Baseball Palaces Forgotten: Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

If you like learning about baseball's lost ballparks, check out this video on Philadelphia's Baker Bowl: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aniwiHymZbODnKs

[@ron42nm]

I went to many games there in my youth. I saw Connie Mack managing the A's. Saw DiMaggio, Ted Wiliams, Aaron, Mays, Koufax, Robin Roberts, Ashburn, and many others play there.

[@resurrectionsunday]

I started going in 1968

[@thedukeofswellington1827]

That exterior facade is so beautiful/magnificent. Its a shame what happened to that neighborhood and and all of North Philly.

[@jimdellavecchia4594]

Dats what be happenin when da 13%' ers move in. Dey destroy everything

[@Josh-tr3ld]

Diversity happened

[@ruth7603]

@@Josh-tr3ld Red-lining happened. Read about it.

[@Mikiciko]

@@ruth7603no he’s right, blacks came in and ruined the place for Whites

[@jordane19969]

⁠@@ruth7603 Redlining was necessary

[@adm712]

Though I'm a NYC native and lifelong Mets fan, I really enjoy this channel. I find the history of Connie Mack Mack Stadium and the Philadelphia A's fascinating and you do a great job with your presentation.

[@billschipper1718]

The outside of that stadium was beautiful.

[@whobilly1]

I was never more disappointed when the Phillies unveiled the blueprint for Citizens Bank Park. Bill Giles said his dream was to build a replica of Connie Mack Stadium. CBP with its fake brick and slow pitch softball dimensions is a JOKE.

[@vpking77]

As a 13 year old I attended several games in 1964. I recall my father taking me to the stadium in prior years. I actually went with a neighborhood friend to those games in 1964. My father would pick us up at Connie Mack after the game but we would take buses to get there. I enjoyed going to the games. I remember the dark concourses. I loved the 64 Phillies. Watched Jim Bunning pitch his perfect game against the Mets and invited to appear on the Ed Sullivan show that evening. The 64 All Star game and Johnny Callison's walk off HR. He along with Dick Allen were my favorite players. I still couldn't believe the collapse. Our family ordered World Series tickets and we got them in the mail. Unfortunately we had to get a refund. It's a shame Shibe Park wasn't in a better location and preserved like Fenway and Wrigley. If you sat behind a pillar you would have a tough time seeing a game but for many of the seats you were right on top of the field. Only fond memories of seeing games in a park where players like Babe Ruth, Lou Gerhig and Ty Cobb played at many years before.

[@acousticshadow4032]

Shibe Park was my first MLB game experience, right smack dab in the middle of the now infamous "Phillies Collapse of '64". It was on September 25th, a Friday night game that went 12-innings, and ultimately won by the Milwaukee Braves. Grandpa, God bless him, stayed until the very last pitch. Mom was not very happy when we strolled in after midnight, but what a memory!

[@mfisher34]

Big fan of lost ballparks. Learned a lot from this one.

[@stever1791]

connie Mack was a great ball field and Stadium. Went to several games with my dad. I saw Willie Mays ( got their early to see batting Practice ) and kids were pointing out " there he is , that's hem #24 Thats Willie. that night Juan Marichal pitched . naturally he was outstanding and threw a 1 run game - maybe a shutout - I forget. I saw Richie ( Dick ) Allen hit one onto the leftfield roof . Wes covington hitting the Longienes Scoreboard in Right center field. Great Memories

[@FredSox49]

Excellent work. Saw one game here, April 1968. No runners past 2nd base, as the Phillies defeated the Astros, 2-1 on home runs by Richie (later Dick) Allen and, surprise, Bobby Wine, in 2 hours and 2 minutes. John Bateman hit a rare home run for the Astros. Chris Short bested Dave Guisti before 6,660 fans on a beautiful Friday night. We sat in the upper deck, just past 1st base.

[@roberthill799]

I saw Dick Allen many times at another lost gem, Comiskey Park. A number of sluggers may have hit the ball farther but nobody ever hit it as hard and as often as he did. Most exciting hitter I've ever seen.

[@kevinmiller6380]

​@@roberthill799Richie Allen later played for the White Sox.

