Fenway
02-24-2011, 12:48 PM
This is just a great story...
THE BALLPARK - OLD ORCHARD BEACH, MAINE
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/images/stories/college/oob.jpg
Back in 1984 a group from Maine bought a AAA team in West Virginia and moved it to Maine. Instead of locating in the largest city Portland they decided to build at a summer beach resort known as Old Orchard Beach.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Phillies
http://www.ballparkreviews.com/maine/maine.jpg
Between blackflies that would eat you and being the farm team of first Cleveland and then Philadelphia the team never got traction and after 1988 the franchise moved to Scranton.
Steve Wulf wrote a long story for SI in 1984
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122253/1/index.htm
For almost 20 years the stadium rotted away...
http://www.digitalballparks.com/International/Orchard_640_1.html
But thanks to baseball fans that cared....baseball will be played there again in the NE College League in 2011
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/201010063168/college-baseball/news/its-official-necbl-to-place-team-at-old-orchard-beach-ballpark
http://www.oldorchardbeachballpark.com/index.html
I saw many games there - good memories.
One of the owners was a broadcaster in college and decided he would do play by play....a New York Mets official on vacation heard him and he became the Mets radio announcer.
Gary Thorne
THE BALLPARK - OLD ORCHARD BEACH, MAINE
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/images/stories/college/oob.jpg
Back in 1984 a group from Maine bought a AAA team in West Virginia and moved it to Maine. Instead of locating in the largest city Portland they decided to build at a summer beach resort known as Old Orchard Beach.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Phillies
http://www.ballparkreviews.com/maine/maine.jpg
Between blackflies that would eat you and being the farm team of first Cleveland and then Philadelphia the team never got traction and after 1988 the franchise moved to Scranton.
Steve Wulf wrote a long story for SI in 1984
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122253/1/index.htm
For almost 20 years the stadium rotted away...
http://www.digitalballparks.com/International/Orchard_640_1.html
But thanks to baseball fans that cared....baseball will be played there again in the NE College League in 2011
http://www.ballparkdigest.com/201010063168/college-baseball/news/its-official-necbl-to-place-team-at-old-orchard-beach-ballpark
http://www.oldorchardbeachballpark.com/index.html
I saw many games there - good memories.
One of the owners was a broadcaster in college and decided he would do play by play....a New York Mets official on vacation heard him and he became the Mets radio announcer.
Gary Thorne