Forbes Field Memories

Last Updated 3 January 1998

One of the joys of maintaining Glenn's Pirates page is getting to read the wonderful stories and rememberances that fans have of the team and the ballparks. Forbes Field provided a backdrop for many young Pirate memories. Here are a few Forbes Field Memories:
On Friday, May 2, 1997, Lou Florimonte (lflorimo@CALARTS.EDU) sent this note to the Pirates e-mail list:
As I look forward to seeing the Bucs again today, I thought I'd fill in a bit of trivia regarding the 1960's Pirates team.
You may or may not recall earlier posts of how it was back then in the days of "Beat 'em Bucs" and that little jingle "The Bucs are going all the way, all the way, all the way. The Bucs are going all the way, all the way this year!" At any rate, it was a year when you could not escape Pirate baseball. Somehow, we seemed to know that it was going to be a special year. In those pre-air-conditioned days, windows were opened for whatever breeze might find its way in, and it seemed that the sounds of the Bucs came out of every window. As one walked along, the same windows that earlier had delivered the smells of Polish, Russian, Italian, American, Irish and German dinners, now gave us the Buc's game. And when we were out of earshot of the homes, the game was there on car radios where clusters of fans gathered. We knew. Somehow from opening day, we knew. (And if it wasn't that way, it really doesn't matter. It is that way now, in my memory. I like the way Baseball lives in my memory, however time and poetic license may have re-constructed it. I never look it up--in fact, I care nothing for statistics, though I understand their fascination. I prefer the poetry, the romance, the magic and the mystery. I envy those of you who have both.

Then, when we drove to Oakland for the games, we would more often than not pay someone a buck to park in their front yard. I don't remember ever parking in a paid parking lot. And on the porches of the private little lots, the guy collecting the money had his Iron City, Fort Pitt, or Duquesne Beer, and the KDKA pre-game show on the radio. The sponsors: Sealtest Ice Cream (gallons given away for home-runs), Atlantic Gasoline which "keeps your car on the go, go go; so keep on the go with Atlantic," and Iron City Beer.

After the games, we did the best we could to find a place at the bar in Frankie Gustine's. We swapped stories and listened to the scuttle-butt; we got the real story behind the Bucs from the regulars at Gustine's. Somehow, someone always seemed to know what was really going on. I miss that now and I wonder - are there still the Barber Shops and Bars, the Bakeries and Beer Distributors where I worked and hung out - where someone always knew someone who knew something that wasn't public? I miss that a lot.

But, anyway, for what it may be worth, a bit of folklore from that magical 1960 season:

1B Dr. Strangeglove: Dick Stuart

Bob Prince would say, "Don't boo Stu! He's overdue!" This guy, Stuart, arrived in Pittsburgh with the number 66 painted on his luggage. He had hit that many home runs in a single season in the minors, and when he showed up for the first time at Gustine's, he looked at the picture of Ralph Kiner behind the bar and announced that before he was through, he would make the city forget about Kiner. He hasn't entirely (if at all) erased the Alhambra Kid from my memory, but he has etched his own spot there.
I watched him once during warm-ups reach out to take a throw from Don Hoak. His glove out-stretched, Stuart took the throw dead in the gut. Another time, he received an ovation for cleanly fielding a soft drink cup as it scuttered by his position.

Rocky Nelson

Bob Prince said, "Don't knock the Rock!" Nelson seemed like a throw-back - a player from another time. A little old, it seemed, with a wad of chew stuffed in his cheek, stains on his shirt, and a curious batting stance that we came to rely on for a hit at the right time.

2B Maz

Much has been posted in the Hall of Fame discussion. But, God, he could get rid of that ball. Somehow, it seemed that on a double play, the ball never stopped at second - Maz simply re-directed it. He made a good shortstop out of Groat. Groat was fine, but a better shortstop would have allowed records that would never be broken for numbers of Double Plays turned. He was "The Kid" for some time, then he was "Maz." And it never failed--at least once a season on a pre-game or post game show--we would see Maz showing his tiny glove to Bob Prince and to us. He had used the same glove forever, it seemed: small, worn and patched.

