The Pecan Park Eagle

Statue of Jack Murphy
Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego CA

Nearly 54 years ago, San Diego Union Sports Editor Jack Murphy writes of the newly opened Astrodome: “It’s a pitcher’s park, a hitter’s park and a customer’s park. Everybody loves it. Houston is Calcutta with a ten-gallon hat and a drawl. But inside the dome is 72-degree comfort.” ~ San Diego Union, April 13, 1965.

Thanks to another fine research recovery by friend and Pecan Park Eagle contributor Darrell Pittman, here’s another fine writing artifact from the man who even wrote his way into the hearts of San Diego fans to the point of them naming a stadium for him in their fine town. Remember hearing of Jack Murphy Stadium? Well, folks, this is the guy. Here’s the piece on what we have to suppose was his first game trip to the Astrodome ~ and it happened four years prior to San Diego even having a major league team.

~ Jack Murphy, San Diego Union, April 13, 1965.

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How Prophetic! ~ “Chances are the first domed stadium will be as antiquated as the Palace Theatre by the time a World Series is played here.” ~ Jack Murphy, April 13, 1965.

The only thing that Murphy underestimated was changeable Houston club ownership impatience for the task of keeping the Astrodome in the mix for the entire huge time lapse that passed before the Astros reached a first World Series. The club finally got there forty years later in 2005. By this time, the Astros had been out of the original dome for six seasons and were then playing in the downtown covered venue we know today as Minute Maid Park.

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle