Ballparks Past & Present
Our collectible 13 month calendar (December 2009 - December 2010) measures 11 X 17 inches and features generously sized, full color reproductions of 13 different ballpark-related paintings. Each is accompanied by a descriptive account.
Note: Please do not rely on our calendars for accuracy of holidays.

December 2009 -  Still the Man

3630 hits. 1377 extra base hits. 1956 RBI. 475 home runs. 16 straight seasons of .300 or higher. Truly awesome... but numbers alone have never done total justice to Stan the Man. The first post-WWII superstar, and the NL's answer to Ted Williams, Mr. Musial could always be counted on to do exactly what his team needed to win. There may have been flashier ballplayers, but few if any have been better than old #6.

January 2010 -  Buc Starts Here

It's October 5, 1960, Game 1 of the Yankees-Pirates World Series at venerable Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. And 26-year-old Pirate slugger Roberto Clemente, in his first World Series at-bat, is about to rip a 1st-inning pitch from Yankee righty Art Ditmar for an RBI single to center. (Yogi Berra is the Yankee catcher.) Clemente will go on to play in 13 more World Series games (including seven in 1971), hitting safely in each. He'll finish with 21 hits in 58 at-bats for a .362 average. The Game 1 hit in 1960 scored Bob Skinner from second base, gave the Pirates a 3-1 lead and drove Ditmar from the game. The Pirates maintained a lead the rest of the way and won the game, 6-4. Clemente had another key hit in the decisive seventh game at Forbes. With two outs in the 8th inning and the Pirates trailing 7-5, Clemente legged out a slow chopper to first, driving in Dick Groat and setting up Hal Smith's clutch 3-run homer. That blast paved the way for Bill Mazeroski's legendary game- and Series-winning home run in the ninth.

February 2010 -  Duke of Flatbush

It's September 22, 1957, at Ebbets Field, and the Dodgers' 31-year-old Duke Snider has just connected for his last home run at the beloved Brooklyn ballpark.

Of equal significance, the blast is Snider's 40th of the season, allowing him to tie Ralph Kiner's National League record of 40 or more HRs in five consecutive seasons (Babe Ruth holds the major league record of seven straight). The homer is Duke's second of the game off Philadelphia starter Robin Roberts. The power surge lifts Snider over the 1,000 mark in career RBIs.

Two night's later, on the 24th, the Brooks will blank Pittsburgh in their final game at Ebbets. Then it will be on to Los Angeles, where Snider will fall far short of breaking Kiner's record. Battling a bum knee and playing in the much larger Los Angeles Coliseum, Snider's home run production will drop from 40 to 15 in 1958.

March 2010 -  Devil Rays Debut

The long-awaited debut of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays is at hand. It's March 31, 1998, and a crowd of 45,369 has filled the domed ballpark in St. Petersburg, Fla. Left-hander Wilson Alvarez is on the mound for the home team and the first pitch in franchise history is on the way to Tigers leadoff batter Brian Hunter. Home plate umpire Rich Garcia will call it a ball. It will be a tough day for the Devil Rays, who will fall behind 11-0 in a game they'll eventually lose 11-6. A disappointment, for sure, but still a day to celebrate. American League baseball has arrived in the Sunshine State. Other Devil Rays on the field for the historic moment are John Flaherty (C), Fred McGriff (1B), Miguel Cairo (2B), Kevin Stocker (SS), Wade Boggs (3B), Mike Kelly (LF), Quinton McCracken (CF) and Dave Martinez (RF). For the record, Paul Sorrento is Tampa Bay's designated hitter.

April 2010 -  Seven-One-Five

It's April 8, 1974, at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, and Hammerin' Hank Aaron has just launched a pitch from Los Angeles' Al Downing toward the left field wall. The long wait is over. With career clout number 715, Aaron passes Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. Aaron had cracked his 713th homer on the second-to-last day of the '73 season, creating a winter-long buildup for this historic moment. He set the stage by tying Ruth's record of 714 in Cincinnati, on Opening Day of the '74 season. Then, four days later and in front of a hometown crowd of 53,775 and an estimated 35 million television viewers, the Braves' slugger delivered the record-breaker. Aaron had walked in his first at-bat of the game, drawing an explosion of boos. But in the fourth inning, with Darrell Evans on first, Aaron took a 1-0 pitch out of the yard. The Braves erased a 3-1 deficit with four runs in the inning and went on to a 7-4 victory. Other players visible are C Joe Ferguson, 3B Ron Cey, SS Bill Russell and LF Bill Buckner.

May 2010 -  Let's Play Two

It's May 12, 1970, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and 39-year-old Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub, has just cracked the 500th home run of his magnificent Hall of Fame career. The blast, which lands two rows up in the left field bleachers and caroms back onto the field, comes off Atlanta Braves righthander Pat Jarvis. Banks, who came to the Cubs from the Negro League's Kansas City Monarchs in 1953, becomes only the ninth player in baseball history to reach the 500 mark (five others have done it since). Today, Banks and Eddie Mathews are tied for 12th on the all-time HR list with 512 each. In his 19-year major league career, all with the Cubs, Banks belted 12 grand slams, drove in over 100 runs eight times and connected for over 40 home runs in a season five times. He was the National League's home run leader in 1958 and 1960 and won the Most Valuable Player award twice, in 1958 and 1959. Banks was the Cubs' shortstop from 1954 through 1961 before spending the remainder of his career at first base. Although he never participated in a post-season game, he'll always be remembered for his great spirit (Let's play two!) and for his place among baseball's elite in the 500 home run club.

