Did you know that the New York Giants Major League baseball team played their last game in the Polo Grounds on Sept. 29, 1957, in NYC during the ’50s? It was a three-way rivalry between the American League Bronx Yankees, National League New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. All three teams claimed to have the best center fielder in baseball.
On street corners all over town, citizens would argue whether the Giants’ Willie Mays, Yankees’ Mickey Mantle or Dodgers’ Duke Snider was champ. Most everyone could afford a bleacher, general admission, reserve or box seat. Hot dogs, beer, other refreshments and souvenirs were reasonably priced. Residents of the era sat outside on the neighborhood stoop listening to games on the radio. Baseball fans would also look for their favorite sports writer in the morning, midday and late afternoon newspaper editions, available at thousands of newsstands. Television was a relatively new technology.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