[@kevinmiller6380]

​@@roberthill799Richie Allen later played for the White Sox.

[@kevinmiller6380]

​@@roberthill799Richie Allen later played for the White Sox.

[@kevinmiller6380]

​@@roberthill799Richie Allen later played for the White Sox.

[@BRASSTACKS]

This is awesome. Wish there were more videos of old ballparks like this online.

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Thank you for watching and for your very kind words.

[@kdm71291]

A huge church is on that lot now.

[@robertheaps797]

In 1964, the year the Phillies blew it, only winning one game of the last 10, to give the NL Pennant to the Cardinals, my dad took me to more than three quarter of the Phillies home games that summer. I have a lot of fond memories of those days. Connie Mack Stadium was a great place then. I saw Sandy Koufax pitch there, the last year that he played. The Dodgers beat the Phillies that day, BUT, I saw Sandy Koufax pitch!!! A reality for a kid watching baseball on the East Coast!!

[@stanleyberger8654]

I,too,saw Koufax pitch in what proved to be the last win of his career, a pennant winning 6-3 victory in the nightcap of a doubleheader.I was a Dodgers fan at that time living in Montreal,so that I took a bus to Philadelphia to watch the season conclude at Connie Mack Stadium.

[@roncaruso931]

I saw Richie Allen hit two home runs over the left center grasslands. One went over the COKE sign.

[@schaperart]

an owner paying to build his own stadium - imagine that

[@NickBottaro-j9k]

Phillies owner, Robert Carpenter, married into the DuPont family, so I imagine that money was not an issue!

[@joshualayfield768]

@@NickBottaro-j9k correct, it shouldn't have been. however they used the cities money to build Veterans and not his own.

[@watson956]

Good quality documentary - well researched and presented. Thanks for this!

[@tommytrinder.1226]

Great video...imagine if Philadelphia still had two teams!.In Boston we had two teams until 1953 when the NL Braves left for Milwaukee.Instead of tearing down Braves Field in the Allston neighborhood,it was bought by Boston University and still stands,renamed as Nickerson Field.Its vastly changed...but parts of it still resemble a 1950s ballpark.

[@acousticshadow4032]

Braves Field does NOT "still stand". Only a very small fraction of it was saved - very small.

[@tommytrinder.1226]

@@acousticshadow4032 I walked past it three days ago.Its still there.

[@superfly9173]

Yep, in St.Louis we had two teams Browns and Cardinals. Lost the Browns after the 1953 season. They moved to Baltimore in 1954 and became the Orioles. Baseball must have been changing a lot from 1952-1958. Teams moved everywhere. Sad but true.

[@jeremiah_12]

Yep Braves Field Way is a thing too. I don’t even think the Sox have a street named after the. Boston is still the Braves hometown.

[@badcornflakes6374]

Wow, I've been an A's fan my whole life and didn't know they had this much history. My dad actually works at Oakland Coliseum so the history goes on!

[@mikekeeler6362]

Yeah they used to be the Philadelphia age and with the Kansas City and became the Kansas City A's and then on to Oakland

[@acousticshadow4032]

Puh-leeze... there's no comparison between that dump in Oakland & Shibe Park.

[@williammckay9229]

Was in Oakland area most of this year. I'm from Philly. Talk around town is they may be leaving. No support, old stadium. The only way they are staying is if a new stadium is built, because people go out to new stadiums. Just what I heard.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@acousticshadow4032 Watch your mouth.

[@TheBatugan77]

Always sad to see the end of a great park. A lot of amazing baseball history goes with it.

[@howie9751]

Never been there but it hardly looks like a great park.

[@BStone-qj4vg]

@@howie9751well, look inward. you seem to be the only modern delicate genius here 😉

[@howie9751]

@@BStone-qj4vg Insults will not make you right.

[@edwardwong654]

Baseball had great cathedrals. Thanks for sharing.

[@lumpymattress5649]

Wonderful video. Went there with dad & uncles a few times a year from 1960 until the Vet was done.

[@cheryldeneumoustier5550]

I was a young boy in attendance at the final game on October 1, 1970. It was a near riot! One fan even walked out with a toilet bowl!

