final standings:-Events:...
had the sod laid just in time for the Reds' first game at the new park, April 11, 1912. In the game, the Reds rallied from a 5–0 deficit to defeat the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
10–6, the same team that had opened and closed at the Palace in 1902 and 1911 respectively. Schwab would be the Reds' groundkeeper until he retired at age 83 in 1963
1963 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers beat New York Yankees ; Sandy Koufax, MVP*All-Star Game, July 9 at Municipal Stadium: National League, 5–3; Willie Mays, MVP-Other champions:*College World Series: USC...
.
The Reds' on-field success continued to be sparse most of the time, but the club won the National League pennant in 1919, the franchise's first league title in 37 years, going back to the AA inaugural season. It was also the 50th anniversary of the Cincinnati Red Stockings
Cincinnati Red Stockings
The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first fully professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players 1867–1870, a time of a transition that ambitious Cincinnati,...
' historic tour, and was a celebratory occasion for Cincinnati fans, especially when they scored an upset win over the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in the World Series
1919 World Series
The 1919 World Series matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. Although most World Series have been of the best-of-seven format, the 1919 World Series was a best-of-nine series...
. The win was tainted by the fact, made public a year later, that the Series had been "thrown"
Black Sox Scandal
The Black Sox Scandal took place around and during the play of the American baseball 1919 World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned for life from baseball for intentionally losing games, which allowed the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series...
by the heavily-favored Sox. The Reds gradually returned to mediocrity and attendance flagged.
Crosley and lights
When local businessman Powel Crosley Jr.Powel Crosley Jr.
Powel Crosley, Jr. was an American inventor, industrialist, and entrepreneur. He and his brother Lewis were responsible for many "firsts" in consumer products and broadcasting. He was the builder of the Crosley automobiles. He was the owner of the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team for...
bought the struggling Reds in 1934
1934 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Detroit Tigers *All-Star Game, July 10 at Polo Grounds: American League, 9-7-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player:**American League: Mickey Cochrane, Detroit Tigers, C...
, team president Larry MacPhail
Larry MacPhail
Leland Stanford "Larry" MacPhail, Sr. was an American lawyer, and an executive and innovator in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
insisted that the ballpark be renamed in honor of the man many thought had rescued the franchise. Thus, the park was renamed "Crosley Field", and Crosley himself took the opportunity to advertise his Crosley cars
Crosley
The Crosley was an automobile manufactured by the Crosley Corporation and later by Crosley Motors Incorporated in the United States from 1939 to 1952.-History:...
. Under Crosley's ownership, the park would undergo notable structural renovations.
With the effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in Cincinnati, the Reds convinced baseball owners to allow night baseball at Crosley Field. Without lights, Larry MacPhail insisted, the team would fold because of low attendance. Lights had been installed in a number of Minor League baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
parks in the early 1930s, with positive results. The major league owners acquiesced; 632 individual lamps in eight metal stanchions were erected and on May 24, 1935, the Reds hosted the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and won 2–1 behind right-hander Paul Derringer
Paul Derringer
Samuel Paul Derringer was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three National League teams from 1931 to 1945, primarily the Cincinnati Reds....
. In attendance at the game was Ford Frick
Ford Frick
Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...
, President of the National League. In the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a button that lit up Crosley Field, where a crowd of 20,422 fans, sizable for a last-place team in the middle of the Great Depression, came out to watch the game. Lou Chiozza
Lou Chiozza
Louis Peo Chiozza is a former professional baseball player who played a total of six seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants of Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
was the leadoff man for the Phillies and thus has the distinction of being the first player to bat under the lights in a night game in the majors.
The sixth night game at Crosley Field was particularly notable for its wildness. The visiting St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, the Reds' rival and the defending World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
champions, were in town, and the fans showed up in droves. As the game progressed, the throng of Reds fans forced people onto the field of play which caused mass confusion for the police and umpires. (This was during a time in baseball when overflow crowds were often allowed to sit or stand on the fringes of the playing field.) Reds manager Chuck Dressen
Chuck Dressen
Charles Walter Dressen , known as both "Chuck" and "Charlie," was an American third baseman, manager and coach in professional baseball during a career that lasted almost fifty years, and was best known as the manager of the powerful Brooklyn Dodgers of 1951–1953...
could only follow the game via the scoreboard. At one point, he was heard to say: "I see the Cardinals got a run — but I don't know how they got it".
