Who Am I? & The Dedication & Re-creation of Butterball Field

[Zvon]

dinosaur jesus wrote: Google voyeurism. I love it. Is that Joe Ginsberg or Jesse Orosco?

It's not Jesse.

[dinosaur jesus]

Jesse would be like five years old in that picture, so I'm guessing it's not him. But he and Ginsberg would make a great separated-at-birth battery.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Zvon wrote: Oh yea, the Sadecki Spot.... here's the field today.

That looks like Clendenon Field and the clubhouse. Butterball Field is now right field. The adjacent infields are now one big field. Looks like the stands are gone, too.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Here's the water tower in 1962. I've had this photo for a while and always assumed that the structure was some observation tower for the coaches to view the activity on the field from above.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Who am I? No hints. The Man From Topps shot this shot at Butterball Field in 1967, perhaps for the '68 set. It ended up on the cutting room floor.

Someone here could use this photo.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Who is this Toppless ex-Met who never appeared on a Topps baseball card in a Cardinals uniform?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Ahh, look at all the lovely people photographed by The Man From Topps. Who is he?

[HahnSolo]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Ahh, look at all the lovely people photographed by The Man From Topps. Who is he?

the un-lovely Teddy Martinez?

[batmagadanleadoff]

A Toppless Met. Butterball Field. A The Man From Topps photo. He never broke into a Topps set - not with any of the four teams he played for. But maybe one day, he'll wind up in the Citi Field Topps Historical Mets Exhibit. Who is he?

[batmagadanleadoff]

HahnSolo wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Ahh, look at all the lovely people photographed by The Man From Topps. Who is he? the un-lovely Teddy Martinez?

[dgwphotography]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Who is this Toppless ex-Met who never appeared on a Topps baseball card in a Cardinals uniform?

There is something about the look of kodachrome that just can't be duplicated today...

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Here's the water tower in 1962. I've had this photo for a while and always assumed that the structure was some observation tower for the coaches to view the activity on the field from above.

A giant metal spiral stair coach tower. lol. If only the Mets had such an imagination. These pictures are great. Well, the Met ones. The others are okay. Looks like I'm gonna have to remake an early 60s Kranepool, though maybe that can be his '68 card. I'll have to do a sideburn check.

[Zvon]

In the recreation of Butterball Field I have taken some liberties. I'm not sure, but after scoping it out I figure they had to move the light pole. The reconstructed picture will be reflecting this change. If you think I'm wrong, and I very well could be, speak your mind before I post the remake. I hope to get it up tonight during the game.
That last sentence didn't come out right.



Up top is The Tree Of Met Life And Good Fortune. The dotted line runs where the Sadecki Spot side of the field would fall into place with the lightpole in its current position. The other pic shows the switcheroo.

[Met Hunter]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Who is this Toppless ex-Met who never appeared on a Topps baseball card in a Cardinals uniform?

Joe Grzenda.

[Edgy MD]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Ahh, look at all the lovely people photographed by The Man From Topps. Who is he? the un-lovely Teddy Martinez?

Sorry about anything I said about Josh Satin's eyebrows.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Met Hunter wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Who is this Toppless ex-Met who never appeared on a Topps baseball card in a Cardinals uniform? Joe Grzenda.

Grzenda wore a Senators cap on his Cards card.



He was a Toppless Met, but appeared in a Mets uniform on his Twins card.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Ahh, look at all the lovely people photographed by The Man From Topps. Who is he? the un-lovely Teddy Martinez? Sorry about anything I said about Josh Satin's eyebrows.

Encore!

[Zvon]

I found some good old pics. All say that they are taken at Miller Huggins Field. I'm only interested in the ones that show similarities to when the Mets were there. Yanks moved in to play thier springs there in 1924. The water tower went up in 1925. Things like that water tower, the fountain, the cage, the lake, the tree, that kinda stuff is what I'm looking for. I have found some pre-60s stuff that don't have any of those markers, but are still worth posting.

I believe this shot is from 1938. Oldest I could find of the water tower. Which I named Warrens Tower. Not after Spahn.

[Zvon]

This is a recreation of how the field looked round 66-74. I have found some pics that confirm certain things and show other things to be incorrect. But this is done. I might make an alternate to reflect the actual name of the fields, lake, tree (yea, that tree has a name) and other stuff.

I thought the fields would line up perfectly put they didn't. They just couldn't without changing the parking lot. I may even have the top field a little too close to the corner. But it makes sense, and if you follow the right field foul line of the bottom field, that could be that strip where the grass didn't grow on other pics, like Botz.

[Zvon]

Now see, this is supposed to be The Babe and Lou Gehrig (pretty sure that's Huggins too) at Huggins Field. I don't doubt that it is, and its kool they played there, but there are no connections to the Mets days. It doesn't interest me.


Now these pictures...
I think one has been posted here already. These are interesting. In the jumping guy one I think that's the foul line from Huggins, and it goes into the corner where the other field was yet to exist. That parking lot is there to the right. It runs the same angle. Same with the one from 1958. The structure to the right? The clubhouse in those days? The one the Mets used isn't there yet. Looks like there were many more trees down there then.



And in the one with Whitey Ford, that area behind him should be where the fountain was. Maybe its there and we can't see it, or not there yet. Can't see the light pole. Maybe he's moving it there in that pic.


So am I to understand this is the last year there will be minor league baseball in St. Petersburg?

[Edgy MD]

POW!

[Zvon]

The Mets and Yankees never occupied the field together as far as I know. When each did they would take cabs from Huggins Field to where they were playing. Al Lang field was one place they played alot.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Zvon wrote: This is a recreation of how the field looked round 66-74. I have found some pics that confirm certain things and show other things to be incorrect. But this is done. I might make an alternate to reflect the actual name of the fields, lake, tree (yea, that tree has a name) and other stuff. I thought the fields would line up perfectly put they didn't. They just couldn't without changing the parking lot. I may even have the top field a little too close to the corner. But it makes sense, and if you follow the right field foul line of the bottom field, that could be that strip where the grass didn't grow on other pics, like Botz.

This is really coming along. Excellent work! That orange outfield fence is new. I'll post pictures of that fence during the Mets era later on. I thought the Sadecki spot was a lot closer to the cage.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Zimmer and Hickman at Butterball Field, 1962.

[batmagadanleadoff]

In this pre-1962 image, there's a paved parking lot behind the pre-cage fence. I was under the impression from other photos, that that area was mostly foliage for the Mets first or first two seasons.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Chris Cannizzaro on the mound at Butterball Field. The parking lot is there, even though the picture is pre-cage and old side fence without the middle beam/pipe.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Rod Kanehl at Butterball Field, pre-cage.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Zvon wrote: So am I to understand this is the last year there will be minor league baseball in St. Petersburg?

The Rays left Miller-Huggins Field in 1999. That was an old pic of the Rays groundskeeper mowing the field.

http://www.sptimes.com/News/121299/SouthPinellas/Rays_present_city_wit.shtml

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: A Toppless Met. Butterball Field. A The Man From Topps photo. He never broke into a Topps set - not with any of the four teams he played for. But maybe one day, he'll wind up in the Citi Field Topps Historical Mets Exhibit. Who is he?

bump

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Zimmer and Hickman at Butterball Field, 1962.

Whoa,wow.