Former New York Yankees GM Sounded Off On Quigley Stadium's Conditions Before Relocating
- Dominic Konareski
- 34 minutes ago
- 2 min read
In an era where extravagant world-class minor league stadiums were nonexistent, there were still modest expectations that the New York Yankees had when they moved their Double-AA farm team from Manchester, New Hampshire, to West Haven, Connecticut.
Former Yankees GM Lee MacPhail said that “A lot of work needs to be done around here,” when he referred to then 25-year-old ballpark that was Quigley Stadium. The city of West Haven, which took ownership of the stadium in 1951, reluctantly agreed to make $30,000 in renovations – roughly $160K in today’s economy – to what was a very ill-equipped ballpark.
The Yankees clubhouse was a small building along the first base line. Inside featured a singular toilet which lacked a surrounding stall for a period of time. There were also only two showers in the clubhouse shared amongst the entire team that frequently ran out of hot water.
The West Haven manager’s office wasn’t any better as it was a simple trailer that housed coaches and training rooms with a small laundry hookup.
Quigley’s iconic wooden bleachers were slabbed with numerous layers of paint, which could be compared to the current state of the Yale Bowl wooden seats.
Playing conditions were subpar at best with the clay being rolled over instead of replaced to save money. By doing this it prevented proper drainage, leading to flooding in the dugouts whenever it rained.
In New York’s final season with the West Haven affiliation, MacPhail, who was now serving as American League President, came down to Allingtown and took a walk around the stadium and through the depths of Quigley’s outfield. MacPhail was appalled, saying that the stadium and conditions were “an absolute disgrace” and that the Yankees were out of West Haven.
Sure enough that 1979 season was the Yanks' last in Connecticut, relocating the affiliation to Nashville, Tennessee, as the West Haven franchise moved to Massachusetts and later landed in Ohio, becoming the Akron RubberDucks.
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