During an eighth inning officials' time out, a local burlesque performer named Kitty Burke
Kitty Burke
Kitty Burke was a nightclub entertainer from Cincinnati, Ohio who was noted for being the only female to ever attempt to bat in a Major League Baseball game, albeit unofficially....
came out of the crowd, picked up the Reds outfielder Floyd "Babe" Herman's
Babe Herman
Floyd Caves "Babe" Herman was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who was best known for his several seasons with the Brooklyn Robins ....
bat, stepped into the batter's box, and dared the Cardinals' starter, Paul "Daffy" Dean
Paul Dean (baseball)
Paul Dee "Daffy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Born in Lucas, Arkansas, he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals , the New York Giants , and the St. Louis Browns ....
, to throw her a pitch. He accommodated Burke with a soft toss; Burke grounded weakly to first base. The "pinch hit" appearance was never recorded as an official at bat, of course, but nonetheless, Burke began promoting herself as the first woman in major league history. Allegedly, the Reds gave her a uniform.
The late 1930s finally brought some prosperity to the club again, along with some changes to the ballpark. After the 1937
1937 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over New York Giants *All-Star Game, July 7 at Griffith Stadium: American League, 8-3-Awards and honors:*MLB Most Valuable Player Award**American League: Charlie Gehringer, Detroit Tigers, 2B...
season, home plate was moved out by some twenty feet, decreasing the park's dimensions. The following summer, Crosley was the host site for Cincinnati's first Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
. In the middle of a pennant winning season of 1939
1939 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:*On May 17, 1939, Princeton University and Columbia University played the first televised baseball game. On August 26, the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers played the first televised Major League Baseball game...
, their first in twenty years, the Reds added roofed upper decks to the left and right side pavilions. This gave Crosley Field some 5,000 additional seats and the appearance it would retain for the rest of its existence. The Reds lost the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
to the powerful New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in 1939, but would bounce back to win the pennant again in 1940, and defeat the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in a seven-game thriller.
Later years
By the 1950s, the Reds were back to mediocrity, but they had some sluggers, including the muscle-bound Ted KluszewskiTed Kluszewski
Theodore Bernard "Big Klu" Kluszewski was a Major League first baseman from 1947 through 1961. He batted and threw left-handed.-Career:...
, who took full advantage of Crosley's cozy dimensions. Crosley Field again hosted the All-Star Game in 1953
1953 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers *All-Star Game, July 14 at Crosley Field: National League, 5-1-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Cangrejeros de Santurce *College World Series: Michigan...
.
After a poor season in 1960, the Reds put everything together in 1961 and won the National League pennant, an effort documented in pitcher Jim Brosnan
Jim Brosnan
James Patrick Brosnan was a Major League Baseball player from 1954 and 1956 through 1963. He was a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox...
's book, Pennant Race. The dream season ended for the Reds at the hand of the Yankees, whose slugging duo of Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
and Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
had demolished the rest of the American League. Maris, who had set a record with 61 home runs that season, also knocked one into the Moon Deck in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the World Series
1961 World Series
The 1961 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds , with the Yankees winning in five games to earn their 19th championship in 39 seasons. This World Series was surrounded by Cold War political puns pitting the "Reds" against the "Yanks"...
.
Crosley Field was the site of the major leagues' first save, after the save became an official statistic in 1969
1969 in baseball
-Expansion:Four expansion teams joined Major League Baseball for this season: the San Diego Padres, the Kansas City Royals, the Seattle Pilots, and the first MLB team in Canada, the Montreal Expos. To accommodate the additional teams, the two leagues were split into two divisions of East and West...
. Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
pitcher Bill Singer
Bill Singer
William Robert Singer is a former baseball pitcher with a 14-year career from 1964 to 1977. He played primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the California Angels , spending his final two seasons with the Texas Rangers , Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays .-Los Angeles Dodgers:Singer made...
earned the save on April 7, 1969, in the season-opener, working three scoreless innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
after taking over for Dodgers starting and winning pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Don Drysdale
Don Drysdale
Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale was a Major League Baseball player and Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of the dominant starting pitchers of the 1960s, and became a radio and television broadcaster following his playing career...
