There Used to be a Ballpark Right Here

[FlaSoxxJim]

My apologies if this has been posted here before - it probably has.

 

http://ballparks.phanfare.com/slideshow.as...p;section_id=-1

 

The demolition photos are especially bittersweet.

 

35th and Shields

 

[elrockinMT]

Thank you! I was at Old Comiskey in August 1987.

 

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

That's awesome

 

I still wish I would have got to see one game at the old park.

[WCSox]

I can't say enough great things about the old ballpark. :sniff:

 

[Greg The Bull Luzinski]

I would love to get a VHS or DVD of some old games or even highlights at the old ballpark. Somebody email marketing ...

[southsider2k5]

Damn I miss the old lady, there was nothing like baseball there. The new park is nice, but the feeling just isn't the same.

[greg775]

I would love to see a game from the early summer of 77 on youtube or somewhere.

The old ballpark was packed every game and the White Sox hit the s*** out of the ball.

Ran out of gas in August and September, however.

[Rooftop Shots]

It's quite obvious that I enjoyed it a bunch. Not hard to figure out why! Thanks for the post and vid. Really enjoyed it!

[mreye]

I've seen it before, but this time I remembered to favorite it. Thanks, Jim.

 

Plus, I didn't have the volume up last time. I've never heard that song before. It almost brings tears to my eyes. It almost sounds like Frank wrote it about Comiskey - he sings about fireworks exploding. Any info on that?

 

And there used to be a ballpark where the field was warm and green

And the people played their crazy game with a joy I'd never seen

And the air was such a wonder from the hot dogs and the beer

Yes, there used a ballpark right here

 

And there used to be rock candy and a great big Fourth of July

With the fireworks exploding all across the summer sky

And the people watched in wonder, how they'd laugh and how they'd cheer

And there used to be a ballpark right here

 

Now the children try to find it

And they can't believe their eyes

`cause the old team just isn't playing

And the new team hardly tries

 

And the sky has got so cloudy

When it used to be so clear

And the summer went so quickly this year

 

Yes, there used to be a ballpark right here

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Used_to_Be_a_Ballpark

 

There Used to Be a Ballpark is a song written by Joe Raposo and recorded by Frank Sinatra for Sinatra's 1973 album, Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back.

 

The song expresses sadness at the loss of a baseball team and its ballpark, which once gave its fans and players joy, along with other childhood delights such as "rock candy and a great big Fourth of July".

 

A key phrase in the song is "Now the children try to find it / And they can't believe their eyes / For the old team just isn't playing / And the new team hardly tries."

 

The song has often been cited by books and websites that discuss old-time baseball. It is typically assumed to be about Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers, as contrasted with the New York Mets (who, ironically, won the National League pennant in 1973), although it could be about any team.

 

The song can also be seen as a metaphor for any kind of loss, as suggested by the next-to-last line in the song, which is not necessarily connected with baseball: "And the sky has got so cloudy, when it used to be so clear..."

 

It was used in the HBO documentary about the Brooklyn Dodgers

 

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Used_to_Be_a_Ballpark"

Edited October 19, 2007 by mreye