[@cheryldeneumoustier5550]

My name is Ralph. For those curious, this account is in my wife, Cheryl's name.

[@daybeau7819]

I was pretty young then, but I definitely remember being grossed out by the group "water troughs" in the Men's rooms.

[@tomjones5650]

I was there Bunning pitched. 10 y.o. then. It was wild,I was confused.😮

[@KTF0]

It was an aesthetically beautiful stadium. I'm surprised that no new stadium has copied that design.

[@whobilly1]

Bill Giles said it was his dream to build a replica of Connie Mack. Don't know how they decided upon the pharmaceutical warehouse design with the fake brick and laughable dimensions.

[@chuckgray9058]

I think a couple have. There is a "rotunda" behind home plate at the New Youk Mets' facility, and another at Seattle. Because names change as corporate naming rights shift, I can't keep up with the current names.

[@roncaruso931]

As a teenager in the 1960s, I saw Richie Allen hit two home runs over the left center bleachers. One traveled 525 feet. He also hit one over that giant scoreboard in right center. An amazing show of power from a right handed hitter.

[@lynette4119]

Fantastic! Just went to my first Phillies game with my husband and Father in Law last weekend. My FIL grew up in Philadelphia and his last Phillies game had been in the last year of Connie Mack, so it's cool to learn more about it

[@akeffo]

Bahaha the guy tried to take home plate. As a young boy I remember going to the park. It was pretty amazing but in a tough neighborhood.

[@tomjones5650]

My pop used to pay kids to watch the car. If not your tires were gone.😊😅😂

[@markcorbett3807]

“ an eyesore to the surrounding community”………I’m gonna need a minute(?) to absorb that…

[@markfeldman6509]

Went to many games there in mid to late 60’s after moving from Boston to Philly. Fenway lives on. Connie Mack obviously died. Saw Dick Allen hit some monster homeruns there . Also saw him sketch out curse words in the dirt in the infield. It was and still is the most dangerous crime filled neighborhood anywhere.myopic had to be crazy to go there in the end.

[@howie9751]

I went to old Comiskey Park in 1990. We asked directions from a policeman and he told "That's the South Side, you don't want to go there." We did and enjoyed the game and the atmosphere. The new park appears to lack atmosphere. Never go to Connie Mack though.

[@GameEscape]

Great work with this video. It is criminal that this does not have 10x the views.

[@abathens]

I wish these neighborhood parks were still around. We just have Wrigley and Fenway remaining.

[@brianbiechele1958]

I'm a Royal's fan. Heartbreaking to see new management hellbent on replacing a beautiful gem like Kaufman. So shortsighted.

[@abathens]

@@brianbiechele1958 I was surprised when I heard that.

[@brianbiechele1958]

@@abathens Oh yeah. The new owner wants a downtown stadium. Even though Kaufman rates in the top 10 of most stadium lists.

[@deplorablepepe7576]

​@@brianbiechele1958I hope the Royals fail. Kaufman is a gem. Saw Greinke set the franchise strikeout record there.

[@Colin_1977]

@@brianbiechele1958Kaufman is one of my favorites.

[@joshualayfield768]

i thoroughly enjoyed this, thank you.

[@kevin7151]

Just found this now. Excellent video. Superb retelling of a long history of baseball. Thank you so much from a new subscriber. PS: My wife is a UPenn graduate

[@thomaskay779]

great video!

[@tugboat2030]

Great video and great history. Thank you.

[@stanleyberger8654]

I was living in Montreal in 1966,a Dodger fan.The Dodgers were in,a tight pennant race with the Giants that ended on the final day of the season with the Dodgers closing the season against the Phillies.I took a bus to Philadelphia overnight arriving on time to see a scheduled doubleheader.Because the Giants won their game,the Dodgers had to win once more to avoid a playoff.They lost game 1,so Sandy Koufax started the nightcap on 2 days rest and pitched a complete game 6-3 pennant winning game.He retired at season’s end due to an arthritic elbow,so that I witnessed his last victory at Connie Mack Stadium.

