Ticker

Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Emmanuel Onyenyili Over 152 million fans passed through the gates of Yankee Stadium. The new Yankee Stadium is located right across the street.

On Sept. 21, the New York Yankees won their last home game of the regular season with nearly 55,000 fans in attendance. Although they defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-3, it had been made evident during the season that this would be the last game ever played at Yankee Stadium.

If you live in New York, it's more than likely that you've been to Yankee Stadium once or twice before. It seems to be that every person who has passed through has the same memory of arriving at this mammoth construction, walking out of the crowded halls, and there it is: the green grass, the blue sky, the sun shining. You walk towards the light, holding a loved one's hand, suddenly surrounded by and a part of history. From that moment on, this experience is the standard of what every game in every sport should anticipate, but always falls short. Only Yankee Stadium is truly America's stadium, but now it has closed its gates forever.

Yankee Stadium has seen its fair share of concerts, papal visits, boxing, football, wins and losses, endless waves of up-and-coming rookies and old-time heroes, team owners, team managers and millions of fans (151,959,005 to be exact) all throughout the decades and generations.

Not only has Yankee Stadium been the home of the 26 World Series champion Yankee teams, but so much more. In 1923, what was once the site of a lumber company now became the first ballpark to be called a "stadium." Built and designed by Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, the stadium opened on April 18, 1923 and was blessed with the first home run by Babe Ruth, nicknaming the stadium "The House that Ruth Built."

Rather than share the Polo Grounds with the other National League teams, including Yankees' rival the Giants, Yankee Stadium was opened as one of a kind, unique in the fact that America had never seen anything like it before. Beautifully designed with copper frieze, wooden seats and restrooms, it was a place of comfort and luxury. The stadium cost $2.5 million to construct and when Yankee Stadium opened on April 18, 1923, tickets only cost $1.10.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools