Yankee Stadium [I] Demolition

[yankies4life]

first i have heard about this, haven't seen confirmation elsewhere:

There's going to be a "Yankee Stadium Closing Ceremony," though it would seem to us that's more like a euphemism meant to sound comforting like "putting it to sleep" rather than tearing it the freak down. A bunch of students are going to "remove dirt from the pitcher’s diamond and home plate and transfer it to the new stadium." The symbolic murder of Ye Olde Ball Park takes place on Saturday, November 8.


found this story here.

??? Id like to know more about this

[cgcoyne2]

first i have heard about this, haven't seen confirmation elsewhere:

There's going to be a "Yankee Stadium Closing Ceremony," though it would seem to us that's more like a euphemism meant to sound comforting like "putting it to sleep" rather than tearing it the freak down. A bunch of students are going to "remove dirt from the pitcher’s diamond and home plate and transfer it to the new stadium." The symbolic murder of Ye Olde Ball Park takes place on Saturday, November 8.


found this story here.

The November closing ceremony was cancelled. I heard it on the radio about a month ago.

[jimmyjimjimz]

are they gonna keep having tours till they move the offices accross the street? when exactly are they gonna stop having the tours?I wanna know, cause I wanna go really bad.

[Lopo]

The November closing ceremony was cancelled. I heard it on the radio about a month ago.

yes the big november closing event was cancelled, but the description here sounded more to me like a smaller private ceremony. i'm really not sure of the story's accuracy; it could be outdated info or it could be news. if the info is current i think it would be pretty cool to observe.

[curb my enthusiasm]

I took the tour yesterday. They said that the field is being kept in good shape because tours are still going on, and there's still special events too. The tour guide said that the new stadium is ahead of schedule, and that the demolition preparation for the old stadium will begin in January or February.

My favorite part of the tour was being in the press box. I imagined myself as a sportswriter for a major newspaper and being able to watch every pitch from a great seat, and getting paid to do it. I knew that I should have majored in journalism in college!

The clubhouse wasn't a big deal to me, and neither was monument park. I guess I'm not one for nostalgia. Being in the dugout was cool, though. And my favorite part about monument park was being able to peek inside the Yankees bullpen and getting a good close-up view of it. Finally, the monuments will be moved to the new stadium on Monday.

The tour guide told me that there will be tours for the new stadium, starting shortly after the first home regular season game is played. I'll definitely get a ticket for that tour as soon as possible.

[Aviator_Frank]

. . . cause I wanna go really bad.

Down the hall, second door on the left.

[AMAYSN 24]

took the tour too last week. Not a Yankee fan but its the mecca of Stadiums. I loved the dugout too. Also just walking where Ruth and Gehrig Mantle Joe D Jackie Robinson all the greats played pretty cool. Only 1 week left of the tour!!!

[Gary Dunaier]

My favorite part of the tour was being in the press box . . . . . The clubhouse wasn't a big deal to me, and neither was monument park.

The press box wasn't that impressive to me, and neither was the clubhouse - although part of the reason for that was because of its layout (the pillars blocking the view of Munson's locker, for instance) and the prohibition on photography within the clubhouse. My favorite part was being on the field, that was the whole reason I wanted to take the tour in the first place, and unfortunately that part was rushed... everyone else seemed more interested in the dugout, but I'd rather have had more time to spend behind the plate.

Because you don't have control over how much time you get to spend at each "attraction," the overall feeling is being rushed - like that classic Dave Berg strip from Mad Magazine where the tour guide finally relents and allows the group to go through one particular section of a museum, but tells them not to look at anything. Okay, it wasn't literally like that, but that's how *I* felt, what can I say?

However, in retrospect - it's now been a week since I took the tour - when I look at some of the pictures I took, the realization of where I was and what I saw hit me. I'd like to go again - amazingly, as I write this, tickets are still available for the 12th - but the "limited field accessibility" is a concern, as is the almost $20 fee for UPS 2-day delivery (I would want a hard ticket for my collection, so print-at-home would not be an option for me), although I suppose if I were to try to get tickets from a third party I'd be spending that kind of money anyhow.

[brooklyndodger14]

I took the tour yesterday. They said that the field is being kept in good shape because tours are still going on, and there's still special events too. The tour guide said that the new stadium is ahead of schedule, and that the demolition preparation for the old stadium will begin in January or February.

My favorite part of the tour was being in the press box. I imagined myself as a sportswriter for a major newspaper and being able to watch every pitch from a great seat, and getting paid to do it. I knew that I should have majored in journalism in college!

The clubhouse wasn't a big deal to me, and neither was monument park. I guess I'm not one for nostalgia. Being in the dugout was cool, though. And my favorite part about monument park was being able to peek inside the Yankees bullpen and getting a good close-up view of it. Finally, the monuments will be moved to the new stadium on Monday.

The tour guide told me that there will be tours for the new stadium, starting shortly after the first home regular season game is played. I'll definitely get a ticket for that tour as soon as possible.

