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This RIP, found hanging in a Philadelphia neighborhood, is in memory of legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas.
About Harry:
Harold Norbert "Harry" Kalas (March 26, 1936 – April 13, 2009) was an American sportscaster, best known for his Frick Award-winning role as lead play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies. Kalas was also closely identified with the National Football League, serving as a voice-over narrator for NFL Films productions (a regular feature on Inside the NFL) and calling games nationally for Westwood One radio.
On 29 October 2008, Kalas was finally able to call the Phillies' winning moment a the World Series when Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske to win the 104th Fall Classic:
“ One strike away; nothing-and-two, the count to Hinske. Fans on the their feet; rally towels are being waved. Brad Lidge stretches. The 0-2 pitch — swing and a miss, struck him out! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball! Brad Lidge does it again, and stays perfect for the 2008 season! 48-for-48 in save opportunities, and watch the city celebrate! Don't let the 48-hour wait diminish the euphoria of this moment, and the celebration. And it has been 28 years since the Phillies have enjoyed a World Championship; 25 years in this city with a team that has enjoyed a World Championship, and the fans are ready to celebrate. What a night!
Kalas died of a heart attack on April 13, 2009, in Washington, D.C. He had collapsed in the press box at approximately 12:30 pm, several hours before the Washington Nationals' home opener against the Phillies. Kalas was rushed to George Washington University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:20 pm EDT.[8] "We lost Harry [today]," David Montgomery, the team president, said. "We lost our voice."
source: wiki
You can purchase this photo on Getty Images
Gritty Liège, one of the very first industrialized towns in continental Europe, is not well known for its beauty but it has some very charming views and architectural gems, like the neoclassical Aquarium-Museum and the art deco Church of St. Vincent. This shot was taken from the monument dedicated to the First and the Second World War.
In the past, Liège was one of the most important steel-making centres in Europe. Starting in 1817, John Cockerill extensively developed the iron and steel industry. The industrial complex of Seraing was the largest in the world. It once boasted numerous blast furnaces and mills. Although now a mere shadow of its former self, steel production and the manufacture of steel goods remain important.
You might want to grab a snack, this is a long post. Brace yourself...
[before I start this, I have to tell you how my morning started. I woke up this morning to a large square box, wrapped in brown paper with my 1/365 picture taped to the front of it. Happy 365/365 and Merry Christmas. I'm still shocked and it still hasn't set in yet, but I have the best boyfriend ever. ]
I started this project in a very excited state, and ended in the same. Not to say there weren't down falls in between, but I made it though. And not to sound like my ego is huge, but I knew I would. Believe it or not, I'm really good at giving up and moving on to the next project in life. Being a relatively creative person, I start and stop various art projects all the time. If you were to take a look around my house, you would find a painting project in this corner, something to do with spray paint and old CDs over here, and a pile of cut up magazine and some glue under the stairs. You get the idea . . . I get bored of something and move on.
From day one I've thought about what I would write here, what kind of stats I could put up, who I would mention and what not, but now that I'm sitting here typing, none of it matters. What does matter, it that I finished. Part way through it all became a little fuzzy, why I was even doing it. It's a stupid project that takes a year of my life to complete, or at least that's what it felt like. I had forgotten what it was all about. It took some time to remember that I was doing this for me, and no one else.
Even though I just said it wasn't important, I would have NEVER made it though this project with out the support from my friends, both "real" and Flickr world.... so, let me make a few thank yous and then you can get on with your life.
My number one fan and all of the support and backing has really come from the heart and soul of Ryan. Thank you for all of the nights I forgot and you reminded me. Thank you for being my assistant over and over. And thank you for learning more than me about cameras and photography so I could turn to you when I had issues. Of course I have to say thanks for putting up with my for stealing your stuff too.
Caitlin and Megan, thank you for putting up with my night where I spent endless hours on Flickr. I was sucked in and wouldn't let go. Every time I was torn away from the computer, I was happy you could welcome me back into your lives to once again be friends. And even though doing a 365 may not be the thing for you, I loved it when you both tried. It was really exciting to see my best friends post everyday, especially when you were away at college and I didn't get to see my Retzer!
Hunter: You are one of only a few contacts I have actually bonded with, so to speak, and have really become quite the friend, real world or not. I found your stream in the beginning and It's been an amazing experience to watch your photos grow and swap stories about whatever! It's because of you I have a remote! I kept complaining about it, and one day you just posted a link on my page and I clicked and bought. Crazy, crazy crazy thank you :]
Lauren, I can say hands down, you have been the most inspiring person I have ever met on Flickr. So fun, quirky, lover of all things colorful, and RedBull addict. Seriously, jumping photos were all sort of blahhhhh until I came across your stream! My view on color and jumping has changed for the better and I can't thank you enough. In my eyes, you are my Flickr superstar! Oh, and we have amazing cats. Nuff said.
-Brandon, you've taught me about cloning, and whenever I think of you, I think of Oregon, which makes me think of winter and then I get really excited. Therefore, you = me smiling hahaha :D
-Karen, your texture work is amazing. Every time you post a new manipulation my mouth drop and I'm completely in awe. Many times I have I looked through your stream and found it incredibly inspiring. You happen to be awesome at conveying emotion really well, something I'm still learning, but you have down solid.
-Tom, boy oh boy! Ha, you make me laugh! And everything you do turns out so damn good! Even if something so simple, you snap it and make it incredible. Anddddd I'm just going to say your lighting in EVERYTHING always looks perfect. I can't fight with any of it. AT ALL :] Random thought, I remember when you started your year two, and I made a comment and I could think was "oh boy, hope likes me" like a nervous little kid. You were kind of a big deal :D carry on...
-Cat, I always look forward to Wednesdays because you always make HBW amazing. They are so neat and fun. You're the reason I'm obsessed with bokeh!
-Erin, I've said it before, I'll say it again. Best. Polaroids. on Flickr. EVER.
-Gary! Now what can I say about Gary... oh yeah! We share a wall! Haha, oh thank you, thank you, thank you for allllllll of your comments and support. I know you've been with me since the beginning and you have always been very helpful and knowledgeable. It's also been so cool to see you progress though your 365 into 52 weeks. When you post, you post it perfect. Always crisp and clean.
-Mr. S: If you want dirty, stinking, rotten, evil, epic, amazing, freakshow, awesomeness photos, he's my go-to guy. Haha, dude you're awesome, and no buts about it. You make dark work. Not many people can do that. In fact you're the only one I can immediately thing of . . .
-Jeff, I will never forget you calling my pale, many photos in a row :p But it's ok, I forgive you :] Moving right along... you take a lot of pride in your photos and it really shows. I really enjoyed watching you though your 365 even though it wasn't your favorite thing in the end. Thank you for being there from the beginning... you're inspiring and I was hooked!
-Bill, I can always come to your stream and find something unique and creative. And being a year 2 veteran requires no explanation. You've made it thought TWICE. Not many people can say that.
-Victor, dude your skills in the post processing blow my mind. Every time I stop by your stream you've got something new that is insane! And not only is it awesome, it's so cool I don't even know how you did it. Leave them guessing...
-Marco, dude... your stuff is awesome. One of the best things I've learned from you is that sometimes oversharpening is the most awesome thing ever, and it's ok!
And in no particular order, a couple of other people to thank, (if I were at the Oscars, the music would have been playing for an hour by now)
Stéphane Giner, Simon's Brain, Psychedelic Tuna, pimpexposure, AndYaDontStop, *rae*, slowdevil, Amarand Agasi, rebeca :), Lindsay_NYC, Gregussen, Amadika, Gooner-Licious, isayx3, brewedfreshdaily, Mogsterr, menno-indian, joe469, Ulric Collette, Dah-veeth, Evil Erin, dead_squid, L' Moy, century_boy_too, MargauxV, paperingasmile, Y*N*O*T, Corie Howell, Amery :-p, Jason Nicholls, ..Goose.., cubsfam, Catgunner CaitlinPhotography, CaitlinPhotography, yotababy, Donkeykong, Capa12, natalie ∞ alyssa, ooking through your eyes, Five Star Punched, Latia Johnson, ohlookitstessa, cakeybabes, Photography by Brenda, Pascale PirateChickan, evergreenplace, evergreenplace, TYPQL, a.funk, The Doctr, Keenahn, BUDDHA-LONESTAR, x*canadian chick*, and many others I can't immediately recall!
There are so many of my contacts I should be thanking and there have been many times your encouraging words have helped me continue on. Without anyone to say "hey, this is cool" sometimes it's hard to find a reason to keep going. So, THANK YOU! you are all AMAZING and I MEAN IT. If I didn't I would be posting a final shot. And THANK YOU to anyone reading this, you deserve a plaque and a metal.
thank you.
thank you.
thank you.
(no, really) thank you.
loveee,
chelsea
Liège Cathedral, otherwise St. Paul's Cathedral, Liège, in Liège, Belgium, is the seat of the Bishopric of Liège. During the French Revolution the ancient cathedral of Liège, St. Lambert's Cathedral, was destroyed systematically, from 1794 onwards. After the revolutionary fervour had evaporated a new cathedral was needed. The ancient collegiate church of St. Paul's was thought suitable for the purpose and was elevated in rank, before 1812. This is the present Liège Cathedral.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liege_Cathedral
It's Saint-Paul's Cathedral that houses today the Treasury of Saint-Lambert's Cathedral. Like most of the religious buildings of this size, Saint Paul's has undergone various refurbishments and reconstructions since it was first built in around 1230 - the last addition was an additional floor in the tower in the 19th century which is an imitation of that of Saint-Lambert. The Treasury in the 15th century cloisters houses many treasures including the famous "Reliquary of Charles the Bold" (around 1467), the famous bust-reliquary of Saint-Lambert (around 1512) and the Meuse ivory of the Three Resurrections.
www.opt.be/informations/tourist_attractions_liege__cathed...
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It serves as the home ballpark for the New York Yankees, replacing the previous Yankee Stadium, built in 1923. The new ballpark was constructed across the street, north-northeast of the 1923 Yankee Stadium, on the former site of Macombs Dam Park. The ballpark opened April 2, 2009, when the Yankees hosted a workout day in front of fans from the Bronx community. The first game at the new Yankee Stadium was a pre-season exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs played on April 3, 2009, which the Yankees won 7–4.[4] The first regular season game was played on April 16, a 10–2 Yankee loss to the Cleveland Indians.[5][6]
Much of the stadium incorporates design elements from the previous Yankee Stadium, paying homage to the Yankees' history. Although stadium construction began in August 2006, the project of building a new stadium for the Yankees is one that spanned many years and faced many controversies. The stadium was built on what had been 24 acres (97,000 m2) of public parkland. Replacement ballfields, slated to open when the new stadium did, have not been completed. Also controversial was the price tag of $2.3 billion, including $1.2 billion in taxpayer subsidies.[7] It was the third most expensive stadium[citation needed] after Wembley Stadium in London and New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[citation needed]
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Planning
1.2 Construction
1.3 Financing
2 Features
2.1 Design and layout
2.2 Field dimensions and playing surface
2.2.1 Comparison with the 1923 Stadium
2.3 Amenities and facilities
3 Accessibility and transportation
4 Public opinion
4.1 Opening and public perception
5 Yankee Stadium firsts
6 Other events
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
[edit] History
[edit] Planning
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner began campaigning for the building of a new stadium in the 1980s, even alleging unsafe conditions around the original Yankee Stadium despite the possibility that such statements could discourage attendance at his own team's games. Yankees ownership allegedly planned to move the team across the Hudson River to New Jersey. The Yankees also considered moving to the West Side of Manhattan, which was where the proposed West Side Stadium would later be considered for the New York Jets.[8][9]
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had already been instrumental in the construction of taxpayer-funded minor league baseball facilities MCU Park for the Mets' minor league Brooklyn Cyclones and Richmond County Bank Ballpark for the Staten Island Yankees. Shortly before leaving office in December 2001, he announced "tentative agreements" for both the New York Yankees and New York Mets to build new stadiums. Of $1.5 billion sought for the stadiums, city and state taxpayers would pick up half the tab for construction, $800 million, along with $390 million on extra transportation.[10] The plan also said that the teams would be allowed to keep all parking revenues, which state officials had already said they wanted to keep to compensate the state for building new garages for the teams.[11] The teams would keep 96% of ticket revenues and 100% of all other revenues, not pay sales tax or property tax on the stadium, and would get low-cost electricity from the state of New York.[11] Business officials criticized the plan as giving too much money to successful teams with little reason to move to a different city.[11]
Michael Bloomberg, who succeeded Giuliani as mayor in 2002, called the former mayor's agreements "corporate welfare" and exercised the escape clause in the agreements to back out of both deals, saying that the city could not afford to build new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets. Bloomberg said that unbeknownst to him, Giuliani had inserted a clause in this deal which loosened the teams' leases with the city and would allow the Yankees and Mets to leave the city on 60 days' notice to find a new home elsewhere if the city backed out of the agreement.[10][11] At the time, Bloomberg said that publicly funded stadiums were a poor investment. Under Bloomberg, the New York City government would only offer public financing for infrastructure improvements; the teams would have to pay for the stadium themselves.
