Reviving The Past

Hinchliffe Stadium was a centerpiece of the community in Paterson, NJ back in it’s hey day. It opened in 1932 and began regularly hosting Negro League games in '34. Hinchliffe served as the home ballpark for the New York Black Yankees, New York Cubans, and occasionally, the Newark Eagles.

Hall of Famers Josh Gibson, Dizzy Dean, Monte Irvin, Leon Day, Willie Wells, Biz Mackey and Larry Doby were just some of the greats who played at Hinchliffe.

The roar of the crowd, superstar athletes and hotdog vendors have long since been overtaken by graffiti, weeds and a crumbling structure. The venue more closely resembles a Greek or Roman theater from centuries ago than a sports venue of the mid 1900’s.

On April 14th, 2021 there was renewed energy at the Paterson site when they announced redevelopment plans. It was a perfect spring day with bright blue skies, abundant sunshine and even with Covid protocols in place, the energy was vibrant. The significance of the announcement brought out some heavy hitters to the groundbreaking. Harold Reynolds, CC Sabathia, Omar Minaya, Willie Randolph and Larry Doby Jr. joined the Mayor and local dignitaries.

Director, Lauren Meyer got the tip off to the event by a friend at MLB.com and had the chance to catch up with the guys.