Boston The Way It Was part 3 - 'Boston Braves'

Boston The Way It Was: A WGBH 2 volume series about Boston in the 1930/40s. Aired in 1995.

[@dakruise1]

I remember going to Boston Braves games with my dad. Imagine we could've had Hank Aaron and Ted Williams in the same city.

[@downtownbobbybrown6237]

Yea, would of been great ! The Babe looked great in the Braves uniform . Must of been a beautiful old stadium .

[@beatlejim64]

The Boston Braves signed Hank Aaron on June 12, 1952...and sent him to the minors. The Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee in March 1953...Aaron was the property of the Boston Braves for 9 months before the move...then the Milwaukee Braves beat the Yanks and win the 1957 WS...

[@dcfanchris]

@@downtownbobbybrown6237 It was a cool old stadium.There’s pictures of it online.

[@ErichLRuehs]

You know what ... Boston could support another team; seriously! This is coming from a born and bred Yankee fan, but Beantown is a great baseball city. How cool would it be if they had a National League team again?

[@Patriots_Defender]

We only care about our Red Sox's

[@notsure6187]

it'll only be NY LA and CHI for now. The SF Bay Area is lucky to have 2 teams in MLB and NFL.

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

No Boston baseball fan is going to abandon the Red Sox.

[@TheBatugan77]

@Armando Gallegos Mind your business.

[@hagamapama]

wouldn't be able to put it in Boston proper, it would wither in competition to a team like the Red Sox. But putting another team in New England might just work.

[@sXSniping]

Cool documentary I love the braves wish they were still in Milwaukee or boston

[@girlygoalie]

Spahn and Sain and pray for rain!

[@ernestolombardo5811]

One time I looked up the stats of the other Braves pitchers during that era, as it turns out the whole rotation was actually pretty solid for four or five consecutive seasons of Spahn/Sain. The two other main names in that span were Bill Voiselle and Vern Bickford, btw.

[@charlesstuart7290]

The Braves were the club that adopted the Jimmy Fund - the Red Sox only associated with the charity after the Braves left.

[@davidswift647]

Loved this post, some very interesting footage... Nickerson field now part of Boston University, in fact some of the seats are still used 👍

[@MiketheBeerGuy]

It's pretty funny how they mention Braves Field being the largest in the country at the time but the park they show is clearly the old South End Grounds.

[@pauldesisto4240]

Boston is arguably ( or maybe Philly) the largest market in the country with only one MLB team. Only LA, NY/NJ, CH, Bay Area, and DC/ BALT combined are larger. As the sixth or seventh largest market I think they'd garner strong fan support. I prefer the National Lesgue game and would love to see it. I remember my dad telling me he went to Braves games in the 1930s and 40s.

[@robbybonfire23]

Fenway Park is a joke, to this day. Too small and video pong game dimensions. I much prefer the confines of Braves Field. When the Braves moved the Red Sox didn't even have the brains to move over there!

[@VinnieBoombatz374]

Chicago, DC area, and the Bay Area can barely support two teams. Maybe football.

[@raymendez4130]

4 dollars for 4 good seats now they want your arms and legs for one seat

[@edlutz7218]

In the early 70s outfield bleacher seats in Baltimore were 85 cents.

[@peterterry398]

My dad was a member of the knot hole gang and watched the Braves play when he was a kid with Tip O'neill, who later became Speaker of the house of representatives

[@normanwyatt8761]

My brother and I were born in '34 and '35 respectfully and my dad took us to BRAVES FIELD during W. W. 2 and later we went on our own until they moved. We had nice BRAVES jackets and hats and even went to a bunch of Red Sox games after the war to see Ted Williams play. Many afternoons we peddled our bikes in the 50's to FENWAY to get in free after the 7 th inning....Nice days back then.

[@dariowiter3078]

Screw political correctness! Braves is an acceptable name in baseball! ⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾ 😁😁😁😁😁

[@notsure6187]

Dario Witer In today's world it's more acceptable than the Indians instead of Native Americans or the Red Skins which is racist. Braves sounds respectful.

[@RICHBLACKCOCK]

@@notsure6187 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS.

[@unclebobunclebob]

I don't get it. All of a sudden one year and the city can't support two teams? Greed. That's my guess. On to Milwaukee. Then, after a short while, on to Atlanta.

[@tmclaughlin11]

They couldn't sell out, and the Red Sox became much more popular. Largely due to Teddy Ballgame, who was a much bigger figure than anyone the Braves had. When they saw an opportunity to own another market in Milwaukee, they jumped at it. Don't paint this video as any kind of love story to Boston. Boston preferred the Red Sox and Braves' ownership chose to pull up reigns and move to an uncontested market. Simple as. It was nothing but business.

[@mwilliams6362]

They moved to Milwaukee because that's where their top farm team was at the time and the games sold well. And while the Braves were in Milwaukee they were always near the top in attendance. They led all of baseball in attendance for 6 straight years after moving to Milwaukee. The Braves totalled over 2 million in attendance multiple times while they were in Milwaukee. The only other teams to reach 2 million during that time span were the LA Dodgers and the Astros in their first season at the Astrodome. No other team reached 2 million during the time the Braves were in Milwaukee. Moving to Milwaukee was a calculated move that payed off. And they only left for Atlanta because they saw another oppurtunity to take over a growing city with no other team. Boston belonged to the Red Sox by 1950 and the Braves made the smart finanical move by relocating. So did the A's and the Browns.

[@justmythought1586]

The Braves left Boston because hardly anyone attended the games. Their last year had an attendance of 281,278. In those days ticket sales is how they were able to sign players. Each year they were near the bottom in the NL league. www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/attend.shtml

[@brucegl4298]

Televising many home games certainly hurt attendance.

[@tomb4575]

Post World War flight to the suburbs. From 1949 to 1958 a New York City team was in the World Series yet attendance went down in the Bronx Brooklyn and Upper Manhattan. St. Louis and Philadelphia suffered the same fate.

[@timburr4453]

Philly, Boston, St. Louis...all had 2 teams. New York 3. Weird when you think about it now...the A's in Philly. The Browns in St. Louis

[@davekingman1271]

Braves drew just 280,000 in 1952. Next year in Milwaukee they drew over 1.8 million fans. While I empathize with their fans, because I was hurt badly when the Braves left for Atlanta, when they left Milwaukee there was no other team in town. Milwaukee was the first city ever left without a team when the Braves left. By the way Braves attendance the final year in Milwaukee was about double the final year in Boston even though they were forced by the court to play that year in Milwaukee and the team spent no money promoting the 65 Braves

[@drummondjwall9509]

I've heard of a few people in Brooklyn still like the Dodgers same with the New York I know there's some people that like the Giants still but I always wondered is there any Brave loyalist that like the Braves now in Boston anyways I'm a Dodger fan but I live in Braves country Cobb County but I always wanted to be a Dodger

[@twhuning6352]

When it was a game.

[@eddiecalhounjr6295]

Braves baseball history since 1871.

[@stephenrossi7423]

My mother would tell me stories about going to Braves feel my grandfather back in the 30s and 40s. A lot of my grandfathers friends we’re also Braves fans, A number of my buddies dad‘s were also Braves fans back in the 30s and 40s and up until they left in the early 50s. Unfortunately there weren’t enough of Braves fans to keep them in Boston. I would’ve loved to of gone to the Braves field to watch the Braves , And I ended up growing up a Red Sox fan.

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

We grew up North of Boston in Lynn and my WWII dad grew up a Braves fan the rest of us were Red Sox fans.

[@currypablo]

People like to wax nostalgia about the Brooklyn Dodgers & New York Giants. Didn't know the Boston Braves had a great following among Bostononians.

[@scottmaxwell5249]

Im too young to have seen the braves in Boston,but i was lucky enough to enjoy that same atmosphere at Jarrey Park in Montreal.Best place to watch a game.Miss baseball in Quebec. Bring back the Expos!

[@sunrise8263]

Actually, the last uniform The Babe wore said, "Dodgers" ... in 1938, as the first base coach.

[@downtownbobbybrown6237]

yup

[@JonFrumTheFirst]

My grandmother come over from Sweden in 1906. My mother told me that she listened to Braves games while doing housework. She lived with us when I was growing up, and I had no idea she was ever a sports fan of any kind. You have no idea what your family was like before you were born.

[@TheBatugan77]

Look at the pitcher at around :23! A little El Tiant ot Johnny Cueto action!

