  Harpernottingham Member Username: Harpernottingham Post Number: 416 Registered: 04-2006 |
I was at the State Fair today and wandered into the abandoned Softball City Information Office. I wish I'd had a camera with me. That place was pretty trashed, but fascinating to see. It struck me from the outside as a sort of gangster hideout. I noticed a sign on the door that read "Not Responsible for Pitchers Left in Upper Deck." Anybody know what that means? And what became of Softball City anyway? | ||
Leannam1989 Member Username: Leannam1989 Post Number: 47 Registered: 06-2008 |
Upper Deck makes baseball (as well as other sports) cards and other trading cards. http://www.upperdeck.com/ Maybe you're supposed to take all the pitchers' cards out of there? :shrug: | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 545 Registered: 08-2007 |
This whole site answers and brings up more questions. A co-worker of mine was just talking about Softball City, never did ask why it shut down. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 702 Registered: 07-2007 |
This implies it's part of the state-owned property at the Fairgrounds. I didn't know that: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/a pps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2008 0512/SUB/805120373 | ||
Terryh Member Username: Terryh Post Number: 916 Registered: 11-2006 |
I want to play some ball before the summer is over. Any leagues? Where is a good place to get a game started? | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8633 Registered: 11-2004 |
I played ball there ages ago. For the amount of teams that place could accommodate it was great; there were church leagues, beer leagues, co-ed teams, and every configuration you could come up with. But as far as facilities go, the infield was gravel and hard as concrete. Go to a real ball diamond like Liberty in Sterling Heights or the one in Canton and they groom the fields there and actually have a substrate worth playing on. The outfields were always ankle twisters and the bounces were always an adventure. No one ever dared sliding at Softball City in fear of leaving half their thigh in the dust but it was interesting watching the trains go by in the outfield from time to time. It had great location but unfortunately it was never kept up as well as it should've been. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 655 Registered: 09-2007 |
Harpernottingham....Mass quantities of beer was consumed there; perhaps that would explain the sign referencing pitchers: A. 48-ounce plastic pitchers B. 250-pound pitchers who passed-out from drinking too much beer | ||
Genesyxx Member Username: Genesyxx Post Number: 915 Registered: 02-2004 |
I agree with smogboy, it was a great place to go, but it could have been better. Guess we'll never know now. | ||
Blksoul_x Member Username: Blksoul_x Post Number: 305 Registered: 06-2007 |
Softball city was one of the great inner-city ball parks in the country. Softball city is at legendary status for most old heads from all over. In other-words everyone has some type of classic story about playing at the 'City'. I believe the legendary professional Softball team, 'The Detroit Ceaser's played or practiced at the 'City'....of course, owned at operated by the one and only Mike Ilitch! I played tournament ball at the 'City' a few times before the park closed. World Tournaments where often held at the park. My father was a legend of some sort at the City, Big Dough-Belly-Bill (also a proud member of the Negro Leagues Cincinnati Clowns), was known to have hit some launched rocket shots 400 or so feet in distance at the 'City' Smogboy, I hear ya' about the gravel infields(bad, bad, bad!)...but then, many national ball parks from that era went to a gravel infield foundation...assuming, gravel was cheaper to care and maintain, and ultimately gravel could hold-off the weather element a bit better, so then ideally, parks could get many games in, and limit cancellations. I think, like many state owned parks and recreation institutions in Detroit, The 'City' was victim to the all-mighty-dollar! As far as parks for leagues, Liberty, Canton, Jayne Field(Detroit), Rotunda, will soon start fall league schedules. I would suggest contacting those parks for info about playing or teams looking for players. blksoul-atcha! founding member of the BJL Obama 08' | ||
English Member Username: English Post Number: 790 Registered: 10-2003 |
Softball City!•••• My little sister played for the PAL league, and my Dad played for the post office. Good times!  | ||
Downtown_lady Member Username: Downtown_lady Post Number: 113 Registered: 08-2008 |
Hi Blksoul...how interesting to hear that about your father! I'll bet he had some great stories from his days in Cincinnati. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 8635 Registered: 11-2004 |
There was a time once when I was playing in multiple leagues- one was at Softball City and Suburban Softball out in Rochester Hills (when gas was obviously a lot less expensive!). I use to remember after a heavy rain how the water would puddle on the Softball City's fields and would take forever to drain OR someone from the grounds crew would actually carve a ditch at or near the diamond to help with drainage. Suburban's fields were actually sculpted in such a way that the water drained off simply to the edges and away from the diamonds. Not that Suburban's fields didn't have its own issues (built over a dump) but it was a huge contrast for me seeing the management of their playing surfaces. | ||
Downriviera Member Username: Downriviera Post Number: 912 Registered: 02-2008 |
I saw the King and his Court 4 man team play there. They spanked a beer league allstar team silly. | ||
Hornwrecker Member Username: Hornwrecker Post Number: 2062 Registered: 04-2005 |
I seem to remember something about the GT railroad wanting to expand the intermodal yard across 8 Mile Rd. Not sure if Softball City went tits up first, or if they lost their lease due to the train thing. I think the yard expansion got shot down after a few meetings with the local residents, the same type of thing that killed the race track idea at the fair grounds. | ||
Sludgedaddy Member Username: Sludgedaddy Post Number: 126 Registered: 01-2008 |
The hookers lined up outside the Last Chance on the way to Softball City were also a sight to see...all colors...all sizes.....all for the right price....just like Cheech Marin spoke of in that vampire movie which I now forget the name of. | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 553 Registered: 08-2007 |
Dusk till Dawn |