[@theresachiorazzi4571]

It is in our memory now home of the fighting Phil’s sadly gone forever

[@chester5243]

great video! I actually have a seat from Connie mack stadium that my dad took at the last game!

[@bunpeishiratori5849]

I have parts of a seat too. A friend of my father went to the game and took some souvenirs.

[@bunpeishiratori5849]

The first major league game I ever went to was at Connie Mack Stadium. It was the last year they were there. The Phillies played the Padres and won 9-2. Chris Short started. Ollie Brown hit a home run to put SD up 2-0. We sat in the left field bleachers. My dad got a flat tire on the way to the game. Great memory.

[@warrenash5370]

Went to a game there in 1968. Loved it!

[@badcornflakes6374]

Sure, I believe it

[@jakedasnake7703]

Forbes field and shibe Park actually we’re opened the exact same year. Crazy

[@mikaelhaggard8031]

It's a shame these places where so much history and so many great players and games happened fall into disrepair , get tore down , and are generally forgotten to everybody but real baseball historians. Being close to Chicago, old Comiskey Park was that place for me. I always find the spot of the old home plate in the parking lot across the street and think about babe ruth , mantle , gehrig , the first all star games , the As dynasties , a few world series , countless hall of famers , etc. that once stood right at that spot in the batters box.

[@jimtownsend7899]

My grandfather worked at 21st and Clearfield (Keystone Lubricating Co.) and every year he would take us to a Phillies game. We'd each bring a box of CrackerJack with us, and he'd park at his work, tell the kids on the street trying to get him to pay to "watch his car" that he knew them and where they lived (and he did). We'd stop in at the tap room by his work for a root beer (his beer lacked the root), then walk down the few blocks to Connie Mack Stadium. Incidentally, my grandfather called it Shibe Park to his dying day in December, 1969. I can remember vividly the sights, sounds ("Hey! Hot Doggie!"), and particularly the smells. Back then, every man over the age of 21 must have been issued a cigar to smoke while watching the game. Even now, when I occasionally attend a Phillies game, I can still smell the cigar smoke. It was nice seeing my boyhood hero in action from 16:05 - 16:11 (wearing #11 long before J-Roll), Catcher Clay Dalrymple! And Jim Bunning, whose perfect game on Fathers Day in '64 was watched by my brothers and I on the living room floor, with my grandfather sitting in his recliner behind us, enjoying his Phillies cigars and his beer (still no root!). My brothers and I attended the final game. We watched from the 3rd base line as rows of seats began being carried out as early as the 5th inning. Being too small to wreak havoc on our own, some grown men helped us smash our seats in the 9th, and we had seat back slats as souvenirs in our hands when the game ended in the 10th. And yes, it was pandemonium! Each year, when I take my mom to Holy Sepulchre Cemetery on Christmas Eve to visit my grandparents (Pop Pop passed on Christmas Eve), I always stop and visit Mr. Cornelius McGillicuddy, and leave a baseball or a home plate at the foot of his crypt.

[@billt4716]

I went to games at Connie Mack as a kid. For years after that, well into adulthood, the smell of cigar smoke always reminded me of the ballpark.

[@ruth7603]

Saw a Labor Day doubleheader there in 1964 against the Dodgers. First games I ever saw at Connie Mack.

[@ambrosemilner]

I love this historical lesson

[@lisaheisey6168]

My dad used to go to baseball games at Connie Mack. He later went on to work at Veteran's Stadium.

[@lukeheaton5336]

Awesome video! I’ve always said if I could go back in time to one of the old ballparks it would be Shibe Park. Are there any photos of the inside of the park, most notably the cupola that Connie Mack used as an office? I’d love to see those. And of course, the Evil Empire having a hand in the A’s move to Kansas City comes as no surprise.

[@jwchamberlain5862]

Traded Shibe for a copycat stadium (Vet) . Didn't have near the shelf life as the original. Great video.

[@josephjackson7269]

Spent great times at Connie Mack. Johnny Callison ,, Chris Short , Bunning , Gonzalas Richie Allen and ya Bob Uecker

[@jmizzuf6575]

Great work on this video! Very well done

[@peteruhlig9004]

Yes I would like to see more videos of different ballparks. The Astrodome and more.

