Joyce Park II

From BR Bullpen

Joyce Park II in Keokuk, IA was home to the following teams: Keokuk Indians, Mississippi Valley League (1929-1933), Western League (1935), Keokuk Pirates, Central Association (1947-1949), Keokuk Kernels, Three-I League (1952-1957), Keokuk Cardinals, Midwest League (1958-1961), Keokuk Dodgers, Midwest League (1962) . It had a seating capacity of 2,450.

The various Keokuk amateur and professional teams played at Joyce Park from 1929–1962. The park had dimensions of (LF-CF-RF): 320-381-265 (1961). Gus Bell, Tim McCarver and Roger Maris were notable Keokuk players who performed at Joyce Park. [1]

On September 9, 1931 the Keokuk Indians played an exhibition game at Joyce Park against the St. Louis Cardinals squad, then famously nicknamed the Gashouse Gang.[2]

In 1958, the team intentionally placed a hidden live microphone under home plate. This microphone would broadcast the players' talking live over the stadium PA system. Conversations within thirty feet of the microphone could be heard. The first use of the microphone occurred on May 16, 1958. However, the use of foul language led to discontinuing the microphone. National magazines Grit (June 1, 1958) and Popular Science (August, 1958) featured stories on the Microphone experiment.[3][4][5]

Previous to Joyce Park, early Keokuk teams played at Hubinger Park, beginning in 1904 . It was located at North 15th Street & Grand Avenue. The 1875 Keokuk Westerns of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players had played at Perry Park Iowa.[6] The 1885 Omaha/Keokuk team of the Western League played at Sportsman's Park located at 15th Street & Palean Street. Due to no Sunday baseball by law, the 1885 team would take a ferry across to Illinois to play at High Banks Park.[7][8][9][10]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/park.cgi?id=IA025
  2. ↑ http://www.keokuk.net/baseball/#1931
  3. ↑ http://www.keokuk.net/baseball/#1931
  4. ↑ http://www.dailygate.com/sports/article_58bcd5bf-7e8d-5923-8f38-9975bbef11b3.html
  5. ↑ http://chapters.sabr.org/fieldofdreams/iowa-baseball-project/14-the-keokuk-cardinals-1958-1961
  6. ↑ http://www.dailygate.com/article_68204216-111d-11e5-b5ee-73529d33ab75.html
  7. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/park.cgi?id=IA023
  8. ↑ http://www.keokuk.net/baseball/1885Keokuks.htm
  9. ↑ http://www.keokuk.net/baseball/
  10. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/park.cgi?id=IA024
Retrieved from "https://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/index.php?title=Joyce_Park_II&oldid=1220939"