Franklin Park
Park Opening: 1923
Named after: Franklin School (Benjamin Franklin)
Location: Bordered by San Jose Avenue, Paru Street, San Antonio Avenue, Morton Street
Baseball Diamond: One (1)
Dimensions: Left Field Shack – 127′ / Left Field Fence – 141′ / Center Field – 187′ / Right Field – 162′
Unique features: Short left field fence, gardener shack down left field line, wooden scoreboard platform along left field foul territory (San Jose Avenue side)
Team Names: Eagles, Hawks, Phillies
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Pee-Wee League: 1963 (National Division 9-1)
Little Coast League: 1963 (11-1)
Girls Softball: 1965, 1976
GROUNDSKEEPERS
Mr. Brown
PARK STORES
B&M Market – Encinal Ave.
Chaix Liquors (Chestnut Encinal Market) – Corner of Encinal Ave. and Chestnut St.
Chestnut Variety (aka Hugo’s) – Corner of Encinal Ave and Chestnut St.
Ruby’s Diner – Encinal Ave.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photo of Franklin Park, circa 1955, taken from 1400 block of San Jose Ave. (Courtesy of Ruth E. Llorens Brayman)
FRANKLIN MEMORIES
“With 4 boys you can be sure my mom appreciated the fact that we could hang out at Franklin Park all day instead of under her feet.”
Joe Clasby – Samui, Thailand
“I have lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and across the street from a lovely city park, for 26 years. This park has a ball field, tennis court, soccer field, and playground (and sledding hill, which Franklin Park lacked!) but it has never seen the level of constant activity and wonderful energy that defined Franklin Park when we were growing up. Franklin Park was our (the kids, that is) piazza. I think we sensed it at the time, but we certainly know it for certain now. What a special place.”
Julia “Julie” Wondolleck – Ann Arbor, Michigan
“Franklin was, without a doubt, the best place to play baseball as a kid. We’d all keep track how many times we hit it over the left field fence (Shane Berlin held the unofficial record). Also, during my day (late 70’s, early 80’s) we had, by far, the best baseball teams in Alameda Rec.”
Fred Dampsen
“I wasn’t good enough to play baseball but I watched the two older Speiers play baseball at Franklin Park in the early 1960s. I played on a Franklin Park basketball team coached by Bob Howard that included Chris Speier, Mike Busell, Paul McBride, Mark Lightcap, Gary Dettmer and others in 1964. We won most of our games but lost to Estuary in an outdoor game at Franklin 28-22.
My family moved away from Alameda in 1964 and I didn’t return until 2008. Franklin Park is a very good memory and sometimes I shoot baskets there today.”
Jim Pruitt
“Franklin Park is where we hung out all year around after school. In the summer, we couldn’t wait until baseball season to start. The baseball tryouts and getting a brand new Franklin Eagles T-shirt. We had great park directors like Bob Howard. I miss those days!”
Steve Choy
“As fun as the park league games were, what I really remember is playing “2nd base” or “teatherball pole” and over pick up games for hours and hours all summer long with maybe 4 or 5 guys on a team. We’d have periodic treks to B&M market for Pepsi’s in a bottle and sunflower seeds always cutting through the alley next to the Murphy’s house to get there.
I also remember playing “pickel” with the “big guys” with us little guys being the base runners. I once slid into a Terry White applied tag and wound up with a chipped front tooth!”
Tony “Anthony” Reid
I loved playing baseball at Franklin Park and with the Franklin Eagles too. It was a lot of fun seeing the ball head up into the tree’s if you cleared the fence. By the way that alley was called the passage way! 🙂
I think some of the best times were the “Homerun” games with just a tennis ball and bat. All you had was a pitcher and an outfielder guarding the fence… sometimes a shortstop. We’d play in right field with the tennis court fence as the backstop…..if the tennis players got tired of the foul balls we’d move down to use the swim center wall as the backstop.