[@derekgantt6282]

How many Philadelphians truly worked on building and designing that structure..in heart of North Philadelphia...the amount of time .. stadium of that size...where are these old workers.,today.. Segregation had its day.,but I went there only once.,in 1959.... Phillies game.,not knowing any history as it is told today..city of brotherly love

[@pennhudson3268]

My first mlb game was at Connie Mack late 50s or early 60s. My dad took me. I forget who pitched for the Phil's but Spahn pitched for the Braves. Still have the Milwaukee penannt.

[@jimsully77]

That was excellent!

[@lmswentzeljr]

This all sounds familiar with the modern A's.

[@jasonruckman191]

I was thinking the same thing...it's like they didn't learn anything.

[@hawkman917]

My uncle was at the last game at Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium. He came home with a lavatory door.

[@trapezemusic]

The cupola at the corner should have been retained. It was truly a unique feature of the stadium' s design. As for the deteriorating neighborhood, the same thing happened to the neighborhoods adjacent to the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field. I'm certain there are other examples. Remember: Neighborhoods change but not always for the better.

[@jacksmith5692]

Over 20 years ago I went to Cooperstown with my late Dad and when I saw the Philadelphia A's uniform said hey Pop I never realized the A's uniforms were blue? He said of course and I was thinking how the hell would I know that? I grew up seeing the green A's uniforms of the 1970's?

[@jimdellavecchia4594]

The most dangerous part was not the stadium but da locals who be livin dere in da hood

[@trapezemusic]

I'm sure your comment is 100% accurate.

[@jimdellavecchia4594]

@@trapezemusic Ask anyone who was there

[@joeycool44]

Yeah...them Eyetalians and Poleskis were da prablem

[@jakedasnake7703]

You should make a video about good ol’ Forbes field in Pittsburgh. Another great classic ballpark!! I’m a huge pirates fan and I would really appreciate it. The pirates have a MUCH more rich history than most people realize nowadays.

[@Milcom34]

Awesome Video. I would Rather have Ballparks like Shibe Field than the Modern Day Corporate Named Stadiums that we have today** Thank God for Old School Baseball and Old Ballparks Like The Polo Grounds, Shibe Park and many More of the Lost Ballparks. Please Keep a Watch Over Fenway Park and Wrigley Field***** Nothing Greater Than Baseball History*****

[@jamesheenan648]

With all the classic baseball games floating around the internet, it's a shame there is not one Phillies game from at least the '64 season somewhere on tape.

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Preach! What I wouldn't give to see Bunning's perfect game.

[@jamesheenan648]

@@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory I would like to see a complete televised game from Connie Mac Stadium preferably in color with Dick Allen playing.

[@roberthill799]

Don't have that but there is this... m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqCzYYKQbdKNjpY

[@larryloveless2967]

Really interesting. St. Louis had an American League team (Browns became the Orioles) for almost the same number of years as Philly and for most those years the Browns were in the bottom half of the league. The Philly A'S though were the best Philly team in the early days. The St. Louis Browns though owned the stadium yet the Cardinals as tenants had the team success. Born in 1953 in STL I sure remember the collapse of the 1964 Phillies. They had two great starters that year with Chris Short and Jim Bunning. Also hitters Richie Allen and Johnny Callison. My favorite baseball book is titled October 1964 by author David Halberstam. This was well done baseball history.

[@vassa1972]

Interesting video

[@victorcontreras3368]

It's too bad that not many of the ornate decorations of that fancy stadium were saved. Those would be a lovely piece of nostalgia in a museum or in a house living room or den!

[@frankgerace5997]

I got to see 2 Phillies games at Connie Mack Stadium back in the late ‘60’s..I’m sad that it was allowed to deteriorate and ended up being torn down.

[@JohnThomas-lq5qp]

My older brother would take me there in early 60's. Our dad would give us $2 each. Cost $0.50 for bleacher seat, another $0.50 for round trip PTC busses. Sure hot dog & a soda was no more then halve a dollar so we always came home with money. Was a great stadium but run down last few years. Fans stole anything they could last game there. Heard one no good nic stole a toilet.