SS Dick Groat

He was called "Double-dozen", because he wore #24. He was a Basketball All-Star at Duke. He won a batting title one year, and he won it by refusing to sit out the last games despite the fact that he had an injured wrist. As I recall, the guy competing with him for the lead did sit out the last game, but Groat won anyway.

Ducky Schofield

Like a lot of back-ups, he was a crowd favorite. Once part of a Pirate infield during Spring Training--at least as Groat told the story-- which consisted of Dick Gray, Dick Groat, Dick Schofield and Dick Stuart. On a pop-up, as it was told to us, the catcher called out, "Dick, Dick, Dick." And the ball fell free. No doubt apocryphal, but still part of the fun.

3B Don Hoak

"The Tiger." He had a Pug-nosed boxer's face. In an early season slump, he told the team: "You carry me now, I'll carry you later." And he did. Once in Frankie's Steakhouse--on Smithfield, I think, he cursed and threatened one of my buddies because my friend had said something complimentary about Stuart. He scared us. An ex-Marine, he played the game like he was scratching for a few for yards of sand on a beach-head. His body was his glove.

LF Bob Skinner

"Doggie." Long and lanky, he sort of loped along like an over-grown bloodhound as he took his position in left. Some would say also that there was more than a small facial resemblance as well. "He had the sweetest swing in baseball." Every announcer agreed...

Geno Cimoli

Gino platooned a lot with Virdon as the season went on. I didn't like that because Virdon was special. But if you have heard the tape of the post-game locker room celebration, that is Cimoli's voice heard declaring how the big bad Bucs won the series. A neighborhood favorite because he was Italian.

CF Bill Virdon

"The Quail." Could he ever cover the outfield! As some may know, the light towers at Forbes Field came right down to the playing field. In the series, Virdon went into the light tower to steal a hit from Mantle. How often also he caught the ball "up against the iron gate."

RF Roberto

"arriba!" "Bobby" walked up to the plate, almost always with a crick in his neck. Worked it out as he stepped into the batter's box. Swung at absolutely anything. He sometimes seemed to be falling away from the ball as he lashed it to right field. I remember so many line drives banging off that wall as he flew around the bases, one of those runners whose feet toe-out; so he ran, feet wide apart, pushing himself along at a clip that we used to count: "How many steps does Clemente take between first and second?"
When asked why he swung at everything, why he didn't take more pitches--he is reputed to have coined the phrase: "Nobody walks off the Islands."
He had only two speeds. Full tilt and stop. He could play the wall better than anyone and when a ball hit the wall and he was there for the carom, we checked the bases to see how daring the runner was and where he would be nailed by the throw. Stories are told of Clemente jumping for a ricochet, spinning and throwing a strike to second before he touched the ground. And his oh so casual basket catch. Did he do it first, or did Mays? Who cares?
What is true and what isn't matters little. Rarely has one human being come to symbolize perfection for so many.

C Smokey Burgess

Was he called Smokey because he was built like a pot-bellied stove? "He could come off the bench in December and get a hit." He held the pinch-hitting record for a long time. (It was broken or at least is now held by Manny Mota who, though he broke it while with the Dodgers, was taught to hit by Harry the Hat Walker when Walker was manager of the Bucs. Walker taught Mota and Matty Alou to slap down on the ball and he made them both into 300 hitters. But that is another time, another story.)

Hal Smith: Hit the home run which tied the game that Maz won.

P Bob Friend, Vern Law: reliable and incredible.

Vinegar Bend Mizell

Raised watermelons in Missouri. Bob Prince often talked of team visits to Mizell's watermelon patch outside St. Louis.

Elroy Face

Maybe a guy with a name like that doesn't need a nickname. I don't remember any. He re-defined relief pitching. Then it was a fork ball, now it's a split-finger. I am made to understand that there is a slight difference. Maybe.
We saw him from time to time. He was married into the family that lived across the alley. A small guy who could not lose. One of the original "closers." They were called 'short relievers' then.

Well, that's why I love the game. It is the perfect metaphor and when done well, defines grace...a team game that is played one on one. Owners and players? They may own the bricks and the bats, the talent and the concessions-- but they don't own the game. That belongs to all of us.

Lou Florimonte

Date: Sun, 14 Jan 96 17:22:50 -0800
From: Dave Noordhoff (dnoordho@icis.on.ca)

Being from Canada, I wasn't able to visit Forbes Field often. I first went in 1960, and saw one game. My Dad and I had seats in the lower deck of the rightfield grandstand. The Pirates won 1-0 over the Giants. Clemente made a great catch and injured his face running into the concrete wall right below us. I remember thinking how neat it was to be able to leave the park by walking over the field and through the exit gate in right-centre.

I next got back in 1966, saw three games against the Cards and Braves. I got to see the automatic tarp deployed when it rained one evening. I stayed at the nearby Webster Hall Hotel, and hung around the park each day for hours. I saw most of the Bucs come and go, including my heroes, Clemente (he talked to me!), Maz, Starg, Law, Alley.

In subsequent baseball trips to Pittsburgh, I, then my wife and I and now, my son and I, always go to what is left of the wall, see the Maz homer plaque, and step on home plate in the University building.

On our last visit, my son noticed some bricks, half buried in the ground near what remains of a support for the old rightfield grandstand. I returned to the car, got the tire changing iron and dug and pried one of the bricks to the surface. I hoped it was part of the old wall, displaced by the wrecking crew and never picked up. I brushed it off and took it to the car.

At the game that night, we learned Bill Mazeroski would be at Monroeville Mall signing autographs at the Pirate Clubhouse store. My son and I were able to join and line and got our turn. My son presented his 8" x 10" for Maz's signature and then it was my turn. I put the brick in front of Maz, who looked up, laughed and gladly signed it. It's on the office shelf as I write this. I think it's a unique souvenir of Forbes Field.

Dave Noordhoff
Chatham, Ontario, Canada
Pirate fan since 1957

From gegearha Tue Jan 16 17:50:12 1996
Here are my memories of Forbes Field:

I have a lot of affection for the old ballpark in Pittsburgh. I was 10 years old in 1970. I lived about 25 miles east of Pittsburgh, but the big city was SO far away from the farm in Murrysville (or so it seemed in those days). I was a Pirate fan as a kid, but I didn't get to a game until June 1970 - It was bat day and Dad and Mom took all us kids (5 of us - I'm the youngest). We all, or most of us, got a regular bat as we went in. On my last trip home to PA - I saw one of those bats still at the farm house. It had Roberto's name stamped on the end of the barrel. I told my sister to put that bat aside somewhere; there are a lot of memories in that Louisville Slugger.

At the end of June 1970, they played the last game at Forbes. It was a double header against the Cubs. Several of my siblings, my neighbors, and I all went. I helped to close down the Old Lady - I guess that's why she means so much to me. It was a good crowd that day. I remember sitting on top of a storage shed that overlooked the "alley" between the infield seats and left field bleachers. It was a great day; the Bucs swept the double header that day, Maz recorded the final out of the old park by fielding a grounder to second and stepping on the bag; I took some green ivy off the left-center field wall that hung in my room for YEARS until it was nothing more than dried sticks and leaves; my brother took home a Box Seat that I think is still in the barn.....

What do I miss about old Forbes Field? The real grass, the brick wall, the manual scoreboard, the left field line bleachers, General Admission seats close to the field... oh yeah, and the sleeve-less uniform jerseys with black T-shirts; I think the team ought to revive them.

Yes, lots of memories there in old Forbes Field. I guess it helps me to remember back to when I was 10 and the Bucs were winning their first championship in a decade too. I revisited at Christmas '95 (for the first time since June 1970) the ballpark site in Oakland. My brother (38) and his two kids (4,7), my sister's two kids (13 year old twins), my wife and I made the trip. Despite the cold and snow, I HAD to stand near the '457 sign and remember. I took some photos that I'll add to my home page this week. Ahhh, it was nice to visit an old friend - and for a few brief moments, I was 10 years old again.

