Lost Ballparks
"Lost Ballparks", with Mike Koser, is a podcast that takes you on a journey to the golden age of baseball's lost ballparks as told by the players, broadcasters, batboys, clubhouse managers, groundskeepers, umpires and fans who provide firsthand accounts of what it was like to spend a summer afternoon at Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds, Forbes Field, Yankee Stadium, Comiskey Park, Crosley Field and many more.
Lost Ballparks
Dennis Clotworthy (Al Kaline's Last Bat Boy)
This month on Lost Ballparks, our guest is Dennis Clotworthy, Al Kaline’s Last Bat Boy. Dennis grew up across the street from Tiger Stadium and eventually worked inside its walls. In our conversation, Dennis brings the old ballpark to life with incredible detail—describing everything from creaky trap doors to the magic of Gate 16, the heavy barn door that opened a hidden world below field level and the old, slick hardwood floors of the clubhouses, worn smooth and marked with metal spike impressions left by generations of legends. His journey, which began in the unlikely setting of Malta, takes him to Detroit, where he chases a dream that leads to jobs as a junior usher, clubhouse attendant, visiting team's bat boy, and ultimately, bat boy for the Tigers. Along the way, he rubbed shoulders with legends like Brooks Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Nolan Ryan and, of course, Al Kaline. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a batboy at one of baseball’s most storied old ballparks, this episode is for you.