. Singer did not allow a hit, walking one batter and striking out one, as the Dodgers beat the Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, 3–2.
The Reds would continue to be a frequent contender, gradually building up toward what would become known as the "Big Red Machine". By the time the Reds reached that peak, though, Crosley would be but a memory.
Crosley Field's decline had begun in earnest in the mid-1950s with the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
supplanting the train as the main method of transportation. The ballpark was located in the dense west end. Businesses (such as the Superior Towel and Linen Service, a.k.a. "The Laundry", as well as a large factory) bounded the park on three sides. The neighborhood was not suited for the automobile; parking increasingly became a major problem in the last fifteen years of Crosley Field's existence, as did crime — especially during night games.
Around 1960, Powel Crosley was courted by a group seeking to return a National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
franchise to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to replace the Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and the Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, who had moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and the San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
after the 1957
1957 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Milwaukee Braves over New York Yankees ; Lew Burdette, MVP*All-Star Game, July 9 at Busch Stadium: American League, 6-5-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Marianao *College World Series: California...
season, respectively. The moves left the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
as the city's sole baseball team. Crosley was unwilling to move. However, he died the following year and his estate sold the team a few months later to Bill DeWitt
Bill DeWitt
William Orville DeWitt Sr. was a longtime executive in Major League Baseball whose career spanned more than 50 years in the game. His son William DeWitt, Jr. is currently the principal owner and managing partner of the St. Louis Cardinals, while grandson William O...
, who kept Crosley's name on the park.
Complicating matters was that legendary football coach Paul Brown
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
, the founder of the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
who had been deposed by new owner Art Modell
Art Modell
Arthur B. Modell is an American businessman, entrepreneur and former National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise from 1961–1995 and the Baltimore Ravens franchise from 1996–2004. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast...
in 1963, was wanting to get back into professional football. He was granted an American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
franchise for Cincinnati, the Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. A contingency of that agreement was that an appropriate facility be ready by the time the 1970 National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
season began, which would be the first season that the AFL was fully merged with the NFL.
An agreement was struck to build a multi-purpose facility on the dilapidated riverfront section of the city. Riverfront Stadium seated about 60,000 people and was deemed a logical solution to a myriad of problems. The Reds were part of that agreement, and Crosley Field's end was in sight.
It was believed that the Sunday, September 28, 1969 game against the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, which was that year's last home game for the Reds (who won 4–1), would be the final game ever at Crosley Field. However, delays in final construction of Riverfront Stadium, led to the Reds opening the 1970 season at Findlay and Western, against the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
. New additions to the Reds that season were figures who would become Reds legends: manager George Lee "Sparky" Anderson
Sparky Anderson
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson was an American Major League Baseball manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was the first manager to win the World Series in both...
and shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Dave Concepción
Dave Concepción
David Ismael Concepción Benitez , better known as Dave Concepción, is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball. He was born in Ocumare de la Costa, Aragua State, Venezuela...
, who had actually been signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 1967
1967 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox ; Bob Gibson, MVP*All-Star Game, July 11 at Anaheim Stadium: National League, 2-1 ; Tony Pérez, MVP-Other champions:*College World Series: Arizona State...
as a pitcher. The 1970 Reds were pennant-bound, but Crosley Field did not figure into that event.
The Reds last game at Crosley Field was played on June 24, 1970, against the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. It became a legendary game in Reds history due to the way it ended. With the Reds trailing Juan Marichal
Juan Marichal
Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Playing for the San Francisco Giants most of his career, Marichal was known for his high leg kick, pinpoint control and intimidation tactics, which included aiming pitches directly at the opposing batters'...
and the Giants 4–3 in the eighth inning, catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Johnny Bench
Johnny Bench
Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...
tied the game on a solo home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
. The next batter, first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Lee May
Lee May
Lee Andrew May is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. From through , May played for the Cincinnati Reds , Houston Astros , Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals . He batted and threw right-handed. He is the brother of former Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees outfielder...
won it on a solo home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
of his own. The ninth inning was a relatively easy one for Reds reliever
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Wayne Granger
Wayne Granger
Wayne Allan Granger is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Cincinnati Reds , Minnesota Twins , St. Louis Cardinals , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox , Houston Astros and Montreal Expos...
