Yankee Stadium remains dumped at Hazleton site

http://www.hazletoncreekproperties.com/

Site Location / Description

The Hazelton Reclamation site is a 277 acre property located within the City of Hazleton, Luzerne County Pennsylvania.  The location is in northeast Pennsylvania directly off Interstate 81 and bounded by Routes 924 Route 309 and Broad Street. (Click for map)
          The site is an abandoned mine site that has been severely impacted by past deep and surface mining practices containing 277 acres of un-reclaimed abandoned mine pits and spoil piles.  Portions of the site (approximately 50 acres) were subsequently used for disposal of municipal and industrial waste in several mine pits.
          The site is a brownfield site and is a designated Special Industrial Area under the PA Act 2 and has been designated a Brownfield Action Team site (BAT) by the Governor of Pennsylvania giving the site priority attention for remediation.  HCP is authorized to conduct the site reclamation /  remediation using the residual materials approved under WMGR085, WMGRO96, WMGR097, and WMGR125.
          The Hazleton Reclamation Project site has the capacity to accept over 10 million cubic yards of residual materials to complete the site reclamation.
          In order for HCP to determine whether your material is acceptable for beneficial use at the Hazleton Reclamation Project site, please complete the attached forms and provide HCP with the necessary information regarding the nature of the residual material, generation site, generator and due diligence performed.
For More Information on the Site or to discuss contractual terms, please contact our Hazleton Creek Properties offices.

Yankee Stadium remains dumped at Hazleton site

BY MIA LIGHT (STAFF WRITER)

Published: April 13, 2011

Here lies Yankee Stadium.

The final resting place of the New York Yankees' original ballpark is in Hazleton where an abandoned mine site is being reclaimed with material that includes construction debris.

The original Yankee Stadium was demolished last year when construction of the new stadium was complete.

The demolished remains of the historic stadium were hauled from the Bronx to Hazleton Creek Properties' demolition debris disposal site on Hazleton's southwest side.

Hazleton Creek Properties LLC and the Mark Development company are working to re-claim 277 acres of abandoned mine pits and spoil on a swath of land located between state Routes 924 and 309. Future plans for the land include construction of an amphitheater and retail shops.

With permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection, the Hazleton Creek group is using various types of approved fill to close the mine pits.

Hazleton Director of Public Works John Ackerman said this week that when demolition of the historic stadium was complete, the mountain of rubble and concrete that was once Yankee Stadium was hauled to the Hazleton Creek site for burial.

Ackerman and members of the city's Redevelopment Authority toured the Hazleton Creek site last summer when the remains of Yankee Stadium arrived.

"It was just a pile of broken concrete," Ackerman said.

The rubble was used to fill a mine pit and is now about 30 feet underground, Ackerman said.

In its heyday, the old Yankee Stadium was known as "The House That Ruth Built," in honor of Babe Ruth, whose legendary baseball career coincided with the stadium's grand opening in 1923 and the beginning of the Yankees' winning history.

Coincidentally, the Yankee Stadium burial ground in Hazleton is just a stone's throw away from the site of the old Cranberry Ballpark in Hazle Township where Babe Ruth once played ball.

Cranberry Ballpark was located on a parcel now called Cranberry Creek Gateway, a 366-acre tract between Interstate 81 and Route 924 near West Hazleton.

Greater Hazleton's economic development agency, CAN DO, purchased the Cranberry Creek land in 2006 as part of a partnership with the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce to attract development of commercial, retail, residential and recreation options on the land.

In 1922, the Cranberry Creek site was home to the Hazleton Mountaineers, a New York-Pennsylvania League (eventually known as the Eastern League) Class B baseball team. The ballpark held 5,000 spectators.

On Oct. 22, 1923, Babe Ruth played at the stadium. The Bambino slammed one out of the ballpark during practice, but went hitless during the game, which ended early so Ruth could sign autographs.

According to a New York Times story dated Oct. 23, 1923, the coal mines and public schools in the region closed for the afternoon on the day Babe Ruth came to Cranberry Ballpark to play.

"Mine workers left their posts in such numbers that work had to be suspended," the story said.

According to the report, Babe went hitless against a man named Mondero, a mine worker of Coleraine, who pitched for the Hazleton team.

"He struck the home run king out twice," the story said.

The Hazleton Mountaineers played as a team until 1936 when they became the Hazleton Red Sox, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. They played as the Red Sox from 1927 to 1938. The ballpark's illustrious history came to a close in 1965 when it was demolished to make way for state Route 924.

In the Bronx, Yankee Stadium was the Yankees' home park from 1923 to 1973. It closed for renovations in 1974 and 1975 and re-opened in 1976. It continued as the Yankees' home until 2008 when construction of a new stadium on public park land adjacent to the original stadium was complete.

The original Yankee Stadium hosted a variety of historic events over the years, including World Series games, no-hitters, perfect games and historic home runs. The stadium also hosted boxing matches, concerts and three Papal Masses.

Demolition of the original Yankee Stadium was complete on May 13, 2010. A few months later, its remains were buried under Hazleton's mine-scarred land.

