About Me
Greetings, let's talk about me. I am Carl Bennett and I look at myself as a, seasoned (Short for over 60), baseball fan. I became a charter member of Baseball-Fandom at about the age of 10 where I first discovered this glorious game.
I have been happily married for over 40 years and hope I can make it to 80 (She is a Keeper). It may sound a little cliché but I married the girl next door, yes that really does still happen. We are a family of three with a son just entering college (Oh Boy!)
I can remember watching the grownups (Mostly the men) sit around and listen to a baseball game over the radio and later watch them act like kids when they saw a game on TV for the first time (Did I say I was seasoned).
Watching these, otherwise normal, grownups transform into rabbit baseball fans with the playing of this funny game mystified me. There reaction to a simple baseball game captivated me and I have loved everything about the game ever since.
It was that love of baseball that guided me to the building of this website and Blog. I am a one man show and author all of the content on this site.
You may ask, why the heck would you build a information site about Baseball Fields? Haven’t you seen Wikipedia, Google, Ask, or any of the other big time info sites? Yes I have and that fact does, sometimes, cause me to have some sleepless nights. However I have learned that there is plenty of room for quality content out here on the internet, as long as I keep it real.
I am not a historian and I do not claim to be one. What I do offer is quality research on the topics you have been asking for. I offer you an opportunity to look back and visit some of the greatest baseball stadiums from our past and it won't cost you a thing. I am your everyday, run-of-the-mill, baseball fan, just like you. Here I share the fruits of my research just because I love this game (Or maybe I just like to hear myself talk).
My Background;
I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and relocated to Stockton, California at age 7. I was a chubby little kid at age 10 and, like others kids that age, was searching for confidence and acceptance from my peers. Baseball proved to be the perfect vehicle to learn social skills and gain personal confidence.
To me baseball is a microcosm of real life and lessons learned which offer solutions to problems encountered in the real world. Things like patience, perseverance, work ethics, humility, teamwork, sportsmanship, how to win and how to lose, are all universal lessons that builds personal character.
I must have had a little bit of talent because baseball scouts started to come to watch me play. I was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles out of high school and went on to Junior Collage to play two more years. I was later drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and immediately jumped on a plan to sunny Florida for spring training.
Baseball offered me, a young no named kid from central California, a chance to learn from a young coach named Sparky Anderson (A great human being). I was invited to a play on the same field with players like, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Pedro Borbon, Lee May, Bobby Tolan, David Concepcion, Wayne Simpson, Tony Perez, Hal McRae, Don Gullett and Gary Nolan (I still get goose bumps).
I never made it to the big leagues but the experience was priceless. It was that collection of experiences that fueled my thrust for more information about this game called baseball.
With my playing days behind me it was time to go to work. I have enjoyed a successful business career that has spanned over 36 year. Starting in Manufacturing and later moving into wholesale distribution management. Much of what I learned playing the game of baseball helped guide me through many of the challenges found in my professional business career.
Return to Baseball;
It is true what they say about parents living vicariously through the lives of their children. Try as I might I still could not have been happier to see my son pick up a baseball and bat.
Now instead of playing baseball I was now coaching baseball and coaching youth baseball. From ages 7 through 15 I coached every team that my son played on. It wasn't until he entered high school that took a back seat and became a classic baseball dad
The eight years of coaching youth baseball, however, really opened my eyes to the need for sharing the history behind this wonderful game of baseball. It was from the mouths of these youngsters that the idea for the building this website was born.
During one of my practices I used Johnny Bench’s name in a metaphor to illustrate a throwing technique to second base. Much to my surprise the player’s response to my coaching technique was to ask, Who is Johnny Bench? I knew then that there was an endless wave of eager young fans coming with questions about the history of baseball.
At Aplussportsandmore-fanshop-baseballfield (what was I thinking when I came up the that name) I have done extensive research on all of the best known as well as many of the not so best known professional baseball stadiums built in the United States. Starting with Elysians Field and the all Wooden, baseball parks that followed, to the high tech 21st Century, retractable-roof, marvels like the beautiful Marlins Stadium in Miami, Fl.
Each page is offered in a reference quality format with content written from a sports fans point of view. This site will always be a work in progress as I would be less than honest if I didn't admit that I am ultimately trying to build an online business.
All of the content offered is free to everyone and I will never cost you anything to consume. I hope you enjoy and invite you to come back often.
If you have come this far take a couple of minutes to watch this short video. These are the things that make Dad Proud.
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