The proposal for the current stadium was unveiled by the Yankees in 2004. The team scrapped plans to build a retractable roof, saving $200 million in construction costs.[12]
[edit] Construction
The stadium under construction in 2007 (top), and the completed venue next to the remains of the former facility in 2010 (bottom)Groundbreaking ceremonies for the stadium took place on August 16, 2006, the 58th anniversary of Babe Ruth's death, with Steinbrenner, Bloomberg and then-Governor of New York George Pataki among the notables donning Yankees hard hats and wielding ceremonial shovels to mark the occasion.[13][14] The Yankees continued to play in the previous Yankee Stadium during the 2007 and 2008 seasons while their new home stadium was built across the street.
During construction of the stadium, a construction worker and avid Boston Red Sox fan, buried a replica jersey of Red Sox player David Ortiz underneath the visitors' dugout with the objective of placing a "hex" on the Yankees, much like the "Curse of the Bambino" that had plagued the Red Sox long after trading Ruth to the Yankees. After the worker was exposed by co-workers, he was forced to help exhume the jersey.[15] The Yankees organization then donated the retrieved jersey to the Jimmy Fund, a charity started in 1948 by the Red Sox' National League rivals, the Boston Braves, but long championed by the Red Sox and particularly associated with Ted Williams.[16][17] The worker has since claimed to have buried a 2004 American League Championship Series program/scorecard, but has not said where he placed it.[18] These attempts did not work; the Yankees won the World Series in their first year in the new stadium.[19]
[edit] Financing
$1.5 million of New York state tax revenue will be used to build parking garages (as authorized by the State Legislature). The parking garage project would cost $320 million. City and state taxpayers will forgo up to $7.5 million annually in lost taxes resulting from the sale of $225 million in tax-exempt bonds authorized on October 9, 2007, by the New York City Industrial Development Agency (administered by the New York City Economic Development Corporation) to finance construction and renovation of the parking garages.[20][21] However, if the parking revenues are not enough to pay a reported $3.2 million land lease to the city, the entity that will operate the parking garages and collect revenue will be able to defer that payment.[22]
[edit] Features
The new stadium is meant to be very similar in design to the original Yankee Stadium, both in its original 1923 state and its post-renovation state in 1976. The exterior resembles the original look of the 1923 Yankee Stadium. The interior, a modern ballpark with greater space and increased amenities, features a playing field that closely resembles the previous ballpark before its closing. The stadium features 4,300 club seats and 68 luxury suites.
[edit] Design and layout
The Indiana limestone exterior, shown at Gate 4, mirrors the exterior of the original Yankee Stadium in 1923.The stadium was designed by the architect firm Populous (formerly HOK Sport). The exterior was made from 11,000 pieces of Indiana limestone, along with granite and pre-cast concrete.[23] The design closely mirrors the exterior of the original Yankee Stadium when it first opened in 1923.[23] The exterior features the building's name V-cut and gold-leaf lettered above each gate.[23] The interior of the stadium is adorned with hundreds of photographs capturing the history of the Yankees. The New York Daily News newspaper partnered with the Yankees for the exhibition "The Glory of the Yankees Photo Collection", which was selected from the Daily News' collection of over 2,000 photographs.[24] Sports & The Arts was hired by the Yankees to curate the nearly 1,300 photographs that adorn the building from sources including the Daily News, Getty Images, the Baseball Hall of Fame and Major League Baseball.
The seats are laid out similar to the original stadium's stands, with grandstand seating that stretches beyond the foul poles, as well as bleacher seats beyond the outfield fences. The Field Level and Main Level comprise the lower bowl, with suites on the H&R Block Level, and the Upper Level and Grandstand Level comprising the upper bowl.[25] Approximately two-thirds of the stadium's seating is in the lower bowl, the inverse from the original Yankee Stadium.[25] Approximately 51,000 fans can be seated, with a standing room capacity of 52,325.[26] The new stadium's seating is spaced outward in a bowl, unlike the stacked-tiers design at the old stadium. This design places most fans farther back but lower to the field, by about an average of 30 feet (9.1 m). Over 56 suites are located within the ballpark, triple the amount from the previous stadium.[23] Seats are 19–24 inches (48–61 cm) wide, up from the previous stadium's 18–22-inch (46–56 cm) wide seats, while there is 33–39 inches (84–99 cm) of leg room, up from 29.5 inches (75 cm) of leg room in the previous stadium.[25] Many lower level seats are cushioned, while all seats are equipped with cupholders.[25] To allow for the extra seating space, the stadium's capacity is reduced by more than 4,000 seats in comparison to the previous stadium.[25]
The frieze that lined the roof of the original Yankee Stadium from 1923-1973 is replicated in its original location.Many design elements of the ballpark's interior are inspired by the original Yankee Stadium. The roof of the new facility features a replica of the frieze that was a trademark of the previous ballpark.[25] In the original Yankee Stadium, a copper frieze originally lined the roof of the upper deck stands, but it was torn down during the 1974–75 renovations and replicated atop the wall beyond the bleachers.[25] The new stadium replicates the frieze in its original location along the upper deck stands.[25] Made of steel coated with zinc for rust protection, it is part of the support system for the cantilevers holding up the top deck and the lighting on the roof.[27] The wall beyond the bleacher seats is "cut out" to reveal the subway trains as they pass by, like they were in the original facility. A manually-operated auxiliary scoreboard is built into the left and right field fences, in the same locations it existed in the pre-renovation iteration of the original Yankee Stadium.[25]
The Great Hall is situated along the southern front of the stadium.Between the exterior perimeter wall and interior of the stadium is the "Great Hall", a large concourse that runs between Gates 4 and 6.[28] With seven-story ceilings, the Great Hall features more than 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2) of retail space and is lined with 20 banners of past and present Yankees superstars.[28] The Great Hall features a 5-by-383-foot (1.5 by 117 m) LED (light-emitting diode) ribbon display as well as a 25' by 36' LED video display above the entrance to the ballpark from Daktronics, a company in ‹See Tfd›Brookings, South Dakota.[28] [28]
Monument Park, which features the Yankees' retired numbers, as well as monuments and plaques dedicated to distinguished Yankees, has been moved from its location beyond the left field fences in the original Yankee Stadium to its new location beyond the center field fences at the new facility. The newly relocated Monument Park is now situated under the sports bar, this choice of location has drawn criticism as the many monuments are underneath the sports bar and not as in the open as in the previous Yankee Stadium. Fueling this criticism has been the advent of black shades that cover monuments on the back wall during games to prevent interference with the vision of the batter.[29] The new location of the monuments is meant to mirror their original placement in center field at the original pre-renovation Yankee Stadium, albeit when they were on the playing field. The transfer of Monument Park from the old stadium to the new stadium began on November 10, 2008.[30] The first monuments were put in place on February 23, 2009.[31] Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera requested that the Yankees reposition the team's bullpen, as well as add a door to connect the Yankees' bullpen to Monument Park, in order to allow access to it by Yankee relievers. The organization complied with his request.[23][32]
[edit] Field dimensions and playing surface
The view from the Grandstand Level (400 Level).The field dimensions for the outfield fences have the same distance markers as the original facility prior to closing yet the dimensions are not identical.[33] Due to the design of the right-field stands and the inclusion of an embedded manual scoreboard, the right-field wall is an average of 5 feet (1.5 m) closer to home plate.[34] Overall, the fences measure 318 feet (97 m) to left field, 399 feet (122 m) to left-center field, 408 feet (124 m) to center field, 385 feet (117 m) to right-center field, and 314 to right field.[25][26] At the old Yankee Stadium, the right field wall curved from the right-field corner to straightaway center, while at the new ballpark the fence takes a sharp, almost entirely straight angle.[34] This results in a difference at certain points between the right field markers of as much as 9 feet (2.7 m).[34] The dimensions in left field are substantially the same despite the presence of an embedded auxiliary scoreboard there as well.[34]
The outfield fences measure 8 feet 5 inches (2.57 m) high from the left-field foul pole until the Yankees' bullpen, when the fences begin to gradually descend in height until the right field foul pole, where they are only 8 feet (2.4 m) tall.[25] This also marks a decrease from the previous Yankee Stadium, where the outfield walls stood at a height of approximately 10 feet (3.0 m).[33] The distance from home plate to the backstop is 52 feet 4 inches (15.95 m), a reduction of 20 feet (6.1 m) from the previous facility.[26] The field is made up of Kentucky bluegrass, the same surface as the previous stadium, which is grown on a 1,300 acres (530 ha) farm in Bridgeton, New Jersey. The grass is equipped with a drainage system (featuring over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) of pipe) that makes the field playable an hour after taking 2 inches (51 mm) of rain.[25]
[edit] Comparison with the 1923 Stadium
Characteristic Old Stadium [as of 2008] New Stadium
Opening Day April 18, 1923 April 16, 2009
Capacity 56,866 52,325 [35](including standing room)
Seat width 18 inches (46 cm)–22 inches (56 cm) 19 inches (48 cm)–24 inches (61 cm)
Legroom 29.5 inches (75 cm) 33 inches (84 cm)–39 inches (99 cm)
Concourse width (average) 17 feet (5.2 m) 32 feet (9.8 m)
Cup holders Select Field Level Seating For every seat in General Seating
Luxury suites 19 56
Club Seats N/A 4,300
Team stores 6,800 square feet (630 m2) 11,560 square feet (1,074 m2)
Restroom fixture ratio 1 per 89 fans 1 per 60 fans
Public elevators
(passenger lifts) 3
(Otis Traction) 16
(KONE Traction)
Video scoreboard 25 feet (7.6 m) by 33 feet (10 m)
(Standard Definition LED) 59 feet (18 m) by 101 feet (31 m)
(High Definition LED)
Distance from Home Plate to:
Backstop 72 feet 4 inches (22 m) 52 feet 4 inches (16 m)
Left Field 318 feet (97 m)
Left Center 399 feet (122 m)
Center Field 408 feet (124 m)
Right Center 385 feet (117 m)
Right Field 314 feet (96 m)
Sources: The New York Yankees [26] and Andrew Clem [36]
[edit] Amenities and facilities
A signature by Babe Ruth is one of many autographs in the "ball wall", the centerpiece of the Yankee Museum.Yankee Stadium features a wide array of amenities. It contains 63 percent more space, 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) more in total, than the previous stadium, with wider concourses and open sight lines on concourses.[23] Along with 227 miles (365 km) of wired Ethernet cable, the building has sufficient fiber-optic cable wiring that Cisco Vice President and Treasurer David Holland calls the building "future proof".[23] Over 1,100 high-definition video monitors are placed within the stadium and approximately $10 million worth of baseball merchandise is housed within the ballpark.[23]
The center field scoreboard, which measures 59 x 101 feet (31 m) and offers 5,925 square feet (550.5 m2) of viewing area, was the third-largest high definition scoreboard in the world when it opened (behind the 8,736-square-foot (811.6 m2) board at newly renovated Kauffman Stadium and the new 8,066-square-foot (749.4 m2) board at the renovated Tokyo Racecourse).[37] Since then, it has also been surpassed by the world's largest scoreboard at the new Cowboys Stadium.[38] Displaying 5,925 ft (1,806 m)² of video, the scoreboard can display four 1080p high definition images simultaneously.[25]
The Yankees clubhouse features 30,000 ft (9,100 m)² of space, over 2.5 times the space of the clubhouse from the previous facility.[39] The dressing area alone features 3,344 ft (1,019 m)² of space, with each locker equipped with a safety deposit box and touch-screen computer.[39] The Yankees clubhouse features a weight room, training room, video room, and lounge area, while both teams' clubhouses have their own indoor batting cages.[39] The Yankees' therapy room features a hydrotherapy pool with an underwater treadmill.[39] The Yankees are believed to be the first team to chemically treat their uniforms, as well as the showering surfaces with an anti-bacterial agent that reduces the risk of infection.[39]
The Yankees Museum, located on the lower level at Gate 6, displays a wide range of Yankees' memorabilia.[40] A "Ball Wall" features hundreds of balls autographed by past and present Yankees, and there are plans to eventually add autographs for every living player who has played for the Yankees.[40] The centerpiece of the museum is a tribute to Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, with a commemorative home plate in the floor and statues of Larsen pitching to Yogi Berra.[40] Along with a facsimile of a current locker from the Yankees' clubhouse, fans can view the locker of the late Thurman Munson, which sat unoccupied in the previous stadium's Yankee clubhouse in honor of Munson.[40]
The ballpark offers a wide choice of restaurants. There are 25 fixed concessions stands, along with 112 moveable ones.[28] A Hard Rock Cafe is located within the ballpark, but it is open to anyone at the 161 St. and River Ave. entrance year round.[28] The Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium officially opened on March 30, 2009, and an opening ceremony took place on April 2, 2009.[41] A steakhouse called NYY Steak is located beyond right field.[28] Celebrity chefs will occasionally make appearances at the ballpark's restaurants and help prepare food for fans in premium seating over the course of the season.[28] Above Monument Park in center field is the Mohegan Sun sports bar, whose tinted black glass acts as the ballpark's batter's eye. The sports bar obstructs the view of approximately 600 bleacher seats in the right and left field bleachers, preventing fans from seeing the action occurring deep in the opposite side of the outfield. In response, the Yankees installed TV monitors on the sides of the sports bar's outer walls, and have reduced the price of these obstructed-view seats from $12 to $5.[42][43]
[edit] Accessibility and transportation
The stadium is serviced via subway by the 161st Street station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line (top) (as well as the IND Concourse Line; not shown) and via railroad by the East 153rd Street Metro North station (bottom)The stadium is reachable via the 161st Street – Yankee Stadium station complex, the same that served the old Yankee Stadium, by the 4 B D trains of the New York City Subway. It is also served by the Yankees - East 153rd Street (Metro-North station), which opened on May 23, 2009,[44] which routinely features Hudson Line train service, but on game days, Harlem Line and New Haven Line trains as well as shuttle trains from Grand Central Terminal also platform there. The stadium is also served by multiple bus lines. On game days, NY Waterway operates the "Yankee Clipper" ferry route stopping at Port Imperial (Weehawken) and Hoboken in New Jersey and West 38th Street, the Wall Street Ferry Pier, and East 34th Street in Manhattan, and New York Water Taxi operates a free ferry to the stadium from the Wall Street Ferry Pier before every game only. For selected games, SeaStreak provides high-speed ferry service to Highlands, New Jersey.