June 2010 -  Last Crosley Pitch

It's the night of June 24, 1970, and San Francisco's Bobby Bonds is about to bounce to the box and end the final game ever played at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. From your field level seat behind Tito Fuentes in the on-deck circle, you're looking directly toward the colorful billboards and scoreboard in left field. Wayne Granger is the Reds' pitcher; Johnny Bench is behind the plate. The other Reds visible on the field are third baseman Tony Perez, shortstop Woody Woodward, left fielder Bernie Carbo and center fielder Bobby Tolan. For the record, Lee May and Bench cracked back-to-back eighth-inning homers to defeat Juan Marichal and the Giants, 5-4.

July 2010 -  Seaver's One-Hitter

Tom Terrific. The Miracle Mets. It's Wednesday night, July 9, 1969, at Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens. The Mets are on their way to a World Championship. Tom Seaver, 24, is headed for a 25-7 record and the National League Cy Young award. A perfect season, and on this night almost a perfect game for the future Hall of Fame righthander. The scoreboard tells the story: one out in the ninth, the Mets leading the Cubs 4-0 and No. 42, Jim Qualls at-bat for Chicago. To this point, Seaver has been perfect - 25 straight outs, 11 strikeouts, no walks, no baserunners. With 59,083 fans cheering wildly for every out and gripped by every pitch, Qualls, a 22-year old rookie, will end the dream with a solid single to left-center, between LF Cleon Jones and CF Tommie Agee. Agony. For a moment. And then unending ovation as Seaver gets the final two outs. It is the second-place Mets' seventh straight victory; the first-place Cubs' fifth straight loss. The Amazin's are within three games. The rest, as they say, is glorious history. Note: The second baseman is Wayne Garrett.

August 2010 -  Polo Grounds Nocturne

It's long-past sundown at the New York Giants' long-gone Manhattan ballpark, and the rooftop lights are casting an eerie glow on the action below. It's a packed house for this scene based on mid-50s references, and you're seated in the upper deck, just to the right of home plate. Your panoramic view (from left to right) begins at the left field foul pole and sweeps to deep right-center field, just beyond the bullpen. In deep, deep center field, the Knickerbocker beer ad adorns the facing of the clubhouse. Frames are aluminum section, silver in color, with plexiglass face, acid-free backing, and no mat.

September 2010 -  Perfect Chavez Night

October 2010 -  Phillies New Ballpark

The new home of the Philadelphia Phillies, Citizens Bank Park™, opened in 2004 and appears poised to continue the tradition of winning in Philly. In each of their first 3 seasons at their new home the Phillies finished 2nd in the NL East Division while looking for a fresh flag to put on display. Pictured here is the 2005 home opener at Citizens Bank Park against the Washington Nationals, attended by 44,080 of the Phillies faithful, who watched the hometown team win by an 8-4 score. The batter is Washington Nationals centerfielder Brad Wilkerson. Pitching for the Phillies is Jon Lieber, Mike Lieberthal is behind the plate, the infield has Jim Thome at 1st, Placido Polanco at 2nd, Jimmy Rollins at short and David Bell at 3rd. Patrolling the outfield, from left to right, are Pat Burrell, Kenny Lofton and Bobby Abreau. The Phillies, born as the Philadelphia Quakers in 1883, have had a winner in each of their long term residences. Although their name was changed in 1885, their hometown has stayed the same since their inception. The Baker Bowl (1895-1938) brought the 1915 Phillies, the National League™ Champs. Shibe Park (1939-1970), also known as Connie Mack Stadium, delivered the 1950 Whiz Kids, again the NL champs. Veterans Stadium (1971-2003) boasted the NL East champs of ‘76, ‘77, ‘78, ‘80, ‘83 and ‘93 with the ‘80 team winning the World Series® championship and the ’83 and ’93 squads finished as NL champs. Phillies New Ballpark is based on an original painting measuring 36 inches by 54 inches.

November 2010 -  Red Sox, Yes!

The Red Sox Win! After 86 years of living under the curse of the Bambino, the Red Sox finally win the World Series Championship. Behind the heroics of David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and, of course, Curt Schilling the Sox not only come from three down to beat their nemesis, the Yankeesï in the American League Championship Series but go on to sweep the Cardinals for the World Series Championship. The headline in this still life captures it all. There have been many successful Red Sox teams in recent history but none as exciting as the 2004 squad. With the waiting and suffering now a distant memory, Red Sox fans have finally captured bragging rights. YES!

December 2010 -  Ten/One/Sixty-One

It's October 1, 1961, and that's Yankee slugger Roger Maris launching a Tracy Stallard pitch into the right field seats at Yankee Stadium for his record-breaking 61st home run of the season. The blast comes in the 162nd and final game of the '61 season and enables Maris to eclipse the single-season HR record set 34 years earlier by Yankee Babe Ruth in a 154-game campaign. The lineups on the huge Ballantine scoreboard read as follows: For Boston -- Chuck Schilling, 2B; Gary Geiger, CF; Carl Yastrzemski, LF; Frank Malzone, 3B; Lou Clinton, RF; Pete Runnels, 1B; Russ Nixon, C; Pumpsie Green, SS; Stallard, P. For the Yankees -- Bobby Richardson, 2B; Tony Kubek, SS; Roger Maris, CF; Yogi Berra, LF; Johnny Blanchard, RF; Elston Howard, C; Moose Skowron, 1B; Clete Boyer, 3B; Bill Stafford, P. You may notice one contradiction in the piece. On the Ballantine scoreboard, you will see Maris listed as the Yankee center fielder. On the field-level auxiliary scoreboard you will see RF next to Maris' #9. In fact, Maris was the Yankee center fielder in the game. There is, however, irrefutable photographic evidence that RF was indeed posted on the auxiliary scoreboard at the time of the historic at-bat.