Ghosts of Brooklyn Dodgers still linger in old neighborhood but memories fade: ‘They don’t know how special Ebbets Field was’

The ghosts of “Dem Bums” still linger successful Brooklyn.

It’s been decades since nan Brooklyn Dodgers near nan subways and New York City for nan highways and Chavez Ravine successful California — but shot fans and locals haven’t forgotten nan team’s East Coast roots.

As LA was trying to sound retired nan rival Yankees successful nan World Series pinch a commanding 3-0 lead successful nan bid Tuesday, shot fans were flocking to Flatbush astatine nan tract of nan Dodgers’ aged location stadium to measurement connected a “home plate” monument wherever Brooklyn legends for illustration Jackie Robinson erstwhile stepped into nan batter’s box.

“This is 1 of nan past items connected my bucket list,” said retiree and US Air Force seasoned Larry Nelson, 74, who was successful municipality from Portland, Oregon.

“I came present to measurement connected location plate,” he added. “To spot wherever Ebbets Field was earlier it was torn down.”

Ebbets Field was converted to lodging projects aft nan Dodgers played their last location crippled successful nan borough successful 1957, but nan monument still attracts visitors regularly — particularly erstwhile nan Dodgers are successful town, said Ezra Asket, a 28-year-old attraction head astatine Ebbets Field Apartments.

“I springiness them a bat truthful they tin return a image pinch it astatine nan plate,” Asket said. “You know, to thief them remember. Some of them mightiness person travel present arsenic kids, nan older gentleman,”

On Tuesday, up of nan Dodgers and Yankees crippled astatine Yankee Stadium crowds of 2 aliases 3 group were coming each half hour, he said.

Despite being autochthonal to Wisconsin, Asket has done what he tin to study astir nan grounds history, but continues to beryllium blown distant by nan fans who look to cognize it all.

“I cognize nan history,” he said. “I really learned it from nan group who travel present astir erstwhile they tore nan stadium down and erstwhile they built this, these flat buildings. The group who are coming present look to cognize it all.”

Nelson said much of Ebbets should person been preserved.

“They should person near much for group to travel and see. More of nan aged stadium,” he said. 

“But I understand they had to build this, truthful I’ll beryllium reasoning of this spot coming erstwhile I spell up to Yankee Stadium.”

Many residents successful nan Flatbush area person been coming to nan section for decades.

“First athletics I ever learned to play was correct here. Stickball correct present connected nan patio. It was nan easiest one,” Israel McCrea, a 44-year-old lifelong resident of nan Ebbets Field Apartments, said. 

McCrea, a proud Baltimore Orioles fan, was readying connected rooting for nan Yankees contempt acknowledging that it is “not looking for illustration they’re going to hit nan Dodgers.” 

For nan residents of nan Ebbets Field Apartments, though, whether aliases not nan Dodgers came retired victorious was almost inconsequential. 

In nan 67 years since nan Dodgers called Ebbets Field their own, galore of nan original fans who retrieve nan team’s clip successful Flatbush person started to walk away. The families nearest to nan aged stomping grounds clasp onto nan memories passed down and stay patient successful their dedication to sphere nan bequest of nan Brooklyn Dodgers for arsenic agelong arsenic they can. 

“This generation, it’s much astir hoops and football. They’re not really into shot for illustration nan measurement we were,” Robert Driver, 56, who has lived successful Ebbets Field Apartments since he was 7-years old, said.

“And a batch of these kids, they don’t moreover cognize what this was,” he went on. “They don’t cognize really typical Ebbets Field was. This younger procreation it’s benignant of mislaid connected them, nan stories aren’t being passed down because each those older folks are dying off. This is simply a landmark spot but nan stories are starting to fade. They’re fading pinch nan older procreation fading away.”