Crosley Field, Cincinnati Reds

[mindspring57]

My father, who was from SW Kentucky, saw his first Major League baseball game in 1929 (he was 19 at the time) at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. They announced that there were 10,000 people in attendance. He had never seen so many people in one place at one time!

[TheTzdope]

a good match-up!

the defending national league champion vs. the future champion!

who won?

[bigbadbruins1]

Thank you Eric.Loved the old parks.We have Fenway here.

[DrDupe]

Trivia question: who hit the last home run ever at Crosley Field? It was the most underrated ballplayer of the 1970s. Now that's the best clue you will ever get.

[EricH9022]

@DrDupe I would have said Johnny Bench as he had over 40 HR that year, or maybe Tony Perez, but since you said "most underrated" I would have to say........Lee May????????

[DrDupe]

@EricH9022 You are correct, sir!

[millert1]

Looks like Reds had attendance issues in 1970 too.

[captanxawsom]

my grandfather took me to Crosley to see the reds play the giants in 70 and his buddies were the best loved listening to the games with him on the front porch on Lorretta in price hill drinking Hudeys

[cyberdaytona]

cool vid ... i love how the outfield curved up to the wall so the player would know before they got on the warning track ... but it must have been tough on the ankles! i also saw the reds v mets at crosley (not this game) as my only experience at this park. so glad my dad took me and my brother to experience it!

[TheRealJamDawg]

I love old films like this. Unfortunately, I never got to see Crosley. The closest is the replica in Blue Ash. Unfortunately, you can't see the one in Blue Ash from I-71 anymore thanks to the wall.

[mindspring57]

@TheRealJamDawg I remember seeing Crosley Field in the late 1960's as we passed by on I-75. We lived in Detroit, and most Summers back then would travel to Murray, Kentucky, to visit my father's relatives. The route took us down I-75 from Detroit to Cincinnati, and Crosley Field was right along the way.

[1beavs]

Wow, just saw the video. It brought back so many memories. I grew up in Covington and went to so many games with my dad. I was born in 55, so i was 15 also.in 70. Good god my first game was in 60. favorite player was Vada Pinson and Jim Maloney. Thanks Eric for sharing

[1beavs]

Wow, just saw the video. It brought back so many memories. I grew up in Covington and went to so many games with my dad. I was born in 55, so i was 15 also.in 70. Good god my first game was in 60. favorite player was Vada Pinson and Jim Maloney. Thanks Eric for sahring

[rayjr62]

Damned shame. They tore down Crosley so they could move into that antiseptic Riverfront. . . only to tear that down decades later to move into their current ballpark. . . . which, by the way, resembles the old Crosley field.

[LegendTripper09]

Great video! Thaks for posting.

[buckfan1969]

So nice to remember. My brother and I were there for Camera Day in 1961; took our little Brownie Hawkeyes out and got Frank Robinson, Vada PInson, Wally Post, Gordy Coleman, Bob Purkey, Jim O'Toole, and many others. Saw my first game there in 1957, and written on the wall outside the park was the sign 'Home of the Cincinnati Reds'. I was 6, and I thought the players really lived there....;)

[jcw60]

Unbelievable. I was 9 & this was the only game I ever went to at Crosley. I remember Wayne Simpson started for Reds v Wayne Gentry for Mets. We sat upper deck, left field line. Loved it. If I remember right, Johnny Bench, Lee May, & another Red (Bernie Carbo?) all hit home runs, & Reds won big time. I was a Reds fan for life. Only thing, I didn't know it was picture day, I will have to have a talk with my parents about that (lol). Wow...thank you so much for sharing this great video!

[rgglick]

Priceless footage! Thank you.

[covvie]

Four days before my 16th birthday. This was a few days before the end of sophomore year for me at Finneytown HS.

[TitaniumByFire]

In 93 my wife and I moved to Detroit from Alabama, and we stopped at what was once the bp station just 2 blocks north of where the stadium once was. What I didn't realize until later was that we cut down a street that was once the field. So technically I was on Crosley Field once lol.

[momike99]

@TitaniumByFire that's right=if you drive down Western Avenue now, which was behind the Crosley right field grandstand, you would never know there was once a ball park there. An Industrial Park and small businesses +rerouted streets in the area . I went to Crosley numerous times in the '60's w/my Dad, and I knew the area. But now its compleltly changed. How sad......

[TitaniumByFire]

@momike99 Yeah, it was near a viaduct called western hills viaduct. I remember it was a warm sturday night in august. We almost ran out of deisal for the truck because it was hard to find a station that carried it. We had to sit in the bp parking lot all night until the station opened with a u haul and a blue 73 mustang attached to the back lol. I walked north under the viaduct to a bar to ask directions and a big bar brawl flowed onto western ave lol. A rough neighborhood it seemed like.

