War Memorial Stadium... "The Rockpile" Courtesy of Tim Maloney located in Buffalo New York Former home of the Buffalo Bisons! |
"LAST RITES Don Labbruzzo was, in fact, brought back, signed to a five-year contract
at $25,000 a year and given carte blanche to operate the team. "Don will have
a debt-free club," said the directors. Labbruzzo certainly had the credentials.
He had been at Syracuse for several years and had put that near-bankrupt operation
on a firm footing. Minor League Commissioner Phil Piton said he was "the
best front office and promotion man in the minors over the past 10 years." The
seven labors of Hercules were child's play compared to what Labbruzzo faced.
Problem number one was the stadium. Deciding there was no future for Buffalo baseball
at Hyde Park, he looked south to Lackawanna, where he found a willing ally
in Mayor Mark L. Balon. The Mayor proposed a $500,000 renovation of Lackawanna
Stadium, to bring it up to Triple-A standards. The Common Council rubber-stamped
the idea, but it was later batted down by a taxpayers' referendum. Labbruzzo
next tried to line up All-High Stadium, behind Bennett High School, and offered
to spend $50,000 to improve the lights and other facilities. But there was
too much opposition, and the School Board rejected the idea. So, it was back to
"The Old Rockpile." The Bisons, armed with a Montreal Expo working agreement and
with ex-Bison catching hero of 1940, Clyde McCullough, in charge, never had
a chance. The opening day crowd was only 1,319, one of the smallest in memory.
On June 2, and with the team at 9-27, the Bisons had played 13 games at home and
drawn just 9,204 fans. League officials met in New York on June 4 to discuss
the Buffalo situation. That afternoon the Buffalo franchise was forfeited and awarded
to the Expos, who subsequently transferred it to Winnipeg, Manitoba" *Buffalo
Bisons. |