The first 4000 fans walking through the gates at Dunn Tire Park next Wednesday at the Bisons game will receive one special souvenir - a replica statue of old Offermann Stadium, the neighborhood ballpark which served as the home of the Buffalo Bisons from 1924-1960.

This is the third in the series of Bisons’ stadium replicas - they did Dunn Tire Park in 2006, and The Old Rockpile last year. Both replicas were very well received by the fans and this years replica should be an especially coveted item.

So for this week in Artvoice, we did more than just the usual Play Ball. We actually compiled a feature story called “Memories of Offermann Stadium”, a retrospective on some of the great moments and history of that storied venue.

We want to thank associate editor Buck Quigley (who spelled our vacationing editor Geoff Kelly this past week and put up with our endless phone calls) and photographer Rose Mattrey for helping us out with the article.

We’ve been covering the Bisons since 2001, at first for the really awful and unwatchable Sportsblast TV, and since 2004 writing Play Ball for Artvoice. This piece represents our most comprehensive work on the Bisons and one we put a lot of effort into. We hope you enjoy the article!

“The Worst Bisons Team Ever?”

In this week’s Play Ball, we compare this year’s Bisons squad to some of the teams of yesteryear, and discover that things aren’t really all that dire.

Check it out!

September 17, 1960 was the date of the final game ever played at Offermann Stadium… a 5-3 Bisons loss to Toronto in the International League playoffs. (Wonder if obnoxious Toronto fans came down for that one, waving their tin foil Governors Cups )This hallowed home for Bisons baseball for decades, at the corner of Michigan and East Ferry, would be torn down, to be replaced by a public school building. With that demolition went all the ghosts and great moments and great memories and wonderful baseball.

For the third year in a row, the Buffalo Bisons will be sponsoring a really nifty giveaway as part of their promotional schedule at Dunn Tire Park. On August 20 the first 4000 lucky fans through the Swan Street turnstiles will receive their very own replica of Offermann Stadium. In 2006 the team gave away replicas of Dunn Tire Park, and last year’s giveaway was a replica of War Memorial Stadium, and these were no cheesy trinkets. Both pieces were stunning in their detail. I’ve got mine on display on the ledge between my dining room and living room.

Offermann was well before my time, so I have no memories of even being by there… just a few grainy photographs is all I’ve ever seen of the place. But as the promo date draws near, Pete and I are going to scour the stands and the press room looking for as many old codgers as we can find who might be willing to share an anecdote or two… should make for a good “Play Ball” column in Artvoice.

If you haven’t yet seen the awesome Bisons promotional schedule, check it out here.