[TitaniumByFire]

@momike99 .............We had 2 long rain delays and the Tigers lost 5-3 lol. The players went on strike after that game. It was my sons 1st and only game there. He was just a baby, we sat under the leftside scoreboard and I held him in my lap. Bittersweet memories lol.

[TitaniumByFire]

@momike99 BTW, I know how you feel to a point. Tiger stadium was my second home growing up and they just recently leveled it, the oldest major league park. At least the block will be made into a park and keep the infield, and the blocks won't be chopped up. So I guess that is a plus. My last game in Tiger Stadium was in 94 against the Brewers.......................­...

[bblake1000]

@TitaniumByFire hey, went to old tiger stadium in, like, 2003 or whatever year it closed. gorgeous place -- not a bad seat in the house, what with the upper deck overhangs. they played pittsburgh and saw one of those rarities, a HR over the roof in right-center. cant remember who hit it. place was near-empty. good news: the new comerica is a super ball park as well.

[mindspring57]

@bblake1000 I grew up in Detroit in 1960's, and Tiger Stadium was a great baseball stadium. The main problem, though, was that the roof was held up by posts, and the posts blocked vision of some fans. During the 1968 World Series, it was suggested that the seats behind the posts be given to blind people. I am serious.

[robphilll22]

I think the Mets got Swept that weekend series.The Reds dugout was on the third base side.Loved the small demensions and that incline in left field. The Reds in those days were a hitting machine.Team of the 70's for sure.Tony Perez an RBI machine . JB the greatest catcher of all time.I'm a long time Met fan!!

[djnovadacoldest]

Awesome footage!!!!

[ProudScotsmanRex]

awesome clip. I was born 1977 in Columbus ohio were i grew up and you had to be a Buckeyes fan but i was a reds fan as i had a baseball body and played for 7 years. Sure i loved the bucks but YES i loved the reds. Got to see Pete Rose and Bench play as a tot, not sure i understood too much of what was going on but i knew it was great. Thanks for the post as i grew up in the riverfront stadium days.

[Boomer1947]

Baseball when it was a game

[aufer21]

Great video and music! Thank you for sharing. I don't know why they had to make all those cookie cutter stadiums?

[rayjr62]

Crosley was such a great field. - It was a monument to human stupidity that they ever tore down those old ballparks. . . just to build those sickening, antiseptic, sterile-looking stadiums of the 1970s. I found it ironic that they would eventually tear down those behemoths just to build "old school" ballparks in their place.

[cardman880]

Outstanding video! Thanks for putting it up, the quality is amazing. I love the Reds and wish I could have seen Crosley when I was a kid. I wish GABP looked more like that!

[DrDupe]

Fun footage. BTW, Lee May hit the last home run ever at Crosley Field.

[JessicaFan90]

REALLY cool! Thanks for sharing this!

[2700Laguna]

WHy didnt the REds just build a 35K seat replica of Crosley Field, it would been much nicer than what the have now.

[tleatherland]

@2700Laguna I know. And to top it off, they built GABP facing the wrong direction. Oooooohhhhh, a view of northern Kentucky!

[TravSettle]

Great Stuff!

[Soulgrenade]

wow, thanks for the video. Crosley field was torn down shortly after this video was made i think.

[bigbadredsox]

I was lucky enough to get to watch a couple of games at Crosley Field when the Cubs came to town. Lovewd the ballpark even though we were there to see the Cubs. Took a train once and walked from Union Terminal. Crosley was a great little ballpark with lots of charm and character.

Went to Riverfront once. It had to be the sorriest excuse for a ballpark ever built.

[rw5791]

well,the boomers were still only about 14 years old,could'nt really start making any trouble yet.

[parkman35]

I have relatives that live in the Louisville area. Many years ago ('69) my family went down there to visit during summer vacation, and my Father and Uncle along with my older Brother and two Cousins went to a game at Crosley Field to see the Reds play the San Franciso Giants. I remember it was real, real hot, and the Reds won by a big score.Bobby Tolan hit a HR. We came back in July of '70, but by then the Reds had moved in Riverfront Stadium which was huge. I really liked Crosley

[parkman35]

Great stuff Eric. Thanx..

[Boomer1947]

Baseball when it was a game

[barnettrs]

as a kid in the 60's my uncle owned a butcher shop on queen city blvd. he got me free tickets (bleacher) but man was it FUN!i found a field as nice 5/3 field in dayton dragons play there (reds farm team)

[momike99]

great! who won the game?

[jcw60]

I was there. Don't remember the score, but Reds won. Johnny Bench, Lee May and another Red all homered, it was the Big Red Machine after all. In fact, this was the only game I ever went to at Crosley. This footage is priceless!

[MLBespn]

that's cool. u film it?

