The NLCS is in full swing, with the winner ready to take on the Detroit Tigers. I never thought I would be in favor of a wild card team and a league championship series, but it is part of the game now, just like the DH in the AL.
I always wondered why the DH was never approved for the NL, especially since Commissioner Selig has consolidated the umpires and interleague play has been so popular. Shouldn't all the teams be playing each other on a level playing field?
There was no level playing field at Sulphur Dell. The right fielder, if standing at the base of the fence, stood 22 1/2 feet above the playing field. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? The story goes that Phil Weintraub, playing the 'porch' back in the 30s, ran down the slope to field a hard-hit grounder, only to have it go between his legs. As he turned to run up the hill to retrieve the ball, it had bounded off the fence and once again went between his legs. Finally grabbing the ball on his way back down the hill, he overthrew the third baseman to attempt to make a play on the batter who had rounded second, allowing him to score. Weintraub took three errors on the same play.
As told by Nashville's Mr. Baseball, Junie McBride, Weintraub claimed that a player couldn't make three errors on one play, but the scorer said one could.
In the late 50s the owners of the Nashville Vols talked about leveling Sulphur Dell to make it easier for players to navigate the outfield, but it never happened. It is good that it didn't, as the stories such as told about Weintraub are treasures that only add to the mystique and memories of the old ballpark.