[@donaldtrischitta7563]

In may of 1943 I saw Jim Tobin of the braves hit 3 home runs @last at bat line out to high on the left field wall

[@kevinw9073]

Great trip dpwn "memory lane."

[@rockandrolllifestyle8679]

May as well bring 'em back to Boston. Atlanta doesn't go to their games .

[@Patriots_Defender]

NO we got the Red Sox

[@rentslave]

The Braves don't want Atlanta at their games.

[@tomb4575]

Atlanta Braves have had as many stadiums as the Braves have had citys.

[@porkturtle8321]

Agreed. The hopscotch they've been playing with stadium moves lately is ridiculous.

[@willp.8120]

That's funny, Braves we're first in attendance in 2021 and fourth in 2022, and Atlanta had a much higher attendance than Boston.

[@charlesstuart7290]

Ruth left the Braves in June - never made it to the end of the year.

[@marcm9999]

Wonderful!!

[@nobodyaskedbut]

If Braves owner Lou Perini had waited one year, today MLB would have 2 teams named the Boston Braves and the Atlanta Red Sox. The Braves would have blown the Sox out of the city by the early 60s because both their team and their league were so superior to the Red Sox & AL. Sox owner Tom Yawkey was from South Carolina and he would have jumped at the chance to move his failing franchise to a more comfortable place like Atlanta. In 1953 the Braves finished in 2nd place in the NL and had a great young star in Eddie Mathews and baseball's best LH pitcher in the great Warren Spahn.

[@superbrownbrown]

*The wrong team left Boston. Oh well.*

[@notoriouseagle1074]

The right team left actually

[@macofalltrades6396]

Braves back to WS in 2020!

[@ch3fbo1rd3e2]

This didn't age well

[@novadawg6913]

One year off buddy, Chop On!!!

[@friendlywalrus6971]

how did the fans get up to the skyboxes on the roof??? always wondered that

[@notsure6187]

FriendlyWalrus ramps on both sides of the grandstand outside

[@TheBatugan77]

Fast roping.

[@downtownbobbybrown6237]

How about Conn ? we have no pro sports team but they would not stand up for the flag ,so screw them anyway .

[@porkturtle8321]

Bring back the Whale!

[@downtownbobbybrown6237]

@@porkturtle8321 I wish we had a drag strip still in Conn !

[@wilrobles5392]

From family to foreigners.

[@johnperrigo6474]

I was born in 1958 in Milwaukee, and remember going to a few Braves games. Apparently it was a very happy beginning but sad ending there.

[@2012photograph]

Boston Brave departure effect why New England Patriots stay in Massachusetts.You see Yes Network have show Called Sport Money they Mr.Kraft primarily owner Patriots did interview.He mention departure had impact on younger Mr.Kraft so when Patriots going leave Boston area push him to purchase team.

[@robertwayne808]

They were also known as the Boston Bees at one time.

[@notsure6187]

Robert Wayne between 1936-40 . they had alot of names.

[@amazing50000]

And the Boston Beaneaters.

[@2012photograph]

I have question don’t mean stir trouble which team was closer to their fan Brooklyn Dodgers or Boston Braves?

[@TheBatugan77]

Correct.

[@jeremylando40]

So Cleveland was a NL team?

[@jesseebner7271]

Bring em back to Boston

[@pauldesisto1687]

Indeed!

[@tmclaughlin11]

The Red Sox grew to own Boston then, that's why they left. Nothing has changed, and the market isn't big enough to absorb a clearly lesser team (the Sox have won thrice in recent memory, the Braves won once, in '95). That would be a losing proposition.

[@jesseebner7271]

Tim McLaughlin i disagree if you bring a team that also wins they will be in the market, Boston fans will always back competative teams. When the Braves left tgeir owner was driving away fans, he sold the best prayers and even turned the water off at Braves Fiels

[@tmclaughlin11]

No, man. It would never work today. Boston/New England is a sizable market, but barely cracks the top ten on a national scale. The Red Sox are ingrained in the hearts and minds of baseball fans here. The Braves absolutely would do worse here today than they do in Atlanta. Very few would drop the Sox, even if they had several more last place finishes. It's just not feasible, and they're doing fine in Atlanta, they just need some consistency.