; Bobby Bonds
Bobby Bonds
Bobby Lee Bonds was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball from to , primarily with the San Francisco Giants...
grounded out to first base.
One of the highlights of the closing festivities was mayor Gene Ruehlmann taking home plate out of the ground and taking it via helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
(which had landed on the field), to Riverfront Stadium and installing it in the artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
. After a brief road trip to Houston, which saw them sweep the Houston Astros, they returned to Cincinnati and opened Riverfront Stadium against the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. They lost 8–2.
The Terrace
As previously noted, Crosley Field was usually among the smallest parks in Major League Baseball, both in seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
and playing field size.
Probably the most famous (or notorious) feature of Crosley Field otherwise was the fifteen-degree left field incline, called "the terrace". Terraces were not unusual in old ballparks. Most of them were constructed as a way to make up the difference between field level and street level on a sloping block. And most of them were leveled out ("Duffy's Cliff" at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
is one example) or covered by bleachers (as with Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
and Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
, for example).
The story of the Crosley Terrace is the reverse of the long-departed "Duffy's Cliff". There was no terrace in evidence during the ballpark's days as the Palace, which had a fairly high wall whose base was below street level. The terrace came about when the new ballpark was constructed for 1912. The club received permission to expand the playing field, by way of the city closing the eastbound lane of York Street. Instead of building a very high wall and retaining a level playing field, the club built a somewhat shorter wall with its base at roughly street level, with the sloping terrace making up the difference in grade.
As baseball boomed during the 1920s, many clubs built additional seating in their once-spacious outfield areas. The outfield area at Findlay and Western was already small, so building inner bleachers was not practical, and the Crosley terrace persisted and became one of the park's trademarks. It was used, as Duffy's Cliff had been, for temporary spectator seating, in the days when standing-room-only crowds would be allowed at the fringes of the field behind ropes. The terrace also served as a "warning track", in lieu of the more typical dirt or gravel warning tracks that began to appear at most other ballparks by the 1950s. The slope was at least as much warning to an outfielder as a flat track was. Although the terrace was most prominent in left field, it extended clear across the outfield.
The Crosley terrace was nowhere near as extreme as the terrace at Nashville's Sulphur Dell
Sulphur Dell
Sulphur Dell is a former minor league baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee. It was used for baseball for nearly 100 years, from to . From to , it was the home of the Nashville Vols minor league team...
, but it still frustrated many outfielders, mostly left fielders and mostly from visiting teams. Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
was victimized by it on May 28, 1935, playing for the Boston Braves in his brief final season. He was headed for the Hall of Fame, but one day as Ruth was headed up the Crosley terrace, he fell down on his face.
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
, however, loved it. In the early 1990s, when the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
were planning their future home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...
, Robinson, an Orioles executive and one-time Reds star, unsuccessfully lobbied to get the team to install a terrace in left field.
When the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
' new facility, Enron Field
Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....
, was being built, a prominent addition to the field was a 30-degree center field incline with a flagpole, which was dubbed "Tal's Hill" in reference to its proponent, Astros executive Tal Smith
Tal Smith
Talbot Merton Smith is an American former professional baseball executive who has served in high baseball operations positions — including general manager and club president — as well as the founder of a firm that advises Major League Baseball teams on salary arbitration cases.A veteran of 54...
.
To commemorate their Crosley Field years, the main entrance of the Cincinnati Reds' new park, Great American Ball Park
Great American Ball Park
The Great American Ball Park is a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home of the National League's Cincinnati Reds. It opened in 2003, replacing the Reds' former home, Cinergy Field, which was known as Riverfront Stadium from its opening in June 1970 until the 1996...
, features a monument called "Crosley Terrace" that features inclines and statues of Crosley-era stars Joe Nuxhall
Joe Nuxhall
Joseph Henry Nuxhall was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, mostly for the Cincinnati Reds. Immediately after retiring as a player, he became a radio broadcaster for the Reds from 1967 through 2004, and continued part-time up until his death in 2007...
, Ernie Lombardi
Ernie Lombardi
Ernesto Natali "Ernie" Lombardi , was a Major League Baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Braves and the New York Giants during a Hall of Fame career that spanned 17 years, from 1931 to 1947. He had several nicknames, including "Schnozz", "Lumbago", "Bocci",...
