Muzzy Field

Few ballparks still in use today can boast of hosting both Babe Ruth and Vince Lombardi during their playing days. Muzzy Field in Bristol, Connecticut, is one of them. In Muzzy Field, author Douglas S. Malan retells the stories of the events and people who shaped this municipal ballpark that is so rich in history. Tucked away in the woodsy corner of a public park located within the once-gilded boundaries of a manufacturing city, Muzzy Field’s illustrious history began as a charitable land donation in 1912. With the financial backing of the sports-minded management at New Departure Manufacturing, the field became home to one of the area’s strongest semiprofessional baseball teams; it also welcomed some of the greatest athletes who played the game—from Ruth to Martín Dihigo and dozens of Hall of Fame athletes. From its earliest days, the colorful stories of the great barnstorming era of professional sports defined what has become a grand old dame of New England ballparks. With photos included, Muzzy Field relates the long legacy and the fascinating stories of a field that many never knew existed. They are tales from a forgotten ballpark.