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

[batmagadanleadoff]

In this Tug McGraw photo previously posted to this thread, you can see a rectangular white sign where the back chain link fence runs lower.

Below you can see the same white sign, but in relation to the black tarp. The black tarp is a batter's eye for Clendenon Field and is located somewhere in right or right/center field at Butterball Field.





Harvey Haddix, foreground. Batter's eye, background.






So who is this Met standing to the side of Clendenon Field?

[Zvon]

Leroy Stanton?


That does place the batters eye thing. Good work. The real blurry aerial pic has lots of foliage beyond the outfield fence. That's from 1956. All that has been cleared out. I'd bet that the year for the clearer pic is approximately 1965-67.

[Edgy MD]

The right field line in the upper field looks like it's about 220 feet.

[Zvon]

Edgy MD wrote: The right field line in the upper field looks like it's about 220 feet.

I wonder if that was by design or necessary. If the Mets had put the field there I'd think it was by design, but it was already there.


The Polo Grounds dimensions^.
The second field was there in 1956. I wonder when it was installed. The Giants did play at Stengel- Huggins. lil bit.

[batmagadanleadoff]

You could see from the photo below that the parking lot at Butterball Field on the other side of the cage was there before the Mets moved in. But from some of the early Stengel era Mets photos of that area, the parking lot looks like a dense forest.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Here's another clubhouse. It was there in the '60's, during Al Jackson's stint. And it was there in the mid-70's, when Jack Heidemann was a Met. But where?

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote:

batmagadanleadoff wrote: John Glass and Tug McGraw at some other cage near a tall conical structure.

The conical structure in the Glass and Tug images -- does that structure appear at the extreme left side of the Jackson photo?

[Edgy MD]

My impression is that the outfield wall goes with the bottom field. The top field is for infield practice only.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

My impression is that Jack Heidemann brings a lot of wild sex to a pretend swing for the cameras.

[Zvon]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: My impression is that Jack Heidemann brings a lot of wild sex to a pretend swing for the cameras.

In spring training he always carted around his own wind machine just for this effect. Without the machine his hair was dull and lifeless.

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: John Glass and Tug McGraw at some other cage near a tall conical structure. The conical structure in the Glass and Tug images -- does that structure appear at the extreme left side of the Jackson photo?

I imagine that's a totally different practice field. And yes, that thing sticking up looks to be the thing in the Jackson photo. It would be just like the Mets to have something like that sticking up for no apparent reason. Look for a list of all the places the Mets practice.

I like how we thoroughly investigated Butterball Field. And we can look into this one. But first, where is Sadecki now? And what's that batting cage behind him. And what's he been smokin'?

I bet that cage has some history. Hmmmm, I wonder....

[batmagadanleadoff]

Zvon wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: John Glass and Tug McGraw at some other cage near a tall conical structure. The conical structure in the Glass and Tug images -- does that structure appear at the extreme left side of the Jackson photo? I imagine that's a totally different practice field.

Okay. And until we figure out what and where it is, I'm calling it The Forbidden Zone.

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I'm gonna guess that Butterball, photographed above in 1962, was in fact standing at the Sadecki Spot, and that the Mets, since then, changed the back fence and built the mysterious cage structure that, from our photos, first appears in the Westrum shot minus the tarp. I base this on the line in the grass --- it's jutting out from near the corner where the two back fences meet and angling toward the field. It's in every photo.

I figured out what that line in the grass is, that's angling towards the Butterball infield. It's the 1st base/right field foul line at Clendenon Field.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Best view ever of the cage at Butterball Field -- before the cage was there.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Who is this Spring Picnicking Met at The Forbidden Zone?

[batmagadanleadoff]

The Stork, The Forbidden Zone, the tall conical structure and the clubhouse with the balcony.

[Edgy MD]

I think I've put my finger on why Theodore didn't have a longer career.

[batmagadanleadoff]

From Nixon to Carter to Reagan ... the one constant a fella could count on ... the clubhouse with the balcony at The Forbidden Zone.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I think Swannie could give Heidemann a run for his $$ in the category of best Met porn star mustache.

[Edgy MD]

Porn or not, the dude knows how to rolf.

http://greenwichrolfing.com/craigswanonrolfingvideo.html

[Zvon]

I base this on the line in the grass --- it's jutting out from near the corner where the two back fences meet and angling toward the field. It's in every photo.

I figured out what that line in the grass is, that's angling towards the Butterball infield. It's the 1st base/right field foul line at Clendenon Field.

From a few pages back:

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.

So I agree with you on that.

The list from Wiki says that from 1968 to 1987 the Mets practiced at Naimoli Field. Am I forbidden to say that could be the forbidden zone?

This pic:

Just wow. Full frontal!

[batmagadanleadoff]

Zimmer and the Rays at The Forbidden Zone with the clubhouse with the balcony -- since re-painted in Devil Rays green. Zimmer is the first person to be pictured in this thread at Butterfield Ball and at The Forbidden Zone.

[batmagadanleadoff]

There's more work to do at Miller-Huggins, Zvonnie. We've got to figure out the Clendenon side, where the field backs up against the neighborhood instead of the lake.

Edited October 1, 2013 by Guest

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Who is this Spring Picnicking Met at The Forbidden Zone?

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[batmagadanleadoff]

And here's Ron Swoboda (1967) at the renovated Butterball Field, cage included. The water fountain ties the old and new versions of the field. Who am I extra credit. This question is worth two 2 two clapping gifs. Who's giving Ron batting tips? More from the Swoboda batting tips session. A better shot of the cage. Hint: He was a Rookie of the Year and a four-time all star.

bump

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: This former Met spent a whole season pitching for Tony LaRussa's Cardinals, but amassed just 2 1/3 innings pitched for the Redbirds. He has no Card card. Most people taking this quiz would guess Jesse Orosco because of the uncanny resemblance the Cards pitcher bears to the iconic Met reliever.

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[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Jesse Orosco

[stevejrogers]

Armando Reynoso?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

And here's Ron Swoboda (1967) at the renovated Butterball Field, cage included. The water fountain ties the old and new versions of the field. Who am I extra credit. This question is worth two 2 two clapping gifs. Who's giving Ron batting tips? More from the Swoboda batting tips session. A better shot of the cage. Hint: He was a Rookie of the Year and a four-time all star. bump

Bill Virdon

[batmagadanleadoff]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Jesse Orosco