Tom Gould (TomG_tsp@msn.com) sent me the following on February 4, 1996:

My first game was at age 5 in 1966 to see our Buccos beat the Braves. Roberto hit an inside the park homerun. I'll always remember watching him run the bases and his unbelievable arm. Forbes was great and I even remember walking on the field behind homeplate after each game.

One of the pleasures I have in maintaining this Pirates page is when I receive special Pirate Memories from Bucco fans. Here is a classic Pirate memory from Jim Powers (JCPPSU@aol.com) regarding Game 7 of the 1960 World Series:

"People often recall where they were when Mazeroski hit the home run to win the '60 Series against the Yankees. As a 12 year old in 7th grade at St. Wendelin's grade school in Pittsburgh, I know exactly where I was that fateful day. I was sitting with my mother and grandfather on the 3rd base side of Forbes Field in Oakland. I was supposed to go to the 6th game of the Series but someone else took the tickets promised to me since they thought the Pirates might take it in 6 games. The laugh was on them when the Yanks tied the Series 3-3 taking it to the 7th game, leaving those tickets to me.
I remember leaving school early for the game and traveling by streetcar (aka trolley) with my mother and grandfather. My grandfather had spent plenty of time at Forbes Field in his off hours job as an usher at Forbes, in addition to his regular job a US letter carrier in downtown Pittsburgh. As for my mother, she confessed that this was her 1st Major League Game!! As we entered the gates, I recall feeling the carnival like excitement which filled the air as people filed their way to their seats with the sounds of Benny Benak and his 'Iron City Six Band' playing "The Bucs Are Going All The Way" over and over again.
Other memories are like flashes in a camera's eye: like seeing the Mick for the first (and only) time in real life; Tony Kubek being struck in the throat by a grounder off the bat of Virdon in the 8th inning to keep a Pirate rally alive to eventually take the lead; 5 home runs, scoring 10 of the 19 runs scored, permitting the lead to teeter-totter throughout the game; and the tall man jumping up in front of me on the second pitch in the bottom of the 9th almost blocking from my view Mazeroski's now legendary game winning home run--to this day the only home run in Major League history to end a World Series in the 9th inning of the 7th game.
What a way to end the 1960 baseball season for any 12 year old! Thank you BUCS!!"

Jim Powers JCPPSU@aol.com

Dr. Charles J. Leberknight (Chuck or Doc) DocCJL@aol.com sent this note:
As a Little League baseball player, I was a member of the Knothole Club that was able to see Saturday Pirate games from the Forbes Field bleachers at no cost to me. I went every time I could. I also listened to Rosey Rosewell and cheered vigorously when he would direct Aunt Minney to open up her window because a Pirate home run ball was coming.

Lacking a good memory for baseball details, my most memorable experiences were when the Pirates won a game, or at least in consolation, Ralph Kiner hit a home run in the early 50's. Because Dick Groat grew up in Swissvale next door to me, I always had a special feeling when he played well--whether hitting to the opposite field or turning a double play with Maz. I was also in the stands when Dale Long hit his 7th? consecutive home run that broke the record and made him the hero for the season. (As you can see, I don't remember the actual number.) The excitement of the fans, including me, was amazing. I wish I was one the 10 million fans who were actually in Forbes Field when Maz hit his World Series winning home run in 1960, but I was in Meadville listening on the radio. Nevertheless, that was my most memorable Pirate experience.

More recently, in 1992, my two sons and I saw the Pirates beat the Phillies on a beautiful day in good seats on the first base side. What made that memorable was that then candidate Bill Clinton was seated a few rows directly in front of us with a Pirate cap on. We ordered our hot dogs right after he did. Neither my sons nor I have ever been that close to a President before or since -- all enjoying that wonderful team play. However, in the true spirit of the game, the most important thing was that the Pirates won.

