A Rather Convoluted Baseball Question

[p***@gmail.com]

Given my personal interest in Major League Baseball stadiums, I got to thinking of this question with the recent passing of two "oldest living major leaguers."

To wit:

What is the "newest" (former) Major League Baseball stadium in which no living former major leaguer ever played?

If we date the "newest" stadium from its date of closure, I think the answer's fairly certain: Philadelphia's Baker Bowl, which closed in 1938 (and was built way back in 1887), predates any living former major leaguer by more than three years from the date of their first game.

If "newest" means last constructed, though, things get a little bit more hazy. The Yankees' Hilltop Park was built in 1903 and housed the team until 1912, but several of the old Federal League parks -- long since demolished -- did not open until 1914, I believe.

I know a lot of you guys like a challenge, so ... can anyone refute my findings, or come up with a more definitive answer to the question?

Just curious, of course, but thanks in advance for any/all replies.

-- Doug Peterson --

[Michael OConnor]

That is an interesting question. I'm certain somebody has already figured that out written an article on that subject, and that would be somebody who is a SABR (Society of American Baseball Researchers) member. I used to be a member of SABR a few years back, it was well worth joining just for the publications they put out, especially the annual Research Journal. SABR is composed of thousands of hardcore baseball fans, historians, biographers, stat nuts, authors, and sportswriters, some of whom study the most arcane bits of trivia such as this, and many of them publish papers on what they find. I don't know if you can get in there as a non-member and post a question but it's worth a try:

www.sabr.org

[p***@gmail.com]

Michael --

Thanks for your reply, although in truth I am unsure whether or not express my gratitude, or curse your name from atop the highest mountain.

While I am a baseball from waaaaay back (I used to make an annual trek to the Strat-O-Matic game company to buy new season cards as soon as they came out, and was at Shea Stadium when the Mets moved into first place for the first time ever), I somehow never thought to visit www.sabr.org as I was sure that it would only be accessible to members.

Suffice it to say that your comment prompted me to go ahead and check, and now my wife will never see me again. So she, on the other hand, will surely thank you for my latest obsession. ;)

-- Doug Peterson --

[Michael OConnor]

Happy to be of service?

I went to their site and started poking around, if you like to read, the membership will pay for itself just from the free (for members) digital downloads from the e-books page and discounted books and their free publications. They also have regional groups around the country so you can connect with local SABR members and make a lot of like-minded fans. They also have local and national conventions where they invite former players to speak. It's a really great organization.

If I ever go back to work again, I think I'll rejoin SABR. I was leafing thru some of the articles in the SABR journals and some of them were written by friends and colleagues of mine.

[MJ Emigh]

if you like to read, the membership will pay for itself just from the free (for members) digital downloads from the e-books page and discounted books <<

This looks VERY interesting. However, I was looking at some of the books and noticed that their 50% discounts are substantially higher than the FULL price on Amazon. The books (hard copy) would be my main interest, so it looks like I'd be paying $45 per year (senior citizen rate) for the privilege of buying them at inflated prices.

I'll look around the site to learn of the other benefits, but it doesn't look promising. Thanks for the suggestion, though.