While work continues to fill the mine pits and re-claim the land, Ackerman said trespassing on the site is prohibited.

"It's an active mine reclamation site. It's posted no trespassing and it's patrolled by security," Ackerman said.

William Rinaldi, president of Hazleton Creek Properties, declined to comment.

mlight@standardspeaker.com

New Babe Ruth Documentary - "Universal Babe"

Byron Hunter and Linda Ruth Tosetti, the co-producers of Universal Babe, invite you to support the production of their one-hour documentary that will capture the fervor by which George Herman "Babe" Ruth embraced and was adored by cultures around the world. Did you know:

 

• Babe Ruth played in “barnstorming” games against Negro League players?
• Babe Ruth traveled to Japan in 1934 with the “Babe Ruth All-Stars” and introduced the game of baseball?
• Babe Ruth was one of about 50 German-Americans in 1942 that took out full-page print advertisements in the New York Times and other major newspapers denouncing the Nazis' massacres of the Jews?

Universal Babe is scheduled for release this fall.

 

A limited number of Babe Ruth fans will have the special opportunity to help make this documentary project possible and receive very special gifts in recognition to their support. Check out the link below for details of the film and the special items available:

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1004781951/universal-babe

 

Thank you!!

Ruthian regards,

Linda Ruth Tosetti

www.thetruebaberuth.com

Remembering Jake Ruppert - by Harvey Frommer

Remembering Jake Ruppert:

           the Man Who Built the Yankee Empire

By Harvey Frommer

The Yankees roll on, top of the heap, more stars, more world championships, more hype and hoopla. They are New York. They are big time baseball.

Lest we forget, the roots go all the way back to the son and grandson of Bavarian beer tycoons who founded the Ruppert Breweries. Heir to the family millions, young Jacob Ruppert was born on August 5, 1867. He lived with his family in a commodious and luxurious Manhattan Fifth Avenue apartment. He attended the prestigious Columbia Grammar School. Although he was accepted to the School of Mines of Columbia University, his father insisted he become  part of the brewery business.
      By the turn of the century, the Rupperts in a time before income tax, were reaping huge profits and had become fabulously wealthy.  The Ruppert Brewery, one of the most modern beer producing plants in the world, was a complex of thirty-five fortress-like red brick buildings located from East 90th to East 94th Street between Second and Third Avenues in the Yorkville section of Manhattan's upper East side.

The brewery chimneys spewed smoke carrying the sulfurous smell of malt from the boiling vats into the air. On windy days the smell was especially foul and noxious. Maids in the area even in the summertime, closed windows, pulled down drapes, did what they could to keep the stench out of their employer’s dwellings.

     At 19, Jacob Ruppert began work at the brewery - - washing barrels.  Four years later he was general manager. At 29, he was president of the Jacob Ruppert Brewing Company succeeding his father who had retired.  Under the young Ruppert’s direction, the brewery increased its 1893 output of 350,000 barrels to 1,300,000 barrels just prior to prohibition. In his tenure Ruppert would create and head a gigantic and modern plant for 62 years -  home to the finest brewery in the world. At one point, valued at over $30 million, the Ruppert brand (“Make Mine Ruppert”)  employed more than a thousand workers and was an integral component of the entire New York economy.
        A vast fortune and Tammany Hall connections eased Ruppert into a congressional seat. He was elected as a Democrat in a normally Republican district. The ambitious Ruppert served as a four-time member of the House of Representatives from 1899 to 1907  representing the "Silk Stocking" district of Manhattan.

After the death of his father in 1915, Ruppert continued to live with his mother in the family's red brick Victorian house at 1115 Fifth Avenue on "Millionaire's Row" along Central Park. When his mother died in 1924, Ruppert stayed on in the family mansion for another year. He then sold to a developer and moved across the street into a 12-room apartment in a 15-story luxury building at 1120 Fifth Avenue. His apartment faced Fifth Avenue and looked out onto the Central Park Reservoir directly across the street.  Five full-time servants catered to every whim of the Teutonic, punctilious millionaire. Throughout his life, Ruppert lived within easy walking distance of his brewery.

He was appointed an honorary Colonel in the New York State 7th National Guard Regiment, and it pleased him very much when people used "Colonel" in addressing him.

         A heavily invested real estate toomler as well as the head of the most powerful brewery in the world, “Colonel” Ruppert’s wealth kept increasing making him one of the world’s richest men with an estimated fortune of nearly $50-million.

Called “Congressman” by some, “Colonel” by most, "Jake," by his closest friends, Ruppert had the world on a string. A confirmed bachelor, he always had one beautiful woman, sometimes two, on his arm. But his true love had always been baseball. He was always a rabid fan.     

Back in 1880 when he was just 13, Jacob Ruppert owned,  managed, captained and played second base for a local Manhattan baseball club. The snobbish, some would say cruel, rich boy, insisted that his players clean the cages of his private menagerie before he would bring his bat and ball down to the vacant lot where the team played.  Making it perfectly clear to all that he could not abide losing, Ruppert also made it very uncomfortable for any of his players who struck out – he fired them. The highly privileged youngster was a passionate rooter for the New York Giants. As a teenager he tried out but could not make the club. No matter, he would accomplish much more in baseball than that.

