Showing posts with label Municipal Stadium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Municipal Stadium. Show all posts

Friday, September 9, 2011

Municipal Stadium Marker Is Back!

In April, 2010 I discovered that the Municipal Stadium historical marker had disappeared from 22nd & Brooklyn. Uni Watch also reported on it. Jeff Logan of the KC Baseball Historical Society tried to find out what the story was without satisfying results, but he got the impression the sign was in Parks & Recreation storage with no plans for it to be returned. I emailed city councilmen asking for info and/or help without any response. I drove by the spot again sometime in the winter of '10-'11 and the sign was still gone.

But today I swung by the corner again with no hope of seeing the sign--but it was there! Twitter e-migo @KC22ndBrooklyn tells me he saw the sign this past spring, so it has been back for a little while. It has been moved slightly from its previous position, and is anchored in dirt and grass instead of cement. One of the two benches that used to be there is back. Perhaps the plan all along was for the removal to be temporary while the corner was redone. In any event, it is a relief that the sign has been returned to its rightful spot, honoring the most hallowed patch of land in KC baseball history.



Wednesday, February 9, 2011

More On The 1956 Municipal Stadium Brawl

From the April 25, 1956 Kansas City Star:

"Our own estimate is that the number of students who got out of bounds made up a rather small minority. We're not counting the traipsing up and down the aisles or the pushing and shoving in the seats. That's the normal and natural thing. Those who threw things on the field made a real nuisance of themselves or got into the post-game fights were comparatively few.

The series of melees after the game began at a point near third base. It was between white and Negro boys. In a few minutes there were fights all over the place between individual white and Negro youths and between groups. One observer estimated that at one time there were 35 to 40 fights going. We're inclined to believe this estimate greatly exaggerated. Possibly a dozen at once was the maximum.

Attendants had little success breaking up the fights. Police were busy directing motor car traffic outside the stadium and obviously were not notified at once. By the time police got to the field the jousting was pretty well dissipated. The youths kept moving out through centerfield as they sparred, and the last glimpse of a commotion was that of 8 or 10 youths still throwing punches as they disappeared through the bull pen gates.

Apparently no one was severely injured, although one press box spectator reported seeing a youth with blood on his face.

After it was all over, Roy Mack of the A's front-office staff wagged his head a little sorrowfully.

'We used to have high school days in Philadelphia,' he said. 'They always gave us plenty of trouble. I wouldn't say these Kansas City youngsters are any worse than anywhere else...but I don't think we want another day like this one.'"

Friday, January 7, 2011

"High School Students Brawl After Athletics-Tigers Game"

click to enlarge
This 1956 picture of high school students brawling on the Municipal Stadium field that I posted in my previous entry caught the attention of a few folks on Twitter, resulting in the following tweets:
@brokenbatsingle: This picture is amazing.
@funkyball77: Holy crap! Freakiest part are the ushers standing around watching.
@brokenbatsingle: Absolutely.
@funkyball77: Was everyone mad because Arnie Portocarrero lost? http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1956/B04240KC11956.htm
@brokenbatsingle: Wouldn't you be?
@3rdPeriodPoints: This just in: 1956 NOT idyllic.
@funkyball77: Not sure. Gus Zernial going 0-for-3 against Steve Gromek might have bothered me more.
@KC_Baseball: Crazy, right?! I need to find newspaper reports for that game to see if they mention brawl.
@brokenbatsingle: It's a stunning picture on so many levels. part of me hopes the usher was just caught at the wrong moment.
@3rdPeriodPoints: You can see 2 other ushers twiddling their thumbs too.
I did manage to find a little more info on the brawl with just a little digging in The Sporting News archive (available free to members of SABR). Here's the item:

May 2, 1956 The Sporting News

Friday, May 28, 2010

Update On Municipal Stadium Marker

Jeff Logan, president of the Kansas City Baseball Historical Society, saw my previous post about the disappearance of the Municipal Stadium marker, and picked up the phone to call the city. He managed to get through red tape far enough to learn that the marker is being stored in a parks and recreation building somewhere. He was told the company trying to build homes on the former site of the stadium wanted the marker removed. That business is apparently DK Homes.

The marker being removed is a disgrace to the great legacy of Kansas City baseball. I certainly hope the marker will be returned, and soon, but I just don't think that's the plan. The marker was anchored in concrete; If you look at the picture I posted of the now barren corner, it's apparent that new concrete has been laid since the marker was removed. Sad. If anyone reading this has any further information or ideas on what could be done, let me know.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Where's The Municipal Stadium Marker?


This picture was taken on April 10, 2010 at the corner of 22nd & Brooklyn in Kansas City.

On April 7, 2000, a historical marker was placed here commemorating the site of Municipal Stadium, the heart of Kansas City baseball from 1923 to 1972. Buck O'Neil lead the crowd in a rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at the unveiling that day. He said, "This was some corner. On opening day, they would start from 18th and Vine and parade up Brooklyn right on up here. The band played and came into the back of the ballpark. And we'd fill it up." Bob Lewellen, a member of the group that spearheaded the creation of the marker, said, "The marker will be here forever." (Quotes from April 6th and 7th, 2000 Kansas City Star.)

So, umm...where's the marker? I made a trip to the corner to check out the sign and the spot of so much great baseball history in this town, but was surprised to see it is gone. I have no idea why. This sign is down the block along 22nd Street, and indicates a company called DK Homes is developing the area. Perhaps they removed it?


Here's what the marker looked like when it was there:


Saturday, May 1, 2010

Digital Ballparks Tour Of Municipal Stadium


Digital Ballparks bills itself as an "online baseball stadium museum." So far, 513 stadiums are featured on the site. April saw three Kansas City stadium additions: Municipal, Kauffman, and Community America Ballpark where the T-Bones play. The "tour" of Municipal is a real gem, with 35 pictures, many of which I'd never seen before, that give you a real feel for the place.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Mantle Homers Twice at Municipal Stadium, June 21, 1961

Via Uni Watch comes this aerial shot of Kansas City's Municipal Stadium from 1961. The wire photo service added the supposed paths of two home runs Mickey Mantle hit in a game against the A's on June 21. Roger Maris of course ended up on top of the home run race in 1961, but on this day the Mick hit two and Roger none. Mantle's homers both came off A's starter Bob Shaw. Roger had to settle for a walk, single, triple and two runs scored. The Yanks prevailed 5-3. Mantle drove in all five runs.

Eleven Yankees played in the game on June 21; No fewer than seven had called Municipal their home stadium previous to 1961:

Elston Howard: Monarchs 1948-50, Blues 1953
Mickey Mantle: Blues 1951
Bill Skowron: Blues 1952-53
Jack Reed: Blues 1953
Clete Boyer: Athletics 1955-57
Roger Maris: Athletics 1958-59
Bud Daley: Athletics 1958-61 (Daley had just been sent to the Yankees a week earlier)