A New York Story - Polo Grounds

I wish I could’ve experienced the polo grounds 😢

      The San Francisco Giants have shown great class by bringing their World Series trophies back to New York and to the site of the Polo Grounds.Few teams that have moved acknowledge their history like that.

I had the privilege of attending A Brooklyn Dodger New York Giants double header in August of 1956. I sat in the lower deck in left. The Dodgers lost both ends of that double header that day but late in the second game when the lights were beginning to take effect, Willy Mays hit a towering grand slam well over my head and certainly over the second deck and onto the roof. Who thought years later how significant such an event in such an iconic venue would be for a fourteen year of boy who was just having a fun day watching some of the greatest legends ever to play the game. I've been truly blessed.

The fact that each baseball stadium can have its own strange layout and quirks is what makes them all so beautiful and unique.

I cannot believe they would even think of tearing the Polo grounds down...what a site it'd be today

I'm blessed being in being 80 years old, and one of the absolute HIGHLIGHTS was my dad taking me to the Polo Grounds. What a memory...155th St., The stairs! The GROUNDS!

I was 8 years old when my dad a rabid Giant's fan took me to the Polo Grounds to see the Giants play the Dodgers I was too young to really follow the game much but Willy Mays became a hero from listening to my dad making comments while watching games on TV I remember finding out he was black and seeing the photo in the NY Journal-American it was a surprise to me being so young I had never thought about it when my dad took me around to where the players left right on to the street almost, a crowd formed around Willy and he stepped on my foot! This was a huge thing to me the beloved star of the Giants had stepped on my foot! Next year they were gone and it was a black day for my dad when he found out they were leaving he still followed them in S.F. and so did I He eventually became a Mets fan but we  would go to Mets games in both the Polo Grounds and Shea when they played the Giants. In 1958 dad took me to Yankee Stadium to see a post season exhibition game "The Willy Mays All Stars vs. The Mickey Mantle All Stars" still being only 9 then I didn't follow that well either but someone hit a foul back up to us right to my dad but he had a pencil in his hand as he was writing down everything on the score card and that caused him to let the ball bounce out of his hands right into a heavy black woman's lap directly behind us I was very disappointed! When Willy came to the Mets in 1972 and hit a home run in his first at bat it was magic, he was not the Willy Mays of his youth but the first year he hit well enough to get by and his aura still drew fans but in 1973 things went badly it was obvious it was his last year and he ended up batting .212. My brother and I took the subway out to Flushing on "Willy Mays Night" the cheering when Willy, who was on the DL, came to the mike was tremendous I could yell at my brother sitting next to me and he could not hear me it went on for at least 20 minutes and Willy said finally while pointing toward the Met's dugout "these kids are the ones that deserve the applause" Willy did not have a good World Series, although he did get the first Mets hit, and the Mets lost the seventh game Sorry for the length and all and thanxs for the posting RIP Dad and all the Giant stars who are no longer with us Vaya con Dios

My Dad took me to the Polo Grounds for a game on a summer Saturday in 1956 then a game at Yankee stadium a few weeks later. I was 7. It was the summer he was trying to show me the sights of NYC. We lived in Manhattan when normal people could do that.

I remember attending games at the Polo Grounds with my dad and watching many more on TV.  One of the most heartbreaking scenes was to see a pitcher being taken out of the game and having to walk, all alone, to the center field clubhouse.

My Dad used to take me to The Polo Grounds in the 1950s. Bobby Thompson was the speaker at our Little League Banquet in 1952 0r 1953. He was from Staten Island and I was in the Great Kills Little League when it started - field was across the street from PS-8.

As a San Francisco Giants fan, I have deep feeling towards the New York Baseball Giants. Such a great history our team has.

They should have never demolished this stadium. I'm only 31 years old and I love everything about baseball and not just baseball but all the classic stadiums that I have never been able to see in my life. Fenway is magical especially the very first time you see that field . I could only imagine what polo grounds would have been like. I'm currently writing a book about my daughter and her first year at Fenway. I enjoyed this documentary thank you.

This is extremely well done. I left NYC in 1972. Never saw a game at the Polo Grounds but I remember as a youngster driving past it in my father's car. Thanks for the post.

It was actually a pretty good football stadium (had a much better seat layout for football than baseball.)

The fact that the city of New York let not one, but TWO MLB franchises leave at virtually the same time tells you something about the city of NY in the 1950's.

A lot of people forget that the NY Mets played their first 2 seaons, 1962 and 1963, at the Polo Grounds. I remember very well seeing Pirate/Mets games being broadcast from there. One of the early shots in the video shows the Pirates playing with Clemente being in the 'on-deck circle.'

I understand how you guys feel I live here in Baltimore and the Orioles used to play at Memorial Stadium it was a pretty ballpark but me and my father spent many hours there and that's what I miss the most I was only about three or four years old when the Dodgers and the Giants left New York places like this will never leave people's hearts the true Baseball fans will never forget

I was so blessed.I got to sit in the 3 N.Y.ball parks. Grew up a Yankee fan so got to go to many doubleheaders at the real Yankee Stadium,and watch Mickey ,Yogi,Roger, Elston, Bobby,Whitey, between 1958 and 1966. My dads dad was a Brooklyn fan, so in 1957 he took me against my moms wish's, to Ebbits Field. The Cubs. Gill and the Duke and Jackie. My dads brother a Giants fan but did not get to the Polo Grounds till 1962 to see the Met's play. Maybe 5 games in 62 and 63 one was against the other expansion team Houston Colt 45's.I got to see games in all 3 classic N.Y.Stadiums.I saw Mays play both against and with the Met' So I also got to see Willie, Mickey and the Duke.Nothing tops that!

Ebbetts Field and Polo Grounds, two stadiums made great by two great teams and a rivalry like no other.

I was born in the 80s. And Never knew Polo Ground was Stadium. I go all the times to Polo Ground. Now I understand the energy I feel when I go.