, Ted Kluszewski
Ted Kluszewski
Theodore Bernard "Big Klu" Kluszewski was a Major League first baseman from 1947 through 1961. He batted and threw left-handed.-Career:...
, and Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
. References to the terrace are also visible. This monument was designed by architecture firm Populous and sculptor Thomas Tsuchiya
Thomas Tsuchiya
Tom Tsuchiya also known as Norikazu is an American artist who creates public sculpture. He is best known for bronze sculptures for Major League Baseball and the National Football League....
.
Other uses
Through much of its history, Crosley Field was used for other events besides Cincinnati Reds baseball games.The Negro Leagues'
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
Cincinnati Tigers
Cincinnati Tigers
The Cincinnati Tigers were a professional baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, which played in the Negro Leagues. The Tigers were founded in 1934 by DeHart Hubbard, the first black to win an individual Olympic gold medal when he won the long jump during the 1924 Summer Olympics. In 1937, the...
in 1936
1936 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over New York Giants *All-Star Game, July 7 at Braves Field: National League, 4–3-Awards and honors:* Most Valuable Player**American League: Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees, 1B...
and 1937
1937 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over New York Giants *All-Star Game, July 7 at Griffith Stadium: American League, 8-3-Awards and honors:*MLB Most Valuable Player Award**American League: Charlie Gehringer, Detroit Tigers, 2B...
called Crosley home.
The original 1937
1937 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over New York Giants *All-Star Game, July 7 at Griffith Stadium: American League, 8-3-Awards and honors:*MLB Most Valuable Player Award**American League: Charlie Gehringer, Detroit Tigers, 2B...
Cincinnati Bengals football team played home games there.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the city's police force staged a review at Redland Field on October 17, 1917.
On August 21, 1966, Crosley Field hosted The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, who were in the midst of their final American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
tour. The concert had been scheduled for the previous day, but was rained out.
On June 13, 1970, Crosley Field hosted The Cincinnati Pop Festival. The band lineup included: The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, Mountain
Mountain (band)
Mountain is an American hard rock band that formed in Long Island, New York in 1969. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Leslie West, bassist Felix Pappalardi and drummer N. D. Smart, the band broke up in 1972 before reuniting in 1974 and remaining active until today...
, Grand Funk Railroad
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Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
, Alice Cooper
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Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
, Mighty Quick, Bob Seger
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Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, Mott The Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
, Ten Years After
Ten Years After
Ten Years After is an English blues-rock band, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, Ten Years After scored eight Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart...
, Bloodrock
Bloodrock
Bloodrock was an American hard rock band, based in Fort Worth, Texas, that had considerable success in the 1970s, and was one of the earliest of a number of significant bands to emerge from the Fort Worth club and music scene during the early to mid 1970s and on into the new century.-Early...
, Savage Grace
Savage Grace
Savage Grace is a 2007 film directed by Tom Kalin and written by Howard Rodman, based on the book Savage Grace by Natalie Robins and Steven M.L. Aronson. The story is based on the dysfunctional, allegedly incestuous relationship between heiress and socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland and her son, Antony...
, Brownsville Station
Brownsville Station (band)
Brownsville Station was a rock band from Michigan that was popular in the 1970s. Original members included Cub Koda , Mike Lutz , T.J. Cronley , and Tony Driggins...
, Zephyr
Zephyr (band)
Zephyr was a blues-based hard rock band formed in 1969 in Boulder, Colorado by guitarist Tommy Bolin, keyboardist John Faris, David Givens on bass guitar, Robbie Chamberlin on drums and Candy Givens on vocals. Although the charismatic performances by Candy Givens were originally the focal point for...
, Damnation Of Adam Blessing, and John Drakes Shakedown.
Other events held there included a Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
, a political rally for Wendell Wilkie, and even an Ice Capades
Ice Capades
The Ice Capades was a traveling entertainment show featuring theatrical performances involving ice skating. Shows often featured former Olympicand National Champion figure skaters who had retired from amateur competition....
show.
After the Reds
After the 1970 season, the Cincinnati Reds and the city, which had agreed to buy Crosley Field, were at an impasse over how much Crosley Field was worth. The Reds wanted $3.5 million; the city countered with a $1.5 million offer. Eventually the case went to court. The city contended that since Crosley Field's playing field was extremely depressed, it would need to be filled — a costly and time-consuming affair. The Reds countered that since Interstate 75Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
would run by it, the site would become premium real estate. and they should be fairly compensated for the increase in value. They also brought in an expert witness: Peter Edward Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
. Rose espoused the positives of Crosley Field.
Eventually, a jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
set the sale price at $2.5 million. After the sale was made official, the city turned the park into an auxiliary auto impound lot while the Queensgate project was finalized. Ironically, given the parking shortage for many years, Crosley had itself become a parking lot. Two years later, the demolition of Crosley Field began in earnest. The park was soon gutted; seats sold for $10 and fans and present and former club employees scrounged for mementos. On April 19, 1972, Pete Rose, Jr. pulled a lever that sent a wrecking ball
Wrecking ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings. It was most common during the 1950s and 1960s. Several wrecking companies claim to have invented the wrecking ball...
into the side of Crosley Field. By autumn, just the faint outline of the grandstand remained.
Today, seven buildings occupy the site and a street runs through it. The old left field terrace area is now a parking lot, but it's still distinguishable due to its slope and its location next to York Street. Dalton Street, which formerly dead-ended into Findlay Street, was extended through the former field of play.
Rebirth, Part One
In 19741974 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*1974 World Series: Oakland Athletics over Los Angeles Dodgers ; Rollie Fingers, MVP*All-Star Game, July 23 at Three Rivers Stadium: National League, 7-2; Steve Garvey, MVP-Other champions:...
, Larry Luebbers of Union
Union, Kentucky
Union is a city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,379 in the 2010 Census. Previously a small rural community, the city began to experience rapid residential development in the 1990s and 2000s and has now become one of Cincinnati's more affluent suburbs.- History :The...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, built a replica of the Crosley Field playing field on his farm. To that, he added memorabilia that he had harvested during Crosley's demolition, such as seats, signage, and the old Crosley ticket booth; painted advertising on the fences; and opened it for the Cincinnati Suds professional softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
team, which he also owned. However, by 1984
1984 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Detroit Tigers over San Diego Padres ; Alan Trammell, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Kirk Gibson*National League Championship Series MVP: Steve Garvey...
, it was gone, too. Luebbers was forced to sell his farm to pay off his creditors. Luebbers' son, Larry Luebbers
Larry Luebbers
Larry Christopher Luebbers is a former Major League Baseball player who played with the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals. He made his major league debut on July 3, 1993 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and gve up 3 earned runs in 5 2/3 of an inning...
, played for the Reds and several other clubs in the 1990s.http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/L/Pluebl001.htm
Rebirth, Part Two
At about the time Larry Luebbers' Crosley recreation failed, Marvin Thompson, then city manager of the Cincinnati suburb of Blue AshBlue Ash, Ohio
Blue Ash is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an inner suburb of Cincinnati, which is located just to the south. The population was 12,513 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blue Ash is located at ....
, came up with the idea to make one of the ballfields of a planned community sports complex a recreation of Crosley Field. Administrative aide Mark Rohr was put in charge. He tracked down memorabilia for the park; what he couldn't find was often donated by fans. Items such as usher's uniforms, signage, rooftop pennants, and a field microphone were given to the new project, which opened in 1988
1988 in baseball
See also: 1988 Major League Baseball season-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Oakland Athletics ; Orel Hershiser, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Dennis Eckersley...
with an Old Timer's game (which has since been discontinued). The scoreboard, which is a recreation, carries information from the final game at the old park. The field also has a white wall with "CROSLEY FIELD" in red letters in the appropriate font. This recreation was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans old enough to remember the real park, as well as many retired Reds players such as Pete Rose, Joe Nuxhall
Joe Nuxhall
Joseph Henry Nuxhall was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, mostly for the Cincinnati Reds. Immediately after retiring as a player, he became a radio broadcaster for the Reds from 1967 through 2004, and continued part-time up until his death in 2007...
, and Jim O'Toole
Jim O'Toole
James Jerome O'Toole is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the early 1960s.-College and minor league:...
. A wall features a number of plaques commemorating Crosley-era Reds greats. Additionally, 400 seats from the original field were installed at the Blue Ash replica.