Yankee Stadium is accessible by car via the Major Deegan Expressway (Interstate 87), with connections to Interstate 95, Interstate 278 and other major thoroughfares. Aside from existing parking lots and garages serving the stadium, construction for additional parking garages is planned. The New York State Legislature agreed to $70 million in subsidies for a $320 million parking garage project. On October 9, 2007, the New York City Industrial Development Agency approved $225 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance construction of three new parking garages that will have 3,600 new parking spaces, and renovation of the existing 5,569 parking spaces nearby.[45] Plans initially called for a fourth new garage, but this was eliminated before the final approval. The garages will be built (and renovated) by the Community Initiatives Development Corporation of Hudson, N.Y., a nonprofit entity that will use the parking revenue to repay the bonds and pay a $3 million yearly land lease to the City of New York. Parking is expected to cost $25 per game.[45]
[edit] Public opinion
[edit] Opening and public perception
Four F-16C Fighting Falcons from the 174th Fighter Wing fly over the "New" Yankee Stadium on Opening DayAlthough Yankee Stadium has been praised for its amenities and its usage of "classic" design elements from the original facility, the new stadium has been widely criticized for fan-unfriendly practices.[46][47] Seats within the first eight rows in the lower bowl, called the "Legends Suite", rank among the highest priced tickets in professional sports, with the average ticket in the section selling for $510 and the most expensive single game-day ticket costing $2,600.[46] Legends Suite Seats have been regularly empty, with many ticket holders in this section having given up their tickets, and others remaining unsold, despite most other seats in the ballpark selling out. This has created an "embarrassing" image on television of the seats behind home plate being almost completely vacant.[46] Consequently, a surplus of tickets for Legends Seats have emerged in the secondary market, and with supply exceeding demand, resale prices have dropped. Empty seats in the Legends Suite could even be seen during the 2009 playoffs, including World Series games. Even though all playoff games have been sellouts, Legends Suite ticket holders are in the lounges and the restaurant underneath instead of their seats.[48][49]
Legends Suite seats are also separate from the other lower bowl seating and are vigorously patrolled by stadium security, with the divider being described as a "concrete moat".[46][47] Fans that do not have tickets within this premium section in the front rows are not allowed to access it or stand behind the dugouts during batting practice to watch players hit and request autographs.[46][47]
The Yankee Stadium staff was also criticized for an incident during a May 4, 2009 game, which was interrupted by a rain delay.[50] Fans were told by some staff members that the game was unlikely to resume and consequently, many fans exited the stadium, only for the game to eventually resume play.[50] The fans that left the ballpark were not permitted to re-enter, per the stadium's re-entry policy, and many subsequently got into arguments with stadium personnel.[50] In response to the backlash the Yankees received for the incident, the staff members were required to sign a gag order preventing them from speaking to media, but they did indicate that communication for rain delays would be improved.[50]
After less than a season, cracks have appeared on the concrete ramps of the Stadium. The Yankees are trying to determine whether there was something wrong with the cement, or the ramps' installation or design. The company involved in designing the concrete mix were indicted on charges that they either faked or failed to perform some required tests and falsified the results of others.[51]
This article's factual accuracy may be compromised because of out-of-date information. Please help improve the article by updating it. There may be additional information on the talk page. (September 2010)
In 2009, the stadium was criticized for its propensity for allowing home runs. In its opening season, 237 home runs were hit.Yankee Stadium has quickly acquired a reputation as a "bandbox" and a "launching pad" due to the high number of home runs hit at the new ballpark.[52][53][54][55][56][57] Through its first 23 games, 87 home runs were hit at the venue, easily besting Enron Field's (now called Minute Maid Park) previous record set in 2000.[58] Early in the season, Yankee Stadium was on pace to break Coors Field's 1999 single-season record of 303 home runs allowed, and the hometown New York Daily News newspaper started publishing a daily graphic comparing each stadium's home run totals through a similar number of games.
ESPN commentator Peter Gammons has denounced the new facility as "one of the biggest jokes in baseball" and concludes that "[it] was not a very well-planned ballpark."[54] Likewise, Gammons' ESPN colleague Buster Olney has described the stadium as being "on steroids" and likened it to his childhood Wiffle-ball park.[52][59] Newsday columnist Wallace Matthews joined in the criticism, labeling the stadium "ridiculous" and decrying its cheapening of the home run.[53] Former Yankee Reggie Jackson termed the park "too small" to contain current player Alex Rodriguez and suggested it might enable the third baseman to hit 75 home runs in a season.[53]
A variety of theories have been posited to account for the dramatic increase in home runs at the new Yankee Stadium over the original stadium, foremost among these the sharper angles of the outfield walls[34] and the speculated presence of a wind tunnel.[52] During construction of the new ballpark, engineers commissioned a wind study, the results of which indicated there would be no noticeable difference between the two stadiums.[60] The franchise is planning to conduct a second study, but Major League rules prohibit it from making any changes to the playing field until the off-season.[60]
An independent study by the weather service provider AccuWeather in June 2009 concluded that the shape and height of the right field wall, rather than the wind, is responsible for the proliferation of home runs at the stadium.[61] AccuWeather's analysis found that roughly 20% of the home runs hit at the new ballpark would not have been home runs at the old ballpark due to the gentle curve of its right field corner, and its 10-foot (3.0 m) wall height.[61] Nothing was observed in wind speeds and patterns that would account for the increase.[61]
The number of home runs hit at the new stadium slowed significantly as the season progressed,[62] but a new single-season record for most home runs hit at a Yankee home ballpark was nonetheless set in the Yankees' 73rd home game of 2009 when Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hit the 216th home run of the season at the venue, surpassing the previous record of 215 set at the original Yankee Stadium in 2005.[63]
In 2010, the rate of home runs were markedly less as of May 15, 2010, with 35 home runs hit in 14 games for 2.5 per game (a projection of 205 - in 2009, the stadium was at 2.93 per game for a total of 237.) Several reasons were given for the sudden dropoff in home runs, including a lower April 2010 temperature (56 degrees in comparison with 63 the previous year), slower winds, poor pitching, a change in direction in winds,[64] as well as removal of the original Yankee Stadium and the effect this has had on wind currents.[citation needed] ESPN suggested the prolific home run totals of 2009 were a fluke.[64]
[edit] Yankee Stadium firsts
Logo for the inaugural season at the Stadium.Before the official Opening Day against the Cleveland Indians April 16, 2009, the Yankees hosted a two-game exhibition series at the Stadium in early April against the Chicago Cubs.[5] Grady Sizemore of the Indians was the first player to hit a grand slam off of Yankee pitcher Dámaso Marte. The Indians and 2008 Cy Young Award winner, Cliff Lee, spoiled the opening of the new stadium by winning 10-2. Before the Yankees went to bat for the first time, the bat that Babe Ruth used to hit his first home run at the old Yankee Stadium in 1923 was placed momentarily on home plate.[65] Jorge Posada hit the first Yankee home run in the new ballpark hitting his off Lee in the same game. Russell Branyan, while playing for the Seattle Mariners, was the first player to hit a home run off of the Mohegan Sun Restaurant in center field. Like its predecessor, the new Yankee Stadium hosted the World Series in its very first season; in the 2009 World Series, the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 2. It also became the latest stadium to host a World Series-clinching victory by its home team in the venue's first season (after the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series at Busch Stadium in 2006), when, on November 4, 2009, the Yankees won their 27th World Series championship against the Phillies. The Yankees are the only team to inaugurate two stadiums with World Series wins and also appeared in the 1976 World Series following the refurbishment of the original Yankee Stadium.
Statistic Exhibition Regular season Postseason
First game April 3, 2009
Yankees 7, Cubs 4 April 16, 2009
Indians 10, Yankees 2 October 7, 2009
Yankees 7, Twins 2
Ceremonial First Pitch Reggie Jackson Yogi Berra Eric T. Olson
First Pitch Chien-Ming Wang CC Sabathia CC Sabathia
First Batter Aaron Miles (Cubs) Grady Sizemore (Indians) Denard Span (Twins)
First Hit Aaron Miles (Cubs) Johnny Damon Denard Span (Twins)
First Yankees Hit Derek Jeter Johnny Damon Derek Jeter
First Home Run Robinson Cano Jorge Posada Derek Jeter
First Win Chien-Ming Wang Cliff Lee (Indians) CC Sabathia
First Save Jonathan Albaladejo Mariano Rivera (4/17) Mariano Rivera
[edit] Other events
Football configuration for new Yankee Stadium.The first ever non-baseball event at the Stadium took place on April 25, 2009, with pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen holding a “Historic Night of Hope” prayer service.[66]
A New York University graduation ceremony took place on May 13, 2009 with the address being delivered by U.S. Secretary of State and former New York Senator Hillary Clinton. The 2010 NYU ceremony featured alumnus Alec Baldwin as a speaker.[67]
The promotional tour for the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight began with an event at Yankee Stadium on September 10, 2009.
On June 5, 2010, Yuri Foreman fought Cotto in the first boxing match in The Bronx since 1976. The fight was referred to as the "Stadium Slugfest." Cotto defeated Foreman with a TKO in the ninth round.[68]
The Army Black Knights will play a college football game at Yankee Stadium against The Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 20, 2010. This will mark the two teams' first meeting in the Bronx since 1969.[69] Also, Army will play Air Force, Rutgers, and Boston College in 2011, 2012, and 2014 respectively at Yankee Stadium.
Yankee Stadium will also host the newly-created Pinstripe Bowl, an annual college football bowl game that will pit the third-place team from the Big East against the seventh-place team from the Big 12. Organizers plan to hold the inaugural game December 30, 2010.[70]
The Yankees were in discussions with the National Hockey League to have Yankee Stadium host the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. However, the NHL chose Heinz Field as the host. The stadium was a candidate to host the 2010 NHL Winter Classic before it was awarded to Boston's Fenway Park.[71]
Rappers Jay-Z and Eminem performed the first concert at Yankee Stadium on September 13, 2010.[72]
[edit] See also
Citi Field, a new baseball stadium for the New York Mets (National League) also opened in 2009, replacing the Mets' previous home Shea Stadium in northern Queens (New York City).
Barclays Center, an arena for the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association to be built by and over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Atlantic Avenue railyards in northwestern Brooklyn (New York City) currently under construction.
New Meadowlands Stadium, a new football stadium for the New York Giants and the New York Jets of the National Football League which replaced Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey that opened in 2010.
Red Bull Arena, a new stadium for the Major League Soccer team New York Red Bulls that opened in 2010, replacing the team's previous home, Giants Stadium.
[edit] References
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^ a b N.Y.C. IDA Approves $325.3 Million, Most for Yankee Stadium Garages, The Bond Buyer, October 10, 2007
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^ Rashbaum, William K.; Belson, Ken (October 23, 2009). "Cracks Emerge in Ramps at New Yankee Stadium". The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/nyregion/24stadium.html. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
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^ Keown, Tim (April 28, 2009). "Trouble at the House that George Built". ESPN.com. sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=keown/090428. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
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^ McKee, Don (May 21, 2009). "Bronx launching pad awaits Phils". The Philadelphia Inquirer. www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20090521_Morning_Repo.... Retrieved 2009-05-23. [dead link]
^ "Phillies' Ruiz finishes Yanks in 11th, takes Lidge off hook". ESPN.com. sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290524110. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
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^ a b c Dittmeier, Bobbie (June 10, 2009). "Study: Design cause of Stadium homers". MLB.com. www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090610&content_id=.... Retrieved 2009-06-10.
^ The New Stadium's a Bandbox TheYankeeUniverse.com
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^ Weichselbaum, Simone; Schapiro, Rich (June 6, 2010). "Yankee Stadium slugfest: Miguel Cotto beats junior middleweight champ Yuri Foreman". Daily News (New York). www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/06/06/2010-06-06_boxers.... Retrieved 2010-06-07.
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^ "First Pinstripe Bowl to Be Held Dec. 30". ESPN.com. March 9, 2010. sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4978803. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
^ "Yankee Stadium to host NHL game in 2011?". Newsday. July 20, 2009. www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankee-stadium-to-host-nh.... Retrieved 2010-01-16.
^ "Jay-Z, Eminem to play local ballparks". MLB.com. May 13, 2010. mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100512&content_id=.... Retrieved 2010-05-13.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yankee Stadium
Official Site
Virtual tour of new Yankee Stadium
Newsday.com New Yankee Stadium
Ballparks of Baseball
Ballparks.com overview of proposed stadium
Photographic Updates of the Construction of the New Yankee Stadium
Demolition of Yankee Stadium
Metro-North Railroad station at Yankee Stadium
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park on July 8, 2010
Although Brad Lidge blew another lead in the 9th inning the Phillies still managed to win in the 12th. Oh well, I don't think that it's the Phillies year but at least there was a good sunset at the ballpark tonight.
I got mail today! i got moo cards from Brandon, and an awesome custom postcard all the way from Beijing from starkc!
I'll keep trucking away and get mine sent out to all you awesome people!
there's just something about getting good old snail mail... Don't you remember when you had that penpal? yeah, admit it, EVERYONE has had a penpal at some point in their life. i had one in 3rd grade and i think he was from the west coast... or Turkey (i have no idea how he read my horrible penmanship from back then)
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It serves as the home ballpark for the New York Yankees, replacing the previous Yankee Stadium, built in 1923. The new ballpark was constructed across the street, north-northeast of the 1923 Yankee Stadium, on the former site of Macombs Dam Park. The ballpark opened April 2, 2009, when the Yankees hosted a workout day in front of fans from the Bronx community. The first game at the new Yankee Stadium was a pre-season exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs played on April 3, 2009, which the Yankees won 7–4.[4] The first regular season game was played on April 16, a 10–2 Yankee loss to the Cleveland Indians.[5][6]
Much of the stadium incorporates design elements from the previous Yankee Stadium, paying homage to the Yankees' history. Although stadium construction began in August 2006, the project of building a new stadium for the Yankees is one that spanned many years and faced many controversies. The stadium was built on what had been 24 acres (97,000 m2) of public parkland. Replacement ballfields, slated to open when the new stadium did, have not been completed. Also controversial was the price tag of $2.3 billion, including $1.2 billion in taxpayer subsidies.[7] It was the third most expensive stadium[citation needed] after Wembley Stadium in London and New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[citation needed]
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Planning
1.2 Construction
1.3 Financing
2 Features
2.1 Design and layout
2.2 Field dimensions and playing surface
2.2.1 Comparison with the 1923 Stadium
2.3 Amenities and facilities
3 Accessibility and transportation
4 Public opinion
4.1 Opening and public perception
5 Yankee Stadium firsts
6 Other events
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
[edit] History
[edit] Planning
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner began campaigning for the building of a new stadium in the 1980s, even alleging unsafe conditions around the original Yankee Stadium despite the possibility that such statements could discourage attendance at his own team's games. Yankees ownership allegedly planned to move the team across the Hudson River to New Jersey. The Yankees also considered moving to the West Side of Manhattan, which was where the proposed West Side Stadium would later be considered for the New York Jets.[8][9]
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had already been instrumental in the construction of taxpayer-funded minor league baseball facilities MCU Park for the Mets' minor league Brooklyn Cyclones and Richmond County Bank Ballpark for the Staten Island Yankees. Shortly before leaving office in December 2001, he announced "tentative agreements" for both the New York Yankees and New York Mets to build new stadiums. Of $1.5 billion sought for the stadiums, city and state taxpayers would pick up half the tab for construction, $800 million, along with $390 million on extra transportation.[10] The plan also said that the teams would be allowed to keep all parking revenues, which state officials had already said they wanted to keep to compensate the state for building new garages for the teams.[11] The teams would keep 96% of ticket revenues and 100% of all other revenues, not pay sales tax or property tax on the stadium, and would get low-cost electricity from the state of New York.[11] Business officials criticized the plan as giving too much money to successful teams with little reason to move to a different city.[11]
Michael Bloomberg, who succeeded Giuliani as mayor in 2002, called the former mayor's agreements "corporate welfare" and exercised the escape clause in the agreements to back out of both deals, saying that the city could not afford to build new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets. Bloomberg said that unbeknownst to him, Giuliani had inserted a clause in this deal which loosened the teams' leases with the city and would allow the Yankees and Mets to leave the city on 60 days' notice to find a new home elsewhere if the city backed out of the agreement.[10][11] At the time, Bloomberg said that publicly funded stadiums were a poor investment. Under Bloomberg, the New York City government would only offer public financing for infrastructure improvements; the teams would have to pay for the stadium themselves.
The proposal for the current stadium was unveiled by the Yankees in 2004. The team scrapped plans to build a retractable roof, saving $200 million in construction costs.[12]
[edit] Construction
The stadium under construction in 2007 (top), and the completed venue next to the remains of the former facility in 2010 (bottom)Groundbreaking ceremonies for the stadium took place on August 16, 2006, the 58th anniversary of Babe Ruth's death, with Steinbrenner, Bloomberg and then-Governor of New York George Pataki among the notables donning Yankees hard hats and wielding ceremonial shovels to mark the occasion.[13][14] The Yankees continued to play in the previous Yankee Stadium during the 2007 and 2008 seasons while their new home stadium was built across the street.
During construction of the stadium, a construction worker and avid Boston Red Sox fan, buried a replica jersey of Red Sox player David Ortiz underneath the visitors' dugout with the objective of placing a "hex" on the Yankees, much like the "Curse of the Bambino" that had plagued the Red Sox long after trading Ruth to the Yankees. After the worker was exposed by co-workers, he was forced to help exhume the jersey.[15] The Yankees organization then donated the retrieved jersey to the Jimmy Fund, a charity started in 1948 by the Red Sox' National League rivals, the Boston Braves, but long championed by the Red Sox and particularly associated with Ted Williams.[16][17] The worker has since claimed to have buried a 2004 American League Championship Series program/scorecard, but has not said where he placed it.[18] These attempts did not work; the Yankees won the World Series in their first year in the new stadium.[19]
[edit] Financing
$1.5 million of New York state tax revenue will be used to build parking garages (as authorized by the State Legislature). The parking garage project would cost $320 million. City and state taxpayers will forgo up to $7.5 million annually in lost taxes resulting from the sale of $225 million in tax-exempt bonds authorized on October 9, 2007, by the New York City Industrial Development Agency (administered by the New York City Economic Development Corporation) to finance construction and renovation of the parking garages.[20][21] However, if the parking revenues are not enough to pay a reported $3.2 million land lease to the city, the entity that will operate the parking garages and collect revenue will be able to defer that payment.[22]
[edit] Features
The new stadium is meant to be very similar in design to the original Yankee Stadium, both in its original 1923 state and its post-renovation state in 1976. The exterior resembles the original look of the 1923 Yankee Stadium. The interior, a modern ballpark with greater space and increased amenities, features a playing field that closely resembles the previous ballpark before its closing. The stadium features 4,300 club seats and 68 luxury suites.
[edit] Design and layout
The Indiana limestone exterior, shown at Gate 4, mirrors the exterior of the original Yankee Stadium in 1923.The stadium was designed by the architect firm Populous (formerly HOK Sport). The exterior was made from 11,000 pieces of Indiana limestone, along with granite and pre-cast concrete.[23] The design closely mirrors the exterior of the original Yankee Stadium when it first opened in 1923.[23] The exterior features the building's name V-cut and gold-leaf lettered above each gate.[23] The interior of the stadium is adorned with hundreds of photographs capturing the history of the Yankees. The New York Daily News newspaper partnered with the Yankees for the exhibition "The Glory of the Yankees Photo Collection", which was selected from the Daily News' collection of over 2,000 photographs.[24] Sports & The Arts was hired by the Yankees to curate the nearly 1,300 photographs that adorn the building from sources including the Daily News, Getty Images, the Baseball Hall of Fame and Major League Baseball.
