Fans Speak / John Holway

Negro Leagues - Original articles and large collection of links.

Yankee Stadium in 1923

Charles Peck wrote:

I am doing a school project on Yankee Stadium. What I need to know, and haven't been able to find, is what is was like to have attended the opening day game in 1923. I know Babe Ruth hit a homer, and the Yankees defeated the Red Sox, 4-1, but I need to know what refreshments would have been served at the ballpark and how people would have dressed at the game. Thank you.

John Holway's Response

I don't know speciically, but here are some observations:

The crowd was probably much smaller than today's, perhaps 3,000 to 7,000 people on a weekday afternoon.

There were probably very few women.

There was a lot of cigar smoke (the smell of cigars still makes me think of baseball), and the smoke hung like a pall over the field on hot summer afternoons.

There was no loud music between innings. You could actually talk to your neighbor. You could also shout boos, curses etc to the players.

You might have had a bird in the rafters baptize you. ("30,000 people in this stadium, and that bird had to hit me.")

- john

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