Delano-Hitch Stadium
Encyclopedia
Delano-Hitch Stadium is a stadium
in Newburgh
, New York
; it has a current capacity of 3,100.
, including the Newburgh Taylor-Mades (aka Hill Climbers or Hillies, Hudson River League, 1903–1907); the Newburgh Dutchmen (New York-New Jersey League, 1913) and the Newburgh Hillclimbers (Atlantic League, 1914).
In 1916, Mrs. Annie Delano Hitch (aunt of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) donated land to the City of Newburgh for a "driving park", later known as Delano-Hitch Recreation Park. The stadium was opened in 1926, and has been primarily used for baseball
. Three professional teams have called Delano-Hitch home: the Newburgh Hummingbirds in 1946, the Newburgh Nighthawks in 1995-96, and the Newburgh Black Diamonds
in 1998.
, a Class D
circuit which was one of many minor leagues to pop up after the end of World War II. However, the Birds seemed cursed from the start: the club had difficulty finding a home field, finally signing an agreement with Delano-Hitch (then called Recreation Park) just a week before opening day. Former Yankees
third basemen Joe Dugan
was offered the manager's job, but he turned Newburgh down; the position went to Frank Novosel instead.
The season itself started inauspiciously when only 259 fans attended the home opener on May 10; the fact that Rec Park was not an enclosed facility did not encourage fans to buy tickets. Rain cancelled the next two day's games, then team president Leo Bloom died suddenly. More rain deluged the Newburgh area, and the Birds didn't play again until May 17: a 4-3 win over Mahanoy City
which was called after seven innings due to darkness. It would be the last game the Hummingbirds would ever play in Newburgh.
On May 20, the team's contract at the stadium was cancelled by the city's Recreation Commission, due to nonpayment of rent and the team's failure to install lights at the field. Francis Giegnas, Jr. became the Hummingbirds new president, but the team was without a home field; on May 23, the franchise became a road team, finally moving to nearby Walden, New York
on June 10. The re-named Walden Hummingbirds (aka Keen Kutters) drew nearly 1,000 fans to their opener in their new home (impressive for a town of just 4,000 people), but it was all downhill from there; Giegnas, unable to pay the team's bills, soon returned the franchise to the NAL.
In July, the league sold the club to former minor-league player Lou Hanales for $1,200 (plus assumption of the team's debts). Under Hanales (who became the Hummingbirds' manager and first baseman as well), attendance didn't get any better, drawing just 145 fans to a Booster's Night on July 12. The club finished the season deep in the NAL cellar with a 27-89 record, then shifted to Kingston, New York
for the 1947 season. The league itself disbanded in 1950.
Newburgh Raiders from 1991-96. (Despite winning four Empire Football League championships, the EFL unimously voted to boot Newburgh out in 1997 for a variety of misdeeds, including the fact that Delano-Hitch wasn't really suitable for football.)
for the league title, losing three games to one. The final game of the championship series proved to be the last Nighthawks' game ever, as Kunion, unsatisfied with the pace of stadium renovations, folded the team.
's Newburgh Black Diamonds
. However, poor attendance and the league's displeasure with Delano-Hitch's condition sealed Newburgh's fate, despite $150,000 worth of renovations. Minutes before Newburgh's home opener, league president Bud Harrelson
announced the Black Diamonds would return in 1999, but only if the team built a new stadium. Instead, the franchise was sent wandering for several years after a proposed stadium in Easton, Pennsylvania
was left unfinished after the builders went bankrupt; the team existed as the Road Warriors through 2004, then again in 2006-07.
), college (Mount St. Mary's), collegiate league (New York Generals) and American Legion
ball. The financial downturn, however, has made it difficult for these teams to afford the rent on the stadium, so as of 2011 the ballpark has mostly sat empty, except for non-athletic gatherings. On August 7, 2010 Marcus Gill Ministries held a crusade "Unity Fest with Minister Marcus Gill
". About a hundred and fifty people were in attendance. The crusade was held to encourage the community to pray for peace and to end the crime outrage in Newburgh, New York.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Newburgh
Newburgh (city), New York
Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, United States, north of New York City, and south of Albany, on the Hudson River. Newburgh is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area, which includes all of Dutchess and Orange counties. The Newburgh area was...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; it has a current capacity of 3,100.
Early years
Baseball in Newburgh goes back to the 1860s: the Hudson River club played from 1863–67, compiling a 18-18 record against many of the top teams of the day. Several other short-lived pro teams called the city home before World War IWorld 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...
, including the Newburgh Taylor-Mades (aka Hill Climbers or Hillies, Hudson River League, 1903–1907); the Newburgh Dutchmen (New York-New Jersey League, 1913) and the Newburgh Hillclimbers (Atlantic League, 1914).
In 1916, Mrs. Annie Delano Hitch (aunt of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) donated land to the City of Newburgh for a "driving park", later known as Delano-Hitch Recreation Park. The stadium was opened in 1926, and has been primarily used for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. Three professional teams have called Delano-Hitch home: the Newburgh Hummingbirds in 1946, the Newburgh Nighthawks in 1995-96, and the Newburgh Black Diamonds
Newburgh Black Diamonds
The Newburgh Black Diamonds were a professional baseball team based in Newburgh, New York. For the 1998 season, they played in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Their home stadium was Delano-Hitch Stadium.The Black Diamonds arrived in...
in 1998.
1946 Newburgh Hummingbirds
The Newburgh Hummingbirds were charter members of the North Atlantic LeagueNorth Atlantic League
The North Atlantic League was the name of two minor baseball leagues. The first was a Class D affiliated system that operated from 1946 until 1950, and the second was an independent minor league that played from 1995 until 1996...
