The "Celebrating Philadelphia's Now Gone Veteran's Stadium" Story

Connie Mack Stadium at 20th and Lehigh in Philadelphia

It was an ordinary day.  April 10, 1971 and the Philadel- phia Phillies had just opened their new Veterans Stadium.  The $50 million stadium was to be home to the baseball Philadelphia Phillies and the football Philadelphia Eagles.  Fans had waited for years to watch a game in the new stadium, but to tell you the truth, I enjoyed watching them play at Connie Mack Stadium where they played from 1938 to 1970.  I can still remember getting on the train at the station across the street from where I lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and heading to Philadelphia.  We made a stop or two along the way to pick up other Phillies fans and when we reached 30th Street Station we would get off the train and walk to the ball park.  I can also slightly remember the Whiz Kids who had Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts on the team.  In 1950 they were leading most of the season until one of their best pitchers, Curt Simmons, had to report for National Guard duty and the team lost 8 of their next 10.  On the last day of the season the Phillies hung onto a one-game lead when Dick Sisler's dramatic tenth-inning, three run homer against the Brooklyn Dodgers clinched the Phil's first pennant in 35 years.  But, the hated Yankees beat them four straight in the World Series.  At the time, Philadelphia also had another baseball team called the Philadelphia A's.  The A's finally moved, in 1954, to Kansas City leaving the Phillies the sweethearts of Philadelphia.  When I met my sweetheart, she and her mom and dad as well as myself traveled by train to see a game or two and got to see a game that should have been two games.  Ended in extra innings with the Phils scoring over 20 runs.  Not sure of the final result, but the game seemed to drag on forever.  

Aerial view of Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium during opening day on April 10, 1971.
The $50-million stadium was home to the Phillies and Eagles.  At the center you can
see the Spectrum indoor arena which was home to the Flyers.  At the very top
you can see JFK Stadium.  The Philadelphia Naval Yard is in the background.

I can remember when they moved to Veteran's Stadium.  Walking into the stadium for the very first time and seeing that bright green artificial turf was amazing.  Then in 1980 the Phils won their First World Series by beating the Houston Astros in five games.  Four of the five went to extra innings.  Then in 2008 they won the World Series once again.  I have written about that before since we were on our way back from a vacation to the Caribbean when they won the championship.  

Opening night at the Vet on April 10, 1971.

The pilot was a Phillies fan and he called the entire last inning over the planes speaker system.  What a thrill.  Almost like being there.  The plane erupted with cheers when the pilot called the final out.  Veterans Stadium was also home to the Eagles who played their NFL games on the notoriously hard Vet artificial turf.  But, that very first season in Veterans Stadium was fun.  The very first game played ended with the Phillies beating the Montreal Expos by the score of 4-1.  Jim Bunning gave up only one run in 7 1/3 innings and Joe Hoerner got the last five outs for the save.  Anyone remember some of the names I have been typing?  During that first game, Boots Day was the lead-off hitter for the Expos and later became the hitting coach for the Lancaster Barnstormers.  Good question for a trivia quiz.  The Phils played their final game in Veterans Stadium on September 28, 2003, then the Phils moving next door to the new Citizen's Bank Park.  I enjoy watching games at the new ball park, but will never match the very first time I saw on that green field at the Vet.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.