Even the softball games where we had to bat left handed (most of us). I can remember playing right field standing in the middle of the basketball courts.
And don’t forget the “french fries in a basket” from Ruby’s next to the B&M Market.
I remember the exact same game. We have a more organized version that we play on most weekends. Check us out if you want to relive a little of those great days at Franklin: http://www.BriceBall.com … soon to be http://www.breezeball.com in 2010 … ALL ARE WELCOME! We are going for that Park League feel. Thanks.
Brice, I’m happy to learn about the advent of “briceball” and the Garden Isle’s prominent role in it’s development. Nice work! I introduced the concept of “pick-up” baseball games and “home run derby” to a bunch of my son’s 3rd grade buddies here in Moraga. They couldn’t wait to play HRD every Friday afternoon. Briceball may soon join the list of great casual sports activities carrying the label “WARNING: This game is free of overbearing Little League dads.” LOL
B&M Market also sold frozen candy bars with a popsicle stick inserted in them. My favorite was the frozen Milky Way.
I doubt you could get away with selling them like that today without a lawsuit or the health department coming down on you. We’ll have to ask for a legal opinion from our resident attorney Brett “Krusi Park Lifer” Pedersen.
How could you miss the most athletic Speier of them all, Barry. Just kidding. Enjoying the website.
I remember one pee wee game I hit a shot down the left field line. It hit the tree above the gardeners shack, bounced on the roof, then rolled off, on to the field of play. One of my few chances for a home run changed to a single by that stupid tree!
Barry, sorry about the oversight. Trying to track all the Speiers, Murphys, Canalins, McKee’s and Rattos would be a full-time job. If it’s any comfort, we didn’t list the best looking of all the Speiers, either… Dana! I don’t know if she played sports, but who cared?
Hey Barry: I have memories of driving to candlestick park with your family when you were about 5 yrs old. I believe you lived across from a park in a 2 story house in Alameda and we traveled in a station wagon. I’ts the only giants I’d gone to in years
I remember being on the visiting team playing against the Franklin Eagles….I played for the Washington Pirates….I don’t remember who won the game I just remember that I always liked Franklin Park….most of the parks were cool when I was growing up in Alameda but Franklin was one of the parks that had a pool too…I miss my hometown…
I remember ARPD sponsoring the bus rides to Candlestick from McKinley Park and going to the Giants games. What a blast seeing Mays and McCovey from the bleachers!
Hi Chris, I’m an old friend of Andrea’s. Can you give her my email address and have her contact me? Thanks, Kim Watkins Sodervick
A big shout-out to all former Franklin Park Rats! Many found memories of summer sandlot games (we didn’t call them that back then, just pick-up games I guess). When I tell my kids about growing up at the park, they just look at me like I’m some kind of nut and go back to their video games or texting. Even though we keep them busy in sports leagues, it’s just not the same as what we all experienced playing in the old ARPD leagues. Anyways, will try to make the reunion at Washington and will bring the kids so they can better appreciate what life was like for use park rats growing up in Alameda and at Franklin Park. Cheers!
David Zehnder
Just heard about this from my sister, but seeing all the names and stories, has brought back a flood of memories. Was there a better place to grow up as a kid? Arriving at the park at first light and waiting for friends Matt Murphy, John Lyons, Brian Gary, John Shabazian, Dave Zehnder, Bobby Wondollek, all the Bay Street and St Charles boys and so many others to start a game. Playing “pitchers out”, right field closed, riding our bikes to away games with our gloves and cleats on our handlebars… including treks over the bridge to Godfrey (what were our parents thinking?), facing Frank Groves, the Pirates and his damn curveball, playing tree tag with the gang in that big tree just outside the centerfield gate, collecting bottles to cash in at B&M’s for a soda and a Missle, avoiding Tarzan the Great Dane on the way through the Murphys “passage way”, a Chris Speier autograph, firecrackers and smoke bombs around the 4th, the special feel of infield grass at Franklin and nowhere else, huge shirts and cutting off the sleeves and just playing the game with your friends….and only going home when you HAD to. It really was “The Sandlot”….long before the movie.
