It’s not hard to
find stories in which somebody waxes nostalgic about the charming old ballpark
that was a worthy cathedral to see the boys of summer play the great American
pastime during his youth (blah blah blah). If home field during your youth was Philadelphia’s
Veterans Stadium, the setting of your baseball memories is much less fanciful. How
did Philly end up with the concrete ugly duckling?
![]() |
When it opened, the "luxurious" Vet had seating for 56,000 baseball fans. Image courtesy of Card Cow. |
By the early
1960s, Connie Mack Stadium was long in the tooth. Built when streetcars
delivered fans to the ballpark, it didn’t have sufficient parking to suit the
needs of the automobile age. After the Phillies threatened to flee to another
city like the Philadelphia Athletics had done in 1954, the city got serious
about building another venue.
In 1964, the
first bond issue was approved, and Philadelphians were on their way to a new ballpark
that would run up a construction tab of $45 million after cost overruns. (Recent
reports noted that the final payment on the Vet’s bond issue will be made in 2014!) To get more for the money, the city decided to kill two birds with one
stone, creating a stadium that would be home not just for the Phillies, but for
the Eagles too.
The architects came
up with a concrete bowl in the shape of an “octorad”—a geometric shape that
made it possible to serve as both a football and a baseball stadium. Since its
day dawned when the future had to be cast as something that looked nothing like
the past, the stadium was sleek and functional. In the vein of being all things
to all people, the new venue was even christened with a universal name—Veterans
Stadium—honoring all veterans of all branches of the service of all times.
![]() |
The futuristic octorad was designed to serve baseball and football fans. Image courtesy of Card Cow. |
In the
beginning, people complimented the new baby. On opening day in 1971, the
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin
enthused, “It’s beautiful.” The Montreal Expos manager proclaimed the Vet the
best new park in baseball and congratulated Philadelphia on taking the good
things from all of the other new parks. The new venue did little to inspire the
Phillies, who finished 67-95 in the park’s inaugural season.
After the
novelty wore off, the Vet’s attempt to serve many ended up pleasing few, as
spectators in the upper decks strained to watch the game through binoculars. The
AstroTurf field surface was also a bust. The extra hard surface earned the
nickname, “Field of Seams” because of its many gaps and uneven patches. It was
blamed for numerous, including some career-ending, player injuries. In a way
Veterans Stadium was emblematic of the 1970s—something that seemed “with it”
when it debuted, but then quickly went out of fashion like earth shoes.
Were we duped? I
guess it seems so since we only got 33 seasons out of the place. Especially if
you consider that the Phillies’ predecessor venue—Shibe Park/Connie Mack
Stadium hosted baseball games for 62 seasons. But we weren’t the only town to
fall into the multipurpose stadium trap—Washington, DC, New York City and
Houston, among others, tried similar designs.
![]() |
How electronic billboards looked in primitive times.. Image courtesy of Card Cow. |
Just because it
wasn’t pretty doesn’t mean I don’t have memories from the Vet. Watching the newly
born Phillies Phanatic prance around while we broiled in the orange plastic
seats on a steamy Sunday afternoon. Tracking stats for Greg Luzinski, MikeSchmidt and Steve Carlton on the primitive electronic scoreboard at games with
my parents and brother. Discovering that the Vet wasn’t built for sound at a
David Bowie concert. Seeing the railings wobble and shake as fans like my
husband tried to egg the Phils on to victory in the 1993 World Series.
And I suppose the
Vet proves that looks aren’t everything. In spite of all of its warts, the
Phillies managed to eke out seven National League East Division titles, three
National League pennants and a World Series win during their time there.
Ten years ago,
the Phillies played the final innings at the Vet and departed for the greener,
all-natural grass infields of Citizens Bank Park, a new old-fashioned park designed
to mimic the baseball palaces of earlier times. And the Vet was given a proper burial,
imploded and repurposed as a parking lot.
![]() |
Three things that aren't there any more--the Vet, the Spectrum and JFK Stadium. Image courtesy of Card Cow. |
While the Vet
was never charming, that’s okay. Historical places aren’t always picturesque,
but they can be evocative of a time. The setting of my childhood baseball
memories was gritty and utilitarian, but I suppose that lends a certain
authenticity to the story.
No comments:
Post a Comment