Ben's Pick: Let's Play Ball!

September is the month baseball stops being a pleasant way to spend an evening and starts feeling urgent. The standings tighten, and the math gets grim. Grown adults begin checking scores of games involving teams they do not care about, because those games have suddenly mattered.   

It feels right that this month’s staff pick is a ballpark. Every month at Found Image Press, we hand the archive over to a different member of the team and ask them to choose one image out of the sixty thousand.  

Ben Darling, General Manager, picked "Home of the California Angels" — a ballpark from back when the team still had a whole state in its name. It is not a subtle image. Whether you’re die-hard baseball fans like us or just appreciate the nostalgia of a hometown stadium, this image resonates.  

We asked Ben what the image represents for him. 

What first drew you to this image, and what does it remind you of personally? 

It reminds me of going to Angels Stadium as a child. The stadium is still there. And if you’ve seen it recently, you know that even though a lot has changed, so much of it has stayed the same. 

What do you think this image says about its time? 

The image was captured shortly after the stadium opened in 1966. Baseball and baseball stadiums are woven into the fabric of American life. 

Why do you think this image still resonates today? 

Nostalgia for America's pastime is pervasive and satisfying — especially in times of uncertainty. 

If you could give this image a caption or title, what would it be? 

"Let’s Play Ball!" 

We couldn’t agree more. A ballpark is one of the few places you can stand in the same spot your parents stood, watching roughly the same thing happen. The uniforms change, and the scoreboards have become more technological. But the shape of the field does not move, and neither does the feeling. 

Whatever team is chasing the other this week, that feeling does not change. Play ball, indeed. 

You can find "Home of the California Angels" and the rest of our vintage baseball images in the archive, printed to order on paper goods made right here in the USA.