[@jcice131949]

Me and my best friend went to five games at Connie Mac during the 64 collapse when they lost 10 in a row We were 14 years old and we could not believe they kept losing lol

[@Howard0Beale]

interesting, great vid, thanks for this

[@igorslocks]

At last game that dude was out there so quick to try and grab home plate,lol.

[@jasonnstegall]

Well, if Shibe/Connie Mack had to go down eventually, at least the last game resulted in an extra inning win with a HOFer (Tim McCarver) scoring the winning run.

[@garyolsen3409]

Back in the day when there was no pitch clock and designated hitter. Pure baseball.

[@notvalidcharacters]

12:09 Robin Roberts (?) 15:19 Roberto Clemente 15:39 Tony González 15:45 Sandy Koufax 15:47 Dick Allen 15:58 Cookie Rojas 16:06 Clay Dalrymple 16:13 Jim Bunning 16:15 Johnny Callison (batting) 16:22 Johnny Callison (fielding) 16:26 Ray Culp? 16:30 Callison (BP) 16:37 Gene Mauch 16:46 Dick Allen (baserunning) I *think* I got Chris Short at 16:02, can't quite see his number to verify (it would be 41).

[@larryloveless2967]

At 15:43 that is Curt Simmons of St. Louis signing autographs. He pitched years with the Phillies and was part of the 1950 Whiz Kids but military service kept him from pitching in the world series. He came to St. Louis in 1960 and did well. Cards fan.

[@billt4716]

@@larryloveless2967 Simmons wore #15 with the Phils, #31 with St Louis. My theory is that he chose 31 because the Phils traded him 2 days before his 31st birthday. He comes back to pitch against them & says, "Yeah, I'm 31, how ya like this fastball?"

[@larryloveless2967]

@@billt4716 Thanks for the info..

[@ForeverExpos]

Thank you so much for posting this! Do you happen to have any more highlights from that last game at Connie Mack Stadium?

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Sorry, I don’t. That game is hard to find online. Thank you so much for watching!

[@ForeverExpos]

@@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory Well thanks for posting what you did!

[@yourguidetorights3909]

Anyone notice the final score was 3-1 in extra innings when there are only 2 runs showing s scored iin the gzme.

[@carlmoore3215]

10:16 We hear of Richard Dilworth, and soon we hear he became mayor of Philadelphia. Is that Richardson Dilworth?

[@tomjones5650]

Yes used to drink @ Cavanaughs 30th n Market every morning before work.

[@Geezitsbec]

The Athletics should have never left Philly………..

[@ervinghenderson4780]

What took so long to knock Shibe Park down after the Phillies moved to the Vet?

[@tomjones5650]

No funds crooked politicians. 😮

[@englishmuffin5274]

Great video! Geekin' out about A's history is a blast. I could watch days or weeks of this stuff. I would like to note though, from what I understand, an emphasis on the Great Depression would be fair on the topic of "Mack's Spite Fence". They allowed spectators to watch for years until the Great Depression put them into a position of financial hurt. Neighbors offering cheaper tickets to an already hurting/low attendance really didn't leave the Athletics much choice on the fence...

[@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory]

Thank you so much for watching! The spite fence is an interesting topic. It was conceived by one of Shibe’s sons, but Connie Mack got the blame. And one big reason they were hurting is because they couldn’t field a quality team after 1931.

[@englishmuffin5274]

@@PhiladelphiaBaseballHistory Yeah it's a true shame(or tragedy) they couldn't get things back on track before packing up for KC. I love the history of this team though. Hope to visit some historic sites one day.

[@slimphotog]

Can't say as I blame them for putting up a fence considering gate receipts must have been a huge part of the income in the days before TV revenue.

[@englishmuffin5274]

@@slimphotog Most definitely

[@Lawomenshoops]

Philly has two more championships- the Philly Stars of the USFL won the championship in 1983 and 84! And NFL Titles in 48,49 and 1960. Thus Philly became the second US city to win a NFL Title, USFL Championship & a Super Bowl. The city the Phil’s lost to in 83 was the first!

