Forbes Field

This volume presents a detailed look at Forbes Field, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates for 62 seasons. Part I consists of chapters on the construction and legacy of Forbes, the park’s place in the Progressive Era, important baseball, football, and boxing events that took place at the park, and changes to the field’s dimensions and configurations, as well as a transcript of the last Pirate game played there. In Part II, 56 former Pirates, two wives of former Pirates, 111 fans, and five members of the media reminisce about the park. The appendices include a numerical review of Lady Forbes from 0 (the number of no-hitters pitched there) to 1,705,828 (the Pirate attendance for the 1960 season) and a list of the park’s ground rules.

David Cicotello is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and a contributor to its Deadball Stars volumes. An author and speaker, he lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Angelo J. Louisa is a researcher, writer, and community educator who lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

Edited by David Cicotello and Angelo J. Louisa

Series Editors David Cicotello and Angelo J. Louisa

Foreword by Philip J. Lowry

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 254
Bibliographic Info: 88 photos, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2007
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2754-3
Imprint: McFarland
Series: McFarland Historic Ballparks

Acknowledgments      vii
Foreword      1
Introduction      3

I—History and Background
1. Barney Dreyfuss and the Legacy of Forbes Field      13
2. Forbes Field and the Progressive Era      25
3. The Pirates at Forbes: 62 Memorable Games for 62 Seasons      36
4. Black Baseball at Forbes Field      55
5. Forbes (More Than Just a Baseball) Field      67
6. June 28, 1970: A Play-by-Play Account of the Final Pirate Game at Forbes Field      94
7. Inside the Park: Dimensions and Configurations of Forbes Field      120

II—Memories of Forbes Field
8. Old Forbes Field      137
9. An Usher’s Tale: An Interview with Bob Smith      143
10. At the Wall with Saul      150
11. Remembrances of Things Past: Pirates, Fans, and Media Reminisce      155

Appendix A—From 0 to 1,705,828: A Numerical Review of Forbes Field      223
Appendix B—Official Ground Rules      228
Editors and Contributors      229
Bibliography      231
Index      233

• “Richly footnoted and illustrated”—The Courier (SABR Negro Leagues Committee)
• “Meticulously detail[s] the park’s history”—Pittsburgh Magazine
• “A must-read” —SABR Deadball Committee Newsletter
• “Captures much of why that ballpark and sport have become so entwined with the story that Pittsburgh tells about itself to the world”—Journal of Sport History
• “Has everything you would want to read about an old favorite ballpark…photographs…are worthy of a family album…recommend[ed]…stories…are rich and worth retelling”—Black And Gold