I (Glenn) wrote the note below after returning from a trip to the Cactus League in March 1996:
The real highlight of the day was after the game; I was wearing a Forbes Field t-shirt and a guy asked how he could get one of those. He was a local reporter for the Arizona Republic. Larry Ward grew up in Pittsburgh and was 18 years old in 1960. He, his Dad, and his Uncle went to the 7th game of the World Series. I asked him to describe his feelings of that day. He said his Dad asked him to go and he initially said, "Ah, I don't want to see them lose it." But his Dad said when will you get to see another World Series game - so Larry decided to go to Forbes Field. They sat in the 2nd deck on the 3rd base side. He remembers that his Mom packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for them; Larry said. "Who the heck wants to eat peanut butter and jelly at the ballpark when there are all those hot dogs there." There were a lot of Highs and Lows in that game. He thought the Bucs had lost the game; then, Hal Smith hit a home run and they thought they might win. When Tony Kubek got hit in the throat with Virdon's grounder, Kubek went straight to the ground. The Yankees came back to tie the game in the 9th and the crowd was on edge again. In the bottom of the 9th, Bill Mazeroski stepped to the plate and whacked a pitch to left-center field. Larry said, the ballpark got quiet, "like someone turned the sound off." They thought it might go for a double. They saw Yogi Berra looked up at the ball and started back toward the wall, then stopped and started trotting toward the infield. By then, everyone realized it was a home run; Maz was at second base waving his cap. Larry said that it was pandemonium in Forbes Field. They stayed in the park for maybe 40 minutes. Once they made it outside, the streets were just grid-locked. His Dad and Uncle had an idea, so they put Larry in the back of the convertible with a Pirate cap and yelled, "Hey, this is Maz, let us through". Larry didn't look anymore like Maz than any of us, but the crowd parted and they got out of Oakland. Once they got downtown, they were just stuck. All the bridges and tunnels into/out of the city were just shut down. Larry remembers that beers were handed out into the streets from the bars. Larry kept his ticket stub and years later, he had Maz sign the back of it for him. Many collectors have made offers to him for the autographed ticket stub, but Larry won't part with it. The memories it contains means more than money.

Beat 'em Bucs - Glenn

Philip R. Columbus (columbus@visi.net) sent this note:
I have been a Pirates fan since before I can remember. Like many who grew up in the area, I attended knothole games as a youngster. I remember hanging over the dugout in Forbes Field, holding our programs out, and hoping someone would take it and autograph it. I have a '59 program with a Frank Thomas signature on it. I sat in the right field bleachers at Forbes for many games to see Roberto. I remember one throw (can't remember details as I was little) from the right field wall to the plate. On a fly right to the catcher's glove. I can't do that from 2nd base!!!

My dad took me to Donora, PA, one night when Stan Musial (a native of that little town), came home for a home run derby contest. Stan and another Cardinal (don't remember who) paired off against two Pirates. I can only remember that the one was Bob Skinner. Cards won big as Stan blasted several huge shots. I got to meet Musial briefly afterwards.

My wife and I met Al Oliver and his wife at the Racquet Club in the South Hills. We were watching this guy play the club champion. The champ looked like a chump. This other guy was killing him with a wicked right-handed backhand shot. We said he looked like Al Oliver. When he turned around, he was wearing a shirt that said "Scoop". We then realized it was Al. He was left-handed but played racquet ball right handed. I asked him why and he said because it maximized his backhand as it was the same as his batting stroke. He was an awesome player. Big, strong, and fast. He made the regular guys look like little kids. Al took some time with us and was a very pleasant person.

I had ACL surgery done by Dr. Ferguson of Ferguson & Faila (Pirates team orthopaedics guys) and was rehab'd by Ken Biggerstaff. I even got to work out with Rafael Belliard.

I managed Little League with a guy named Alan Face. At sign up (his daughter Ellen was a player), I asked, "Any relation to Elroy?" To which he replied, "Yes, he's my uncle." You could have knocked me over with a feather. He says he has some home movies of himself as a kid at spring training. One set is of the Pirates spring training game against the Yankees in 1961. He has film of himself, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris walking across the field at Bradenton. He said he got to sit in the dugout with Casey Stengel. When Stengel found out he was related to Elroy Face, Casey asked the kid to sit with him and tell him all about the Pirates and who was hurting. Casey never missed a chance.

Best of all, is the chance to have a son who bleeds black and gold just like the old man.

Phil Columbus

Tom Rhoads (trhoads@mda.ca) sent this note:
My first game at Forbes Field - Bob Veale pitched a complete game, giving up 1 run in the game and winning 2-1. I remember it was hot and his glasses got steamed up. He got tired of cleaning them, I guess, and finally took them off. The Phillies batter wouldn't get into the batter's box until he put them back on.

I remember how far that Honus Wagner monument was from left field, and was amazed because I knew Clemente had hit a home run that bounced to it. I was still pretty young, and it seemed like a long walk from the seats out to the monument near where our car was parked.

My first major league foul ball, which my Uncle Fred caught and gave to me during batting practice one game. I was maybe 10. Uncle Fred had huge hands, and he caught it on a bounce from our 3rd base box seats.

However, my most memorable game was in the 60's. I was probably about 14, and was with my 20 year old cousin Freddie, his girlfriend and her brother (who was the same age as me). St. Louis vs Pittsburgh. Bob Gibson was pitching for the Cardinals. I don't remember who pitched for the Pirates (maybe Veale again), but it was a real pitcher's duel. There was no score in the 2nd or 3rd inning and the Cards had a runner on 1st. There was a line drive down the right field line, and Clemente disappeared from my view (I was sitting in the 2nd deck just on the outfield side of 1st base). The runner from 1st was on his way home before I saw the ball again, but Clemente had thrown a perfect one bounce strike to home. The runner was out.

Later, in the 5th or 6th, it was still no score and the situation was the same. Again the runner tried to score from 1st on the double, and again The Great Roberto threw him out at the plate.

But what I remember most was the 9th inning. There was still no score, and neither team was getting many chances to score runs. There were 2 outs and a runner on 1st when the batter hit a double down the line. Clemente disappeared again, and the go-ahead (and would-be winning) run was rounding 2nd and ready to head for home.

I was amazed that, in that situation, the 3rd base coach held the runner on third. But it soon became obvious that he had made the right decision. This time Clemente's throw didn't even bounce into the catcher's mitt. The catcher (probably Pags) caught it between his waist and his knees right over the plate. That runner was left stranded on 3rd, but he would have been DOA at home.

The game was won in the 10th. I'm pretty sure the Pirates won, but I don't even remember how the run was scored. I'll never forget those three throws, though. And I'll never forget the respect that Clemente got in that 9th inning and how he proved that he deserved that respect.

Tom "Toads" Rhoads

Renee Cherok (rcherok@deans.umd.edu) sent this note:
My favorite baseball memories involve going to Forbes Field as a very young girl. I was about 3 or 4 when my grandfather started taking me to games. So, some of my memories are silly kid ones. I was always fascinated by the big wad of chewing tobacco that Maz had and had a great time watching him spit. This turned into just watching him play, and seeing him make some great plays at second base. Also watching Clemente and his great throws from the field. One of my most prized posessions was a bat that my grandfather had gotten for me at a game with Clemente's name on it. I also remember seeing Stargell in his first year playing with the Pirates and being amazed at how hard he swung at the ball.

My closest brush with Pirates that I can remember is one time my aunt and I were behind Bob Prince at the car wash. He got out of his car and had on one of his trademark plaid coats.

Don Stewart (aa105062@dasher.csd.sc.edu) sent this note:
I became a Pirate fan in 1955 when our Little League team was invited to a game along with Little League teams across the Tri-State area. The first time I was in Forbes Field was in uniform -- marching around the field with hundreds of other 9-12 year olds.
As a result, I began to collect baseball cards and adopted Bob Prince as a member of my family. My first Pirate thrill was setting in the upper deck in Forbes Field, above the screen in right field and saw a towering fly ball come directly toward me. I had my glove set and was sure I was going to make the catch, but it landed two rows in front of me. That ball would have been worth something, because it was hit by Dale Long in his record setting streak of eight home runs in eight consecutive games.
I skipped school and missed senior photo day for the yearbook to watch the seventh game of the 1960 World Series. Maz's home run seemed almost anti-clamatic to me since I jumped farther off the seat when Hal Smith brought the Bucs back with his home run.
My biggest thrill came in Spring Training -- Clemente's last (1972). I was working as a city hall reporter for the Kokomo Tribune and took a couple weeks of vacation to go to Bradenton. I talked the sports editor into running some reports I would write, so I could deduct the cost of my trip off of my income taxes. I had press credentials, so I had access to the players. I interviewed Bill Virdon, then manager but earlier, in his playing days, Virdon was one of my heros. I also did a story on a promising young talent, Richie Zisk. But the highlight was an interview I had with Roberto Clemente. It was such a big deal for me at the time, that I had my wife film me talking with Clemente on a Super-8 camera.
During the game, we sat beside and talked with Manny Sanguillen's wife. The big memory -- one which I always think of first when Clemente's name is mentioned -- was his play in that exhibition game. I can't remember all the facts, but I believe it was early in the game when a fly was hit to right field. Willie Davis, a man with noted speed, was on third base. Davis tagged and sprinted toward the plate and Clemente nailed him with a perfect throw. Considering this was exhibition, that Clemente already had his Hall of Fame ticket -- I think this again spoke of how Roberto played the game.
To make the day complete, that evening my wife and I went to dinner at Pete Reynards, a restaurant out on Anne Belle (Sana Belle? Whatever island is next to Bradenton) and ran into Bob Prince. Having listened to him and suffered and rejoiced with him over thousands of hours, it was a great moment to talk with him.
Mike Emeigh sent this:
I really don't have a lot of memories of Forbes Field. As a kid I usually didn't have much money, and only went to games when a youth organization (Boy Scouts, Little League) had "Knot Hole" tickets (wonder whatever happened to those?). I remember waiting in line out in Schenley Park to get into the right field stands, behind the big screen, and running down to the front row to catch a glimpse of the Great One (there were usually about 50-60 kids in the front row, trying to catch Clemente's attention). I would have liked to sit in the box seats just once. Nowadays when I go to games I usually buy box seats or reserved seats, indulging the fantasy I never could as a kid.

Mike Emeigh
mwe@nomos.com

John Hissrich" (ForbzField@AOL.COM) said:
Let me add one more memory about the grand old place from when I was eleven years old. In 1971, several months before she died, my grandmother was in one of the hospitals in Oakland. We had just visited her and were going home to Wilkinsburg when we drove past the ballpark that had been closed for about a year at the time. When my dad reminded me that we were about to pass Forbes Field, I sat up in the back seat to see as much as I could. Suddenly, I yelled, "Dad, stop!" (I must have startled him, but fortunately he didn't wreck the car.) The centerfield gate was open, and I just had to go in. Years later, of course, I realized that this was a sign of how much Dad loved me-- that he would try to find a place to pull over in Oakland so his kid could walk into a closed ballpark. I remember the grass being about knee high (but of course my knees weren't as high back then), and I remember being really impressed at how far home plate was from center field. I could picture Matty Alou (one of my favorites when he was here) standing where I was standing. And then I walked over to right field, and I couldn't believe I was standing in the great Roberto Clemente's territory. I just wish I'd grabbed some ivy or *something.*
Steve Alvin wrote:
Most of my memories of Forbes were those of childhood--the size of the place, how green the field was, the peanut vendors, my grandfather at my side. I never had to sit behind one of the beams, but I certainly remember them! I of course remember the play of Clemente--his grace in the outfield and the belief if *only* he'd get an at bat in the bottom of the 9th, the Pirates would rally. I remember being at the game he hit his 2,000 hit. I also have vivid memories of pitchers like Law, Veale, Friend, and Face. Players like Stargell, Maz, Alley, Clendenon, Bailey, and Pagliaroni. I really remember the race of 1966--I was nine years old and just sure the Buc's would win. That summer one of my Aunts and Uncles and their two boys came to visit. We went to a Buc-Giant game and had seats about 5 rows behind the Giant's dug out. I'll never forget my aunt, not a shy women by any stretch of the imagination, going down to the dug out and getting Mays, McCovey, and Marichal to sign autographs for all of us!
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