[@jesseebner7271]

Nah give the Red Sox 2 losing seasons and a competative Braves team you will have fans. Boston fans are air weather of the team sucks no one cares. The Patriots almost moved twice. Remember when the teams were closing? You had empty stadis. If the Braves proven competative they will win fans. This scared the Red Sox owner ship. Remember when they blocked the Expos from coming?

[@davanmani556]

I think the Rays are like that.

[@Blt-rr2lm]

What a great time to be white.

[@shayboogs]

My grandfather! 2:22

[@somebodyandthem]

Shay Boogs that’s cool

[@Mcgovern124]

Me too!!!

[@robbybonfire23]

Dodgers back to Brooklyn, Mets to L.A. Braves back to Boston, Red Sox to Atlanta. A's back to Philadelphia, Phillies to Vancouver. Rockies to Las Vegas. Period.

[@tmclaughlin11]

Red Sox to Atlanta?? Then I read the rest of your post. Lol, OK, bud.

[@robbybonfire23]

I hear you. So let's go back to calling them the "Atlanta Crackers." Now surely you can see the wisdom in that? Seriously, Maybe you are not aware of it, but the NFL took over in popularity from MLB in 1958. What happened in 1958? Two epic events in sports history - first, the Dodgers relocating to Los Angeles, when the Brooklyn Dodgers were the most beloved sports franchise on the planet. And second, in December of 1958 there was staged the epic NFL championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants which made football the most popular made for television sport, and a major betting vehicle, which baseball never was. The latest issue of Forbes Magazine has the Super Bowl, on a financial basis, ranked as the number one sports event in the world. Baseball's World Series ranks NINTH. That would have been unheard of, before the Dodgers left Brooklyn. Also, baseball staging the World Series at night hurt the game, immensely. All they look at are the prime time ratings, but not the loss of fan interest, which was intense in office buildings, on street corners, in barber shops, in schools where kids were allowed to listen to World Series games, or watch them on television, in class! If baseball wants to recover some of its lost prestige and popularity, it should get the Dodgers back to Brooklyn as its priority, in that respect.

[@Patriots_Defender]

Sorry but Red Sox's were always in Boston, so NO thanks

[@dariowiter3078]

Robby Bonter Yeah, like THAT'S gonna happen, dummy! 😒😒😒😒😒

[@notsure6187]

Wow Braves to Milwaukee then Atlanta, Dodgers to LA, and As to Oakland. the north east gave slot of places their teams.

[@tommcconville4270]

As much as I admire Sandy Koufax, and time being one of the greatest left handed pitchers of all time, Warren Spahn, to me was THE BEST let handed pitchers of all times. The numbers prove this, Warren won 363 games over a 22 year career. And they were almost all quality starts and wins. You can also compare Warren's World Series pitching record to Sandy's, it was excellent.

[@TheBatugan77]

I agree. No disrespect to Sandy. But Warren demonstrated how to pitch after one loses your youthful tools and have to actually pitch.

[@georgiarobinson8890]

spahn and sain and pray for rain !

[@jamesrivera4947]

Koufax had SIX ungodly seasons. Spahn's numbers border on science fiction. After missing three seasons to military service in World War II, Spahn proceeded to win 342 games over a period of 17 seasons, an average of 20 wins a year 😲 After reaching age 37, Spahn averaged 21 wins a season over the next six seasons, culminating in a 23-7 season in 1963--at the tender age of 42 😳 He completed 382 of 665 starts, 57%. Career numbers-wise, Koufax and Spahn aren't even on the same page 😆

[@tommcconville4270]

@@jamesrivera4947 If you were paying attention, I posted Warren Spahn was THE BEST left handed pitcher of all time, and Sandy was the second best. Review it again and you'll see this.

[@jamesrivera4947]

@@tommcconville4270 I was embellishing your remarks 😉

[@kevosuss4537]

I wonder how baseball history would have turned out if the Sox had moved instead of the Braves.

[@andyr1313]

Or if the Braves had moved to Baltimore in the late 40s as was rumored...

[@robbybonfire23]

Ted Williams would have won a World Series ring, for starters.

[@KevinMiller-xn5vu]

​@@robbybonfire23Not with the Yankees always in the way.