Lost Ballparks

Best of Lost Ballparks: Carl Erskine (1955 Brooklyn Dodgers)

• Mike Koser • Season 1 • Episode 1

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(This episode was recorded in 2021). 

We’re curating the most downloaded episodes for new listeners discovering Lost Ballparks. If you’re a longtime listener, thank you for being part of this incredible community!

There are only 2 living members of the Brooklyn Dodgers who played in and won the 1955 World Series; pitchers Roger Craig and Carl Erskine. Erskine, our first guest on Lost Ballparks, won 122 games for the Dodgers between 1948-1959. He was an All-Star, World Champion and author of 2 no-hitters. Oh, by the way, he struck out Mickey Mantle 4 times. In one game! He also played at Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium and he's here, at 95 years young, to talk about it all! 

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Mike Koser  0:00 
I'm Mike Koser, and this is Lost Ballparks, a podcast that takes you on a journey to the golden age of baseballs lost ballparks, as told by the players, broadcasters and fans who were there and who are here now to give detailed first hand accounts of what it was like to sit in the seats on a summer afternoon at Ebbets Field. What it was like to pitch at the Polo Grounds. Stand in the batter's box at Forbes field facing that beautiful outfield brick wall with Schenley Park in the distance. Broadcast from historic old Yankee Stadium. Walk through the gates at Comiskey Park with transistor radio in hand. Welcome to Lost Ballparks.

Red Barber (Radio Broadcast)  0:36 
Join us now for another Brooklyn ball game. Here at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, USA.

Mel Allen (Radio Broadcast) 0:40 
Greetings baseball fans this is Mel Allen greeting you from Yankee Stadium in New York City.

Gene Osbourne (Radio Broadcast)  0:44 
Hello everyone with Bob Prince and Nellie King, this is Gene Osbourne speaking to you from Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

(Radio Broadcast) 0:50  
Well friends here we are back at the Polo Grounds in New York City.

Ernie Harwell (Radio Broadcast) 0:53
We’re underway in the first of twi-night double header at Tiger Stadium.

(Radio Broadcast) :57
And it’s baseball here at Crosley Field.

Vin Scully (Radio Broadcast) 1:00
Just the start of things so pull up a comfortable chair. If you want to take your shoes off, go ahead wiggle your toes and we hope you'll have a cool Schaefer (beer) or two throughout the evening.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  1:07 
There are only two living members of the Brooklyn Dodgers who played in and won the 1955 World Series; pitchers Roger Craig and Carl Erskine. Carl, who is now 95 years young, spent his entire career pitching for the Dodgers finishing with 122 wins and 2 no-hitters. He played at Ebbets Field with the “Boys of Summer” alongside Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges and Pee Wee Reese. He stood on the mound at the Polo Grounds facing Willie Mays. Yankee Stadium, face to face with Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. And today, he is our first guest on Lost Ballparks. Carl, it is such an honor.

Carl Erskine: 1:44
My pleasure. Thank you.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 1:45
So I want to start in Brooklyn at Ebbets Field where you spent most of your career. What made that ballpark so special?

Carl Erskine  1:51 
Well, one of the things physically it was a ballpark where the stands were built very close to the field. And people in the in the box seats, they could talk to you. Even from the mound  I could hear people's voices and clearly understand what they were yelling or saying. So it was a very intimate ballpark.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  2:11  
How would you make your way to the clubhouse? Did you have to go through the Rotunda? Or was there a separate entrance?

Carl Erskine  2:17 
Yeah, we went through the rotunda to the players entrance. I know one of my stories, I had come up from Fort Worth, Texas, to Brooklyn. And I had my duffel bag which had “Fort Worth Cats” on the side. And I could hear the “Brooklynese” language saying that must be “Oiskine” from “Foyt Woyth”. And that was my introduction to Brooklyn, New York.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)   2:41 
And that nickname stuck. Of course, people would call you, “Oisk”.

Carl Erskine  2:46 
That's right. To this day, I have people in my hometown who know me well call across the street when they see me walking by and they use the word “Oiskine” so. One  of the most memorable honors I had was there's an exit in Brooklyn that they named “Erskine Exit” and I always thought they should have put “Oiskine” on that exit.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  3:10 
Right so people would understand. People probably looked at it like “Erskine” what’s “Erskine” I know “Oiskine”. But I don't know Erskine.

Carl Erskine: 3:16
Yeah, right.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  3:17
The player whose locker was right across from yours in the clubhouse was Roy Campanella.

