Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-10-05
C0M|SkEY PARK AND
The POLO GROUNDS

New York, Oct "A comparison of
Comtskey Park, Chicago and the Polo
Grounds, New York, where the World
Series of 1917 will be played between
the White Sox and the Giants shows
that these two baseball ampi;heatres
the amongst the largest most COM
modious in the country. The West
ern park has, the larger playing field
while the New York grounds byil
seat between two and three thousand
more spectators. Under certain con-
ditions long hits into the Polo Grounds
stands will go for home runs while
at Chicago these same hits should re-
suit in put-outs providing the out
fielders play deep enough.
Both parks possess features which
will be turned to advantage by the
home player. although the American
League team will have the edge in
this respect. The members of the
New York Nationals have never play
ed at Comiskey Park and are therefore
unfamiliar With the pecularitics Of the
field. The White Sox, on the other
hand, have played the New York Amer
leans at the Polo Grounds for several
veal anu dLc dS iHuCn DIT fiCIle tDciS
as any Nationl League team which
meets the Giants on the lattcr's home
diamond in several series each sea-
son.
So far as the seating capacity Is con-
Cerned the Polo Grounds will accommo-
date about three thousand more spec
tators than Comiskey Park but the
total gate receipts will not differ to any
great extent. owing to the fact that
there will be a far greater sale Of
box seats in Chicago than in New
York. The capacity in round figures
and price Of seats in each division
of the stands are as follows: Comiskey
Park: bleachers, 5000 at fifty cents:
pavilion 5000 at one dollar each:
grand stand 5000 at one dollar and q
half each; box seats 10000 at Ave dol
lars each; total "a, 900 seats for S74, $50:
Polo Grounds bleachers seats 1850 at
one dollar each: $4,000 unreserved grand
stand seats a two dollars each: 5000
reserved grand stand seats at three
dollars each: 1,400 box seats at six and
a quarter dollars each; total $1,000
seats for s74,950
White Sox Park" in Chicago. is one
of the most elaborate baseball parks
, in the country. At the time it was
built in 1910 it was declared to be a
baseball palace" and since that time
several other baseball clubs have
erected stands along the lines Of Com
iskey's creation.
The park is located at West 35tb
street and Shields avenue, and Is
reached from all parts of the city, by
elevated and surface linee and numer-
Gus boulevards. The playing field is
laid out with the home plate in the
southwest corner of the field, thus
allowing the batter to face northeast
and making right field the "sun gard
en-" The distance behind the plate
to the first row Of boxes in the grand
stand is 80 feet The distance down the
right and left field foul lines from the
home plate to the bleachers fence is ss2
feet. From home plate to the center
field fence Is $50 feet
In comparison to these measure
ments the Polo Grounds affords much
less in playing space, Chicago being
much the more extensive. To begin
with the distance behind the plate
20 the front Of the New York grand
stand Is So feet which Is 10 feet less
than the like territory at Comiskey
Park. From the home plate to tho
center field bieacher at the Giants
ground the measurement is 420 feet
Just 20 feet less than at the home ,f
the White Sox. In width the Chicago
field "a much more extensive than at
New York. There the right and left
field foul lines from the plate to the
hieachers measure 2s2 feet on each
side, while at the Polo Grounds the
left field line to the bleachers is only
274 and the right field line from plate TO
grandstana Is even shorter, the exact
measurement being only psf feet The
probability Of long hits on the Now
York ground being productive OF
home runs. is therefore. much greater