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    Baseball in San Diego: From the Padres to Petco
    Baseball in San Diego: From the Padres to Petco
    Baseball in San Diego: From the Padres to Petco
    Ebook242 pages1 hour

    Baseball in San Diego: From the Padres to Petco

    By Bill Swank

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    About this ebook

    The first color action photo of Ted Williams (as shown on the front cover) was taken at Lane Field in San Diego on October 5, 1941 by an amateur photographer. Nobody knew of its existence until an old wooden cigar box was found in a basement in 1999. This book is a treasure chest of such old San Diego baseball pictures and memories. From the Padres to Petco focuses on San Diego's love affair with the Padres from the Pacific Coast League years at Lane Field (1936-57), Westgate Park (1958-67), San Diego Stadium (1968) and through 35 more exciting and often exasperating National League summers in Mission Valley (1969-2003). Through it all, Padre fans have been faithful and forgiving. With a new ballpark, San Diego looks to build a winning tradition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateApr 29, 2004
    ISBN9781439614914
    Baseball in San Diego: From the Padres to Petco

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      Book preview

      Baseball in San Diego - Bill Swank

      Jones.

      INTRODUCTION

      During the summer of 2003, I visited my editor, Jeff Ruetsche, in Chicago. This guy really loves obscure baseball! At his office, we talked about baseball in Toledo, Columbus, and Geneva. We talked about the legendary House of David baseball team and the old hiddenball-in-the-beard trick. We went to lunch at Schubas Tavern, a friendly Windy City corner saloon and restaurant. Over beer, we talked about Jeff’s beloved Cubs, the Padres and the 1984 National League Playoffs. This was even before the Cubbies’ bizarre collapse against Florida in the 2003 NLCS. You’ve got to feel sorry for Cub fans. Then, Jeff slipped in a curve for a called strike. He suggested that Baseball in San Diego should be two volumes. I backed off the pitch.

      I had already done a great deal of research on the origins of base ball in San Diego and was not particularly interested in a history of the Padres. A lot of hardball was played after that first impromptu game at Horton Plaza on May 6, 1871 and nobody knew much about it. Jeff tried to convince me there was enough for two books. I already knew that, but it would also be a lot of work.

      When I returned home, John Wadas, top pitcher for the San Diego Historical Society, offered the same hook, same location. Again I held off, but it was tempting.

      Since this book is part of Arcadia’s Images of Baseball series, access to the San Diego Historical Society photo collection was a pitch that was hard to resist. I was facing an 0-2 count. Historical Society Assistant Executive Director John Panter put it right over the plate . . . big as the moon and I swung. It remains to be seen if this book will be a hit; it took almost five months just to get around the bases to have Volume II ready for Opening Day 2004. Now it is back to work on Volume I, which will be ready later this baseball season.

      The Historical Society, the San Diego Hall of Champions, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Society for American Baseball Research, various other historical societies, private collectors, players and fans have graciously shared their wonderful pictures to help tell this story. The photographs from the Historical Society and the Union-Tribune are for sale. Full sized, they look even better. They would look great on the wall of your baseball room.

      I am continually amazed by the many skills of photo archivist Carol Myers and the treasure chest of San Diego’s vivid past at the San Diego Historical Society. Without photo detective Peter Uribe and the Union-Tribune’s photo department and library, this book would have been stranded at third base. Sincere appreciation is also extended to my friends in the downtown library’s newspaper room, my Mission Bay High School classmate and former Padres photographer Larry Littlefield, and to a fine gentleman, former Padres business manager Al Hogan, and his daughter, Patti Hogan. Thanks to all of the unknown photographers whose wonderful pictures appear in this book.

      A tip of my old PCL Padres cap goes to my good buddies at the Hall of Champions: Don King, Todd Tobias, Glenn Turgeon, Steve Sloan, Tad Wildrick, Heather Ray and, of course, Bob Breitbard. Thanks to the staff and administration of these outstanding San Diego institutions.

      The stories about the cover picture of Ted Williams and the panorama of Lane Field on page two alone are fascinating.

      The first color action shots of Ted Williams were taken at Lane Field in 1941 by amateur photographer Heber Epperson prior to an exhibition game. Slides were found in an old wooden cigar box in the basement of Autumn and Bud Keltner’s home in 1999. Autumn’s father was former PCL Padres player and manager Cedric Durst. Heber and Helen Epperson were close family friends. The pictures are not for sale, but are to be used to promote and celebrate baseball in San Diego. That describes the spirit that has gone into this project. Thanks to everybody who helped make this book. This has been a team effort.