North of the city at his large estate in Garrison, New York, Ruppert kept  St. Bernards and Boston terriers. He owned a dozen varieties of doves, two dozen varieties of monkey. He had a collection of Percherons, the large horses that had pulled the big beer trucks. He was a collector of trotting horses and thoroughbred race horses, yachts, Chinese porcelains, jades. His country place was a repository of one of the largest personal art galleries and libraries in the United States.

His office was devoid of curtains. Close by his desk were marble pedestals, a goldfish aquarium, two bronzes of American Indian collectibles.

Ruppert’s shoes were made to order. Changing his clothes several times a day, he dressed in the latest and most expensive fashions and was attended to by a valet.       He traveled in style with his secretary Al Brennan in his own private railroad car. It was known that the “Colonel” enjoyed the comforts of his own drawing room and sleeping in a silk brocade nightshirt.

 Always interested in baseball, always acquiring, Ruppert was very much interested in purchasing the New York Giants but was told by manager John J. McGraw that they were not for sale but that the sad sack New York Yankees might be.

"It was an orphan club," Ruppert said, "without a home of its own, without players of outstanding ability, without prestige." It was a team whose average annual attendance was 345,000, and dozen year record was a mediocre 861 wins and 937 defeats. But Jake Ruppert, the man they would later call "Master Builder in Baseball," would change all that.

On January 11, 1915, Jake Ruppert teamed with a real Colonel, Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston, and purchased the Yankees of New York for $460,000 from the original owners  - -professional gambler Frank Farrell and ex-police commissioner William S. Devery. Huston impressed everyone by peeling off 230 thousand dollar bills – his share of the purchase price.   

Players and sportswriters referred to Hutson as "Cap." There were others who called him "the Man in the Iron Hat" because of the derby hat, generally crumpled, that he wore. The hat matched his suits, always crumpled and rumpled.

The Farrell-Devery duo had milked and mismanaged the franchise for years. So owning the Yankees, who had a 12 year record of 861-937 and average attendance of 345,000 a season, would be a challenge for the new owners.

Ruppert and Huston, however, were up to the challenge. They had  deep pockets and a great deal of  business acumen.  Huston was a successful entrepreneur engineer, a rich contractor.  Ruppert always knew his way around a buck. 

 All kinds of intrigue surrounded the purchase of the Yankees involving Tammany Hall wheeler dealers, other owners, and the American League President. All of them were very anxious to put in place new Yankee ownership and a successful franchise in New York City. To close the deal, American League owners and the League kicked in the rest of the half million dollars that Farrell and Devery insisted on before they would sell out.

"I never saw such a mixed up business in my life,” Ruppert complained right off the bat. “Contracts, liabilities, notes, obligations of all sorts. There were times when it looked so bad no man would want to put a penny into it. It is an orphan ball club without a home of its own, without players of outstanding ability, without prestige."

All of that would change. The “Prince of Beer” wanted to re-name the Yankees to “Knickerbockers” after his best-selling beer, but the marketing ploy failed. Besides, it was said, the name was too long for newspaper headlines. Years later it would be short enough for basketball’s New York Knickerbockers.

          Ruppert pressed on. As a beer baron, he was hands on for every aspect of his business. That same behavior pattern existed for him with the Yankees.  He knew them all and was always up to date on their capabilities, shortcomings, foibles and performances.

         In his early ownership years Ruppert lost almost as much money as was paid to purchase the Yankees. But on the field there was some progress.  The team finished fifth in 1915, fourth in 1916,  their first time out of the second division since 1910.

The Yankee owner rarely hung out with "with the boys," Rud Rennie wrote in the New York Herald-Tribune. "For the most part, he was aloof and brusque.... He never used profanity. 'By gad' was his only expletive."
       A fixture at his Stadium, which he insisted on keeping so fanatically clean that sometimes he even swept it himself, Ruppert had a private box  to which he invited the celebrities of the day. He was not an owner, though, who came to the park to be seen. His interest was in seeing his tea, excel.

The Colonel’s idea of a wonderful day at the ball park was any time the Yankees scored 11 runs in the first inning, and then slowly pulled away. The Colonel was fond of saying, “There is no charity in baseball, I want to win every year.” 

“Close games make me nervous.” he said. “A great day is when the Yankees score a lot of runs early and then just pull away.”

He created the “Ruppert effect.” Those who worked for him at the brewer on the ball club knew he was around and about and very interested in all that was going on.

Members of his team received first class treatment. For the Yankees this showed itself in the sleeping accommodations he arranged on trains. Most other teams had players, dependent on seniority, given berths, upper or lower. The players on the New York Yankees all slept in upper births
        While the Yankees were high flying, Ruppert’s other business – his brewery was hurting.     Prohibition cut his brewery's annual production of 1.25 million barrels of real beer to 350,000 barrels of half-percent near-beer that nobody wanted to drink. In effect, the brewery treaded water  producing, bottling and selling "near beer".

                                 BABE RUTH

In a move that would change the course of Yankee and Red Sox history, indeed, baseball history, Jake Ruppert on January 3, 1920 purchased George Herman “Babe” Ruth, 25, from Boston. The deal was a very smart business move – the young Ruth had talent and would become one of the greatest drawing cards in baseball history.  In his first season as a Yankee , he blasted 54 homers.
        Ruth bragged “They’re coming out to see me in droves.” From 1920 to 1922, the Yankees with G.H. Ruth on board drew more three million fans into the Polo Grounds. Never had the New York Giants drawn a million fans in a season.

The Colonel was the only one to conduct salary negotiations with the “Sultan of Swat.”Ruth was a valuable commodity and the Yankee owner treated him as such. The pair disagreed at times privately and publicly about contracts; nevertheless, Ruppert and Ruth were personal friends.        Frugal to a fault, Colonel gave orders that the Yankee front office should always keep an eye out for any out of line Ruthian expenses. Thus, a $3.80 train ticket for Mrs. Ruth and a $30 "uniform deposit" were not honored extracted for the greatest single gate attraction of all time.
            Angered and annoyed at the gate success of Babe Ruth & Company, the Giants told the Yankees to look around for other baseball lodgings. The Yankees had been playing in the shadow of the Giants at the Polo Grounds since 1913, tenants of the National League team.  It was a very unsatisfactory arrangement; now with the Yankees outdrawing the Giants in their in their own ballpark, it was an embarrassment.         

The forward looking Ruppert and Hutson suggested the Polo Grounds be demolished and replaced by a 100,000 seat stadium to be used by both teams and for other sporting events. The Giants were not interested. So the search was on to create a new ballpark, not just a new ballpark but the  greatest and grandest edifice of its time, one shaped along the lines of the Roman Coliseum. The Colonel dreamed big dreams and had the power and money to back them up.

Babe Ruth became a Yankee through the dream and efforts of the Colonel.   Yankee Stadium was really “the house that Jake Ruppert built.”  And all credit goes to Ruppert as the man who truly built the Yankee empire.

Club Diamond Nation Announces Its Pre-Launch with a Charity Challenge

Club Diamond Nation Announces Its Pre-Launch with a Charity Challenge

Fans Get the Chance to Support Their Favorite Star’s Charity and Win a One-On-One Training Experience

Flemington, NJ, May 17, 2012 – Club Diamond Nation (www.clubdiamondnation.com), a virtual baseball and softball academy, premieres with the first-ever Club Diamond Nation Charity Challenge. The site’s resident stars will compete to win $25,000 for their selected charities.

Club Diamond Nation will launch Summer 2012 offering playing tips, personalized feedback and fully-produced webcasts from Major League Baseball players, Olympic softball players and coaches.

In a sneak peek to the site’s launch, Club Diamond Nation is asking fans to vote for Barry Larkin, Tom Glavine, Jennie Finch, Kevin Long or Jack Cust Jr.’s aligned charity, simultaneously entering for a chance to win a one-on-one training experience with that star.  The five are affiliated with Club Diamond Nation and will be the hosts of the site’s webcasts.

“I firmly believe success in baseball is dependent upon a strong foundation of fundamental skills,” said Barry Larkin. “I’m looking forward to working with the Club Diamond Nation community to offer unique player development opportunities, educating players and fans.”

Today through July 15, 2012, fans can visit Club Diamond Nation (www.clubdiamondnation.com) and vote for the site’s stars. The star that receives the most fan support will win $15,000 for his or her selected charity, while the other four charities will each receive a $2,500 donation. The selected charities are:

• Barry Larkin – The David Maus Foundation (www.davidmausfoundation.org)
• Tom Glavine – CURE Childhood Cancer (www.curechildhoodcancer.org)
• Jennie Finch – Women’s Sports Foundation (www.womenssportsfoundation.org)
• Kevin Long – Jorge Posada Foundation (www.jorgeposadafoundation.org)
• Jack Cust Jr. – American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org)

“Part of our core mission at Diamond Nation is giving back to the community, so we feel there’s no better way to launch the new Club Diamond Nation site than with a good-natured competition among the site’s sport stars for charity,” Keith Dilgard, President of Club Diamond Nation said.

The site is designed to improve the quality and enjoyment of baseball and softball by providing its members with an online social experience that is both educational and entertaining.

To vote or for more information, visit www.clubdiamondnation.com, follow Club Diamond Nation on Twitter at @clubDN, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clubdiamondnation.

###

About Club Diamond Nation: Club Diamond Nation is a virtual baseball and softball academy that looks to take a player’s game to the next level. Club Diamond Nation offers:

• Inside tips on how the pros excel at every aspect of the game

• A social platform where players can share their passion for baseball and softball

• An entertaining and educational environment that caters to a participant’s desire for competition, improvement and achievement

From its starting lineup of instructors to informative videos and webisodes, Club Diamond Nation gives users access to expertise not found at any other site. 

About Diamond Nation: With its indoor and outdoor turf field facilities that can house 12 games simultaneously, Diamond Nation has become a prime developmental destination for amateur players throughout the Northeast and is the largest turf complex in the nation. Its domed facility is believed to be the largest amateur indoor field in the world. Diamond Nation is home to both the Jack Cust Baseball Academy and the Jennie Finch Softball Academy.

About Barry Larkin: The newest member of the Baseball Hall of Fame was the National League’s MVP in 1995. After batting a career high of .342 in 1989, he hit .353 in the 1990 World Series as the Reds won the world championship.

About Tom Glavine: One of only six left-handed 300-game winners in the history of MLB, Tom twice won the NL Cy Young Award and was the MVP of the 1995 World Series, the Atlanta Braves’ only world championship.  He’s a 10-time All-Star.

About Jennie Finch: The most famous softball player in history, Jennie was 119-16 as a pitcher for the University of Arizona.  She earned a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games and a silver in 2008, and went 36-2 for the US National Team.

About Kevin Long: The New York Yankees hitting coach since 2007 Kevin is respected as one of the best in the game.  He’s the author of Cage Rat: Lessons from a Life in Baseball, which tracks his journey to the majors.

About Jack Cust Jr.: The number one draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1997, Jack went on to star for the Oakland Athletics, with six home runs in his first seven games and 97 over the next four seasons. 

About David Maus Foundation: The David Maus Foundation focuses on helping children with life-threatening illnesses and their families through contributions to charities in Central Florida.

About Cure Childhood Cancer: CURE Childhood Cancer in Atlanta, GA is a nonprofit cancer research foundation dedicated to finding cures for childhood cancer.

About Women’s Sports Foundation: Founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King, the Women’s Sports Foundation is dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity.

About Jorge Posada Foundation: The Jorge Posada Foundation provides families and children affected by Craniosynostosis with emotional support and financial assistance.

About American Cancer Society: The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem.

TALKIN' YANKEES: Quips, Quotes, Asides, Philosophy and More (Part I) - by Harvey Frommer

    They are baseball's greatest franchise, a team of legends, ghosts, marker moments, odd characters. So much has been written about them and the talk stream stretches out through many decades. Herewith, a small sampling of some of the more memorable observations, enjoy. 
        On the Yankees
 "I would rather beat the Yankees regularly than pitch a no-hit game." - Bob Feller
 "It was a death struggle every day being a Yankee ­ you either won or you lost. There was no second place. Half of us were nuts by the end of a season." - Jerry Coleman
 "When I was a player and we would play the Yankees in spring training, even though the game didn't mean anything, it was a special day." - Joe Torre
 "I wish I'd never see them again. I wish they'd disappear from the league." Pedro Martinez, Boston Red Sox  
 "Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie and cheating on your income tax." - Columnist Mike Royko
 "Hating the Yankees isn't part of my act. It is one of those exquisite times when life and art are in perfect conjunction." -  Bill Veeck
  "Going north from spring training, we'd pass through small towns and people would be out there early in the morning as the train went by, waving to us. I don't know how they got the word ­ but we'd be having our breakfast in the diner and they'd be there." - Jerry Coleman 
 "You kind of took it for granted around the Yankees that there was always going to be baseball in October." -  Whitey Ford
  "This isn't just a ball club! This is Murderers Row!" ­ sportswriter Arthur Robinson, 1927
 "There has never been anything like it. Even as these lines are batted out on the office typewriter, youths dash out of the AP and UP ticker room every two or three minutes shouting, 'Ruth hit one! Gehrig hit another one!' "   - sportswriter Paul Gallico 
 "I was known as a Yankee killer. My best year against them was 1953.  I beat them five times and shut them out four times.  You just played a little harder against them." - Mel Parnell
 "Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel." - Joe E. Lewis 
 "Rooting for the Yankees is like owning a yacht." - Jimmy Cannon
 "The majority of American males put themselves to sleep by striking out the batting order of the New York Yankees." - James Thurber
 "They have, what, 26 World Series titles? But that doesn't 
mean they are going to beat us. We deserve to be here as much as they do. I'm not trying to get Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig or Mickey Mantle out. I'm trying to get the Yankees' lineup out today." - Curt Schilling of Arizona, before Game One, 2001 World Series 
 "Somebody told me that we beat the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth! I still don't believe it!" - Mark Grace, 2001 World Series
 "When my Yankee career is over I'll play anywhere, but I'm positive that I'll never find a team quite like the Yankees." -Bernie Williams 
 "These are your Yankees. They leave their hearts on the field for you."  - Joe Torre 
    
 
 
   Yankee Stadium
 "When I come here, it's like standing on hallowed ground." ­Cal   Ripken 
  "It was so large and the fans there were so rabid. It was amazing for me to go out there and stand on the mound and look around and realize that was the place that Ruth built." -Bob Feller
 "Most guys won't admit it, but it can be an intimidating thing your first few times there. All the lore of the stadium and the mystique can be difficult to deal with."  -   Al Leiter 
 "It is the most magical ballpark ever built. Playing there as a Yankee was like being in the Marines, the feeling that you were in a special ballpark, special town, special uniform, special history." ­ Phil Linz 
 "When I went to the American League as an umpire, I had never been to a major league ballpark . This was 1963. You went out of the umpire's dressing room and down the hallway and up the ramp and stepped out onto the field. Here's this kid from Little Rock, Arkansas standing in New York City in Yankee Stadium. It was a pretty incredible thing."  - Bill Valentine
  "I loved Yankee Stadium because I was left-handed. I usually faced mostly right-handed hitting teams there. The fence in centerfield was 461 feet away, and left centerfield was 457 feet. As long as you kept the hitters from hitting the ball down the line, it was a great park to pitch in." - Whitey Ford
 "Being from New York, it meant a lot for me to play in my hometown. I knew every nook and cranny there, and we had the fans behind us. Back then, you had the monuments in the outfield and that was unbelievable." - Phil Rizzuto
 "The cathedral of baseball." - David Cone
 "Baseball heaven." - Randy Johnson
 "The stadium is a part of the Yankees and the Yankees are a part of the stadium. That will never change." - Chuck Knoblauch 

 "I was in the right place at the right time." -- Mel Allen

   
    Ed Barrow
  "You ought to know that you're making a mistake." ­ to Red Sox owner Harry Frazee on the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees 
    Yogi Berra 
 "Congratulations on breaking my record last night. I always thought the record would stand until it was broken." ­to Johnny Bench who broke his record for career home runs by a catcher.
 "I didn't say the things I said "
 "The other teams could make trouble for us if they win." 
 "If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else."
 "If you come to a fork in the road, take it." 
  "He must have made that before he died." --on a Steve McQueen movie, 1982
 "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore." 
 "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." 
 "The future ain't what it used to be."
 "A home opener is always exciting, no matter if it's home or on the road."
 "I take a two hour nap between 1PM and 3PM." 
 "90% of the putts that are short don't go in." 
 "Baseball is 90-percent mental. The other half is physical." 
 "You have to give 100 percent in the first half of the game. If that isn't enough, in the second half, you have to give what is left." 
 "Nobody goes there any more. It's too crowded." 
 "It gets late out there early," referring to the bad sun conditions in left field at the stadium.
 "He is a big clog in their machine."
 "I've been with the Yankees 17 years, watching games and learning. You can see a lot by observing."
 "Baseball is the champ of them all. Like somebody said, the pay is good and the hours are short."
 "All pitchers are liars and crybabies."
 "Bill Dickey learned me all his experience."
 "I want to thank you for making this day necessary." -- to fans in hometown St. Louis for giving him a day in 1947 at Sportsmen's Park.
 "I've known this guy so long. Can't he spell my name right?" -- after receiving a check that said "Pay to the order of Bearer"
 "I think Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house." 
   "If the people don't want to come out to the ballpark, nobody's going to stop them."
 "Pair off in threes." 
         "The other teams could make trouble for us if they win." -- as Yankee manager 
 "Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours." 
 "We have very deep depth!"
 "It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much."
 When asked what time it is -- "Do you mean now?" 
 When asked what he would do if he found a million dollars - "If the guy was poor, I'd give it back" 
 When asked by a waitress how many pieces she should cut his pizza into -- "Four. I don't think I could eat eight." 
 When asked why the Yankees lost the 1960 series to Pittsburgh--
"We made too many wrong mistakes."
 When told by Yankee manager Bucky Harris to think about what was being pitched to him  -- "Think? How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?"
 When told Ernest Hemmingway was a great writer -- "Yeah, for what paper?"
 When asked what his cap size was at the beginning of spring training -- "I don't know, I'm not in shape.""
 "It's deja vu all over again." 
 "It ain't over until it's over." 

    On Yogi Berra
 "You can't compare me to my father, our similarities are different." - Dale Berra 
 "They say he's funny. Well, he has a lovely wife and family, a beautiful home, money in the bank, and he plays golf with millionaires. What's funny about that?" - Casey Stengel
 "He'd fall in a sewer and come up with a gold watch." - Casey Stengel
 "Where he was especially dangerous was in the final two innings. You couldn't pitch to him. He had no weaknesses. He was the most dangerous hitter ever." ­Jerry Coleman 
 "Not only was he lucky, he was never wrong." ­ Whitey Ford
 "Yogi's face is his fortune." Mike Stanley

Harvey Frommer Reviews: Duke vs. Kentucky, Hack Wilson, Summer of '68 & More

Harvey Frommer Reviews: Duke vs. Kentucky, Hack Wilson, Summer of '68 & More


Who would have thought about it? The Irish and their impact on the national pastime? I did in my book Old Time Baseball. Now along comes The Emerald Diamond by Charley Rosen (Harper, $25.99, 305 pages). Its subtitle says it all: "How The Irish Transformed America's Greatest Pastime."

Rosen, known for his writings about the NBA, is in top form here dishing out data and passing out anecdotes about many of the known and under-publicized facts and factoids as well as another area of important Irish contributions in sports.

The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds that Changed Basketball by Gene Wojciechowski (Blue Rider Press, $26.95) is a riveting inside look at the legendary game in 1992. The gang's all here and we can all enjoy the flashbacked, riveting read and the talented writing of Gene Wojciechowski. Especially for college hoop fans.

Hack's 191 by Bill Chastain (Globe Pequot Press, $24.95) is a look back to the epic 1930 season of slugger Hack Wilson and his Chicago Cubs team.  A good friend of Al Capone, an imbiber of booze and good times, Wilson was one of baseball's most colorful all-time characters. The "Hacker" comes to life in this splendid book, as does his day-by-day RBI record exploding to a still-unbroken 191.

Wheels of Change by Sue Macy (National Geographic, $18.95, only 98 pages) is a slim volume that packs a lot of charm and content. It offers the point of view that before the bicycle in the 1880s, the lives of women were restricted. With "wheels," women became emancipated. They set records cycling and explored the world. Page after page of archival images and apt observations make this tome terrific--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Tim Wendel's Summer of '68 (DaCapo ($25.00, 272 pages), like the Hack Wilson book and many others, is a look back at one specific baseball season and the events in the culture surrounding it. The year was one of tragedy, broken dreams, horrible events and turning points--rioting in major American cities, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy. It was also the "Year of the Pitcher" (Tiant, Gibson, Drysdale, McLain and others). The times today are fraught with peril. Back then, things were even worse, but baseball was a constant support for many. Full disclosure: As the author of Remembering Fenway Park: An Oral and Narrative History of the Home of the Boston Red Sox, I was looking ahead to read Richard A. Johnson's Field of Our Fathers (Triumph, $35.00, 288 pages). It does not disappoint. Whereas my book focuses only on baseball at Fenway, the Johnson tome includes non-baseball events. I leaned heavily on oral history with 140 individuals telling the story of the oldest MLB park. Johnson features clippings, ephemera and mini essays from folks such as Bob Ryan and Glenn Stout. 

Wilt, 1962 by Gary M. Pomerantz (Three Rivers Press, $16.00, 267 pages) is a slim tome that slam dunks the story of the much misunderstood and unappreciated Wilt Chamberlain. 

Quiz for Yankees Die-Hard Fans

Check out:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1051373-yankees-of-new-york-sort-of-ultimate-quiz-for-diehard-fans

Good luck!

Super Bowl 2012: What's in the Giants, Patriots, 49ers and Ravens' Name? by Harvey Frommer

NFL

Super Bowl 2012: What's in the Giants, Patriots, 49ers and Ravens' Name?

With football in the air for a few more weeks, with phrases like Super Bowl, New York Giants, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens occupying headlines for a while now—the back story of these names and a few others have a lot of history and a lot of interesting sidebars.

SUPER BOWL:  The merger of the American Football League and the National Football League created a need for a championship game. On January 15, 1967, the first contest was played. As the story goes, at an owner’s meeting there had been a discussion as to what to call the contest. Agreement was reached on “National Football League Championship Game.”

But one of the owners had no fondness for the long, and in his view, unexciting name. He had a “super ball” in his pocket that he had taken away from his youngster earlier that day.

Squeezing the super ball, he came up with an idea. Call the big game—“Super Bowl.”

So although the National Football League Championship Game was the official name. The “unofficial” name, the Super Bowl, was used in the media, fans and the players.The name stuck. The name has remained through all the decades and has even gotten glossier, grander and more glamorous.

From the beginning, each Super Bowl was designated with a Roman numeral rather than by a year. This was a brilliant idea on the part of National Football League Commissioner Pete Rozelle to give the ultimate game a sense of class, a feeling of continuity.

That first Super Bowl saw the first dual-network color-coverage simulcast of a sporting event in history and attracted the largest viewership ever to witness a sporting event up to that time. The Nielsen rating indicated that 73 million fans watched all or part of that game on one of the two networks, CBS or NBC.

The game was a contest between the two leagues and two television networks. The CBS allegiance was to the NFL, and NBC was allied with the American Football League, which it had virtually created with its network dollars.

How other names in the news as the world awaits Super Bowl 46,oops, XLVI , came to be are also interesting.

NEW YORK GIANTS: Back in 1925 owner Tim Mara adopted the name “Giants” from the baseball team of the same name that played in New York. It was a common practice back in the day.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: A  group of sportswriters from New England came up with the name Patriots, a tip of the cap to Patriot’s Day, celebrated in Boston for Paul Revere's ride. The team, which moved to Foxborough, Mass., was originally located in Boston. It began life on November 16, 1959 as the eighth and final club in the American Football League.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers: The franchise entered pro football in 1946 as a member of the All-America Football Conference. Their name originated from the gold diggers during the gold rush in northern California of 1849.

