Rooftop Bleachers At Citizens Bank Park Are A Blast From The Past
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Eighty years ago, Philadelphia was also facing St. Louis in baseball although it was different in all sorts of ways.
First of all it was the Philadelphia Athletics facing the Cardinals in the World Series. LaSalle professor emeritus of psychology Jack Rooney lived right across 20th Street from Shibe Park, and as a boy he was involved in giving fans an extra vantage point, and his family extra money.
"It did make a big difference because things were tight in those days and we charge for people to sit in the stand on our roof and also we had kind of bleachers in the front bedroom and charged people for that."
And he charged for hot dogs and keeping an eye on cars parked along the curb. A few years later, Shibe Park added what was called a "spite fence", 50 feet tall, to block the view. But at Citizens Bank Park, the Rooftop Bleachers section recalls those days. Rooney says the originals were closer to the action.
Reported by John Ostapkovich, KYW Newsradio