[belitnakoff]

Great video. Crosley and Forbes Field were classics. You have to read Jim Brosnan's classic diary of the 61 Season with the Reds. He was managed by the legendary Fred Hutchinson.

[cros1eyfie1d]

great film, great line-up, great team. I loved Lee May as a kid: rose in right , Perez at third. man, if they just added a few pieces and switched it up this team could win back to back championships!

[terrafirma91]

Look how close the seats were to the infield, where the action was. It was an intimate game at one time in all of those old venues. Thanks for the upload.

[ddenuci]

The Reds swept the Mets in a 3-game series on June 5, 6, and 7. Final scores were 5-4, 5-1, and 10-2 to improve their record to an impressive 40-15. This must be the June 7th game based on your lineup which features Gentry vs. Simpson match-up. I'm from the NY area, but the Reds have always been my team. In fact, it's a toss-up between this 1970 team and the 1975/76 team for my all-time favorite. Do clubs even due Picture Days anymore? Thanks for posting.

[Purrturbed]

There's a good website that's a tribute to Crosley Field. Lots of old pictures.

[Purrturbed]

Last week I was in Cincy and drove around the area that was once Crosley Field. Four-lane Dalton Street runs from the Right Field Grandstand to the Left Field wall via first and second base. Strange. There should still be a ballpark there.

[Wallyhorse]

Purrturbed:

The problem with Crosley Field was that it had a capacity of just 28,000, and like with Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and Connie Mack Stadium in Philly, the ballparks were becoming obsolete and by the late '70s the teams would have had to move to new stadiums anyway. Of course, all three have now moved on to a second new park since moving out of the ones they were previously at.

[ddenuci]

@Wallyhorse Actually, 28,000 is more than enough today. After 11 home games, the Reds are averaging 21,480.

[robbins1980]

The good old days

[abrahamlincoln0900]

Great footage. Lou Rawls rules.

[corporatecomedydavis]

Thanks for that Eric!

[hersh1969]

Amazing video! I wish there was more footage from other old ballparks like this.

[climbingwalls24]

this is really awesome... i played on a crosley replica in blue ash, oh and it was very accurate

[vaibanez17]

Thing I don't get is...MLB video games always include Crosley Field but never Comiskey Park which was the first modern park ever and existed for 80 years...what gives? I am a huge White Sox fan and I love Crosley Field i play at it often on games but I just wish they'd actually put Comiskey Park on games it's ridiculous...

[heday60]

Thank you so much for posting this!

[louisekelly2008]

Thank you so much!!!! I have been obsessed with the Reds ever since I was born. My Grandfather and uncle went to the last game at Crosley, and my uncle caught a foul ball which we still have. No matter how bad money and television (i.e. Fox) screw up baseball, I will ALWAYS love my Cincinnati Reds. Let the dawning of a new era begin in 09!!! GO REDS!

[FiberMania]

Riverfront as it turned out was a poor substitute for a real ballpark like Crosley. Great American Ballpark was definitely a giant step forward, but unfortunately, money has since ruined a once grand game.

[Purrturbed]

Thanks Eric. I saw the last game at Crosley a few weeks later. We thought Riverfront was great......for a while. Then it hit us; we'd lost something when Crosley was demolished. Great times.

[alstrand]

Thank you for posting this. IT was VERY enjoyable.

Funny thing about old parks: I'd rather watch videos of Forbes and Crosley than Candlestick Park where I grew up watching the Giants.

[EricH9022]

I was 15 years old when my family went to Crosley Field on a Sunday afternoon to see the Reds play the defending World Series Champion New York Mets. My father filmed part of this game and I post it here for your enjoyment. -- Eric Hurst

[JulieC321]

Just great!!

Thanks Eric.

[rickkathman]

@EricH9022 Thanks for posting your video. I was 16 at the time and this brings back great memories. Crosley was a great old ball park

[yougwb]

@EricH9022 Thank you for posting this video. I was 17 years old and on the field that day taking pictures of the Reds. They would win 70 of their first 100 games that year and begin to be called The Big Red Machine.

[belitnakoff]

@EricH9022 I just loved watching this video. I would have loved to see the Reds in Crosley Field. I am just old enough to remember the Reds of the 1960s: Vada Pinson, Frank Robinson, Pete Rose, Manager Fred Hutchinson. Loved the video!

[jcw60]

Unbelievable. I was 9 & this was the only game I ever went to at Crosley. I remember Wayne Simpson started for Reds v Wayne Gentry for Mets. We sat upper deck, left field line. Loved it. If I remember right, Johnny Bench, Lee May, & another Red (Bernie Carbo?) all hit home runs, & Reds won big time. I was a Reds fan for life. Only thing, I didn't know it was picture day, I will have to have a talk with my parents about that (lol). Wow...thank you so much for sharing this great video!