Gothamist: An All Star Last Stand for Yankee Stadium

mfib

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 15:51:10 -0500

Man, Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra are gonna be pissed.

Lexiphane

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:18:22 -0500

Tim Marchman of the NYSun had an interesting piece about the faux sentimentality behind the "House That Ruth Built" a few weeks ago. An excerpt: That many people don't realize this is a testament to short memories and a testament to the power of the Yankees brand and its association with tradition and nostalgia; it's nonetheless true. In 1974 and 1975, Yankee Stadium was destroyed. The facade was removed, the columns and pillars supporting the upper deck were removed, the dimensions were changed, wooden seats were replaced with plastic ones, the press box and clubhouses were remodeled, luxury boxes were built, and so on. It was a new park in everything but name, and a rather ugly one. The changes were made at taxpayer expense to ensure profits for a privately held entity, and their general effect was to make the park uglier and a worse place for most people to watch baseball. It is true that YS is kind of crappy in comparison to other cities' ballparks. I just hope that the new stadium brings beer back to the bleachers. I mean, come on!

ericgewiz

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 13:22:16 -0500

um.....the Yankees don't use names on the backs of their jerseys, hello! where's Paul Lukas when you need him!?

Tom

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 12:59:13 -0500

As for the Mets, the new Shea Stadium might be the scene for the 2011 All Star game, if they are in by then. I have much more faith in private project estimates than I do about public works' projects. If they said the subway station at Shea's upgrades will be done by 2009, that means 2011. The stadium itself being done by 2009, on the other hand, is probably true.

matty

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 12:51:38 -0500

In other news, the Chicago Bears are going to the superbowl!