The seats are laid out similar to the original stadium's stands, with grandstand seating that stretches beyond the foul poles, as well as bleacher seats beyond the outfield fences. The Field Level and Main Level comprise the lower bowl, with suites on the H&R Block Level, and the Upper Level and Grandstand Level comprising the upper bowl.[25] Approximately two-thirds of the stadium's seating is in the lower bowl, the inverse from the original Yankee Stadium.[25] Approximately 51,000 fans can be seated, with a standing room capacity of 52,325.[26] The new stadium's seating is spaced outward in a bowl, unlike the stacked-tiers design at the old stadium. This design places most fans farther back but lower to the field, by about an average of 30 feet (9.1 m). Over 56 suites are located within the ballpark, triple the amount from the previous stadium.[23] Seats are 19–24 inches (48–61 cm) wide, up from the previous stadium's 18–22-inch (46–56 cm) wide seats, while there is 33–39 inches (84–99 cm) of leg room, up from 29.5 inches (75 cm) of leg room in the previous stadium.[25] Many lower level seats are cushioned, while all seats are equipped with cupholders.[25] To allow for the extra seating space, the stadium's capacity is reduced by more than 4,000 seats in comparison to the previous stadium.[25]
The frieze that lined the roof of the original Yankee Stadium from 1923-1973 is replicated in its original location.Many design elements of the ballpark's interior are inspired by the original Yankee Stadium. The roof of the new facility features a replica of the frieze that was a trademark of the previous ballpark.[25] In the original Yankee Stadium, a copper frieze originally lined the roof of the upper deck stands, but it was torn down during the 1974–75 renovations and replicated atop the wall beyond the bleachers.[25] The new stadium replicates the frieze in its original location along the upper deck stands.[25] Made of steel coated with zinc for rust protection, it is part of the support system for the cantilevers holding up the top deck and the lighting on the roof.[27] The wall beyond the bleacher seats is "cut out" to reveal the subway trains as they pass by, like they were in the original facility. A manually-operated auxiliary scoreboard is built into the left and right field fences, in the same locations it existed in the pre-renovation iteration of the original Yankee Stadium.[25]
The Great Hall is situated along the southern front of the stadium.Between the exterior perimeter wall and interior of the stadium is the "Great Hall", a large concourse that runs between Gates 4 and 6.[28] With seven-story ceilings, the Great Hall features more than 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2) of retail space and is lined with 20 banners of past and present Yankees superstars.[28] The Great Hall features a 5-by-383-foot (1.5 by 117 m) LED (light-emitting diode) ribbon display as well as a 25' by 36' LED video display above the entrance to the ballpark from Daktronics, a company in ‹See Tfd›Brookings, South Dakota.[28] [28]
Monument Park, which features the Yankees' retired numbers, as well as monuments and plaques dedicated to distinguished Yankees, has been moved from its location beyond the left field fences in the original Yankee Stadium to its new location beyond the center field fences at the new facility. The newly relocated Monument Park is now situated under the sports bar, this choice of location has drawn criticism as the many monuments are underneath the sports bar and not as in the open as in the previous Yankee Stadium. Fueling this criticism has been the advent of black shades that cover monuments on the back wall during games to prevent interference with the vision of the batter.[29] The new location of the monuments is meant to mirror their original placement in center field at the original pre-renovation Yankee Stadium, albeit when they were on the playing field. The transfer of Monument Park from the old stadium to the new stadium began on November 10, 2008.[30] The first monuments were put in place on February 23, 2009.[31] Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera requested that the Yankees reposition the team's bullpen, as well as add a door to connect the Yankees' bullpen to Monument Park, in order to allow access to it by Yankee relievers. The organization complied with his request.[23][32]
[edit] Field dimensions and playing surface
The view from the Grandstand Level (400 Level).The field dimensions for the outfield fences have the same distance markers as the original facility prior to closing yet the dimensions are not identical.[33] Due to the design of the right-field stands and the inclusion of an embedded manual scoreboard, the right-field wall is an average of 5 feet (1.5 m) closer to home plate.[34] Overall, the fences measure 318 feet (97 m) to left field, 399 feet (122 m) to left-center field, 408 feet (124 m) to center field, 385 feet (117 m) to right-center field, and 314 to right field.[25][26] At the old Yankee Stadium, the right field wall curved from the right-field corner to straightaway center, while at the new ballpark the fence takes a sharp, almost entirely straight angle.[34] This results in a difference at certain points between the right field markers of as much as 9 feet (2.7 m).[34] The dimensions in left field are substantially the same despite the presence of an embedded auxiliary scoreboard there as well.[34]
The outfield fences measure 8 feet 5 inches (2.57 m) high from the left-field foul pole until the Yankees' bullpen, when the fences begin to gradually descend in height until the right field foul pole, where they are only 8 feet (2.4 m) tall.[25] This also marks a decrease from the previous Yankee Stadium, where the outfield walls stood at a height of approximately 10 feet (3.0 m).[33] The distance from home plate to the backstop is 52 feet 4 inches (15.95 m), a reduction of 20 feet (6.1 m) from the previous facility.[26] The field is made up of Kentucky bluegrass, the same surface as the previous stadium, which is grown on a 1,300 acres (530 ha) farm in Bridgeton, New Jersey. The grass is equipped with a drainage system (featuring over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) of pipe) that makes the field playable an hour after taking 2 inches (51 mm) of rain.[25]
[edit] Comparison with the 1923 Stadium
Characteristic Old Stadium [as of 2008] New Stadium
Opening Day April 18, 1923 April 16, 2009
Capacity 56,866 52,325 [35](including standing room)
Seat width 18 inches (46 cm)–22 inches (56 cm) 19 inches (48 cm)–24 inches (61 cm)
Legroom 29.5 inches (75 cm) 33 inches (84 cm)–39 inches (99 cm)
Concourse width (average) 17 feet (5.2 m) 32 feet (9.8 m)
Cup holders Select Field Level Seating For every seat in General Seating
Luxury suites 19 56
Club Seats N/A 4,300
Team stores 6,800 square feet (630 m2) 11,560 square feet (1,074 m2)
Restroom fixture ratio 1 per 89 fans 1 per 60 fans
Public elevators
(passenger lifts) 3
(Otis Traction) 16
(KONE Traction)
Video scoreboard 25 feet (7.6 m) by 33 feet (10 m)
(Standard Definition LED) 59 feet (18 m) by 101 feet (31 m)
(High Definition LED)
Distance from Home Plate to:
Backstop 72 feet 4 inches (22 m) 52 feet 4 inches (16 m)
Left Field 318 feet (97 m)
Left Center 399 feet (122 m)
Center Field 408 feet (124 m)
Right Center 385 feet (117 m)
Right Field 314 feet (96 m)
Sources: The New York Yankees [26] and Andrew Clem [36]
[edit] Amenities and facilities
A signature by Babe Ruth is one of many autographs in the "ball wall", the centerpiece of the Yankee Museum.Yankee Stadium features a wide array of amenities. It contains 63 percent more space, 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) more in total, than the previous stadium, with wider concourses and open sight lines on concourses.[23] Along with 227 miles (365 km) of wired Ethernet cable, the building has sufficient fiber-optic cable wiring that Cisco Vice President and Treasurer David Holland calls the building "future proof".[23] Over 1,100 high-definition video monitors are placed within the stadium and approximately $10 million worth of baseball merchandise is housed within the ballpark.[23]
The center field scoreboard, which measures 59 x 101 feet (31 m) and offers 5,925 square feet (550.5 m2) of viewing area, was the third-largest high definition scoreboard in the world when it opened (behind the 8,736-square-foot (811.6 m2) board at newly renovated Kauffman Stadium and the new 8,066-square-foot (749.4 m2) board at the renovated Tokyo Racecourse).[37] Since then, it has also been surpassed by the world's largest scoreboard at the new Cowboys Stadium.[38] Displaying 5,925 ft (1,806 m)² of video, the scoreboard can display four 1080p high definition images simultaneously.[25]
The Yankees clubhouse features 30,000 ft (9,100 m)² of space, over 2.5 times the space of the clubhouse from the previous facility.[39] The dressing area alone features 3,344 ft (1,019 m)² of space, with each locker equipped with a safety deposit box and touch-screen computer.[39] The Yankees clubhouse features a weight room, training room, video room, and lounge area, while both teams' clubhouses have their own indoor batting cages.[39] The Yankees' therapy room features a hydrotherapy pool with an underwater treadmill.[39] The Yankees are believed to be the first team to chemically treat their uniforms, as well as the showering surfaces with an anti-bacterial agent that reduces the risk of infection.[39]
The Yankees Museum, located on the lower level at Gate 6, displays a wide range of Yankees' memorabilia.[40] A "Ball Wall" features hundreds of balls autographed by past and present Yankees, and there are plans to eventually add autographs for every living player who has played for the Yankees.[40] The centerpiece of the museum is a tribute to Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, with a commemorative home plate in the floor and statues of Larsen pitching to Yogi Berra.[40] Along with a facsimile of a current locker from the Yankees' clubhouse, fans can view the locker of the late Thurman Munson, which sat unoccupied in the previous stadium's Yankee clubhouse in honor of Munson.[40]
The ballpark offers a wide choice of restaurants. There are 25 fixed concessions stands, along with 112 moveable ones.[28] A Hard Rock Cafe is located within the ballpark, but it is open to anyone at the 161 St. and River Ave. entrance year round.[28] The Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium officially opened on March 30, 2009, and an opening ceremony took place on April 2, 2009.[41] A steakhouse called NYY Steak is located beyond right field.[28] Celebrity chefs will occasionally make appearances at the ballpark's restaurants and help prepare food for fans in premium seating over the course of the season.[28] Above Monument Park in center field is the Mohegan Sun sports bar, whose tinted black glass acts as the ballpark's batter's eye. The sports bar obstructs the view of approximately 600 bleacher seats in the right and left field bleachers, preventing fans from seeing the action occurring deep in the opposite side of the outfield. In response, the Yankees installed TV monitors on the sides of the sports bar's outer walls, and have reduced the price of these obstructed-view seats from $12 to $5.[42][43]
[edit] Accessibility and transportation
The stadium is serviced via subway by the 161st Street station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line (top) (as well as the IND Concourse Line; not shown) and via railroad by the East 153rd Street Metro North station (bottom)The stadium is reachable via the 161st Street – Yankee Stadium station complex, the same that served the old Yankee Stadium, by the 4 B D trains of the New York City Subway. It is also served by the Yankees - East 153rd Street (Metro-North station), which opened on May 23, 2009,[44] which routinely features Hudson Line train service, but on game days, Harlem Line and New Haven Line trains as well as shuttle trains from Grand Central Terminal also platform there. The stadium is also served by multiple bus lines. On game days, NY Waterway operates the "Yankee Clipper" ferry route stopping at Port Imperial (Weehawken) and Hoboken in New Jersey and West 38th Street, the Wall Street Ferry Pier, and East 34th Street in Manhattan, and New York Water Taxi operates a free ferry to the stadium from the Wall Street Ferry Pier before every game only. For selected games, SeaStreak provides high-speed ferry service to Highlands, New Jersey.
Yankee Stadium is accessible by car via the Major Deegan Expressway (Interstate 87), with connections to Interstate 95, Interstate 278 and other major thoroughfares. Aside from existing parking lots and garages serving the stadium, construction for additional parking garages is planned. The New York State Legislature agreed to $70 million in subsidies for a $320 million parking garage project. On October 9, 2007, the New York City Industrial Development Agency approved $225 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance construction of three new parking garages that will have 3,600 new parking spaces, and renovation of the existing 5,569 parking spaces nearby.[45] Plans initially called for a fourth new garage, but this was eliminated before the final approval. The garages will be built (and renovated) by the Community Initiatives Development Corporation of Hudson, N.Y., a nonprofit entity that will use the parking revenue to repay the bonds and pay a $3 million yearly land lease to the City of New York. Parking is expected to cost $25 per game.[45]
[edit] Public opinion
[edit] Opening and public perception
Four F-16C Fighting Falcons from the 174th Fighter Wing fly over the "New" Yankee Stadium on Opening DayAlthough Yankee Stadium has been praised for its amenities and its usage of "classic" design elements from the original facility, the new stadium has been widely criticized for fan-unfriendly practices.[46][47] Seats within the first eight rows in the lower bowl, called the "Legends Suite", rank among the highest priced tickets in professional sports, with the average ticket in the section selling for $510 and the most expensive single game-day ticket costing $2,600.[46] Legends Suite Seats have been regularly empty, with many ticket holders in this section having given up their tickets, and others remaining unsold, despite most other seats in the ballpark selling out. This has created an "embarrassing" image on television of the seats behind home plate being almost completely vacant.[46] Consequently, a surplus of tickets for Legends Seats have emerged in the secondary market, and with supply exceeding demand, resale prices have dropped. Empty seats in the Legends Suite could even be seen during the 2009 playoffs, including World Series games. Even though all playoff games have been sellouts, Legends Suite ticket holders are in the lounges and the restaurant underneath instead of their seats.[48][49]
Legends Suite seats are also separate from the other lower bowl seating and are vigorously patrolled by stadium security, with the divider being described as a "concrete moat".[46][47] Fans that do not have tickets within this premium section in the front rows are not allowed to access it or stand behind the dugouts during batting practice to watch players hit and request autographs.[46][47]
The Yankee Stadium staff was also criticized for an incident during a May 4, 2009 game, which was interrupted by a rain delay.[50] Fans were told by some staff members that the game was unlikely to resume and consequently, many fans exited the stadium, only for the game to eventually resume play.[50] The fans that left the ballpark were not permitted to re-enter, per the stadium's re-entry policy, and many subsequently got into arguments with stadium personnel.[50] In response to the backlash the Yankees received for the incident, the staff members were required to sign a gag order preventing them from speaking to media, but they did indicate that communication for rain delays would be improved.[50]
After less than a season, cracks have appeared on the concrete ramps of the Stadium. The Yankees are trying to determine whether there was something wrong with the cement, or the ramps' installation or design. The company involved in designing the concrete mix were indicted on charges that they either faked or failed to perform some required tests and falsified the results of others.[51]
This article's factual accuracy may be compromised because of out-of-date information. Please help improve the article by updating it. There may be additional information on the talk page. (September 2010)
In 2009, the stadium was criticized for its propensity for allowing home runs. In its opening season, 237 home runs were hit.Yankee Stadium has quickly acquired a reputation as a "bandbox" and a "launching pad" due to the high number of home runs hit at the new ballpark.[52][53][54][55][56][57] Through its first 23 games, 87 home runs were hit at the venue, easily besting Enron Field's (now called Minute Maid Park) previous record set in 2000.[58] Early in the season, Yankee Stadium was on pace to break Coors Field's 1999 single-season record of 303 home runs allowed, and the hometown New York Daily News newspaper started publishing a daily graphic comparing each stadium's home run totals through a similar number of games.
