The Last Days of Yankee Stadium

Finally, this weekend will be the last for Yankee Stadium, and for I as a baseball fan, it is sort of seeing one of the last true relics of the past give way to a building. Sadly, it will be much like new stadiums of today seem to be soulless and a temple of excess devoted to a cast system with tiered seating separated by a delineation of wealth.

Although it is the not the same Yankee Stadium that is used to be when Ruth, Maris, DiMaggio played in -- it was redone in the 70's,as most know -- it was still a home for some of the most iconic images of the sport today, and remains a baseball cathedral.

The facility is aged, and is lacking in the fundamental amenities that their newer counterparts have – a new LCD high-definition scoreboard as big as a compound, restaurants, luxury boxes, and club sections; however, the building – despite it being rebuilt – is a living testament of baseball history and success. It's a gargantuan building, pretty and all, but it surely won't be the same as the building across the street.

It's like what happened in Baltimore with Memorial Stadium. Yes, the old ballyard was a building past it's time, but we know now that after the Orioles move out of there, the feeling was not the same with Camden Yards, as lovely as it is.

Our rivals in New York will feel the same way, if not even worse.

No matter if you hate or love the Yankees, you can’t underestimate what Yankee Stadium means in the larger baseball lexicon. ESPN is giving its viewers round-the-clock coverage on Sunday, and while its great for them to do it – I don’t find it necessary.

Now, I am hoping to get up there this weekend, but I am sympathetic to a lot of Yankee fans who will be priced out the stadium: however, if they do get in, would only be able to see their team from the upper decks and not feel any intimacy with the product or their players.

It’s a shame, but I guess it’s a very unfortunate byproduct of winning and doing it often...