Fogel Field
Former names | Fordyce Field; Holder Field |
---|---|
Location | 847 Whittington Ave Hot Springs, Arkansas United States |
St. Paul Saints (American Association) (1934–1935) Baseball Schools Ray Doan Baseball School (1933–1938) George Barr Umpire School (1935–1952) Rogers Hornsby Baseball College (1939–1952).[2] |
Fogel Field was a baseball park located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, utilized for spring training games and baseball camps between 1912 and 1952. The site was also known as Fordyce Field and Holder Field.[3][4] Fogel Field was built in 1912 as a spring training site for Major League Baseball teams. The field was named for Horace Fogel, President of the Philadelphia Phillies. Fogel Field hosted the Phillies (1912) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1921–1923, 1926). The Kansas City Monarchs (1928), Homestead Grays (1930–1931) and Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932–1935) of Negro league baseball also used Fogel Field as their spring training site.
Several
History
Early baseball and the Philadelphia Phillies
Beginning with spring 1886, when the Chicago White Stockings' (today's
After the White Stockings had a successful season in 1886, winning the National League Pennant, other teams began bringing their players to Hot Springs.
After the Hot Spring Baseball Grounds were used for other purposes, that left Whittington Park and Majestic Park as the only two fields in Hot Springs. Fogel Field was then built by the Hot Springs Park Company in 1912 to meet the demand. Philadelphia Phillies' president and owner Horace Fogel secured the field for his franchise and the field was named after him. The Phillies used the field for the 1912 season.
Located directly across the street from Whittington Park, Fogel Field had a small grandstand. Besides the Phillies and Pirates, the park was used by teams using Whittington Park, due to its convenient proximity. Hall of famers such as Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Honus Wagner, Grover Cleveland Alexander and Pie Traynor were among the roster of players to play at the site.[3][11] Fogel was banned from baseball after the 1912 season for saying that umpires favored the New York Giants and were treating the Phillies unfairly. Thereafter, the park was called Fordyce Field for a time, renamed after the nearby Fordyce Bathhouse, just as Majestic Park had a namesake in the Majestic Hotel.[12][13][14]
Babe Ruth home run
On
Pittsburgh Pirates
After the Phillies, with
Major League teams eventually migrated to the warmer climates of Florida and Arizona for spring training. Fogel Field became then the spring training site for Negro league and Minor League teams. The Negro league Kansas City Monarchs (1928), Homestead Grays (1930–31) and Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932–35) utilized the site. Later, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Montreal were Minor League franchises that utilized Fogel Field for spring training.[2] From 1938 to 1941 the Hot Springs Bathers used the field for batting practice and other practices, as their Whittington Park home field was just across the street.[18]
Negro leagues spring training
Pittsburgh Crawfords
The Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro leagues utilized Fogel Field for spring training from 1932 to 1935. The 1935 Crawfords team has been called one of the greatest teams ever assembled, eventually winning the 1935 Negro National League Pennant. With a roster full of stars and future Hall-of Fame players, the 1935 Crawfords were nicknamed "the best team money could buy," as many of their players came from other clubs. Their 1935 roster contained Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston and Judy Johnson.[19][20][21]
Homestead Grays
The Negro league
Kansas City Monarchs
The 1928 Kansas City Monarchs who used Fogel Field had Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Andy Cooper and Bullet Rogan.[23]
Minor League teams
Among other minor league teams, the 1935 St. Paul Saints trained at the site. A pitcher for the squad was
Baseball schools
From 1933 to 1938, the annual Ray Doan Baseball School was held in Hot Springs, with Fogel Field utilized as one site for the hundreds of campers. Doan's school drew hundreds of younger players annually, with 1938 drawing 450 players. Doan had many noteworthy players on his instructional staff, including Rogers Hornsby, Grover Cleveland Alexander,
In 1939, Rogers Hornsby took over for Doan in Hot Springs and created the Rogers Hornsby Baseball College which operated until the 1950s, continuing to utilize Fogel Field.[11]
The first recognized Umpire School was held in conjunction with both baseball schools, starting in 1935. Drawing aspiring umpires, the George Barr Umpire School was the first of its kind and was operated by Major League umpire George Barr. Future Major League Umpires Bill McKinley and Scotty Robb were attendees, as was war hero Harry Ladner.[29][30]
Media/history
The
Memorabilia from the Umpire School, baseball schools and George Barr's umpiring career are on display at the