      The Lane Field panorama is actually two pictures taken by the late US Navy photographer Ray Hacecky before the PCL Championship game in 1954. The Broadway entrance has been published numerous times, but the grandstand portion was only recently discovered by his son, Ray Jr. Jim Skovmand of the San Diego Union-Tribune was able to combine the two images on the computer to make a remarkable composite. In my opinion, it is the best picture ever taken of Lane Field.

      The following people are also part of this book: Dick Adams, Andy Agunialdo, Don Anderson, Lennie Arevalo, Melissa Atkins, Mel Atwell, Carlos and Johnaa Battle, Ernie Beck, Dick Beverage, Larry Beyersdorf, Bruce Binkowski, George Bergmeister, Wally Bohl, Bob Boynton, Ray Brandes, Terry Bertolino, Nora Cabal, Ruby Caldwell, Billy Capps, Andy Castagnola, Wade Cline, Bob Cluck, Ron Clutter, Phil Collier, Paul Cour, Rick Crawford, Andy Cribbs, John Daly, Cliff Dapper, Eddie Deal, Joey Destino, Bob Diaz, Dick Dobbins, Bob Dreher, John Drehner, Erin Dyer, Augie Escamilla, Dave Eskenazi, Ed Fletcher, Jeff Frank, Roni Galgano, Pete Grijalva, Charlie Grimm, Jack Hacker, Rusty Hansen, Tina Hernandez, Chris Jenkins, Rua Johnson, Pat Jones, Randy Jones, Kevin Kernan, Margaret Kazmer, Tim Kellogg, Tom Krasovic, Kirk Kenney, Manabu Kuramochi, Tom Larwin, Jay Leishman, Fred Lewis, Ed Linn, Norm and Alan Lubke, Clay Luraschi, Angus Macfarlane, Mark Macrae, Jerry Magee, Tom Maggard, Paul Maracin, John Doc Mattei, Walter McCoy, Johnny McDonald, Doug McWilliams, Bobbi Meyer, Ron Mikkelson, Paul Milligan, George Mitrovich, John Moores, Derek Moses, Bob Moss, Joe Naiman, Rich Nelson, Ion Nemteanu, Norma Nunez, Gary Nusbaum, Don Nuttall, Bill O’Connor, Ed Olsen, Susan Painter, Vic Pallos, Nelson Papucci, Fred Peltz, Rogelio Pena, David Porter, Larry Porter, Seymour Prell, Chuck Primeau, Tami Rapozo, Dion Rich, John and Kristin Richetti, Herm Reich, Chad Ruffner, Ed Sanclemente, Vanessa Schafer, Tim Scheid, Elizabeth Schlappi, Chris Schuehle, Jane Selvar, Dennis Sharp, Tom Sheridan, Bob Shumake, Kristi Siler, Bob Smith, Rev. George Walker Smith, Rev. James D. Smith III, Rick Smith, Vern Smith, Cyndi Shatzer, Bob Sterling, Andy Strasberg, Muriel Strickland, Billy Swank, Norm Syler, Pete Tapia, Marie Templeton, Ralph Thompson, Chris Travers, Donna Van Ert, Traci Wagnon, Max West, Whitey Wietelmann, Gaylon White, Phil White, Carl Wickham, Pete Wilkinson, Ted Williams, Dennis Wills, Skip Wills, Earl Wilson, Sr. Last, but not least, thanks to my wife, Jeri, for her patience and understanding. My baseball projects have claimed almost every flat surface in our home. The kitchen will finally get remodeled in 2004 . . . or 2005, for sure! If I forgot anybody else, please accept my apologies.

      The sun is shining brightly in San Diego. The mercury, as usual, is locked in at 72 degrees. The breeze is off the ocean and blowing to right. Play ball.

      ONE

      The Lane Field Padres 1936–1957

      San Diego Population: 167,728

      Weather: Sunny, 72 degrees

      BIG NEWS. How could the biggest news since 1652 when Juan Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay take third billing in the San Diego Union? It was the middle innings of the Great Depression and San Diego was finally going to have its own professional baseball team . . . and it was about time!

      BILL LANE. Hardrock Bill Lane was between a rock and a hard place. His

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