Just think, Lou was able to have a successful career despite having to play in an out-of-date ballpark.

And that means you weren't here whan Luis Tiant was pitching for the Beavers (maybe '64 or '65). Those were good years.

Not to mention the great Willie Horton, signed, I believe, at the same time as Luis Tiant.

I worked near Civic Stadium in 1980-81, and have one of Willie Horton's signature Louisville Slugger bats. It cracked during batting practice, and a teammate gave it to me "for good luck." I keep it by the door...

Not to mention the great Willie Horton, signed, I believe, at the same time as Luis Tiant.

I think Willie Horton played in about 1980 or 1981 for the Beavers, after winding up his career in the majors with Seattle. It must be odd to finish your career in the minors after playing for more than a decade in the bigs.

(And just to point out for others, this is NOT the same Willie Horton that Michael Dukakis turned loose.)

Tiant was here in '64 and again in 1981, which was also the year Willie Horton played here.

Back when Piniella played here, the stadium was way more baseball-friendly than it is now. They had the old wooden bleachers in left field, and a nice array of old-fashioned, field-level box seats. There were also concession stands and restrooms under the grandstands, which meant the stadium could actually deal with crowds over 10,000, not that this was a recurring problem.

The Beavers in the 60s also had the great "Sudden" Sam McDowell; I believe he may have been there between Sweet Lou and Luis, but I'm not sure.

I saw Tiant here in the early '80s. He was tuning up for a comeback, which I believe he made.

I ran into him again a decade ago in Great Falls, Montana, where he was the pitching coach for the Single-A Dodgers. A magic minor league ballpark, and a great moment for me.

I played youth baseball in Parkrose with Nick Mariana, Jr, whose dad coached the Great Falls Dodgers and took film of two "flying saucers" over the ballfield in the early 1950s:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Falls_Dodgers

And this little tidbit from Tiant's Wikipedia posting (it almost sounds like somebody vandalized the site):

Tiant served as the head coach for the baseball team at the Savannah College of Art and Design from 1998-2001 where he posted a record of 55-97 with a .366 winning percentage.