The George Barr Umpire School and the Hornsby Baseball School were featured in the March 10, 1947 issue of Life.[32][33]
Fogel Field is featured in The First Boys of Spring, a 2015 documentary on Hot Springs Spring Training produced by Larry Foley. The film is narrated by Hot Springs area native, actor Billy Bob Thornton.[34][35][36] The documentary began airing nationally on the MLB Network in February, 2016.[37]
The site today
The grass field still exists at the site and is used by the Arkansas Alligator Farm for overflow parking.[38]
There are two plaques at the site. The plaques are part of the Hot Springs Baseball Historic Trail and recognize Fogel Field and Babe Ruth. The ballpark plaque reads:
This field, also known as Fordyce Field, was constructed in 1912 by the Hot Springs Park Company to meet the demand of over 250 major leaguers training in Hot Springs. The Philadelphia Phillies’ owner Horace Fogel, leased the field for his team. The Phillies’ roster included pitching legend Grover Cleveland Alexander and slugging outfielders Gavvy Cravath and Sherwood Magee. The training ground was also later used by the Pittsburgh Pirates.[4][12]
The plaque for Babe Ruth says the following:
Ruth trained here nine times and became a very familiar face around Hot Springs. He hiked the mountains, took the baths, played golf, patronized the casinos, and visited the racetrack. On March 17, 1918 (St. Patrick’s Day), he launched a mammoth home run from Whittington Park that landed on the fly, inside the Arkansas Alligator Farm. It has been measured at 573 feet, — baseball’s first 500-foot-plus drive.[39]
References
- ^ "Whittington Park - Hot Springs, AR - Arkansas Historical Markers". Waymaking.com. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ a b "Spring Training in Hot Springs by Year". Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia.
- ^ National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- ^ a b "Fogel Field". Hot Springs Arkansas Historic Baseball Trail. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Fun and popular spots in Hot Springs for history buffs". City of Hot Springs. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Duren, Don (November 11, 2015). "Major League Spring Training in Hot Springs". Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
- Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Ban Johnson Park-Whittington Park/Majestic Park/Fogel Field". Digital Ballparks. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Sam Guinn Stadium". Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Sam Guinn Field". Hot Springs Arkansas Historic Baseball Trail.
- ^ a b "Fogel Field". Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ a b "Fogel Field - Hot Springs, Arkansas, Arkansas Historical Marker". Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ISBN 0395361451.
- ^ "The National League versus Horace Fogel". 8 July 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "The Day That Changed Baseball Forever". Bill Jenkins Baseball. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "From a Fan: Rare Photos of Babe Ruth in Hot Springs". Babe Ruth Central. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ Bailey, Budd (October 27, 2014). "Road Trips!".
- ^ "Fogel Field". Baseball in Arkansas. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ Harding, Thomas. "Crawfords Called Best Money Could Buy". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- Baseball Reference.
- ^ Blaeuer, Mark (June 25, 2013). "Snappy Aggregations: African-American Baseball in Hot Springs, Arkansas". Hot Springs Arkansas Baseball Trail.
- ^ "Search of Hall of Fame Members". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "The Obit For Monty Stratton". The New York Times. September 30, 1982. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ Lang, Albert (February 2, 2012). "Retelling the Monty Stratton Story". Baseball Past and Present.
- ^ "The Stratton Story". IMDb. 1949. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Ray Doan Baseball School". Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Babe Didrikson". Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "George Barr Umpire School". Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Harry Ladner". Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice. July 15, 2013.
- ^ Aber, Ryan (May 6, 2013). "Part of Major League Baseball history finds home in Guthrie". The Oklahoman.
- ^ Bacchia, John (2011). Augie: Stalag Luft VI to the Major Leagues. iUniverse. p. 96.
- ^ "Umpire School". Life. March 10, 1947.
- ^ Bauman, Bonnie (October 2015). "Boys of Spring". Arkansas Life.
- ^ "The First Boys of Spring Documentary Open". The First Boys of Spring. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ Nelson, Rex (March 28, 2014). "Rex Nelson: Larry Foley Digs into 'First Boys of Spring'".
- ^ Newman, Mark (February 12, 2016). "7 reasons to watch 'First Boys of Spring'". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ "Fogel Field Hot Springs". Flickr. 18 June 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Babe Ruth". Hot Springs Arkansas Baseball Trail. Retrieved March 15, 2016.