Baseball Ground (9 Viewers)

[MalcSB]

A number of people said the pitch today was as bad as the Baseball Ground, it really wasn’t,

 

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[Hobo]

That is good for the Baseball ground

 

[ovduk78]

2nd picture is surely Wembley from 1970 cup final?

 

[Domo]

FoOtBaLl wAs BeTtEr BaCk tHeN

 

[MalcSB]

That is good for the Baseball ground

It is. The video is a bit more representative of how bad it could get.
Not quite so much AAATB in those days.

2nd picture is surely Wembley from 1970 cup final?

you may well be right, sorry about that. But it does put yesterdays pitch into proportion. Poor by today’s standards but nowhere near as bad as some were suggesting.

I was trying to work out who the players in white were. Looking at it through the lens of it being Leeds not Derby, the 9 is Mick Jones, 7 Peter Lorimer. I think the player extreme right is Alan Clarke And the one more central but furthest away probably Paul Madeley.

AI Overview
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The Derby County's Baseball Ground was infamous for its perpetually muddy pitch due to the playing area being below street level, leading to drainage problems and the pitch being "like putting water in a saucer of flour".

Here's a more detailed explanation:

• Below street level:
  The playing area at the Baseball Ground was situated below street level, which created significant drainage issues.
  
  
• Pitch preparation:
  The pitch's rotavation, a method of preparing the soil, was reportedly not ideal, contributing to the muddy conditions. Bob Smith, the groundsman at the Baseball Ground, described the pitch as being like putting water in a saucer of flour and it becoming gooey.
  
  
• Watering for big games:
  Brian Clough, the manager of Derby County, supposedly grew fond of the wet pitch, believing it suited his team's playing style. He reportedly flooded the pitch for major matches, even though the reserves' pitch was dry.
  
  
• Memorable incidents:
  A memorable incident occurred in 1977 when a penalty spot disappeared into the mud during a game against Manchester City. The referee had to call on the groundsman to mark a new spot with whitewash.
  
  
• No Grass:
  Players from opposing teams have described the pitch as having no grass, and it was simply mud and sand.

 

[olderskyblue]

The pitch was also higher in the middle than down the sides. Watching from the sideline, you couldn’t see the ball on the other wings.

 

[Hobo]

Lots of grounds had pitches that sloped in one direction or another. Aston Villa wasn't a great surface either in the 70's

 

[ovduk78]

Lots of grounds had pitches that sloped in one direction or another. Aston Villa wasn't a great surface either in the 70's

HR had a slope as well. I remember the pitch was shocking in 87/88 season and there were many matches on a pitch that resembled a beach or building site.

 

[Joy Division]

St James Park still has a slope towards the Gallowgate end, Sheffield Wednesday too towards the Kop

 

[olderskyblue]

Lots of grounds had pitches that sloped in one direction or another. Aston Villa wasn't a great surface either in the 70's

That’s not the kind of slope the baseball ground had. It didn’t slope from one end to the other, it sloped from the middle of the pitch to both sides

 

[duffer]

That’s not the kind of slope the baseball ground had. It didn’t slope from one end to the other, it sloped from the middle of the pitch to both sides

I'm sure it felt like I spent my entire (undistinguished) Sunday league career playing uphill and against the wind. I just can't figure out how it always happened both halves.

Quite a few older grounds ended up with a 'crown' in the middle, didn't they? I thought it was because the centre of the pitches get more wear, so end up being repaired/re-turfed more often than the edges.

 

[Hobo]

That’s not the kind of slope the baseball ground had. It didn’t slope from one end to the other, it sloped from the middle of the pitch to both sides

Well it was originally used for baseball, hence the name baseball ground.

 

[Shannerz]

HR had a slope as well. I remember the pitch was shocking in 87/88 season and there were many matches on a pitch that resembled a beach or building site.

My first game was that season, a 0-0 with Charlton on a pitch that was essentially a bog.

Here's a video of what it looked like in an earlier game:

 

[ovduk78]

My first game was that season, a 0-0 with Charlton on a pitch that was essentially a bog.

Here's a video of what it looked like in an earlier game:

I think this is from later in the season

 

[Legia Sky Blue]

Those pitches were the main reason so much football then was long ball.

 

[The Great Eastern]

Dont forget that there was also huge amounts of steam that drifted over one end of the pitch from a foundry next door to the stadium. Some say it added to the atmosphere...
A genuinely awful experience going to the Baseball Ground.
Until recent times, it held the record attendance for a womens match. Cant find the actual number or date online but recall it being 30k or more. Perhaps somebody can help me out ?

 

[Shannerz]

I think this is from later in the season

Ridiculous.

Also, that was pretty much the start of the end of Dave Bennett's career, wasn't it. Huge shame, he was a player.

 

[oscillatewildly]

That’s not the kind of slope the baseball ground had. It didn’t slope from one end to the other, it sloped from the middle of the pitch to both sides

Isn't that known as a 'camber'? Ironically, to help with drainage.

 

[torchomatic]

 

[Captain Dart]

Isn't that known as a 'camber'? Ironically, to help with drainage.

Now that's what I call a slope.

 

[Bernie Rhodes Nose]

It is. The video is a bit more representative of how bad it could get.
Not quite so much AAATB in those days.

you may well be right, sorry about that. But it does put yesterdays pitch into proportion. Poor by today’s standards but nowhere near as bad as some were suggesting.

I was trying to work out who the players in white were. Looking at it through the lens of it being Leeds not Derby, the 9 is Mick Jones, 7 Peter Lorimer. I think the player extreme right is Alan Clarke And the one more central but furthest away probably Paul Madeley.

AI Overview
Learn more

The Derby County's Baseball Ground was infamous for its perpetually muddy pitch due to the playing area being below street level, leading to drainage problems and the pitch being "like putting water in a saucer of flour".

Here's a more detailed explanation:

• Below street level:
  The playing area at the Baseball Ground was situated below street level, which created significant drainage issues.
  
  
• Pitch preparation:
  The pitch's rotavation, a method of preparing the soil, was reportedly not ideal, contributing to the muddy conditions. Bob Smith, the groundsman at the Baseball Ground, described the pitch as being like putting water in a saucer of flour and it becoming gooey.
  
  
• Watering for big games:
  Brian Clough, the manager of Derby County, supposedly grew fond of the wet pitch, believing it suited his team's playing style. He reportedly flooded the pitch for major matches, even though the reserves' pitch was dry.
  
  
• Memorable incidents:
  A memorable incident occurred in 1977 when a penalty spot disappeared into the mud during a game against Manchester City. The referee had to call on the groundsman to mark a new spot with whitewash.
  
  
• No Grass:
  Players from opposing teams have described the pitch as having no grass, and it was simply mud and sand.

Think Chelsea players are David Webb, Eddie McCreadie and Chopper Harris.