Yankees Stadium

Yankee Stadium was a gigantic horseshoe shaped triple-decked ballpark located in the Bronx , New York City . Yankee Stadium houses the perennial champions of the Fall Classic, the New York Yankees. Often referred to as "The House that Ruth Built", "The Home of Champions," "The Big Ballpark," or simply "The Stadium", the Yankee Stadium is the best known of all baseball stadiums. The ballpark since its inception has witnessed various legendary players registering memorable events such as Babe Ruth's then-record 60th home run in 1927, Don Larsen's perfect World Series game in 1956; Roger Maris's then-record 61st home run in 1961, Reggie Jackson's three home runs in a World Series game in 1977; farewell addresses by Lou Gehrig in 1939 and Babe Ruth in 1948. From 1956 to 1973, the New York Giants football team played at Yankee Stadium. The stadium has also hosted numerous boxing matches, the most remarkable being Joe Louis's victory over Max Schmeling in 1938. The 1930 and 1931 Army-Navy Games were played at Yankee Stadium. In 1971 and 1976, the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League played its home games at Yankee Stadium. On October 4, 1965 , Pope Paul VI addressed a mass of 80,000 people at Yankee Stadium. Fourteen years later, on October 2, 1979 , Pope John Paul II also delivered a sermon there. In 1987, Yankee Stadium last played host to a football game. The Stadium was also became a site of a memorial service on September 23, 2001 following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center .

Only a year after Baseball witnessed the purchase of Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees in another deal announced the purchase of 10 acres of land in the west Bronx from the assets of William Waldorf Astor for $675,000. On their newly acquired property, the Yankees built the most famous ballpark in history. Yankee Stadium opened for its inaugural game on April 18, 1923 versus the Boston Red Sox. Until then, the Yankees played their home games in the Polo Grounds, which they were unwillingly sharing with the landlord New York Giants of the National League since 1913. The boost in Yankees attendance after the procurement of new slugging sensation made the Giants resentful. Eventually in 1921, the Giants gave notice to the Yankees to abandon their stadium. In only 284 working days, Yankee Stadium was ready to host its first game. The construction was done by White Construction Company in 1923 @ $2.5 million and the renovation in 1976 cost $160 million. It was Ruth's drawing power that made the new stadium possible. Over 74,000 fans came to see the glory of the new facility and the live action between the Yankees and the Red Sox.

For four decades, Yankee Stadium witnessed the mighty Yankees passing their legacy to the prospective players who in turn became the stars of the team. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig passed on their legacy to Joe DiMaggio and Phil Rizzuto, who then passed it on to Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. These players made the team so invincible that by 1958 the Giants and Dodgers, and New York's other Major League Baseball teams started looking like small market teams which eventually shifted to California to retain their supremacy. Yankee Stadium favors left-handed batters because of a shorter right-field fence. No right-handed batter has hit over 40 home runs in a season since Joe DiMaggio blasted 46 in 1937.

By the early seventies, Yankee Stadium adorned an old and obsolete look, which was further enhanced by the mediocrity of the team. In 1966 and 1967, the stadium underwent renovation, but still it needed more. After the purchase of team by George Steinbrenner in 1973 from the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), he backed the renovations of the stadium. Meanwhile, the Yankees played at Shea Stadium, the home arena of the New York Mets. The steel columns that supported the roof and upper decks were removed, and the upper decks were cantilevered over the lower deck, which dramatically improved the sight lines. The original roof and its famous copper façade, which was the most striking feature of the ballpark, were removed and replaced with an exact replica of the facade atop the new 560-foot-long scoreboard which stretched across the rear of the bleachers. The baseball's first "telescreen," was also installed which provided instant replays of the action in "nine shades of gray." The remodeled Yankee Stadium opened with great fanfare in 1976. Since the renovation of their ballpark, the Yankees have always fielded winning teams

It is to be noticed that the seats behind the center field are coated in black and are not occupied during the baseball games, because they can create an unfair pitcher's advantage, if the fans sitting there adorn themselves in white.

On April 16, 2005 , the team announced its plans to build a stadium on the adjacent land. Completion is scheduled for the 2009 season. The stadium will also host scores of other sports, entertainment and cultural events.