ESPN commentator Peter Gammons has denounced the new facility as "one of the biggest jokes in baseball" and concludes that "[it] was not a very well-planned ballpark."[54] Likewise, Gammons' ESPN colleague Buster Olney has described the stadium as being "on steroids" and likened it to his childhood Wiffle-ball park.[52][59] Newsday columnist Wallace Matthews joined in the criticism, labeling the stadium "ridiculous" and decrying its cheapening of the home run.[53] Former Yankee Reggie Jackson termed the park "too small" to contain current player Alex Rodriguez and suggested it might enable the third baseman to hit 75 home runs in a season.[53]
A variety of theories have been posited to account for the dramatic increase in home runs at the new Yankee Stadium over the original stadium, foremost among these the sharper angles of the outfield walls[34] and the speculated presence of a wind tunnel.[52] During construction of the new ballpark, engineers commissioned a wind study, the results of which indicated there would be no noticeable difference between the two stadiums.[60] The franchise is planning to conduct a second study, but Major League rules prohibit it from making any changes to the playing field until the off-season.[60]
An independent study by the weather service provider AccuWeather in June 2009 concluded that the shape and height of the right field wall, rather than the wind, is responsible for the proliferation of home runs at the stadium.[61] AccuWeather's analysis found that roughly 20% of the home runs hit at the new ballpark would not have been home runs at the old ballpark due to the gentle curve of its right field corner, and its 10-foot (3.0 m) wall height.[61] Nothing was observed in wind speeds and patterns that would account for the increase.[61]
The number of home runs hit at the new stadium slowed significantly as the season progressed,[62] but a new single-season record for most home runs hit at a Yankee home ballpark was nonetheless set in the Yankees' 73rd home game of 2009 when Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hit the 216th home run of the season at the venue, surpassing the previous record of 215 set at the original Yankee Stadium in 2005.[63]
In 2010, the rate of home runs were markedly less as of May 15, 2010, with 35 home runs hit in 14 games for 2.5 per game (a projection of 205 - in 2009, the stadium was at 2.93 per game for a total of 237.) Several reasons were given for the sudden dropoff in home runs, including a lower April 2010 temperature (56 degrees in comparison with 63 the previous year), slower winds, poor pitching, a change in direction in winds,[64] as well as removal of the original Yankee Stadium and the effect this has had on wind currents.[citation needed] ESPN suggested the prolific home run totals of 2009 were a fluke.[64]
[edit] Yankee Stadium firsts
Logo for the inaugural season at the Stadium.Before the official Opening Day against the Cleveland Indians April 16, 2009, the Yankees hosted a two-game exhibition series at the Stadium in early April against the Chicago Cubs.[5] Grady Sizemore of the Indians was the first player to hit a grand slam off of Yankee pitcher Dámaso Marte. The Indians and 2008 Cy Young Award winner, Cliff Lee, spoiled the opening of the new stadium by winning 10-2. Before the Yankees went to bat for the first time, the bat that Babe Ruth used to hit his first home run at the old Yankee Stadium in 1923 was placed momentarily on home plate.[65] Jorge Posada hit the first Yankee home run in the new ballpark hitting his off Lee in the same game. Russell Branyan, while playing for the Seattle Mariners, was the first player to hit a home run off of the Mohegan Sun Restaurant in center field. Like its predecessor, the new Yankee Stadium hosted the World Series in its very first season; in the 2009 World Series, the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 2. It also became the latest stadium to host a World Series-clinching victory by its home team in the venue's first season (after the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series at Busch Stadium in 2006), when, on November 4, 2009, the Yankees won their 27th World Series championship against the Phillies. The Yankees are the only team to inaugurate two stadiums with World Series wins and also appeared in the 1976 World Series following the refurbishment of the original Yankee Stadium.
Statistic Exhibition Regular season Postseason
First game April 3, 2009
Yankees 7, Cubs 4 April 16, 2009
Indians 10, Yankees 2 October 7, 2009
Yankees 7, Twins 2
Ceremonial First Pitch Reggie Jackson Yogi Berra Eric T. Olson
First Pitch Chien-Ming Wang CC Sabathia CC Sabathia
First Batter Aaron Miles (Cubs) Grady Sizemore (Indians) Denard Span (Twins)
First Hit Aaron Miles (Cubs) Johnny Damon Denard Span (Twins)
First Yankees Hit Derek Jeter Johnny Damon Derek Jeter
First Home Run Robinson Cano Jorge Posada Derek Jeter
First Win Chien-Ming Wang Cliff Lee (Indians) CC Sabathia
First Save Jonathan Albaladejo Mariano Rivera (4/17) Mariano Rivera
[edit] Other events
Football configuration for new Yankee Stadium.The first ever non-baseball event at the Stadium took place on April 25, 2009, with pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen holding a “Historic Night of Hope” prayer service.[66]
A New York University graduation ceremony took place on May 13, 2009 with the address being delivered by U.S. Secretary of State and former New York Senator Hillary Clinton. The 2010 NYU ceremony featured alumnus Alec Baldwin as a speaker.[67]
The promotional tour for the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight began with an event at Yankee Stadium on September 10, 2009.
On June 5, 2010, Yuri Foreman fought Cotto in the first boxing match in The Bronx since 1976. The fight was referred to as the "Stadium Slugfest." Cotto defeated Foreman with a TKO in the ninth round.[68]
The Army Black Knights will play a college football game at Yankee Stadium against The Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 20, 2010. This will mark the two teams' first meeting in the Bronx since 1969.[69] Also, Army will play Air Force, Rutgers, and Boston College in 2011, 2012, and 2014 respectively at Yankee Stadium.
Yankee Stadium will also host the newly-created Pinstripe Bowl, an annual college football bowl game that will pit the third-place team from the Big East against the seventh-place team from the Big 12. Organizers plan to hold the inaugural game December 30, 2010.[70]
The Yankees were in discussions with the National Hockey League to have Yankee Stadium host the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. However, the NHL chose Heinz Field as the host. The stadium was a candidate to host the 2010 NHL Winter Classic before it was awarded to Boston's Fenway Park.[71]
Rappers Jay-Z and Eminem performed the first concert at Yankee Stadium on September 13, 2010.[72]
[edit] See also
Citi Field, a new baseball stadium for the New York Mets (National League) also opened in 2009, replacing the Mets' previous home Shea Stadium in northern Queens (New York City).
Barclays Center, an arena for the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association to be built by and over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Atlantic Avenue railyards in northwestern Brooklyn (New York City) currently under construction.
New Meadowlands Stadium, a new football stadium for the New York Giants and the New York Jets of the National Football League which replaced Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey that opened in 2010.
Red Bull Arena, a new stadium for the Major League Soccer team New York Red Bulls that opened in 2010, replacing the team's previous home, Giants Stadium.
[edit] References
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^ a b c d e Kepner, Tyler (April 20, 2009). "Over the Wall and Under the Microscope in the Bronx". The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/sports/baseball/21homeruns.html. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
^ www.seating-chart.info/mlb/american-league/yankee-stadium/
^ Andrew Clem www.andrewclem.com/Baseball/YankeeStadium_II.html
^ www.engadgethd.com/2007/10/03/kansas-city-royals-to-get-w... Kansas City Royals to get 'world's largest' HD LED scoreboard – endgadeget.com – Retrieved May 18, 2009
^ MJD (June 12, 2008). "Jerry Jones aims to make all Cowboys' fans blind by 2010". Sports.yahoo.com. sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Jerry-Jone.... Retrieved November 28, 2008.
^ a b c d e "Tour the new House - Inside the Clubhouse". Daily News (New York). www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yankeestadium.... Retrieved 2009-04-10.
^ a b c d "Tour the new House - Pinstripe Pride". Daily News (New York). www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yankeestadium.... Retrieved 2009-04-10.
^ "New York Yankees-owned steakhouse will be part of new stadium". Daily News. Bloomberg News (New York). June 18, 2008. www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/06/18/2008-06-18_new_york_.... Retrieved 2010-01-16.
^ Best, Neil (February 24, 2009). "Old Yankee Stadium's obstructed views make a comeback". Newsday. www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/wednesday.... Retrieved 2010-01-16.
^ Best, Neil (February 25, 2009). "Yankees lower partial-view seat price to $5". Newsday. www.newsday.com/sports/ny-sptix2612496709feb26,0,5172494..... Retrieved 2010-01-16.
^ Metro-North Railroad (April 1, 2009). "Train Service to MTA Metro-North Railroad's Newest Station Yankees – E. 153rd Street Begins Saturday May 23, 2009". Press release. www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/?en=090401-MNR11. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
^ a b N.Y.C. IDA Approves $325.3 Million, Most for Yankee Stadium Garages, The Bond Buyer, October 10, 2007
^ a b c d e Green, Sarah (May 5, 2009). "New Yankee Stadium Strikes Out With Customers". Harvard Business Publishing. blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/05/new_yankee_stadium_i.... Retrieved 2009-05-07.
^ a b c Kepner, Tyler (Maay 6, 2009). "New Home, New Atmosphere". The New York Times. bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/new-home-new-atmosphere/. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
^ Miller, Scott (October 29, 2009). "Yankees create no excitement, and now pressure's on". CBS Sports.com. www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/12436398. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
^ Best, Neil (October 29, 2009). "Empty seats at Yankee Stadium not what they seem". Newsday. www.newsday.com/sports/empty-seats-at-yankee-stadium-not-.... Retrieved 2009-10-31.
^ a b c d Gagne, Matt (May 6, 2009). "Fallout from Yankeegate lingers with Stadium workers, irate fans". Daily News (New York). www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/05/20.... Retrieved 2009-05-07.
^ Rashbaum, William K.; Belson, Ken (October 23, 2009). "Cracks Emerge in Ramps at New Yankee Stadium". The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/nyregion/24stadium.html. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
^ a b c Olney, Buster (April 21, 2009). "New Yankee Stadium on steroids?". ESPN.com. sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4080195. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
^ a b c Matthews, Wallace (May 20, 2009). "Home runs a cheap thrill at Yankee Stadium". Newsday. www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spwally2112790416may20.... Retrieved 2009-05-23.
^ a b "Yankee Stadium: Biggest Joke in Baseball". New York Post. May 22, 2009. www.nypost.com/seven/05222009/sports/yankees/gammons_rips.... Retrieved 2009-05-23.
^ Keown, Tim (April 28, 2009). "Trouble at the House that George Built". ESPN.com. sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=keown/090428. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
^ Roberts, Jeff (May 23, 2009). "Ruthian blasts now a common sight". NorthJersey.com. www.northjersey.com/sports/yankees/45886242.html. Retrieved 2009-05-23. [dead link]
^ McKee, Don (May 21, 2009). "Bronx launching pad awaits Phils". The Philadelphia Inquirer. www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20090521_Morning_Repo.... Retrieved 2009-05-23. [dead link]
^ "Phillies' Ruiz finishes Yanks in 11th, takes Lidge off hook". ESPN.com. sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290524110. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
^ Olney, Buster (May 23, 2009). "Too many homers to right? Add a chicken coop". ESPN.com. insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4201092&n.... Retrieved 2009-05-23.
^ a b Feinsand, Mark (April 21, 2009). "Homer's Odyssey: News tries to solve new Yankee Stadium's quandary". Daily News (New York). www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/04/20/20.... Retrieved 2009-05-23.