BALTIMORE RAVENS: The poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, who lived the last few years of his life in Baltimore, was the inspiration for the nickname for the Baltimore team. The name was chosen in a contest among fans in 1996. The three Ravens' mascots include “Edgar,” “Allan,” and “Poe.”

**A noted oral historian and sports journalist, Harvey Frommer has written many sports books, including Fenway Park: An Oral and Narrative History of the Home of the Boston Red Sox.  His work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, New York Daily News, Newsday, USA Today, Men’s Heath, The Sporting News, and of course Bleacher Report among other publications.
Visit his website and purchase books here: http://harveyfrommersports.com/remembering_fenway/

JSA & PSA in Hall of Shame for $41k Blunder on 1939 HOF Induction Sigs of Babe Ruth, Larrry Lajoie and Others - by Peter Nash

In response to Peter Nash's latest article, I posted the following.....

http://haulsofshame.com/blog/?p=10958#more-10958


Hi Peter,

Thank you for the article that you published here.  Sadly these "alleged" forgeries are and have destroyed the market.  You can simply see by the prices people are asking that the memorabilia market is near dead.  Some items are selling for 10-20% of their retail and book values.  It is easy to understand why people have abandoned the market and have moved on to other collectibles.  Sadly I see myself so many forgeries continue today and there are many buyers who simply are not educated or simply do not care.  As I always tell people looking for authentication services, the only true way to guarantee a signature is to see the athlete sign the item right in front of you.  That of course does not help with athletes who are deceased.  For those items, people must simply do their homework and at this point, hope for the best.  How sad that it has come to this.  What was once a great market is almost dead, and there are no signs of revival at this point.  The only company I buy from now is Steiner Sports. (No, I am not endorsing them or anyone else.  I am simply stating I trust their services and have had a chance to oversee their operations in New Rochelle, NY on several occasions in person) I cannot say anything negative at all about the company in terms of authenticating items.  I have seen too many items from 3rd party authenticators that are clearly fakes or at the very least "do not look right".  As a huge Emmitt Smith fan and very well versed on his signature and collecting him since his days at Florida, I am amazed at some of the items for sale on auction sites that bear his name.  So many of his "signatures" are not even close!  And still people bid on these items without hesitation.  At this point I tell people getting into the market to get educated about it and learn the "ins and outs" of the business before even purchasing their first item.  It is also sad to see many athletes charge so much for their autographs during signings, but at this point, I can see why.  Atleast you are paying to see the athlete sign the item right in front of you.  Most importantly hopefully you can have a short conversation with him or her and maybe even pose for a picture.   Thanks Peter for your continued articles.  At the very least, it is bringing attention to a subject that needs coverage and exposure.  Maybe it is time to "blow up" the entire industry and start over.  I am not sure that is the answer, but something needs to change and soon before the market as we know it will be dead forever.  This is not the way we would want to honor the great athletes that came before us.  They deserve better. 

Thanks for your time......Brad - www.HistoryOfTheYankees.com

BAGWELL CLOSEST, BUT IBWAA SELECTS NO ONE IN 2011 HALL OF FAME VOTE

BAGWELL CLOSEST, BUT IBWAA SELECTS  NO ONE IN 2011 HALL OF FAME VOTE

Los Angeles – In its third annual version of the Hall of Fame vote, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) did not tally the required 75% threshold for a single player this year. Houston Astros’ Jeff Bagwell was closest, with 61%.

The IBWAA selected Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Complete 2012 voting results are as follows:

Jeff Bagwell	60.87%
Barry Larkin	52.17%
Lee Smith	47.83%
Mark McGwire	43.48%
Jack Morris	43.48%
Tim Raines	43.48%
Dale Murphy	26.09%
Rafael Palmeiro	26.09%
Edgar Martinez	21.74%
Fred McGriff	21.74%
Don Mattingly	13.04%
Larry Walker	13.04%
Alan Trammell	8.70%
Bernie Williams	8.70%
Bill Mueller	4.35%
Jeromy Burnitz	0.00%
Vinny Castilla	0.00%
Juan Gonzalez	0.00%
Brian Jordan	0.00%
Javy Lopez	0.00%
Terry Mulholland	0.00%
Phil Nevin	0.00%
Brad Radke	0.00%
Tim Salmon	0.00%
Ruben Sierra	0.00%
Tony Womack	0.00%
Eric Young	0.00%

The IBWAA was created July 4, 2009 by Howard Cole, Dodger blogger for The Orange County Register and editor of BaseballSavvy.com, to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as an alternative to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).
Among others, IBWAA members include Kevin Baxter, baseball writer for The Los Angeles Times; Tim Brown, YahooSports; Tom Hoffarth, Media/General Columnist, Los Angeles Daily News; Tony Jackson, Dodgers reporter, ESPNLA.com; Jill Painter, Columnist, Los Angeles Daily News; Roberta Shelburne, ESPNLA.com, Gary Warner, Travel Editor, Orange County Register; and prominent baseball authors Peter Golenbock, and Dan Schlossberg.

Association memberships are open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $10. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available.

For more information on the IBWAA, please contact Howard Cole.

Contact:
Howard Cole
Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com