Polo Grounds

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

A New York Story. Take 6 minutes and watch. Try not to get chills.

[G-Fafif]

Six brilliant minutes. Thanks MW-P.

Having known him since before the "Chinese restaurant" days (we first met in a Verizon garage on the West side; there were eight of us), I feel safe in predicting Bill Kent, firsthand witness to Ernie Lombardi's temper and all, will outlast the lot of us.

[Theoldmole]

Loved it.

[G-Fafif]

Know your first ballpark better via this gorgeous SI album. Mets-era pix kick in at No. 21.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

If I ever get a time machine, I know where I'm going.

Am I mistaken, or in photo #3 from 1915 is there a third deck on the Polo Grounds that is not present in the other photos? Are people standing on the roof?

Also this is awesome:

[G-Fafif]

If I ever get a time machine, I know where I'm going. Am I mistaken, or in photo #3 from 1915 is there a third deck on the Polo Grounds that is not present in the other photos? Are people standing on the roof? Also this is awesome:

It looks like another deck, but that's the roof, with the bluff in the background. People would watch from there, though I can't quite tell if that's what's going on or it's just the flags, the background and whatnot making it look that way. (Maybe a few are on the roof.)

A version of that Willie-Casey picture is on display at the Stengel entrance to Citi Field.

[MFS62]

Nice.
Thank you.
Yes, you could look into the Polo Grounds from the overlooking Coogan's Bluff (and other high points walking toward the park from Broadway toward the East River). I lived on Broadway a few subway stops from there. On a nice day, instead of taking the A train to 145th street and changing to the uptown D train to 155th (the Polo Grounds stop), we would take the local to 181st, change for a downtown local to 155th, and walk across.
I just noticed the hitter backgrounds in front of the bleachers. Folks were sitting there and I wonder if they had to move to the side to be able to see the action or if the screens were a dark mesh they could see through.

Later

[Edgy MD]

I know it's mostly a trick of perspective, but in that shot of Willie and Casey, it looks like the distance from the plate to seats behind behind is equivalent to the distance from the plate to the pole.