Carl Erskine: 3:21
That’s right. Yes.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 3:23
Roy had a very unique way of shaving.

Carl Erskine:  3:25 
He did. Yes, there's a product that women use on their legs for taking off the hair.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 3:33
Nair.

Carl Erskine: 3:34
It's pretty strong stuff, I guess, because Roy used to pat that on his face, and sit for about 10 or 15 minutes, and let it go to work. One day, I took a little piece of it, rubbed it on my chin. It burned like fire. (Laughter) Roy would put that on his whole face. It was like a baby's bottom. He can do it once a week and he’d be shaved for the whole week.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  3:57 
You were not feeling it. It's not something you wanted to keep doing.

Carl Erskine: 4:00
No I just took a little bit of it and put it on my chin. (Laughter) and it Burned like fire. And I DID feel it.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  4:08  
I bet. Talk to me about the close bond that the Dodger players had with the fans in Brooklyn. It was really a tight knit community. Was that your experience?

Carl Erskine  4:16 
It was. Yes, it was. Well, I think the Brooklyn Dodger team itself over time, hadn't won very often. They’d been in second division most of the time. It was really a thrilling thing that happened to the Brooklyn team was now contending with a great Yankees and Giants of course, we're also in New York. So Brooklyn had always been kinda the orphan borough but with the Jackie Robinson era, that team became very competitive and began to win instead of finishing in second division every year. So that team with Robinson being the centerpiece elevated itself with some respect. That made it a thrilling thing for the Brooklyn fans.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)   4:56 
yeah, and I love the idea too, that your local grocer was a friend. You talk about how your butcher Joe Rossi would invite you and your family over and you would have these giant four hour Italian dinners.

Carl Erskine  5:09 
It was true. And we were treated like royalty in Brooklyn that if I pitched a good ballgame, I'd come home they’d have a street party, and they’d dance in the street celebrate all over the place.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  5:22 
I think it's pretty safe to say that one of the most iconic elements at Ebbets Field outside of the rotunda, of course, would be right field, where you had this enormous scoreboard with the Bulova clock on top and below that the famous Schaefer beer sign where the “H” in Schaffer would light up with a hit the “e” would light up with an error. And below the scoreboard at the base of the scoreboard the Abe Stark advertisement, “hit sign win suit”. Abe Stark was a tailor in Brooklyn. And you had this incredible collection of colorful advertisements for Esquire Boot Polish, Gem razor blades, Mobile Gas, Lucky cigarettes, and then beyond right field, you had Bedford Avenue. Kids would scramble for Duke Snider home run balls smashed down the line.

Carl Erskine  6:05 
I think 297 was the distance.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 6:09
Yeah, right down the line. Yeah.

Carl Erskine: 6:10
Yeah,but it was a high fence about 30 feet. So it took a pretty good blow to hit over that fence onto Bedford Avenue. That was the famous right field of Ebbets field.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  6:21  
There would be a player down in the bullpen, right down the right field line, who would be assigned for that day to hold a white towel? Is that right? Can you explain why he would?

Carl Erskine: 6:30
That’s true.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 6:31
Why would a player need to hold a white towel?

Carl Erskine  6:32  
Well, if a ball was hit with a man on base and less than two outs, a fly ball to right field from the coach's box and for the runner on base, they couldn't tell if that ball was gonna hit above the right fielders head or he was going to be able to catch it. The bullpen was just in foul territory in right field. And so the guy sitting by the foul line had a white towel on his lap. And if a fly ball was coming he could tell whether the right fielder was gonna be able to catch it or whether it was going to hit above his head and if it was going to hit above his head, he would swirl the towel, “go, go go go” and it was a truly a home field advantage at Ebbets Field.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  7:21 
As someone who was born in the 20s you probably grew up idolizing Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and I can only imagine Carl what it was like the first time you played at Yankee Stadium, and I'll go back to let's say game one of the 1949 World Series. I believe the Yankees had just relocated the visitor’s clubhouse to the third base side. So when you walked into the clubhouse, you felt the enormity of stepping into the very spot that Ruth and Gehrig had once stood. Isn't it true that the their lockers and uniforms were still there?

Carl Erskine  7:52 
Absolutely. And I calculated that that was a deliberate move to overwhelm young rookie ball players coming in for the first time to see those two lockers still in place. Yeah, I think that was calculated to shake up all of us who were young players.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  8:10 
Alright, so fast forward to game 5 of the 1949 World Series.

(Radio Broadcast) 8:14 
From Ebbets Field here in Brooklyn, Gillete presents the World Series.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)   8:18 
You’ve been down in the bullpen warming up and you get the call to come in.

Radio Broadcast  8:22 
Erskine has been officially announced and is out on the mound.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  8:26  
You walk the Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto. Give up a hit the Tommy Henrich. Get Yogi Berra then to fly out to deep left. And then it hits you. You now have to face one of the greatest hitters of all time.

Radio Broadcast  8:38 
And big DiMaggio gets a big hand.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  8:41 
Joe DiMaggio. Can you walk me through what that moment was like, you standing 60 feet 6 inches away from one of the greatest hitters of all time?

Carl Erskine  8:51 
Yeah, that was a moment in my life I won't forget.

Radio Broadcast 8:55 
Joe swings and it’s a high pop fly to short right second baseman Robinson is out, under it, under it, and takes it.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)   9:01 
So you got him.

Carl Erskine  9:03 
Yeah, right. He hit a 400 foot line drive. 200 straight up and 200 down.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 9:08
And you'll take it right?

Carl Erskine: 9:09
I'll take that one anytime you bet.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  9:12 
Well, let's talk about some of the great players that you faced during your remarkable career. Mickey Mantle.

Carl Erskine  9:18 
Well, Mantle of course, was a free swinger. And as a lot of power hitters, they don't back off with two strikes and Mantle did not. He swung from his heels with two strikes. So he did strike out a lot and had tremendous power and he could hit from  the left side or the right side, depending on the pitcher. He was a better hitter left handed we thought and that’s how I faced him.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  9:41 
later on, he signed a picture to you and it says “To Carl, the greatest World Series pitcher in the world.” He signs “Mickey Mantle” underneath that and under his name, it says “4 K’s” representing four strikeouts.

(Radio Broadcast) 9:55 
Mantle steps into the batter's box. There are men on first and second as the switch hitter faces Erskine. And strike three swinging. Erskine’s 12th strikeout victim for the day.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  10:07 
So Carl, think about that for a second. You are one of the very few people on the planet in the history of the universe, who are able to say, I struck out Mickey Mantle.

Carl Erskine  10:17 
Well to do it four times was pretty rare in one game.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  10:20  
And you did it on the biggest stage. Game 3 of the 1953 World Series, where by the way, you finished the game by striking out a total of 14 Yankees - a World Series record!

Carl Erskine  10:31 
Yes, that's true. And I was not known as a strikeout pitcher per se, but I usually averaged maybe, oh 8-10 strikeouts, but that day, I had exceptional stuff. My curveball was so good and my control was the best I've ever had. Campanella was my catcher, and “Campy” would give a sign and then he’d set up and hold a glove for you on the pitch. And I was able to hit that glove, just one after another. So it was exceptional day for me. Not only good stuff but good control.

(Radio Broadcast) 11:04 
The annals of baseball will forever recall the record smashing performance of Carl Erskine the pitcher's duel that brought victory to Flatbush (neighborhood in Brooklyn).

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  11:12 
And I love the photo of you and your wife embracing after the game in the locker room. Do you remember that photo? Do you remember that moment?

Carl Erskine  11:21 
I sure do. It’s one of my favorites because it's by the clubhouse door and Betty’s giving me a kiss on the cheek after the game. And behind us is a door that says “Dodgers” on the door.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  11:35 
It really is such a great photo. Okay, what was it like facing Willie Mays?

Carl Erskine  11:39 
Well, you know, I played with one of the great center fielders in history,Duke Snider, but Duke was hampered somewhat because Ebbets Field did not have the open expanse of Yankee Stadium or the Polo Grounds. It was difficult for him to play centerfield and have much range because of the confines of the ballpark. Willie Mays, you'd say had all the tools. He could beat you with his arm, with his legs, with his glove and with his bat. So it's awful hard to pick the best centerfielder out of the three playing there at the same time.

Mike Koser  (Lost Ballparks) 12:14 
Yeah, think about that. In New York, at one time, playing centerfield on any given day, you could go see Willie Mays at the Polo Grounds, Mickey Mantle at Yankee Stadium or Duke Snider at Ebbets Field.

Carl Erskine  12:24 
Yeah, I remember a day when we were playing a game - it must have been an exhibition game. And then the announcers said, “put your attention on the centerfield gate.”  And through that gate walked three of the greatest centerfielders in the history of baseball. I was like a little kid. I want you to get an autograph.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  12:44 
I bet. Carl in 1951, the New York Giants after trailing the Dodgers by 13 and a half games went on to this miraculous end of the season run to tie Brooklyn, forcing a best of three series for the National League pennant. The Giants took game one, the Dodgers won game two, and in game three, the Dodgers are up two in the ninth inning, but the Giants are sending Bobby Thompson to the plate with two men on. As Thompson walks to the plate, the Dodgers have two pitchers warming up in the bullpen, Ralph Branca and you. Your manager, Charles Dressens calls down to the bullpen and is informed that you and Branca are both ready. But what happens next?

Carl Erskine  13:24 
Well, I think the question that was asked by the manager,  Dressen to Clyde Sukeforth, the bullpen coach, “Which one has the best stuff?” His answer back was “They’re both throwing well. They're both ready.” Erskine is bouncing his overhead curve. “Let me have Branca was the answer from the manager. My curveball had to be down ‘cause it was straight overhand. As Campanella used to tell me “You bury it. I'll get it.” It had to be low. And so apparently that fact caused the manager to say “I don't want any wild pitches in this situation. So let me have Branca.” That's the only clue I ever had about how he decided which one of us to call in.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  14:09 
One of the most famous moments in baseball history about to unfold. Branca walks in and Bobby Thompson does this.

Russ Hodges (Radio Broadcast)  14:17
“Branca throws…There’s a long fly… it’s gonna be, I believe… The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Bobby hit it into the lower deck of the left-field stands… The Giants win the pennant and they’re going crazy! They're going crazy!"

Mike Koser(Lost Ballparks) 14:37
From your vantage point in the bullpen, can you describe that moment?

Carl Erskine  14:41 
Well, I was warming up after Branca went in. (Clem) Labine got up and began throwing alongside of me. So we, the two of us were still warming up in the bullpen and that was a sinking line drive that Thompson hit. It wasn't a high home run, so it was going fast. And Labine made the comment when it went in the stands...He said, "I didn't see a ball, I saw my wallet going over that fence." He meant we lost the money for that series.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  15:14 
And for those who aren't familiar with the Polo Grounds, the clubhouses are in centerfield. So it wasn't as difficult for you and Labine to make your way to the clubhouse, but for the players walking from the dugout, that's a long haul as fans and players are flooding the field. I imagine there's some confusion getting to up to the clubhouse.

Carl Erskine  15:33 
Yeah, you're right. It was Bedlam outside the clubhouse. And, of course, the door in between the two club houses, they had the champagne already set up on our side of the clubhouse. And when we got inside, they were moving the champagne cases for our side to Giants’ side. So that was a kind of the kick in the teeth after taking a loss.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 15:57  
And then it's a pretty thin separation at the polo grounds between your clubhouse and the Giants’ clubhouse. The Dodgers are feeling rightfully so, disappointed about the loss. And then you can hear the cheering from the Giants clubhouse.

Carl Erskine  16:11 
Not only that, but there was a door, just a common door between the clubhouses and it was never locked. So a lot of times players who've been traded away or something come back and come through that door to say "hi" to their former teammates, so that door was open. But after this incident where they yelled through the door...the loss that we had to take, the commissioner ordered that door to be permanently boarded up. (Laughs) So that door used to be wide open and players would come through and see their teammates, but that never happened after that incident.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  16:46 
Aside from the that incident in 1951, what was it like playing at the Polo Grounds?

Carl Erskine  16:51   
Well, you know the ballparks in those days and maybe to some degree today even each park had its own identity and the Polo Grounds was certainly different because it was real short down each line  but it went out very deep to centerfield. So there was a lot of balls hit really good that were caught.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 17:10  
It was about a 20 mile drive from Brooklyn. You would ride with a few of the guys from your apartments in Brooklyn over to the Polo Grounds across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Carl Erskine  17:19 
That's true. Yeah, it was Duke Snider, and Peewee Reese, Rube Walker and I would carpool, we’d trade off driving. So that's the way we handled it.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 17:30  
Do you remember what car you had back then?

Carl Erskine  17:32 
I had a Pontiac. I was very proud of that. I bought it in Brooklyn, actually. When I got to Brooklyn, the guys told me, they said, "you know if you need a car Carl, we got a Pontiac dealer here gives us a really good deal." So I went down and talked to him and I bought a car. A Pontiac. First car I ever owned. Pontiacs in those days had, they used to call it a turtle back. It was kind of a slanted back on the car, very distinctive style.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  18:00 
What your Pontiac, would that be like a 49 or 48?

Carl Erskine  18:05 
My guess would be it was a 48. And this car was black with lots of real heavy chrome. It was sharp.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  18:13 
What are your memories of the 1955 World Championship? Obviously, it's the first in Dodger history.

Carl Erskine  18:18  
Well, I think the guys that played on that team will all pretty much agree that we had better teams in '52 and '53 by the records, by the stats, than we did in '55. But we didn't win the pennant in either one of those two years so '55 stands out as the best team ever. I'll tell you what the moment was that I remember. After so many tries, the players actually, in all honesty, we felt more for the fans of Brooklyn than we did ourselves because they'd suffered so long without a win. And when we finally got to win  - brought the championship to the borough of Brooklyn for the fans that had waited so long, ...Roger Craig was a rookie on that team. He says, "Carl, I remember the moment in that clubhouse. It didn't explode right away. It was, it was almost like a moment of reverence that you'd finally won it, and finally brought the victory to the Brooklyn fans. I saw Jackie had tears in his eyes. You had tears in your eyes. You guys were so emotionally affected." And he said, "That burned in my memory." I was glad to hear Roger say that because I felt all that but I didn't know anybody else noticed it.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 19:33 
Wow. So amazing. Carl, it’s  May 1956 and a newspaper article quoting New York Giants scout Tom Sheehan says “Jackie and Campy are too old And Erskine can't win with the garbage he's been throwing up there.” That's the scene as you head out to pitch at Ebbets Field on May 12 1956.

Vin Scully (Radio Broadcast)  19:53 
The announcement being made and our crowd standing now for our national anthem.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 19:57 
What do you remember about that game?

Carl Erskine  19:59 
Well, what I remember about it was reading that article on a newspaper that was laying on one of the trunks in the clubhouse. And I didn't need to read that article. My shoulder was giving me lots of trouble. On top of that, now I read this headline, and that "Erskine's over the hill", psychologically, I didn't need that kind of blow, but maybe it gave me a bit more incentive. I don't know. But pitching that day, I had good stuff, and I had good control. And it turned out to be one of my best games ever.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 20:30  
You pitch a no hitter against Willie Mays, and the New York Giants at Ebbets Field. After the game, and this, by the way, highlights the bond between you and Jackie Robinson, Jackie runs over to the Giants dugout, pulls out a clipping of that article, waves it in their faces and says, “How do you like that garbage?!”

Carl Erskine  20:49 
That’s a true story. Jackie was so intense. And he had read that article in the clubhouse and he had that article folded up and was in his hip pocket. Now I don't know why would ever do that. But that's what he did. Then after the last out, he ran over to the Giant dugout and Tom Sheehan, who was quoted was seated right by the Giant dugout, and Jackie waved that article and said, "How do you like that garbage?!" Now that is a true story, even though it sounds made up.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  21:19 
Obviously, it's one of my all time favorite stories. You said in your book that many of your most vivid memories during your professional career were during those nine seasons, that Jackie Robinson and you were teammates.

Carl Erskine  21:28 
Well, Jackie brought a higher energy to our team, by the way he played and I know there's a saying about players having a "game face" and Duke Snider, who was my roommate, his locker was close to Jackies and he told me one day he said "I want you to come up to my locker and look at Jackie's game face when he's getting ready to play a ball game. Jackie has a real game face. I want you to see it."  I made my way up to Duke's locker and sure enough, Jackie has this staunch look on his face and he's ready to go. He's ready to beat somebody, anybody. So Jackie was kind of a spark that wasn't in the statistics, but it was sure present with his fierceness on the field - of course he took it out on the bases. He was a very daring baserunner.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 22:19 
So Carl, Gil Hodges was recently elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Long overdue in your mind?

Carl Erskine  22:25 
I think so. Gil was a quiet guy. Of course he was a great fielder even when he was not hitting very well, he still, he still fielded great. And he was a favorite of the fans because he wasn't a holler guy, in fact the manager, Dressen, said, "If you'll argue one time with an umpire enough to get thrown out of a ballgame I'll give you $100." That never happened. (Laughs) Hodges  never, he never argued with the umpire. When he became a manager, I know Tom Seaver said, "Yeah, Gil didn't say much. He didn't yell a lot. He didn't cuss a lot. He didn't throw the stools in the clubhouse. But he'd give you a look and it'd burn your shorts off. He could give you a look you couldn't handle because it said so much, but he didn't say a word."
 
Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 23:12 
Yeah. If you could retell that story about facing Yogi Berra, where you got the sign from Dressen, I think to knock him down.

Carl Erskine  23:21  
He told me - he said he's dug in with his back foot hitting left handed. And that short right field 297 down the right field line (at Ebbets Field). So the first time he came up, I got a strike on him. And I hit him, unintentionally. So he went to first. Dressen said to me between innings, "So do it right the next time, get a strike on him and I wanna see him upside down." So next time up I gotta a strike on Yogi and I hit him a second time (laughs) He looked at me going to first base. And when I came to bat, I led off the next inning and Yogi's in his position behind the plate, in a crouch and he's got the mask on. And he's lookin' up at me through his mask. And in a soft voice, which he had, he says "Carl, are you throwing at me?" (laughs) Like, "You wouldn't do that, would ya." (laughs)

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 24:17 
Hey, so after the 1957 season, the Dodgers pack up and move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. What do you remember about the final game at Ebbets Field and the final moments driving away?

Carl Erskine  24:28 
Well, fans in Brooklyn, to the team, it was a love affair. And like a lover's quarrel, when that happened, it was like the fan said "Go on and leave. We don't care. We don't want you anymore." And I always remember that it was such a hurt for the Dodger fans in Brooklyn for the team to pull up and leave that they thumbed their nose at us. “It's good riddance.” That's like a love affair.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 24:54  
Did you have some nostalgia about the old ballpark and about all the you know the great memories that you had there?

Carl Erskine  24:59 
It was sure, yeah, you couldn't help but have that because it was such an iconic ballpark and so much had happened there. The Brooklyn Dodgers even though they hadn't always been winners, they'd always been a colorful team, but for the wrong reasons, getting fly balls hit on the head and ground balls going between their legs. (laughs) They didn't have a real good reputation as a defensive team. But yeah, it was bittersweet when we walked out of Ebbets Field.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks)  25:27  
I just want to thank you so much for the time. It has been such an honor to be able to talk with you. I cannot thank you enough for spending some time with us today.

Carl Erskine  25:37 
Well, you're very kind, I think there's one thing in my life that I can say is always been present, is gratitude. I wake up every day (chuckles) with a feeling of gratitude about lots of things in my life.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 25:51 
My grandparents used to say to me, they used to continually remind me that there's so much to be thankful for. And it's true that when you start off your day like that, it makes a huge difference.

Carl Erskine  25:59 
Yes it does. It really does. And I hope we talk again sometime.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 26:03 
Yeah, I do too. And if I'm ever out in Indiana, I would love to take you out to breakfast and just hear more of your stories.

Carl Erskine  26:09 
You come to my hometown of Anderson, Indiana, and I'll be glad to take you to breakfast.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 26:13
I would love it.

Carl Erskine 26:14
Thanks a lot.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 26:15 
Well, now I can't help but think that even though I live in San Diego, it's probably time for me to make a trip to Indiana. Imagine having breakfast with Carl Erskine, I wanna  thank you for tuning in to episode one of the Lost Ballparks podcast. Please take a minute to subscribe on whatever platform that you happen to be listening on. Subscriptions are incredibly important. The more folks who listen to the podcast the more opportunities that we'll have to bring you some of baseball's all-time greats. You can also follow us, if you aren't already, on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I've spent a lot of time imagining what it must have been like to see a game played at the Polo Grounds, the original configuration of Yankee Stadium or Ebbets Field, and I'm so grateful to have been able to talk with Carl Erskine, who played at all three and of course, was part of the first world championship Dodger team back in 1955. Really enjoyed his book by the way, "Tales from the Dodgers Dugout", it's available on amazon.com If you want to check that out. Next week on Lost Ballparks. Bob Ley. Bob's a multi Emmy winner, iconic ESPN Sports Anchor. In fact, he's one of the originals of the network joining ESPN three days after its launch in 1979. And, and he will be our guest next week on Lost Ballparks. He attended his first game at old Yankee Stadium in 1961.

Bob Ley  27:23  
And we owned a black and white television and did still for a long time so I had never seen a baseball game in color. Ever. And there it was. It was green. It was like oh! It took your breath away, literally.

Mike Koser (Lost Ballparks) 27:36 
That story and more on next week's loss ballparks

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Mike Koser

Host