Ghosts of Baseball Past...

If you have seen any of my Blips from the Spring and Summer, than you know that I am a big fan of baseball and it's history. In particular, I have always been intriqued by the 1969 Seattle Pilots team. I was a kid when they played their one, and ONLY, season here in Seattle before moving to Milwaukee to become the Brewers.

So what happened?

Despite, the antics described in the seminal baseball expose Ball Four by Pilot pitcher and author Jim Bouton, the fans simply didn't turn out for the games. The Pilots were an expansion team that charged the highest ticket prices in the League ($6!) and played poorly with a record of 64 Wins - 98 Losses. Ironically, this is a better record than the 2010 Mariners...

The biggest reason many believe that the Pilots filed bankruptcy and moved to Milwaukee was because of the stadium facilities. Sicks' Stadium was a minor league ballpark built in 1938 and expanded in 1969 for Major League play. However, even then it was still plagued with problems regarding seating, plumbing, and sightlines.

Eventually the stadium was demolished in the name of progress and a Lowe's Home Improvement Center now sits on the site of the old ballpark. In a generous show of support for local history, the store has marked the EXACT location of home plate and batters box which can be found just outside the main entrance. Although I couldn't find them, I also understand that First, Second, and Third bases were also once marked inside the store along with a small tribute containing some Pilots memoribilia.