Hey Marty…You forgot one very important detail…Sandy yelling at you to get out of the trees.
Also, jamming 11 girls into our little red Toyota Corolla, singing “In the Summer Time” at the top of our lungs to a softball game at Krusi Park. Seatbelts, hell no! And Mom always driving!
You just brought back memories that have me smiling from ear to ear! I think we spent more time in that park than just about anywhere else. Thanks for kickin’ the brain into overdrive with great memories.
Here’s a laugh … for our parents 25th anniversary, we made a video of our family highlights throughout the years. One of our stops of course was Franklin park. Marty still had his Franklin Eagle t-shirt (from badhams)! We made him wear it on (way too tight)! He stood on the pitching mound and I yelled to him “Marty, time to come home, dinner”. Well just like old times he threw his glove on the ground, stomped his feet and had a fit -“But I don’t want to come home, I’m playing ball” – and he usually cried to. It was always torture trying to get him to come home. The video is laugh out loud funny because it was so true!
The Watkins kids were always at the park from sun up to sun down. I remember my mom driving by the park a few times a day to check on us. Once she had the three of us in view she’d drive home. I played softball for Sandy Souza – let’s just say she was very patient with me! I was the social one and Tracy was the athlete. I think she gave me playing time because my mom paid her (kidding)! Once I was playing shortstop and Toni Ferrina was running to third – I was goofing off and tried to block her and she mowed me down and knocked the wind out of me. That was Sandy asked me to retire and I was only a Tiny Mite! Those were the good old days!! By the way, Tracy is offended she is not even listed as a Franklin Eagle – and her blog comments were deleted!! Oh well…
Seriously, I have two boys (12 and 9). During baseball season the park is jam packed with kids, parents and grandparents. The snackbar is open and that great baseball buzz in the air – but when the season ends the park is deserted for the summer – until this year. Every Tuesday, Marty’s son Kyle, my boys Michael and Matthew and their friends head down to Twin Oaks Park in Rocklin – to have a sandlot game.
Thanks to the idea and inspiration of none other than Marty Watkins!
So does this mean you are taking the short drive from Rocklin to join the mighty Franklin Eagles tomorrow??? YES is the ONLY acceptable answer.
Kin
Kin – I’m trying to get the entire family to go! My parents want to know if Herb and Claire will be there – I believe they used to have some good fun together!
Kim
When we moved to Alameda during the spring-summer of 1960 I remember the backstop and home plate in center field. Am I the only to recall this? Maybe I am the old man of the group. It was before they built the pool I guess?
Barry-
I started playing at Franklin in 1958 and remember the backstop/home plate in centerfield. Recall that the director’s shack was behind home plate just across the walkway from the swings? The construction of the swimming pool forever altered baseball. Left field disappeared behind a wall of concrete.
When we move from our San Jose Ave house to our Clinton Ave house, there were plaques in the basement for I beleive championships at Franklin. The prior owners of our Clinton Ave houser were the Golfs (spelling?) Anybody remember them? This would have been the late ’50s to mid ’60s.
Wow, this takes me back. I grew up at the end of Morton Street (999)–from 1955-early 65. Since the park was right across the street I was there constantly–either playing a pickup baseball game or climbing trees. I remember the old backstop, the gardener’s shed and refuse pile, and the pool being built. Played in games involving the Speiers, got beaned with indoor hardballs, and lost my Franklin Eagles t-shirt.
Franklin Park was by far one of the Best Parks in Alameda. I grew up on Union St. went to Franklin School. I learned how to swim, play basketball, baseball, tree tag and many other things at this park. Lots of memories came from that park.
Hey, I was just thinking about the park tonight and remembered this site. Thanks Kin. Don’t know if anybody still reads it but man I miss the Park 🙂 great to read through the neighbors and buddies notes again.