Plattsburgh’s Old Ball Game

From Ryan Hayner at the Plattsburgh Press Republican on August 22, with quotes from SABR member Dick Leyden:

From 1901 to 1906, Plattsburgh was one of several towns to field a team in the Northern League, at first recognized by the National League but eventually branded as “outlaw” when it wouldn’t adhere to certain rules.

And Plattsburgh had the premiere ballpark in the league, Clinton Park, which is now is nothing more than a well-manicured field off the shores of Lake Champlain.

For decades, its true location was a mystery.

Dick Leyden has made it his goal to research the league that saw nearly 100 major leaguers pass through, some of them on their way to Hall of Fame careers.

Leyden, a commercial artist, fly fisherman and baseball historian from South Hero, Vt., gave a short presentation about Clinton Park Wednesday to the Plattsburgh Rotary Club.

A longtime member of the Society for American Baseball Research, Leyden decided to research and write a book on the league in 1997 after finishing “The Northern Game and Beyond: Baseball in New England and Eastern Canada” with other research society members.

In order to learn more about Clinton Park — and find where it once stood — Leyden spent two weeks in the area during the spring scouring libraries, archives and following through with lead after lead.

Read the full article here: http://pressrepublican.com/0300_sports/x151679632/Plattsburghs-old-ball-game



Originally published: August 22, 2011. Last Updated: August 22, 2011.