Were you at the 12pm tour with the tour guide named Frank? I was the one wearing an Expos jacket and I was wondering with my girlfriend if there were any other Baseball Fever fans with us!

I had given Frank the link to the site and also alerted him to the Kaplanski's 3D Yankee Stadium thread as well.

As a former Stadium vendor (1971-83) I couldn't resist yelling one last "Beer here!" call.

All in all, it was great to walk one last time around the Stadium and say goodbye.

Interesting note: About 2 weeks ago I had visited the Stadium on a Sunday afternoon to take some snapshots of the outside. All along the bleacher walls could be seen farewell graffiti, some written by fans attending the final game, and by others since September 21st which included myself. Walking around the Stadium after the tour yesterday, I noticed that ALL the notes had been painted over along with most outside signage that was bolted down having been removed.

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

[yankies4life]

The press box wasn't that impressive to me, and neither was the clubhouse - although part of the reason for that was because of its layout (the pillars blocking the view of Munson's locker, for instance) and the prohibition on photography within the clubhouse. My favorite part was being on the field, that was the whole reason I wanted to take the tour in the first place, and unfortunately that part was rushed... everyone else seemed more interested in the dugout, but I'd rather have had more time to spend behind the plate.

Because you don't have control over how much time you get to spend at each "attraction," the overall feeling is being rushed - like that classic Dave Berg strip from Mad Magazine where the tour guide finally relents and allows the group to go through one particular section of a museum, but tells them not to look at anything. Okay, it wasn't literally like that, but that's how *I* felt, what can I say?

However, in retrospect - it's now been a week since I took the tour - when I look at some of the pictures I took, the realization of where I was and what I saw hit me. I'd like to go again - amazingly, as I write this, tickets are still available for the 12th - but the "limited field accessibility" is a concern, as is the almost $20 fee for UPS 2-day delivery (I would want a hard ticket for my collection, so print-at-home would not be an option for me), although I suppose if I were to try to get tickets from a third party I'd be spending that kind of money anyhow.

Yes, I agree. I want to go again really soon Just to take the walk again. I know its silly and some may consider it was a waste of $20 but i would do it again. But as you said, the limited field access kinda makes me stray a little bit.

[curb my enthusiasm]

Were you at the 12pm tour with the tour guide named Frank? I was the one wearing an Expos jacket and I was wondering with my girlfriend if there were any other Baseball Fever fans with us!
Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

I was on the 1pm tour, and I believe that I had the same guide as you.

The best part of the tour was being able to see the field and stadium one last time as I always remembered it. It's great that they've kept the field in pristine condition. It wouldn't have been the same if there had been weeds growing and large pockets of grass missing. It's also great that they haven't removed any seats yet. Every one of the 56,000+ seats is still there. The concourses were kind of spooky, however, being dark and empty.

[Lopo]

the 1:40pm update on WFAN just confirmed that the Yankees will hold a dual-stadium ceremony at noon this saturday. members of the 1998 team and kids from several bronx youth organizations will be moving dirt from the pitching mound and home plate area of the old stadium to the new stadium.

first i have heard about this, haven't seen confirmation elsewhere:

There's going to be a "Yankee Stadium Closing Ceremony," though it would seem to us that's more like a euphemism meant to sound comforting like "putting it to sleep" rather than tearing it the freak down. A bunch of students are going to "remove dirt from the pitcher’s diamond and home plate and transfer it to the new stadium." The symbolic murder of Ye Olde Ball Park takes place on Saturday, November 8.


found this story here.

[GordonGecko]

Storm Clouds Ahead

The end is near...

[RichardLillard1]

The press box wasn't that impressive to me, and neither was the clubhouse - although part of the reason for that was because of its layout (the pillars blocking the view of Munson's locker, for instance) and the prohibition on photography within the clubhouse. My favorite part was being on the field, that was the whole reason I wanted to take the tour in the first place, and unfortunately that part was rushed... everyone else seemed more interested in the dugout, but I'd rather have had more time to spend behind the plate.

Because you don't have control over how much time you get to spend at each "attraction," the overall feeling is being rushed - like that classic Dave Berg strip from Mad Magazine where the tour guide finally relents and allows the group to go through one particular section of a museum, but tells them not to look at anything. Okay, it wasn't literally like that, but that's how *I* felt, what can I say?

However, in retrospect - it's now been a week since I took the tour - when I look at some of the pictures I took, the realization of where I was and what I saw hit me. I'd like to go again - amazingly, as I write this, tickets are still available for the 12th - but the "limited field accessibility" is a concern, as is the almost $20 fee for UPS 2-day delivery (I would want a hard ticket for my collection, so print-at-home would not be an option for me), although I suppose if I were to try to get tickets from a third party I'd be spending that kind of money anyhow.

Gary, would you mind sending me an email if you still have my address?


Richard

[cgcoyne2]

The end is near...

Gordo, great shot. Do you have a large size picture of this shot.

AWESOME!!!