Yankee Stadium Bids Farewell
The Hallowed Mecca of Baseball Lore Moves Across the Street in 2009
The House that Ruth Built Will Close Its Doors in 2008 to Major League Baseball. The new, more modernized Yankee Stadium Signals a Newer Look for the Bronx Bombers.
On Sunday, September 21, 2008, the New York Yankees will play their last major league game at 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx, site of the original stadium. The winningest team in American sports, 26 World Series' championships and 39 American League pennants, will relocate across the street. The end of a storied era begins a new chapter as the team closes their season against the Baltimore Orioles. How appropriate that the opposing team is the Baltimore Orioles since the New York Yankees originally came from Baltimore in the early 1900s for $18,000. That's a far cry from the salary of their present third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, of $275 million.
Early History of the Yankees
After being sold from the Baltimore Orioles in the early 1900s, the present team was known as the New York Highlanders and played their games in upper Manhattan, the present site of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. They officially became the New York Yankees in 1913 and moved to the Polo Grounds where they rented space from the New York Giants, a rival team. The New York Highlanders were a dismal team and finished last on several occasions but greatness loomed and in 1919, it arrived in the form of Babe Ruth.
The Arrival of the Bambino, Babe Ruth
The legend of the Yankees began with Ruth's arrival from the Boston Red Sox in 1919. Ruth demanded a salary of $20,000, double his salary at that time. The Red Sox owner refused and the rest is history. Many baseball fans believe that the alleged "curse" on the Red Sox began at this time. They went 86 years without winning a world series until 2004 when ironically, they completed a 3-1 game comeback against the Yankees in the American League Division Championship series.
Babe Ruth became instantly famous and drew great numbers of fans to the new Yankee Stadium, built in 1923. In fact, it is said that the stadium's dimensions were built purposely for Ruth, a lefthanded pullhitter. The short porch in rightfield was only 295 feet, 19 feet shorter than the new stadium. Ruth was a larger than life character and immensely popular among Yankee fans. He began a legacy of great Yankee names like Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Derek Jeter.
The Renovation in the Early 1970s
In the early 1970s a former shipbuilder named George Steinbrenner, arrived on the scene as the new owner and decided to renovate the 1923 stadium. Steinbrenner had the fences moved in, removed obstructed seating, relocated the center field monuments off the playing field, and added a more modern look. The era of the later 70s was nicknamed the Bronx Zoo because of the tumultuous moments involving manager Billy Martin, and the outspoken Reggie Jackson. Yet through this wild internal period, the team won world series in 1977 and 1978.
The New Stadium
The Yankee tradition is so hallowed and revered that even dates take on eerie coincidences. The groundbreaking for the new stadium began on August 16, 2006, the same date on which Babe Ruth died 58 years earlier. The new stadium opens in 2009 replacing the third-oldest stadium in the major leagues. The Grande Dame of American baseball lived for 84 years, survived only by Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.
The new Yankee Stadium will have the same field dimensions and the outside will look much like the original Yankee Stadium, in traditional style. There will be fewer seats from 56,886 to 52,325. However, the interior will be modernized in the form of:
- wider seats
- more legroom
- closer proximity from home plate to the backstop
- more private luxury suites and party suites
- wider concourses
- more concession stands and restrooms
- greater dining and lounge options
- The main video scoreboard will be much larger.
- more elevators
If you are interested in becoming part of baseball history and want to attend a Yankee home game in 2008, good luck. It is said that tickets for the final game against the Orioles on September 21 will run about $2,500. Tickets are hard to come by but anything is possible in New York City.