, a Class D
Class D
The term Class D may refer to:* Class D, a planet classification from the fictional Star Trek universe* Class D, a modern stellar classification* Class D , a defunct class in minor league baseball in North America...
circuit which was one of many minor leagues to pop up after the end of World War II. However, the Birds seemed cursed from the start: the club had difficulty finding a home field, finally signing an agreement with Delano-Hitch (then called Recreation Park) just a week before opening day. Former 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...
third basemen Joe Dugan
Joe Dugan
Joseph Anthony Dugan , was an American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Jumping Joe", he played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop and third baseman from 1917 through 1931. Dugan played for the Philadelphia Athletics , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , Boston Braves and Detroit...
was offered the manager's job, but he turned Newburgh down; the position went to Frank Novosel instead.
The season itself started inauspiciously when only 259 fans attended the home opener on May 10; the fact that Rec Park was not an enclosed facility did not encourage fans to buy tickets. Rain cancelled the next two day's games, then team president Leo Bloom died suddenly. More rain deluged the Newburgh area, and the Birds didn't play again until May 17: a 4-3 win over Mahanoy City
Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
Mahanoy City is a borough located north by west of Reading and 13 miles southwest of Hazleton, in northern Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania or the southern Coal Region. The name "Mahanoy" is believed to be a variation of the Native American word 'Maghonioy', or "the salt deposits"...
which was called after seven innings due to darkness. It would be the last game the Hummingbirds would ever play in Newburgh.
On May 20, the team's contract at the stadium was cancelled by the city's Recreation Commission, due to nonpayment of rent and the team's failure to install lights at the field. Francis Giegnas, Jr. became the Hummingbirds new president, but the team was without a home field; on May 23, the franchise became a road team, finally moving to nearby Walden, New York
Walden, New York
Walden is the largest of three villages of the Town of Montgomery in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 6,978 at the 2010 census. It has the ZIP Code 12586 and the 778 telephone exchange within the 845 area code...
on June 10. The re-named Walden Hummingbirds (aka Keen Kutters) drew nearly 1,000 fans to their opener in their new home (impressive for a town of just 4,000 people), but it was all downhill from there; Giegnas, unable to pay the team's bills, soon returned the franchise to the NAL.
In July, the league sold the club to former minor-league player Lou Hanales for $1,200 (plus assumption of the team's debts). Under Hanales (who became the Hummingbirds' manager and first baseman as well), attendance didn't get any better, drawing just 145 fans to a Booster's Night on July 12. The club finished the season deep in the NAL cellar with a 27-89 record, then shifted to Kingston, New York
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
for the 1947 season. The league itself disbanded in 1950.
Later use
During the next half century, the stadium was used by various amateur and semi-pro baseball teams, as well as by the semi-pro footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
Newburgh Raiders from 1991-96. (Despite winning four Empire Football League championships, the EFL unimously voted to boot Newburgh out in 1997 for a variety of misdeeds, including the fact that Delano-Hitch wasn't really suitable for football.)
1995-96 Newburgh Nighthawks
In 1995, owner Bill Cummings brought the Newburgh Nighthawks to town, as a franchise in the new Northeast League (now the Can-Am League). Despite decent attendance figures of about 1,000 per game, Cummings lost over $30,000 and sold the team to Jeff Kunion. The '96 Nighthawks won the NEL first half championship and played the Albany-Colonie Diamond DogsAlbany-Colonie Diamond Dogs
The Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs were a minor league baseball team based in Albany, New York from 1995 to 2002. The team played at Heritage Park in Colonie. The Diamond Dogs competed in the Northeast League from 1995-98 and then in the Northern League when the two leagues merged prior to the 1999...
for the league title, losing three games to one. The final game of the championship series proved to be the last Nighthawks' game ever, as Kunion, unsatisfied with the pace of stadium renovations, folded the team.
1998 Newburgh Black Diamonds
After sitting empty in 1997, the stadium got a new team for 1998: the Atlantic LeagueAtlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
's Newburgh Black Diamonds
Newburgh Black Diamonds
The Newburgh Black Diamonds were a professional baseball team based in Newburgh, New York. For the 1998 season, they played in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Their home stadium was Delano-Hitch Stadium.The Black Diamonds arrived in...
. However, poor attendance and the league's displeasure with Delano-Hitch's condition sealed Newburgh's fate, despite $150,000 worth of renovations. Minutes before Newburgh's home opener, league president Bud Harrelson
Bud Harrelson
Derrel McKinley "Bud" Harrelson is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers from to . After retiring, he served as a coach for the World Champion Mets, and as manager of the Mets in 1990 and 1991...
announced the Black Diamonds would return in 1999, but only if the team built a new stadium. Instead, the franchise was sent wandering for several years after a proposed stadium in Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
was left unfinished after the builders went bankrupt; the team existed as the Road Warriors through 2004, then again in 2006-07.
Today
In the 21st century, Delano-Hitch was used for amateur baseball, including high school (Newburgh Free AcademyNewburgh Free Academy
Newburgh Free Academy is the public high school educating all students in grades 10-12Newburgh Free Academy is the public high school educating all students in grades 10-12Newburgh Free Academy is the public high school educating all students in grades 10-12((now 9-12) in the Newburgh Enlarged City...
), college (Mount St. Mary's), collegiate league (New York Generals) and American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
ball. The financial downturn, however, has made it difficult for these teams to afford the rent on the stadium, so as of 2011 the ballpark has mostly sat empty, except for non-athletic gatherings. On August 7, 2010 Marcus Gill Ministries held a crusade "Unity Fest with Minister Marcus Gill
Marcus Gill
Marcus Gill is an African-American pastor and musician. He is the Youth Pastor of Soul Saving Station Church in Newburgh, New York....
". About a hundred and fifty people were in attendance. The crusade was held to encourage the community to pray for peace and to end the crime outrage in Newburgh, New York.