Old Crosley Field Pictures

[RedsBaron]

First time anyone tried to sell me marijuana was at Crosley Field.

Did they make the sale?

[Tom Servo]

Were people excited about Riverfront when it opened? With the benefit of hindsight it seems like a huge letdown to go from a ballpark with real character to a total cookie-cutter.

[Roy Tucker]

We talked about all this once....


http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64730

[RedsBaron]

Wow...Crosley Field was amazing. I'm fascinated by history. I would give almost anything to go back in time and watch a game there. Was there ever any thought to renovating Crosley to stand the test of time?

I am glad I attended several games at Crosley Field but in retrospect it was really a dump. The seats were tight, the park only had seating for about 29,000, left field ran uphill, the concourses were narrow....
Mind you, the first time I ever attended a game there I thought I had gone to heaven. To a not quite 10 year old boy in 1965 Crosley Field was a palace. Dad, Mom, my almost 7 year old sister and I all took the C&O train from Huntington,WV to Cincinnati, an adventure in itself, my first train trip, followed by my first ever cab ride to the ballpark. I can recall getting popcorn in boxes that you could use as a megaphone after you ate the popcorn. I was a Cardinals fan in 1965 and I got a photo of a Cards player who wore no. 32 and who laughed at my inability to use a camera; years later I figured out it was a very young Steve Carlton. It was bat day. My and sister and I each got full size bats. She got a Jim Coker bat and I got a Deron Johnson bat.
We made annual trips after that. I got Pete Rose's autograph several times. There was a memorable pre game in 1966 or 1967 when we had seats near the Reds dugout, which was on the third base side. Before the game Rose was hitting fungos towards a batboy who stood near the stands. I am convinced Rose saw me and intentionally hit a soft liner into the seats in my direction; sadly, another kid beat me to the ball.
In 1969 I got the autographs of Rose, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez on the same scorecard, which I still have. I think that was for a doubleheader against the Braves with Hank Aaron.
In 1970, Dad gave me a choice of seeing one final game at Crosley or waiting until Riverfront Staduim opened mid-season. I opted for Crosley. We saw the Reds play the Giants, which featured Mays, McCovey and Marichal.
Like I say, Crosley was a dump. My old 1968 Mustang had a lot of shortcomings too. I miss them both anyway.

[KronoRed]

Where would it have been in Blue Ash? It's funny to think how different that area would be if the stadium had been built there.

I may be wrong but where the Blue Ash airport used to be was the site talked about.

[RedsBaron]

Were people excited about Riverfront when it opened? With the benefit of hindsight it seems like a huge letdown to go from a ballpark with real character to a total cookie-cutter.

People were very excited about Riverfront in 1970. It was new and hip and up-to-date.
Hey, we wore bell bottoms and leisure suits and platform shoes in the 70s. We were happen' man.

[Roy Tucker]

Were people excited about Riverfront when it opened? With the benefit of hindsight it seems like a huge letdown to go from a ballpark with real character to a total cookie-cutter.

Heck yeah. It was a huge deal then and a big source of civic pride. A big modern ballpark on the banks of the Ohio (although you couldn't see the river). It was just after my senior year in HS and the BRM was a burgeoning thing. Astro turf donuts were the bomb.

It wasn't till the advent of the retro parks with Camden Yards did character start to emerge. 1989?

[George Anderson]

I am glad I attended several games at Crosley Field but in retrospect it was really a dump. The seats were tight, the park only had seating for about 29,000, left field ran uphill, the concourses were narrow....
.

I can relate to that. I went to old Commiskey in 1990 the last year it was open and from a comfort point of view it was the most miserable time I ever had at a sporting event. The seats were made for someone half my size and back then I was easily 100 pounds lighter than I am now. The corridors were probally a third the size of GABP to the point I remember feeling panicked after the game because there were so many people in the hallway that I could hardly move.

I love baseball history and the history of old parks but when it comes to watching a game, I am a modern guy all the way.

[WVRedsFan]

Wow...Crosley Field was amazing. I'm fascinated by history. I would give almost anything to go back in time and watch a game there. Was there ever any thought to renovating Crosley to stand the test of time?

I don't think it was seriously discussed. At least it didn't make the papers or the game casts then. All the talk was about the new Riverfront Stadium and how wonderful it was. The highways around town were not very good and the Interstate was just getting started. I missit so much. I saw over 2 dozen games there from my first in 1961 (Age 11) to 1970. We went to the next-to last game at Crosley in 1970 and went to our first at Riverfront in 1970. We were impressed with Riverfront after attending at both stadiums, but missed being so close to the action in later years. The older I get, the more I miss Crosley Field. My Dad and I were travel partners and I miss that so much today.

[WVRedsFan]

I am glad I attended several games at Crosley Field but in retrospect it was really a dump. The seats were tight, the park only had seating for about 29,000, left field ran uphill, the concourses were narrow....
Mind you, the first time I ever attended a game there I thought I had gone to heaven. To a not quite 10 year old boy in 1965 Crosley Field was a palace. Dad, Mom, my almost 7 year old sister and I all took the C&O train from Huntington,WV to Cincinnati, an adventure in itself, my first train trip, followed by my first ever cab ride to the ballpark. I can recall getting popcorn in boxes that you could use as a megaphone after you ate the popcorn. I was a Cardinals fan in 1965 and I got a photo of a Cards player who wore no. 32 and who laughed at my inability to use a camera; years later I figured out it was a very young Steve Carlton. It was bat day. My and sister and I each got full size bats. She got a Jim Coker bat and I got a Deron Johnson bat.
We made annual trips after that. I got Pete Rose's autograph several times. There was a memorable pre game in 1966 or 1967 when we had seats near the Reds dugout, which was on the third base side. Before the game Rose was hitting fungos towards a batboy who stood near the stands. I am convinced Rose saw me and intentionally hit a soft liner into the seats in my direction; sadly, another kid beat me to the ball.
In 1969 I got the autographs of Rose, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez on the same scorecard, which I still have. I think that was for a doubleheader against the Braves with Hank Aaron.
In 1970, Dad gave me a choice of seeing one final game at Crosley or waiting until Riverfront Staduim opened mid-season. I opted for Crosley. We saw the Reds play the Giants, which featured Mays, McCovey and Marichal.
Like I say, Crosley was a dump. My old 1968 Mustang had a lot of shortcomings too. I miss them both anyway.

Dad was a railroader, so we always took the train--it was free. We'd leave from the Prince, WV station, taxi to the game and take the taxi to Crosley. When Riverfront was built, we did that the first time, but after he retired in 1973, we drove it. It was easier to stay in Covington than our usual haunt--the Sheraton-Gibson downtown. Like RedsBaron said, it became a dump especially after it was certain Riverfront was going to be built. In 1961 it was much different.

[Roy Tucker]

I don't think it was seriously discussed. At least it didn't make the papers or the game casts then. All the talk was about the new Riverfront Stadium and how wonderful it was. The highways around town were not very good and the Interstate was just getting started. I missit so much. I saw over 2 dozen games there from my first in 1961 (Age 11) to 1970. We went to the next-to last game at Crosley in 1970 and went to our first at Riverfront in 1970. We were impressed with Riverfront after attending at both stadiums, but missed being so close to the action in later years. The older I get, the more I miss Crosley Field. My Dad and I were travel partners and I miss that so much today.

A good summary of how Riverfront/Cinergy came to be.
http://reds.enquirer.com/2002/09/16/...um_helped.html

[Bob Borkowski]

I was a Cardinals fan in 1965

At 9 years old in West Virginia, why the Cardinals, RB? Because of their stellar year in 1964?

[Henry Clay]

Dad was a railroader, so we always took the train--it was free. We'd leave from the Prince, WV station, taxi to the game and take the taxi to Crosley. When Riverfront was built, we did that the first time, but after he retired in 1973, we drove it. It was easier to stay in Covington than our usual haunt--the Sheraton-Gibson downtown. Like RedsBaron said, it became a dump especially after it was certain Riverfront was going to be built. In 1961 it was much different.

My Grandad was a C&O man out of Renick, so I get your perspective 100%. The people who traveled for Reds games back then were die-hard fans who had nothing like professional baseball nearby. Riverfront was impressive and different, but it was the Epcot Center spaceball of stadiums. Very different. Very new. Until it was old.

[WVRedsFan]

My Grandad was a C&O man out of Renick, so I get your perspective 100%. The people who traveled for Reds games back then were die-hard fans who had nothing like professional baseball nearby. Riverfront was impressive and different, but it was the Epcot Center spaceball of stadiums. Very different. Very new. Until it was old.

Amazing. I was in Renick today. I would bet my Dad and your Grandad knew each other.

[mth123]

Were people excited about Riverfront when it opened? With the benefit of hindsight it seems like a huge letdown to go from a ballpark with real character to a total cookie-cutter.

I was only a kid, so this could be off, but it was different then. People weren't pining for these old fashioned parks then. Everybody wanted to move into the new and modern. It was the space age, the first moon landing was about a year old at the time and Astroturf was "cool." Riverfront was the first park with turf on the infield in the base paths with only "sliding pits" where there was dirt around the bases. That was something people were impressed by. It wasn't until later when the turf started to fade and people became aware of the toll it was taking on players' bodies that the nostalgia wave hit. When Richie Allen wanted out of Philly saying (paraphrasing, I don't remember the exact quote) "if a cow can't eat it, I don't want to play on it," he was considered a villain for taking that stance. Back then, nobody knew.