Demolishing Edmonds Field in Sacramento

Learn how a year after winning the Pacific Coast Championship the Solons had become the worse team, also learn how Edmonds Field was burnt down and after being rebuilt demolished.

The History of Baseball in Sacramento Part 6/7 Male: By 1943, the war effort had decimated the Solons. Male: Most of the good players were sent on other places or were washed to draft. So in the 1943 Solons were complete turns around to 1942. We want the championship in 1942 and 1942. We set the record for the worse league gather in the Pacific Coast league. Male: When I saw as few as 200 fans in Edmund’s Field watching a ball games. A closed ball game, I knew that there were some bad days ahead. Male: But the worse was yet to come. Male: Well, there was a day in Sacramento when Edmund’s Field burned in July of 1948. I still have people coming up to me and saying that will have our standing in front of their house while watching the smoke in the flames from the field burning down. Male: The team hadn’t been performing well either on the field or financially and before the amber is cooled rumors started to swirl. Male: The conspiracy was that the ball club was loosing money. Male: There was speculation that it might have our son. There was a suggestion that the team management had increased their insurance just a few weeks before the fire. Male: they moved it from one 140 up to $250,000.00 in charge in case something happened. Well, something did happen. Male: And they are still doubt about this fire. Today most people discount the Arts and theory believing it was simply an accident but on the other hand most people don’t believe that the one person who claims to off accidentally start the fire could it possibly done. Stan: Really, I’ll make my public confession again. I wish smoking cigarette, drinking the beer and watching the game and when I went to ground the cigarette. My shoe instead of stamping it out keep to just enough so it fell down on the crack and I could see the cigarette but resting along a big 12 by 12 beam surrounded by peanut gels and I poured a little bit of beer down. I thought maybe that will put in out and I have to admit I didn’t want to waste to much beer because beer cause 15 cents of bottle. Male: Stan likes to stand Stan. Male: I heard other people say that they’re pretty sure Stan start that fire but you have to ask stand that question. Stan: Lower ground was plenty wet, there was no reason for the wood to taken off by a cigarette. There was small during down there. Male: But why Mr. Gilliam did wait so many years to tell people his story. Stan: I’m on the way for the statue to limitation to run out I guess. Now, I really do think that I was the one who un-wittingly burned the ball park. Male: A new stadium with soon be built concrete this time but even bricks and mother couldn’t say if the team in 1958 from the bigger threat to the west and the south. Male: When the giants came to San Francisco and the dodgers came to Los Angeles. That marks the end of the Pacifica league as we know. Male: As much as people love baseball. We want a bit enough market and did win enough ball games to keep the Solon in town from 1960 season. So as the sad day, lot of people who quiet sad to see the Solons. Male: The Solons moved to Hawaii and eventually Colorado springs where they became the sky socks that still played to this day and by 1964 the near 1oo year history of professional base ball in Sacramento to an end when Edmund’s was demolished.