Great great article…must read!
A week before opening day, Shea’s outfield was nothing but muck, and the pitcher’s mound was under several feet of muddy water. The last push drove the final price tag for the city’s great ballpark to $25,532,000 — more than double the original estimate. But in the speeches at the dedication on April 16, 1964, no one was talking about cost. After the scheduled speakers had finished, Stengel was asked to say a few words. Sympathetic to the needs of the crowd, he kept his remarks uncharacteristically brief.
“We got fifty-four restrooms,” he boasted. “Twenty-seven for men and twenty-seven for ladies and I know you all want to use them now.”
via Shea Stadium is gone, but its impact on ballparks lives on. | SportsonEarth.com : W.M. Akers Article.