^ a b c Dittmeier, Bobbie (June 10, 2009). "Study: Design cause of Stadium homers". MLB.com. www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090610&content_id=.... Retrieved 2009-06-10.
^ The New Stadium's a Bandbox TheYankeeUniverse.com
^ Hoch, Bryan (September 14, 2009). "Guerrero's homer sets Yankee Stadium mark". MLB.com. mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090914&content_id=.... Retrieved 2009-09-17.
^ a b Marchand, Andrew (April 30, 2010). "It is high, it is far, it is ... caught!". ESPN. sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5151275.
^ "Cleveland 10, New York 2". USA Today. April 16, 2009. content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/baseball/mlb/game/Indians.... Retrieved 2009-04-16.
^ Gibson, David (April 19, 2009). "God’s Will in Hard Times". New York Magazine. nymag.com/news/intelligencer/56161/. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
^ "Alec Baldwin Speaks At NYU Graduation (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. May 12, 2010. www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/12/alec-baldwin-speaks-at-.... Retrieved 2010-05-13.
^ Weichselbaum, Simone; Schapiro, Rich (June 6, 2010). "Yankee Stadium slugfest: Miguel Cotto beats junior middleweight champ Yuri Foreman". Daily News (New York). www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/06/06/2010-06-06_boxers.... Retrieved 2010-06-07.
^ Hoch, Bryan (July 20, 2009). "Yanks to host Notre Dame-Army game". MLB.com. mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090720&content_id=.... Retrieved 2010-01-16.
^ "First Pinstripe Bowl to Be Held Dec. 30". ESPN.com. March 9, 2010. sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4978803. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
^ "Yankee Stadium to host NHL game in 2011?". Newsday. July 20, 2009. www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankee-stadium-to-host-nh.... Retrieved 2010-01-16.
^ "Jay-Z, Eminem to play local ballparks". MLB.com. May 13, 2010. mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100512&content_id=.... Retrieved 2010-05-13.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yankee Stadium
Official Site
Virtual tour of new Yankee Stadium
Newsday.com New Yankee Stadium
Ballparks of Baseball
Ballparks.com overview of proposed stadium
Photographic Updates of the Construction of the New Yankee Stadium
Demolition of Yankee Stadium
Metro-North Railroad station at Yankee Stadium
For FGR. I couldn't resist phallic objects. I know this isn't as good as it could be, but I ran out of time. The gym was calling my name.
I know you can't read it, but the pen says Viagra on it.... ha.. and this is the infamous 'Pens Box' and it won't be the last you see of it. It goes way back. I'll see if I can dig up some old pictures. Might even have to use the scanner.
Use the Viagra.
__________________________________________________________
I've been tagged (again), by the lovely Karen So I must give you 16 random things about myself and I will!
1. I have a fake tooth. On a bite plate, but my dog snapped it into 15 pieces and my new one should be here in a couple days.
2. Self diagnosed lactose intolerant. But I still indulge.
3. I paint my nails once every 7 months because I'm lazy.
4. I much rather live where it's winter year round.
5. My favorite color is lime green.
6. My photography is average. Not fantastic, and not sucky, but right in the middle. People confuse great shots with skills in post-processing and editing.
7. People think my little brother and I are twins. He's 4 years younger.
8. I drink water (and other beverages) so quickly, my boyfriend calls me a water buffalo.
9. I'm an art student, studying graphic design.
10. I slur my speech, all the time.
11. I'm practically married.
12. I don't like fruits or veggie.
13. Apparently I'm Swedish and Russian.
14 But I've got an extremely Jewish middle name. (Heyman)
15. I can move my second toe without moving any of my other toes.
16. I'm RARELY on time. If you want me somewhere, tell me to be there an hour earlier than the actual time.
____________________________________________________
Tag you're it! It's more fun than you might think...
Kev causeee I don't know a whole lot about him!
Hunter .. cause... do I really need a reason?
Ms. M cause she's super nice and you should go love her stream
Brandon cause he's living in snow life and I'm jealous.
Jeff cause he needs a bit of cheering up!
(oh just do it... )
Troy Eugene Percival (b. August 9, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and current head coach at UC Riverside. He gained fame as a closer. During a 14-year baseball career, he pitched from 1995–2009 for four different teams, pitching primarily with the California / Anaheim Angels. He was also an integral part of that franchise's 2002 World Series championship team. Percival currently ranks 10th in career saves. He made his Major League debut as a reliever in 1995, and was mostly used as a setup man for Lee Smith. He was coached by his father Richard Percival for all of his childhood years.
In 1996, he became the regular closer for the Angels and had 36 saves with 100 strikeouts in 74 innings. He is one of only six pitchers in the Angels' 44-year history to strike out at least 100 batters in a season without starting a game.
He had a career-high 42 saves in 1998, and enjoyed his best season in 2002 with a 4-1 record, 40 saves, 68 strikeouts, and a 1.92 ERA. That year en route to winning the World Series he was 7 for 7 in save opportunities, tying John Wetteland for most saves in one postseason (since tied by Brad Lidge, Koji Uehara and Greg Holland; Robb Nen was also 7 for 7 but blew one on the 8th opportunity).
Percival signed with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent for the 2005 season. However, after a mediocre start to his career at Comerica Park, during which he converted 8 saves from 11 opportunities and posted an ERA of 5.76, Percival suffered a serious injury to his right forearm in early July.
On August 11, 2009 he announced that he was likely to retire, and would cease his attempts at coming back from his current injury.
MLB statistics:
Win–loss record 35–43
ERA - 3.17
Strikeouts - 781
Saves - 358
Teams:
California / Anaheim Angels (1995–2004)
Detroit Tigers (2005)
St. Louis Cardinals (2007)
Tampa Bay Rays (2008–2009)
Career highlights and awards:
4× All-Star (1996, 1998, 1999, 2001)
World Series champion (2002)
Link to all of his issued baseball cards - www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/4564/col/1/yea/0/Tro...
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (IPA: /puˌˡxols/), (born January 16, 1980 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), (nicknamed Prince Albert, Sir Albert, Phat Albert, or El Hombre[1]) is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the game today.[2][3] With Barry Bonds unsigned as of the beginning of the 2008 season, Pujols was voted the runaway winner as the Most Feared Hitter in baseball in a poll of all 30 big-league managers.[4]
He already ranks 115th on the List of the Top 500 home run hitters in the history of the game. On July 4th, 2008, Albert hit his 300th career home run, off Chicago Cubs' setup man Bobby Howry, a screaming line drive off the foul pole, in the eighth inning at Busch Stadium, becoming the fifth-youngest player (28 yrs., 170 days) in MLB history to accomplish that feat.[5]
From 2001 (his debut) through the 2007 seasons, Pujols has led the major leagues in total bases (2,514) and extra-base hits (593). He was second in home runs (282) to Alex Rodriguez (329); second in RBI (861) to Rodriguez's 908; second in runs (847) to Rodriguez's 874; second in doubles (298) to Todd Helton's 318; fourth in hits (1,344) to Ichiro Suzuki (1,592), Juan Pierre (1,378), and Derek Jeter (1,348); and second in batting average (.3315) to Suzuki (.3335). As of June 25 2008, Pujols has passed Suzuki as the active career batting average leader, .332 to .330.
He also won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2001.
In recent years, Pujols has become an excellent defensive player at first base, winning his first Gold Glove award in 2006.
During the 2006 season, he became the first Major League player to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first six seasons, and the youngest to hit 250 home runs. He extended his 30-HR streak to seven consecutive years in 2007 on August 22 against the Florida Marlins, with a 2-run blast (#280 of his career) at Busch Stadium in the first inning. Pujols is also the first player since Ted Williams (8 yrs.; 1939-1942 and 1946-1949) to begin his career with seven straight 100-RBI seasons, after hitting his 32nd home run (#282 of his career) on September 26, 2007, against the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee.
Pujols was born in the Dominican Republic. His grandmother, America, assumed many of the responsibilities of raising him.
Pujols and his family immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s, first to New York City and then later to Independence, Missouri. In the U.S., Pujols displayed his love for baseball, batting over .500 in his first season of baseball at Fort Osage High School. He quickly became the most feared hitter in the Kansas City area, leading to multiple intentional walks a game in some stretches. However, he still managed to hit .660 with 8 home runs his final year of high school, with limited official at bats. After starring for both Fort Osage and the Post 340 American Legion summer team out of Independence, Pujols graduated from high school in December of 1998. He went on to attend Maple Woods Community College in the Kansas City area during the spring of 1999. In his only season with the community college, Pujols showed off his talent, hitting a grand slam and turning an unassisted triple play in his first game. He batted .461 for the year.
Few big league teams were very interested in Pujols. A Colorado Rockies scout reported favorably about the young hitter, but the club took no action. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays arranged a tryout for Pujols, but it went poorly (after the team did not draft him, the scout who'd found Pujols resigned).[6] The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Pujols in the 13th round of the 1999 draft, the 402nd overall pick. However, Pujols initially turned down a USD $10,000 bonus and opted to play in the Jayhawk League in Kansas instead. By the end of the summer of 1999, the Cardinals increased their bonus offer to $70,000, and Pujols signed with the team. He was assigned to the minor leagues.
In 2000, Pujols played for the Peoria Chiefs of the single-A Midwest League, where he was voted league MVP. Pujols quickly progressed through the ranks of the St. Louis farm clubs, first at the Potomac Cannons in the high-A Carolina League and then with the Memphis Redbirds in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.
During spring training in 2001 , the Cardinals were preparing for Pujols to join the Major League ranks, but the Cardinals' roster was already full of talented players, including Mark McGwire, Fernando Viña, Edgar Rentería, Ray Lankford, Jim Edmonds and J. D. Drew. While it's widely believed that an injury to bench player Bobby Bonilla freed up a roster spot, Pujols actually played extremely well in spring and won a spot on the Opening Day roster before Bonilla went on the DL.
In the season's second series, playing against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pujols hit a home run, three doubles and eight RBI, securing his spot on the team. In May, he was named National League Rookie of the Month. In June, he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game by NL manager Bobby Valentine, the first Cardinal rookie selected since 1955. Pujols' phenomenal rookie season helped the Cardinals tie for the National League Central Division title. For the season, Pujols batted .329/.403/.610 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) with 37 home runs and 130 RBI, and was unanimously named the National League Rookie of the Year. His 37 home runs were one short of the National League rookie record of 38, held by Wally Berger of the 1930 Boston Braves and Frank Robinson of the 1956 Cincinnati Redlegs. His 130 RBI set an NL rookie record.
2002: No Sophomore Slump
Pujols wearing the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals retro jersey.
Pujols wearing the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals retro jersey.
In 2002, Pujols struggled early on as pitchers learned how to pitch to him, but he continued to bat extremely well throughout the season, hitting .314/.394/.561 with 34 homers and 127 RBI. The Cardinals finished first in the NL Central during a difficult campaign that saw the deaths of team announcer Jack Buck and pitcher Darryl Kile. The Cardinals defeated the Diamondbacks in the first round of the playoffs, but lost to the San Francisco Giants in the National League Championship series. Albert would ultimately finish second in the MVP voting behind Barry Bonds.
[edit] 2003: Batting Champion
In the 2003 season, Pujols had one of the best individual seasons in Cardinals history batting .359/.439/.667 with 43 home runs and 124 RBI, winning the National League batting title, while also leading the league in runs, hits, doubles, extra base hits and total bases. At 23, Albert became the youngest NL batting champion since 1962 and joined Rogers Hornsby as the only players in Cardinals history to record 40+ homers and 200+ hits in the same season. The Cardinals, however, failed to make the playoffs, faltering in the stretch to the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Pujols also finished second in the MVP voting to Barry Bonds and had a 30-game hitting streak.
[edit] 2004: Full-time First Base
Defensively, Pujols started his major league career primarily as a third baseman. During Pujols' rookie season, he started at four different positions (1B, 3B, LF and RF), and has also appeared at 2B (late in the 2001 All-Star game as well as a regular season game in April 2008) and SS (late in one 2002 regular season game). When Scott Rolen joined the team in 2002, Pujols was moved to left field. Following an injury scare in 2003, Pujols was moved to his current position, first base.
Pujols signed a seven-year, $100 million contract extension with a $16 million club option for 2011 on February 20, 2004. Pujols received a full no-trade clause for 2004-2006, and a limited no-trade clause for the remainder of the deal. $12 million will be deferred ($3 million per-year from 2007-2010 at 0% interest to be paid in 10 installments of $1.2 million from 2020 to 2029). He receives a $200,000 bonus for winning an MVP, $100,000 for finishing second in MVP balloting, and $50,000 for being selected to an All-Star game and winning a Gold Glove. [7] Throughout the year, Pujols was nagged by plantar fasciitis, but he was still a powerful hitter, hitting .331/.415/.657 with 46 home runs and 123 RBI. Pujols, along with Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen earned the nickname MV3 for their phenomenal 2004 seasons. In addition, Pujols was chosen to appear on the cover of EA Sports' video game, MVP Baseball 2004. He was also the MVP of the 2004 National League Championship Series, helping his team reach the World Series, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox.
[edit] 2005: Most Valuable Player
The 2005 season saw Pujols establish career highs in walks and stolen bases, while leading his team in almost every offensive category. He finished batting .330/.430/.609, with 41 home runs (including his 200th career homer), a grand slam, 117 RBI, 97 walks, and 16 stolen bases (leading all major league first basemen). However, due to continually nagging leg injuries, he finished with a career-low 38 doubles. His performance in 2005 earned him the National League Most Valuable Player award.
The Cardinals were eliminated by the Houston Astros 4 games to 2 in the National League Championship Series, but Pujols hit one of the most memorable home runs in modern day baseball history in game 5 of that series as the Cardinals were only one out from elimination. With the Astros leading 4-2 with two outs in the ninth inning, David Eckstein singled. The next batter, Jim Edmonds, walked. Pujols then hit a home run off of Brad Lidge that landed on the landmark train tracks in the back of Minute Maid Park. Those three runs were the deciding factor in the game, as the Cardinals ended up winning the game 5-4, sending the series back to St. Louis. [8]
In 2005, John Dewan noted in The Fielding Bible that no first baseman was better at digging balls out of the dirt than Pujols. Pujols saved 42 bad throws by his fielders in 2005. Derrek Lee was second with 23. At the same time, Pujols shared the major league lead in errors for a first baseman, with 14.
[edit] 2006: World Series Champion Cardinals
Pujols at the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Pujols at the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Pujols set the record for the most home runs hit in the first month of the season, at 14, on April 29, 2006. The record was tied by Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees in 2007. On June 3, 2006, Pujols suffered an oblique strain chasing a foul pop fly off the bat of Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez. He was later placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career on June 4 – June 21, missing 15 games. Pujols, at the time of his injury, had 25 home runs and 65 RBI and was on pace to break the single-season records held by Barry Bonds (73 HRs) and Hack Wilson (191 RBI). Pujols returned in time to help the Cardinals win the NL Central. He started at first base for the 2006 National League All-Star team at the All-Star game in Pittsburgh. Pujols finished the season with a .331/.431/.671 line, establishing new career-highs in slugging percentage (in which he led the majors), home runs (49)(second) and RBIs (137)(second). In the 2006 National League MVP voting, he came in a close second to eventual winner Ryan Howard, garnering 12 of 32 first-place votes.
After appearing in the playoffs with the Cardinals in four of his first five years in the big leagues but falling short each time, Pujols won his first championship ring when the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series, defeating the Detroit Tigers four games to one.
Pujols' fielding percentage was close to the bottom among qualified National League first basemen in his first two full seasons at the position, but in 2006 it was impressive. After the season Pujols' improvements were recognized as he was given his first Gold Glove award. He has had the highest range factor among first basemen in his two full seasons, and led the National League in that category in 2006; emblematic was the sprawling, flip-from-his-back playPujols made to rob Plácido Polanco of a hit in the 7th inning of Game 5 of the World Series.
[edit] 2007: Slow Start, Great Finish
Pujols had a slower start in the spring than in previous years due to several injuries all in his right elbow. In 2006, he had set a Major League record with 14 home runs in April,[9] though in 2007 he only accumulated 6 home runs and 15 RBI. His batting average was a mere .250 while slugging only .489.[10]
May was better, zooming to .340 for the month, but with only 3 home runs and 13 RBI while his slugging average was only marginally better at .495. His batting average started to climb back to normal career levels, and he ended the month with a .296 batting average and a .492 slugging percentage.
He hit 7 home runs with 20 RBI in June. He raised his batting average to a composite .306 with a .534 slugging percentage and 48 RBI after the month was over.[11]
Following the All-Star Break, he hit 4 home runs in his first 3 games back against the Philadelphia Phillies. Pujols was also awarded the Player of the Week honors from July 9 to the 15th after going 9-for-15 with a 1.357 slugging percentage and 19 total bases, all while batting .429.
He also hit his 25th home run on August 15, making him just the fifth player all-time to hit 25 home runs in his first 7 seasons in the major leagues, and the first since Darryl Strawberry. On August 22, Pujols slugged his 30th home run of the season, becoming the first major-league player to hit at least 30 home runs in each of his first 7 seasons. He then had hit home runs in five consecutive games, tying a Cardinals' single-season record. His next game on August 23 ended his 5-game home run streak, his 7-game RBI streak, and his 9-game hitting streak. He finished August batting a composite .317, slugging .558 with 30 home runs and 84 runs batted in, while still sporting an excellent .416 on-base percentage despite his slower-than-usual start in April.
In a pre-game warmup on the field before a September 18 game at home, he suffered a strained calf muscle in his left leg and was not able to start or appear later in the game. For September, he hit two home runs for a total of 32, the last one giving him 16 RBI for the month, and 100 RBI for the seventh consecutive year to become only the third player to accomplish that level of consistency at the start of his career.
He is the only player in baseball history to start his career with seven consecutive seasons with a .300 batting average, 30 HRs, 100 RBI, and 99 runs. (Ted Williams 23 HRs in 1940, Joe DiMaggio 29 HRs in 1936)
He won (as did Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina) the prestigious Fielding Bible Award, given to only one MLB player at each position, for his defensive excellence at first base.[12]
[edit] 2008: 42-game on-base streak, on disabled list, and 300th Home Run
He reached another milestone early in the season when he hit his 300th career double in only his 4,066th official at-bat in his 1,095th game (4,755th plate appearance), against Odalis Perez of the Washington Nationals on April 4.[13]
For the month of April, he reached base safely (via hit, walk, or hit-by-pitch) in all 29 team games played starting on April 1. His most consecutive games start in reaching base was 33 games in 2005. That was the best start by any Cardinal player in reaching base since 1956.
In early May, his .518 on-base percentage is the best in the major leagues, as is his 33 walks and his 9 intentional walks. He is third in batting average with his .358 (38-for-106).
On May 5, Pujols scored the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning at Colorado in memorable fashion. After lining a double to the opposite field in right with the score tied at 5, Pujols took off for third with Rick Ankiel batting. As Ankiel grounded to second, Pujols did not hesitate around third, scoring from second on the groundout to give the Cardinals an eventual 6-5 win. Earlier in the game he extended his on-base games streak to 33, tying his best start in 2005.
On May 6, Pujols doubled--extending his beginning-of-season on-base game streak to 34, and passing his previous 2005 high of 33-games at the start of a season; second-longest of his career to the 48-game streak since his rookie year (2001) from July 28 - September 22.
His 42-game streak ended on May 16, when he failed to reach base in four at-bats.
Ted Williams had a 65-game on-base streak starting out the 1948 season, and Pujols' streak is the best in Cardinals' history at the beginning of a season in research since 1956, and the longest in baseball since Derek Jeter had a 53-game streak in 1999.[14]
On June 10, he strained his left-calf muscle running from home after hitting a grounder to the first baseman, and is on the 15-day disabled list for only the second time in his eight-year career, casting a pall over rookie Mitchell Boggs winning his first start, against the Cincinnati Reds at Cincinnati.[15] [16]
He was re-activated on June 26, to DH for that afternoon's game after missing 13 games.[17] He went 4 for 4 the day of his return.
On July 4th, he hit his 300th career home run against the rival, Chicago Cubs.[18] He is the fifth youngest player to hit 300 home runs.
[edit] Personal
At age 16, Pujols immigrated to the United States with his family which lived briefly in New York City before settling in Independence, Missouri. He graduated from Fort Osage High School in Independence, Missouri in 1998, and attended Maple Woods Community College on a baseball scholarship. He later graduated and entered the MLB, getting drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round draft, 402nd overal. Pujols married his wife, Deidre, on January 1, 2000. They have three children, Isabella (Deidre's daughter, adopted by Albert), Albert Jr., and Sophia. Albert and his wife are active in the cause of people with Down syndrome, as Isabella was born with this condition. In 2005, they launched the Pujols Family Foundation, which is dedicated to "the love, care and development of people with Down syndrome and their families," as well as helping the poor in the Dominican Republic.[19] Pujols and his wife are very active Christians; as the foundation's website says, "In the Pujols family, God is first. Everything else is a distant second."[20] More information on the foundation can be found at its website: www.pujolsfamilyfoundation.org. He has taken part ownership in Patrick's Restaurant at Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The remodeled restaurant was reopened as Pujols 5 on August 30, 2006.[21]Pujols also enjoys talking to his fans in his spare time, through his official site.
Pujols is close friends with second baseman Plácido Polanco, a former teammate with the St. Louis Cardinals. Pujols is godfather to Polanco's 3-year-old son, Ismael.[22] Placido was a second baseman on the 2006 Detroit Tigers team which lost to the Cardinals in the 2006 World Series.
On February 7, 2007, Pujols became a U.S. citizen,[23] scoring a perfect 100 on his citizenship test.[24] On April 24, 2007, Upper Deck Authenticated announced it had signed Pujols to an exclusive autographed memorabilia agreement.
It's been 14 years of silence, it's been 14 years of pain, it's been 14 years that are gone forever, and I'll never have again.
Well, take that 14 years and double it for Philly fans and that sets the tone for today's post. Only one game to watch today. No baseball. I didn't know what to do with myself today.
Speaking of baseball.....
A little break from tradition today with Football Food For Fans. As you know, I usually make a dish that has something to do with whatever team the Eagles play that week. This week, they played the Seattle Seahawks. I love Seattle. Been there twice but it's tough from a football food perspective. There are only so many ways you can make salmon delectable to the football fan. I even went to far as to email the food editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for some hints, and some other Seattle dignitaries as well.
And then Wednesday happened. October 29th. The day that took away all of the pain of a Philadelphia sports fan when Brad Lidge threw that nasty slider one last time for a strike, collapsed to his knees and awaited the embrace of his catcher and teammates. And with that, 28 years of silence, 28 years of pain evaported for us Phillies fans.
In light of all that, today's Football Food for Fans is all about Philly. And there's nothing more Philadelphian than the cheesesteak. So that's what I went with.
"Cheese, wit" as they say down in my old South Philly neighborhood. I had the pleasure of living in Philly for 10 years, seven of them right around the corner from Pat's King of Steaks, the innovator of the cheesesteaks. Hey, everyone has their favorites...Pat's, Geno's, Jim's, Tony Lukes...but there's no debate...Pat's started it all (and is the best, in my opinion.)
You say "Cheese, wit" and the Olivieri family gives you a great chopped steak sandwich on a soft roll slathered with Cheese Wiz and "wit" sauteed onions. I also take mine with sweet peppers, which I did here. As a side, I went with seasoned fries.
In the glass, the hometown Rowhouse Red from the Philadelpia Brewing Company.
Oh, and for dessert...Tastykake butterscotch krimpets. Hey, nobody bakes a cake as tasty as a Tastykake....
And, while you can't really see it, thanks to Wilmington's own clareperretta for the Eagles flatware that this dish was served on! Much thanks, Clare!
Go Eagles! And thanks, Phillies!
Blue Spruce Lodge, Gallup, NM.
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...and Extreme Facial Hair Growth, haha! I didn't have this beard a week ago!
Also, B is for Brandon, as this shot is sort of a tribute to the shots my man Brandon Lidge takes. He always does these awesome closeups of himself, and his face is really expressive, so you get a different feel each time. If I did that, you guys would ban me ;) He also has a beard, which is convenient, because beard starts with a B also :)
Hope everyone is having a great Monday!!!
For TOTW: Extreme!
For February's Alphabet Fun: The Letter B.