Preservation Movie Marks 20th Year as a piece of Buffalo’s History By Cindy Gauthier May 1, 2004, 00:38 Email this article  Printer friendly page There was a time many years ago when the city of Buffalo was transformed into a late 1930’s scene. It was a time when War Memorial Stadium was home to the imitation New York Knights. The “Old Rock Pile” many have called this place is a piece of land in the city where if you listen closely, you can still hear the cheers of a crowd on a warm summer’s day. This was a moment in 1984 when Buffalo hailed in the spotlight of America’s favorite pastime, and the dashingly-handsome Robert Redford played the part of making dreams come true. When it opened in 1938, The Rock Pile was first named Civic Stadium. It had been accessible for parades, stockcar racing venues and most of all, professional football; but the stadium was closed & re-opened many times during its life. The Bisons AAA baseball team united with the Buffalo Bills in a newly renamed War Memorial Stadium when Offermann Stadium was torn down in 1960. Some time in the early seventies the Bills moved to the brand-new Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, NY and the Buffalo Bisons left for Winnipeg, Canada. The simple arena was vacant again, this time for six years until 1979 when triple “A” ball returned to Buffalo. In April of 1988 War Memorial Stadium locked its gates for the last time and, then mayor of Buffalo, James Griffin pitched the first ball to New York Governor Mario Cuomo to officially open Pilot Field, the new home of the Buffalo Bisons. The acclaimed War Memorial Stadium was torn down shortly after. On this day, May 1st, 2004 marks the 20th Anniversary of the motion picture release “The Nature”. A classic movie to baseball lovers that was filmed right in our own backyard. The movie’s baseline was of one man’s passion to be the best at something without letting the political persuasions of power and money stop him from making his life-long dream come true. The most prominent views from the film besides the stadium included Parkside Candy, The Central Terminal, and the Ellicott Square Building lobby. “The Natural” is a timeless classic of America’s beloved pastime, and for a shining moment twenty years ago, Buffalo played its part as a winning team. Relive the magic when Roy Hobbs’s father says his son has a gift, relive the unexpected when all it took was three pitches to strike out the Whammer. Breaking the clock, breaking the press box window and breaking the odds with a homemade bat. The Natural has been released on DVD through Columbia/Tristar Home Entertainment and stars, Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey, Robert Prosky and Richard Farnsworth. The DVD has special features, which includes an Exclusive documentary by Cal Ripken Jr. and the original theatrical trailer. © Copyright 2009 by Speakupwny.com - hosted by Online Media, Inc Top of Page

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