Stadium Is Down To Its Final Out

Jack Russell Jr., center, Jack Russell III, right), and Jack Russell IV, left, stand in the Clearwater stadium named for Jack Russell Sr. The stadium is being renovated.

By JULIE BUSCH / Tribune

By STEVE KORNACKI The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 16, 2007

CLEARWATER - A big part of this city's baseball history is scheduled to meet the wrecking ball next week.

The grandstand and much of the infrastructure at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium is slated to come down. Its aluminum seats already are gone, and some of the railings have fallen to the concrete floor.

It was the spring training home to the Philadelphia Phillies and stars such as Robin Roberts, Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt from 1955 to 2003. The Rolling Stones played an abbreviated concert here in 1965, and the legendary Clearwater Bombers men's fast-pitch softball national champions called it home.

It was named for Jack Erwin Russell, a 15-year Major League veteran who made the 1934 American League All-Star team with the Washington Senators, pitched in two World Series and served up Babe Ruth's 477th home run. He settled in Clearwater after his playing career, becoming a Union Oil Co. distributor and Clearwater Chamber of Commerce president. He died 17 years ago.

"We miss my grandfather and we're going to miss the stadium as well," said Jack E. Russell III, 46, a Clearwater banker. "But we've got to let it go some time. You hate to see history go by the wayside, but that's progress."

The Phillies vacated the facility southwest of downtown in 2003, moving to Bright House Field just off U.S. 19. It since has been home to Clearwater High School's baseball team, the Winning Inning Baseball Academy and others. The field, dugouts, bleachers, batting cages and the two-story office in the right field corner will remain.

"I hit my only Florida State League homer here over the right field wall for the St. Petersburg Cardinals," said Roy Silver, who runs the baseball academy here. "I'll continue to have memories here, as many will. But when the [grandstand] structure comes down, part of that goes away."

Wednesday, before meeting his father and son at the ballpark, Jack Russell III finally was able to find two of the thousands of aluminum seats ripped out last week.

"They'll go in the patio or garage, maybe even the living room," Russell said.

Stadium Dedication Was A Surprise

Jack E. Russell Jr., 71, chuckled when recalling the day his father was surprised by having the stadium named for him.

"I was in college then," he said. "My dad had helped get it built for the Phillies and we talked after the dedication game. He said, 'It was an embarrassing night, Jack. I wasn't going to go, but your mother dragged me there and they named it for me!'"

He was 85 when he died in Clearwater in 1990.

Russell was teammates with National Baseball Hall of Fame members such as Joe Cronin, Heinie Manush and Goose Goslin of the Senators and Chicago Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett. He gave up only one run in 12 innings of World Series competition for the Cubs and Senators, but it was a 10th-inning, game-winning solo homer to New York Giants Hall of Fame member Mel Ott. He faced Ruth, the New York Yankees legend, many times, giving up one of his 714 homers on May 19, 1929, while pitching for the Boston Red Sox.

"Dad said Babe Ruth was kind of a jerk," said Russell Jr., a retired business advertising director.

The family enjoyed taking in spring training and Florida State League games at the stadium over the years and signed autographs for about 30 fans after the final spring training game there in 2003 against the New York Yankees.

Players Have Fond Memories

Robin Roberts, who started as pitcher in the first spring training game here in 1955 against the Detroit Tigers and tossed out the ceremonial first pitch at the last game, said the stadium was "state of the art" when it opened.

"We felt spoiled by it when it was new," said Roberts, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976 after winning 286 games and lives in Temple Terrace. "We had been working out at a recreation field and this place was elaborate.

"I threw out the first and last pitch at Jack Russell, and that was special."

Edmon Rakipi, a 2005 Clearwater High graduate and a varsity baseball team first baseman and outfielder, said he and his teammates relished playing home games at Jack Russell in 2004 and 2005.

"It was pretty awesome and made us feel pretty special, knowing Mike Schmidt played here and all the history of the place," said Rakipi, 19, who will attend Greensboro (N.C.) College in the fall and play baseball there. "It's going to be sad when it's gone, and it just won't feel the same."

Safety became an issue as the stadium aged, and a section of it collapsed in 2001. City officials opted to shore it up just long enough to get the Phillies through their final seasons at the park.

Jack E. Russell IV, 12, who goes by the nickname of Jackson, plays Little League baseball in Clearwater and enjoyed romping around the park named for his great-grandfather.

"People kind of recognize all of us by name because of the stadium," Jackson said. "My class came here to a Phillies minor league game and we had a lot of fun."

He returned from a stadium treasure hunt to inform his grandfather that "they still have the phone line to the bullpen" in place and handed him a sign that read, "Section Closed."

His grandfather patted him on the back, smiled, and said, "You've got that right, Jackson."

Reporter Steve Kornacki can be reached at (813) 731-8170 or skornacki@tampatrib.com.