JollyElm
03-21-2019, 04:37 PM
It's been many years, but when I was at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in Washington Heights, I checked out the plaque marking where home plate sat in Hilltop Park, home of the Highlanders (internet grab)...
348153
...and, of course, I counted out 90 feet down the left field line and stood where the famous Cobb sliding into third photo was shot. It was really cool thinking about that 'historic' moment!
But in standing at home plate, I saw that it faced the river, and I couldn't for the life of me understand how it used to be flat enough to house a ballfield. It's all downhill. This has always puzzled me. Plus, I recall the large hospital buildings were generally behind the plate, on the flatter land. I thought it weird the plate wasn't facing them.
But recently I was looking at old photos of Hilltop Park, and sure enough the plate faced the other way, inland, the way it should be (internet grab)...
348152
...so my question is simple. Am I just remembering it completely wrong? Is/was the home plate plaque (not sure if it's been replaced) facing the correct way at the site? Does anyone have any pics showing its orientation with the river in the background? I'd love to see them. (Sure wish I had a cell phone back then. Could've just used the compass to see which direction the plate faced.)
I sort of know already that I'm wrong, because how big of a screw-up would it have been to lay home plate facing the wrong direction? But I'd really love to know conclusively one way or the other, if anyone has photographic evidence to provide.
348153
...and, of course, I counted out 90 feet down the left field line and stood where the famous Cobb sliding into third photo was shot. It was really cool thinking about that 'historic' moment!
But in standing at home plate, I saw that it faced the river, and I couldn't for the life of me understand how it used to be flat enough to house a ballfield. It's all downhill. This has always puzzled me. Plus, I recall the large hospital buildings were generally behind the plate, on the flatter land. I thought it weird the plate wasn't facing them.
But recently I was looking at old photos of Hilltop Park, and sure enough the plate faced the other way, inland, the way it should be (internet grab)...
348152
...so my question is simple. Am I just remembering it completely wrong? Is/was the home plate plaque (not sure if it's been replaced) facing the correct way at the site? Does anyone have any pics showing its orientation with the river in the background? I'd love to see them. (Sure wish I had a cell phone back then. Could've just used the compass to see which direction the plate faced.)
I sort of know already that I'm wrong, because how big of a screw-up would it have been to lay home plate facing the wrong direction? But I'd really love to know conclusively one way or the other, if anyone has photographic evidence to provide.