Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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By Mike Chibbaro 1< Qamacock Staff Writer Anyone who has been an avid ti baseball fan during the past decade must be aware, if not irked, K.. 4 J ? - * K uy me 1 apiu emergence ui ^ numerous ultra-modern, multi- v million dollar, plush athletic ^ facilities. c With the construction of these lavish profit-oriented arenas has come the near total destruction of the many old ball parks around the country which are so rich in the flavor and heritage of the sport. P While viewing the recent major league baseball all-star game, played in Seattle's Kingdome, one could not help but feel as though r the game of baseball had lost some n of its original beauty. The ultra- c modern and highly synthetic s setting for the annual classic led 3 one to anticipate a relief pitcher 1! At Meadowbrook, thi * _ __ * surrace, no cusnionea s uniforms and no milli boards. There was jus, Baseball the way tha\ probably intended for it t pnmino in frnm fho hn)ltv>n fin a h space shuttle. d< WHAT HAS HAPPENED to the gi ball park where the fans were able w to feel as though they were a part fr of the game? T Parks like Brooklyn's Ebbets s< Field, Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, c< Cincinnati's Crosley Field and c< Philadelohia's Connie Mack Stadium have yielded to the k destructive forces of moder- g nization. v, Located only a few blocks from k downtown Greenville are the bare remains of a historic and memory- n filled baseball park. Meadowbrook fi Park was constructed in 1939, and for nearly 40 years it was the home of several semi-professional, p minor league, American Legion s and high school baseball teams. n All of the little things which u make baseball the American f< pastime could be found at Meadowbrook Park. u s AT MEADOWBROOK, there s was no artificial, no cushioned r seats, no double knit uniforms and tl no million dollar message boards. There was just plain old baseball, tl Baseball the way Abner Doubleday r probably intended for it to be d played. Meadowbrook housed privately a owned minor league teams for the v Milwaukee Braves (1961-64), New 1 York Mets (1965-67), Boston Red t Sox (1967-71) and Texas Rangers f (1972). t The park was also a favorite i stopping place for several major J plllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllH 1 Student I jj Portrait I Photograph ? (Tlust have s( experience an< of uou H Call Richard jj an appointment - I H or stop by Kuss< llllillllllllilUllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllll k filled iague clubs as they were raveling north from spring *aining. Among the park's honored uests are such immortals as Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Joe lcCarthy, Leo Durocher and !asey Stengel, just to name a few. IN 1966, Meadowbrook boasted a ireballing young righthander amed Nolan Ryan. While pitching Dr the Greenville Mets, Ryan osted a 17-2 mark and set a western (Jarolinas League trikeout record. The park itself probably esembled hundreds of other linor league parks around the ountry. A large wooden grandtand provided the park with about ,000 seats. When teams like the 939 Yankees came to town ere was no artificial eats, no double-knit 'on dollar messaqe t plain old baseball, t Abner Doubleday o be played. owever, the crowds usually oubled capacity. The first four rows of the randstand were red box seats hich had originally been taken om New York's Vankw Stadium he remainder of the grandstand jats were wooden bleachers Dvered with an army-green [>lored paint. The playing surface was always ept immaculate. Before each a me, the dirt portion of the infield as soaked with water and erosene and then set on fire. This 'as the groundskeeper's unique lethod of providing a smooth dust:ee infield. THE OUTFIELD wall was erhaps the park's most outtanding feature. It consisted of lany multi-colored billboards fhich provided timely advertising Dr local merchants. Located above the centerfield /all was a large hand-operated coreboard. The remains of this coreboard are the only ecognizable feature of the park 1% ^ i ? r? 4 n m idi is sioiiuui^ luuay. The dugouts were sunk deep in tie earth and after a heavy ainstorm they were usually kneeeep in water. High atop the grandstand was an ncient looking press box, which vas only accessible by a shaky adder. Below the press box was he park's office. Inside the glassronted office heavy-set genleman named Verner Ross could isually be found. It was through toss' efforts that professional Illllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll HHedia I Studio | er Needed | Dme studio d a portfolio H r work. 1 Vogel for c at 777-3888 ?' e\\ House 313. M mmimmmimmm I with bi baseball remained alive in Greenville as long as it did. THE PARK WAS located in a very unpicturesque section of the city. On the first base side it was flanked by a prison and along its third base walls stood a junkyard that always seemed to be overflowing with rusty old jalopies. But once a baseball fan was between the green walls ot Meadowbrook, reality seemed to slip away and baseball took over. The coziness of Meadowbrook Park allowed an irate fan to yell at me umpire ana leei comment mat he was being heard by his prey. Foul balls hit into the grandstand were a true adventure. Kids and ' x-x-:- ' -,:'y :;:;X; gMf; The remains of this scorebo standing today.' 8R JJUIJLJ ddJUlXIXnUl*M?LlJ<k I Canr t flcci | WELCOME U E FACULTY TO In bi^ niv?r i LOW, j j The Fastest Eyegla : PRESCRIPTIONS FILL E LENSES DUPLICATE | THE BEST IN F, | p g giveh IB cvrr.i accc M Mm ftaV kni^Mki P tM1 rJ l oo i i a a kin H i /o i nMnnr Rcph^ll adults would race desperately after the treasured possession. Those unfortunate kids who could not afford the admission price would roam the parking lot waiting for balls to clear the park's outer bounds. On St. Valentine's Day in 1972, a fire gutted Meadowbrook leaving the historic park mangled and broken. VERNER ROSS tried desperately to keep the park alive. He installed portable bleachers and kept the park open for a final season. The eventual destruction of Meadowbrook came as no surprise. It has happened all across the country. The Polo Grounds, N s* . ard are the only recognizable f iady Opti< ?nt On Eye'Qlo SC STUDENTS & OUR NEW STORE i QUALITY LOW PRICE sses ServirA in S C ED CONTACT LENSES D SOLDER REPAIRS ASHION EYEWEAR IERRE CARDIN CHRIST ICHY DIANE VON FUf S MADE WHILE YO 779-2941 iT/\ 11 rT n ? *? ?? ? * ? - ' lun ai., dci vvccim iwai ghosts u/hirh housed snrh ffrpjtls oc McGraw, Ott and Mays is now a New York housing project. Cincinnati's Crosley Field was used by the city to impound stolen cars before it's eventual destruction. Ebetts Field, Connie Mack and many others have all been demolished. tuuay, me weea coverea neld at the former site of Meadowbrook Park is used by local residents for friendly softball games. But it just doesn't seem right that John Doe who plays softball for the Washington Street rookies is trampling over the same ground that was once covered by DiMaggio, Mantle and Williams. It just doesn't seem fair. '* N S NN** N s . w-i'VJ.Vn .V * * * "$.*. . +-NC ^ y >s " . <" "* V S .s s . * ** f; . <' ' ' eature of the park that is eians tm tsses | ^fiJszl I I J&pSI mm 1 IAN nine ? ? - w am ISTENBERG, ETC P U WAIT I vSf | !N & SUMTER [|