There Used to Be a Stadium

The American Spectator ^ | 4/2/2008 | Lisa Fabrizio

[Aristotelian]

[AnnGora]

It’s appalling what little sense of history Americans really have and how uninterested they are in preserving historical relics and sites.

[Alberta's Child]

That’s a valid point, but I’d make the case that Yankee Stadium in its current configuration is not much more “historic” than a fast-food joint on a major highway. The stadium underwant a major renovation in the early 1970s that changed its original character dramatically.

[mc5cents]

It’s appalling what little sense of history Americans really have and how uninterested they are in preserving historical relics and sites.

Yes it is indeed.

[ArmstedFragg]

Time to dig out Sinatra’s “There Used To Be A Ballpark”.

[N. Theknow]

The stadium underwant a major renovation in the early 1970s that changed its original character dramatically.

That was when they removed the lattice work. It was actually made of copper and painted white in the 1960's.

I recently read where it is going to be used in the new stadium. If so, I wonder where they have been keeping it?

[Tanniker Smith]

Time to dig out Sinatra’s “There Used To Be A Ballpark”.

or maybe "They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Piece of Crap Across the Street"

[BigCinBigD]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=b1sKMHUE6co

[Alberta's Child]

Interesting. One of the biggest changes with the renovation was the size of the field . . . the old Yankee Stadium was something like 460 feet to left-center field (it was roughly oval-shaped because the NY Giants played football there, and the football field was oriented from the first base line towards left field), and the original monuments were placed in front of the center-field wall.

Left-center was reduced to 430 feet in the "new" stadium in 1976 when the monuments were moved beyond the left center-field fence, then reduced to around 400 feet in the last couple of decades as the Yankees tried to accommodate right-handed power hitters (Dave Winfield, Cecil Fielder, Alex Rodriguez, etc.).

[Sonny M]

It’s appalling what little sense of history Americans really have and how uninterested they are in preserving historical relics and sites.

I'm sorry to say this, but this version of yankee stadium lacks the history it did before the renovations in the early 70's.

Yogi Berra whenever he is asked about what it was like playing in this park, his answer is he never did. He doesn't recognise this place as the place he played, and many many folks don't either.

[Sonny M]

Left-center was reduced to 430 feet in the "new" stadium in 1976 when the monuments were moved beyond the left center-field fence, then reduced to around 400 feet in the last couple of decades as the Yankees tried to accommodate right-handed power hitters (Dave Winfield, Cecil Fielder, Alex Rodriguez, etc.).

The last time Yankee stadium adjusted its fences was before the '88 season (for jack clark no less, lol).

They haven't moved left center or the left field fences or made any other adjustments to the dimensions since then..

[SkyDancer]

We're slowly destroying our heritage - I spent one summer with relatives in Paris, France. Their apartment was built in the late 1700’s - the only thing that was changed/added was plumbing and electricity. The place was beautiful. Maybe in Boston there'll still be historical places still standing ... to destroy Yankee Stadium is criminal ....

[N. Theknow]

Left-center was reduced to 430 feet in the "new" stadium in 1976 when the monuments were moved beyond the left center-field fence, then reduced to around 400 feet in the last couple of decades as the Yankees tried to accommodate right-handed power hitters (Dave Winfield, Cecil Fielder, Alex Rodriguez, etc.).

Dizzy Dean used to say that the original Yankee Stadium left-center field was a $5 cab ride from home plate.

Yankee Stadium used to be "home field advantage" for left handed hitters (Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Maris, Berra) and Fenway was "home field advantage" for right handed hitters(Foxx, Jensen).

Makes one wonder what Joltin' Joe would have done had he played in Fenway.

[Alberta's Child]

I knew they moved the left center-field fence in to about 410 feet in the mid-1980s. I thought they moved it to 399 within the last 15 years or so when they started allowing the public into the monument area before games.

[SkyDancer]

I don't understand how there can be an LA Dodgers when the term referred to people who lived in Brooklyn (dodging trolley cars and traffic). When the Brooklyn Dodgers left Brooklyn, they became something else ... now Ebbets Field is a shopping center(?) ....

[purpleraine]

How much did the taxpayers front for this boondoggle and how much value was added to Steinbrenner's fortune? How much did ticket prices go up? How much was the tax on tickets increased? How many free seats to city politicians?

[Billthedrill]

When dey left Brooklyn dey wuz da Bums. Say what you will about New York boorishness (and I do frequently) that sort of sobriquet didn’t follow them to plastic LA, and it’s too bad. Da Bums had hawt. ;-)

[Alberta's Child]

I’ve always felt that preserving a historic landmark like Yankee Stadium was pretty pointless when you consider how much the entire South Bronx had decayed in the decades from the 1920s to the 1970s. What’s the point of preserving “historical places” in a Third World dump?

[Alberta's Child]

Right. And when the Minneapolis Lakers (named after the Minnesota state motto -- "the land of 10,000 lakes) moved to Los Angeles they kept their name even though it means absolutely nothing in Los Angeles.

A more appropriate name for any Los Angeles sports franchise would be the L.A. Galaliens.

(Kudos to the forgotten Freeper who came up with that one a couple of years ago. LOL.)

[Hatteras]

It’s appalling what little sense of REALITY Yankee fans really have and how they don’t understand that nobody outside of New York really cares. Yankee Stadium lost it’s luster back when the entire city started going to hell 40 some odd years ago.

Who cares about preserving a bundle of bricks and steel in a seedy neighborhood where you wouldn’t dare venture without an armed escort? Be thankful for the small things, if it hadn’t been for the N.Y. Giants, you’d be watching your Yankees in New Jersey next year.