Visit to League Park/Dunn Field
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 3:19 amThis is a little off topic.
Being in Cleveland this week for business, yesterday I visited old League Park. This was the location of League park and Dunn field. It is now just a public park, but renovation to the park will be coming soon. There were surveyors on the site yesterday morning putting in stakes for the boundaries of the old ballpark. They even had a stake in the ground for the original home-plate. The old right field ticket office along with the brick wall along the 1st base line still remain. The old stairs leading down to the club house on the 1st base side also still remain.Though most of it is in terrible condition it tells a great story of the past.
It is an amazing feel for any baseball fan to walk out onto the field. It gave me chills to walk up to where home-plate was and look at the short porch in right field where Ruth cracked his 500th home run in 1929. Then to look at centerfield and see where Joe DiMaggio hit safely in his 56th game in 1941. Cy Young pitched and won the 1st game ever at League Park in 1891. Addie Joss pitched the fourth perfect game in baseball history here in 1908 and it only took him 74 pitches. Tris Speaker and Nap Lajoie both got their 3000th hit here. There is not very many places you can go walk around on an infield where a team celebrated a World series win. Also from that World Series in this now deserted infield, Bill Wambsganss pulled off the unassisted triple play. Even in 1945 this was the home field of the Cleveland Buckeyes who won the Negro Leagues World Series..The history at this little park is unreal.
I went back to the park today, this time I was the only person there. I spent a few hours just walking around the entire park. Walking where Tris Speaker roamed centerfield, and all the other great centerfielders that played there. Around second base where Lajoie had ruled. Walking up to where the mound was and thinking about all the great pitchers that had pitched from there. If there ever was a field of dreams, I think this little park is it. So if you are ever in Cleveland and love the history of this game. Take a couple hours and walk around this little park at Lexington Ave & E 66th St.. Then search for some pictures of the old park and compare what it looks like today. It looks totally different, but walk around the park and all the memories are still there.
Paul
Being in Cleveland this week for business, yesterday I visited old League Park. This was the location of League park and Dunn field. It is now just a public park, but renovation to the park will be coming soon. There were surveyors on the site yesterday morning putting in stakes for the boundaries of the old ballpark. They even had a stake in the ground for the original home-plate. The old right field ticket office along with the brick wall along the 1st base line still remain. The old stairs leading down to the club house on the 1st base side also still remain.Though most of it is in terrible condition it tells a great story of the past.
It is an amazing feel for any baseball fan to walk out onto the field. It gave me chills to walk up to where home-plate was and look at the short porch in right field where Ruth cracked his 500th home run in 1929. Then to look at centerfield and see where Joe DiMaggio hit safely in his 56th game in 1941. Cy Young pitched and won the 1st game ever at League Park in 1891. Addie Joss pitched the fourth perfect game in baseball history here in 1908 and it only took him 74 pitches. Tris Speaker and Nap Lajoie both got their 3000th hit here. There is not very many places you can go walk around on an infield where a team celebrated a World series win. Also from that World Series in this now deserted infield, Bill Wambsganss pulled off the unassisted triple play. Even in 1945 this was the home field of the Cleveland Buckeyes who won the Negro Leagues World Series..The history at this little park is unreal.
I went back to the park today, this time I was the only person there. I spent a few hours just walking around the entire park. Walking where Tris Speaker roamed centerfield, and all the other great centerfielders that played there. Around second base where Lajoie had ruled. Walking up to where the mound was and thinking about all the great pitchers that had pitched from there. If there ever was a field of dreams, I think this little park is it. So if you are ever in Cleveland and love the history of this game. Take a couple hours and walk around this little park at Lexington Ave & E 66th St.. Then search for some pictures of the old park and compare what it looks like today. It looks totally different, but walk around the park and all the memories are still there.
Paul