The Polo Grounds: The End of the Road

For more than half a century the Giants were more than just a ball club. They were a way of life and as important a part of New York as Broadway or Central Park. Never did they rise to greater heights than during the three decades when they were managed by John Joseph McGraw, a truculent, swaggering, fiery egotist, who was pure genius. McGraw was the most hated, beloved, envied, admired, feared and respected man in the game.

He made the Giants to his model. Under him they were the most hated, beloved, envied, admired, feared and respected team in the sport.

- Arthur Daley, New York Times, Sept. 29, 1957

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• baseball
• new york
• new york giants
• giants
• polo grounds
• 1957
• mlb
• john mcgraw
• hooks wiltse
• rube marquard
• larry doyle
• frankie frisch
• baseball 1920's
• new york baseball

[nokolib]

My granfather was a New York Giants fan.

When they left New York, he never rooted for a team again.

He watched the game from the outside looking in from then on.

He said he had no team, they left and went away.

[ethelmalley]

@nokolib unfortunately, that's a story many old time giants fans seems to share. taking both teams (NY Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers) to california certainly left a void for many fans which was never really filled. thanks for sharing about your grandfather and for watching the video!

[ethelmalley]

the narrator is a very talented actor named Robert Berliner, who has narrated a number of shorts i've done. you can actually see him in my video "Song of the Stadium". in the video, he's the jeter fan, tho' in real life he's a huge mets fan. you can also check out more of his work on his youtube channel (Wildcat527). thanks for watching!

[ridingroy]

Fabulous post. Read "The Old Ball Game" by Frank Deford to understand how important the Giants, McGraw and Mathewson were and still are to modern baseball.

[ethelmalley]

@ridingroy thanks much! i actually read that and am now reading "Crazy '08" about the 1908 season, which was especially significant for the NY Giants (and poor Fred Merkle!). if you haven't read "The Glory of Their Times", you should. its got great interviews with some of the giants of the McGraw/Mathewson era.

[ridingroy]

@ethelmalley Thanks for the tip on "Crazy 08". I have a well worn copy of GLORY OF THEIR TIMES and the actual audio interviews are on YouTube under Deadball Era Baseball heading. LOST BALLPARKS also by Ritter is a wonderful book. I would also recommend Troy Soos's fabulous "Mickey Rawlings" baseball mysteries(MURDER AT EBBETS FIELD is one title). I was lucky enough to see two Met's games at the Polo Grounds in 1962, the only park you had to walk DOWN to get to the upper deck !

[ethelmalley]

@ridingroy thanks for the reading tips! will definitely check them out! would have loved to have seen both the polo grounds and ebbets field, but both were long gone before i was even born. if losing the both of them was anything like losing the real yankee stadium, then it must have been heartbreaking. thanks again!

[1985OldSkool]

Who is the narrator of this video?

[Wehategod]

Both grandfathers were Giants Fan!!!!! Ones dead and the other one is still alive. my Mother's Father said his Hero was and still is Mel Ott You have never seen a player like him and never see another Mel Ott. My Father;s Father is at the Polo grounds right now RIP Grand Pa Irving

[ridingroy]

@ethelmalley By the way, the OLDEST surviving baseball structure is in Brooklyn. It is a clubhouse wall from old Washington Park where the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers( AKA Bridegrooms or Robins) played before Ebbets field was built. The wall is now part of a Con Ed yard. You could look it up !