[@jamesheenan648]

Technically, the Stars lost the first championship to the Michigan Panthers in '82. Won in '83. Then moved to Baltimore in '84 and won.

[@Lawomenshoops]

@@jamesheenan648 You know, some of the things we wrote are both wrong. You're right in the Philly Stars lost to Michigan but in 83, not 82. Then won in 84. Then moved to Baltimore in 85, the last year of the USFL!

[@davidmccann9811]

It was also the home of the Eagles and they won the 1948 NFL championship there during a snowstorm.

[@aj41926]

Looks soo much better and more character than boring the vet stadium

[@jacksmith5692]

Today they may have done a rehabilitation like the original Yankee Stadium or how they keep Fenway and Wrigley alive with modern improvements while retaining the character! Veterans Stadium was crap. In 1973 my Dad got company executive suite tickets and what we got was drinks and hamburgers and hot dogs! Big Deal!

[@tomjones5650]

No parking. Would be mugged or car stripped or stolen coming or going. 😂

[@tomjones5650]

I was at the last game @ Connie Mack. Phils won 2-1. Then fans tore the joint down. Bedlam i was 10 y.o.

[@russboden5792]

A most informative video and with correcting false previous information about the Philadelphia Athletics move out of the city which was forced by the Yankees and Major League Baseball, ...do to the bumbling & fumbling of Connie Mack's sons business tactics.

[@roncaruso931]

Only one clip of Richie Allen hitting a Koufax fastball a mile. Sad you never mentioned Allen. I saw him hit Home Runs over the Coke sign in left center out of the ball park. One shot was measured at 525 feet. He did this a few times.

[@tomjones5650]

Allen should've been in H.O.F DECADES AGO. A CRIME!😢😮

[@stepinfetchit9394]

How is Shibe's buying up land in Philly "reminiscent" of Disney buying up land in Florida, when Shibe did it 50+ years earlier? It's a legitimate question. However, I do remember going there as a child, and the facade was magnificent!!!

[@tommytrinder.1226]

What is the name of the neighborhood where Shibe Park stood?.I know its North Philadelphia,but is there an actual name?

[@NickBottaro-j9k]

I'm 77 years old now. The name of the North Philadelphia neighborhood where Shibe/Connie Mack was located was known as "Swampoodle." I was born early in 1947. I spent the first 10 years of my life living one and a half blocks away at 20th and Cambria Streets. Because there were no parking lots, as a child, with baseball glove in hand, we got to walk a few blocks with our favorite players who had to park on neighborhood streets, as close as they could to where they "worked." Inside the stadium at that time, there was room for 4 cars. Those spots belonged to Bob Carpenter, the owner, Ruly Carpenter (Bob's son), Roy Hamey/John Quinn (GM's), and usually the trainer, Frank Weichek. I enjoyed walking and talking with Bobby Wine, Chris Short, sometimes Robbie and Whitey, Bob Bowman, OF, Don Dementer, OF, Reuben Amaro Sr. and Tony Gonzalez, who lived across the street from Shibe. All the players in those days had full time jobs and played baseball as a part time job. They often said how they had children my age, and how they missed them because they were back home in the state where they called home. My grandfather came to this country from Sicily in 1900. He worked as couple of years as a tree surgeon. His first home in this country was located a 20th and Stella Street, about 2 blocks from Shibe. He learned that a pre-Revolutionary War cemetery, located at 20th and Lehigh Ave. was going to be removed and relocated. The site was to be used to construct the new home of the Philadelphia A's. When the last of the graves was removed, a question was asked of the workers at to, "Who could work, or had any experience as a bricklayer?" This was work that Grandpop had done in the "old country." So he was called upon to help build the A's new "Palace." When he related these stories to me, almost 50 years later, his eyes would fill with tears of gratitude, telling me how lucky he was to find such wonderful work to allow him to feed his growing brood of his wife and their eight children! And so close by that he could walk to work every day. He told me to never forget that "America is truly a land of opportunity that allowed his dreams to come true!" When the Phils collapsed, in 1964, my Dad swore that some of the dead that formerly occupied the place, were now dressed in Phillies uniforms, posing as players! A little, almost unknown trivia: Across Lehigh Avenue from the old ballpark was a taproom called the Phillies Bar. In the late 1950's and early 60's manager(s) Mayo Smith and Gene Mauch would make the call to the bullpen for a reliever. Often, the number that they actually dialed was to the Phillies Bar asking the bartender to send his relievers back to the ballpark! In 1953, or 1954, an old-timers game was played at the park. A 1930's type black limo pulled up outside one of the overhead doors that led onto the playing field. It was a hot summer day when I cupped my hands against the glass to peer inside the limo. As I did, a large hand, with long, spindly fingers, reached the glass window from inside, and pressed in the direction of my face. It was Mr. Mack. When he emerged, he shook my hand vigorously. Dad and I then entered the stadium with the rest of the fans. Mr. Mack sat in the A's dugout in a three piece suit, and a straw hat in searing heat. He'd motion his players around signaling them by waving his scorecard. Because the Phillies weren't drawing "flies" in the last years of Shibe Park, the stadium guards would sometimes wave us through the large overhead garage doors and let us kids in for free. Dad came home from work one December evening and said, "Son, the ballpark is all lit up!" Lets go down the street and see what's happening. Upon our arrival, Dad said to a local patrolman standing by, "Officer, can my son and I go in and watch?" The officer said, as long as you both stay out of the way! We again went through and open overhead door and watched the installation of the Ballentine scoreboard. What a difference it made, lighting up the night sky. You see, baseball, and our society were very much different from the way things have become today. Thank you for obliging me for my trip down memory lane. You've done an absolutely wonderful job with this site. Thank you!