In an interview with author Greg Rhodes
Greg Rhodes
Greg Rhodes is the Executive Director of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, and he also serves as the Cincinnati Reds team historian. He was named to his current position in January 2004....
, Rohr, who wasn't a baseball fan when the project began, stated: "Sometimes I have a hard time understanding the people who come and stare at this place with tears in their eyes; a woman actually hugged the ticket booth and kissed it". The field is also used regularly by teams in various levels of play. Moeller High School
Moeller High School
Archbishop Moeller High School , known as Moeller, is a private, all-male, college-preparatory high school in the suburbs of Cincinnati, in Hamilton County, Ohio...
's Varsity Baseball team plays its home games at Crosley.
Home runs
Crosley Field was known as a hitter-friendly park, though it was less so in its early days when the diamond was farther from the fences.- The first over-the-fence home run struck at Redland/Crosley Field was by outfielder Pat Duncan on June 2, 1921.
- Ernie LombardiErnie LombardiErnesto Natali "Ernie" Lombardi , was a Major League Baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Braves and the New York Giants during a Hall of Fame career that spanned 17 years, from 1931 to 1947. He had several nicknames, including "Schnozz", "Lumbago", "Bocci",...
once hit a home run that landed in a truck traveling beyond the outfield fence. The truck carried the ball for 30 miles. Writers facetiously called this the "longest home run" in history. - The Goat Run, additional rows of seats which decreased the right field porch from 366 feet (111.5 m) to 342 feet (104.2 m), was added specifically for slugging, sleeveless left-handed batter Ted KluszewskiTed KluszewskiTheodore Bernard "Big Klu" Kluszewski was a Major League first baseman from 1947 through 1961. He batted and threw left-handed.-Career:...
, presumably to increase his home run total. However, "Klu" rarely hit home runs in the area and it was removed after the 19581958 World SeriesThe 1958 World Series was a rematch of the 1957 Series, with the New York Yankees beating the defending champion Milwaukee Braves in seven games for their eighteenth title, and their seventh in ten years...
season. Crosley's normal right field layout had the rare element of a foul line farther away (366) than the power alley (360). - On June 11, 1967, HoustonHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
outfielder Jimmy WynnJimmy WynnJames Sherman Wynn , nicknamed the "Toy Cannon," is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 15-year baseball career, he played from 1963-1977 for five different teams: the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers...
hit a home run towards the path cut for the stretch of Interstate 75Interstate 75Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
before it was paved, which was located beyond the center field. This shot has been portrayed in many films and television shows.
Flood
In 1937, the Mill CreekMill Creek (Ohio)
The Mill Creek is a stream in southwest Ohio. It flows southwest and south from its headwaters in Liberty Township of Butler County through central Hamilton County and the heart of Cincinnati into the Ohio River just west of downtown...
flooded, submerging the field under 21 feet (6.4 m) of water. As a lark, Reds pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Lee Grissom and the team's traveling secretary, John McDonald, got into a rowboat and entered Crosley Field over the left field fence and rowed to the area of the pitcher's mound. There was a photographer present, of course, and the picture has been well-circulated since then. For example, it can be seen on p. 40–41 of Lost Ballparks, by Lawrence Ritter.
Neighbors
Across the left field wall on York Street, a sign on the Superior Towel and Linen Service plant advertised a downtown clothier, Seibler Suits, which rewarded any player hitting the sign with a suit. Wally PostWally Post
Walter Charles Post was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1949 through 1964, Post played for the Cincinnati Reds & Redlegs , Philadelphia Phillies , Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians...
, who won eleven, led the Reds in this unofficial statistical category; Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
led all visitors with seven. Its demolition in the early-1960s netted 38 parking spaces.
External links
- Tribute site
- Info on Crosley Field re-creation in Blue Ash, Ohio
- Crosley Field diagram at Clem's Baseball
- Cincy Sports
- Crosley Car Owners ClubCrosley Car Owners ClubThe Crosley Car Owners Club was historically notable as being one of the first American support groups for owners and enthusiasts of American-built automobiles, in this case those built by the Crosley Corporation in Richmond, Indiana, between 1939 and 1942 and by Crosley Motors, Incorporated in...
(CCOC)