[@NickBottaro-j9k]

Note: As a second thought, the Phillies Bar was located at 20th & Somerset Street, across from the stadium, not on Lehigh Avenue!

[@markcerbone6252]

@@NickBottaro-j9k Thank you for the wonderful stories. :)

[@freddy5401]

Song at the start?

[@Lawomenshoops]

Is Shibe the only ballpark that both Ted Williams and Jackie Robinson played a regular season game?

[@cataginandtonic]

The Browns and Cardinals shared Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, so they probably both played there.

[@danielshanetzky3714]

Couldn't they have at least at least saved and landmark shibe..park copolla

[@slimphotog]

Great idea. The cupola should have been saved and sent to Cooperstown.

[@danielshanetzky3714]

@@slimphotog in Europe they save things they landmark historical sites and buildings here in America they destroy things I mean they could have landmarked Ebbets Field and moved it somewhere else they could have landmark and saved shy Park so easy to destroy so so stupid

[@PaHeadhunter]

It’s a shame they couldn’t have preserved the facade/cupola where Connie Mack’s office was.

[@Rushmore222]

The stinginess of the early owners was remarkable and just bad business. Faced with the fortunate prospect of having a product so much in demand that they were turning away paying customers, they built a brand new stadium so small that they were again turning away paying customers. The advent of televised games put an end to that problem.

[@JohnSmith-zw8vp]

So were they hoping to save Shibe Park? I mean could they have if it weren't for the fire? They could've at least kept that iconic center part...

[@MikeS29]

"Pride of the American League?" Did the Athletics play here? I always thought this was a Phillies park, so "pride of the "national League." Thank you for the history lesson 🙂

[@ruth7603]

Interesting video, but it's former mayor Richardson Dilworth, not Richard Dilworth

[@wolfiethedog76]

The Athletics should move back to Philadelphia. Oakland cant build them a stadium....

[@joshlight6892]

Philly would build them a new one? Not much point in it if they have to share Citzens Bank with the Phillies.

[@kendrach3314]

" watch your car for a quarter? "

[@TonysMusic1974]

The music is too loud in the mix. Distracts from your speaking.

[@chriszenko3598]

A shame the park wasn’t landmarked.

[@ultrakool]

3:17 Take a ring...and another ring, and another ring, and you got three rings, Ballantine!" Way better than that "ya da da da da da da yadadada bum bum bum bum" Buttwiper jingle, imo

[@nickcaraccilo14]

As soon as you said Masks, I said bye.

[@ultimategaming1441]

Hood Nation