New Yankee Stadium Pics

[Gmax]

in order to give sunshine to the fans

Who wants sunshine? Let the field be in sunshine; I want to sit in the shade. I don't care to have the hot sun beating down on me all afternoon.

All of the older ballparks (like Wigley and old Comisky) had the first base line running east-west with first base being east of home plate. This was done so that most fans would not be sitting in the sun. The bleachers were aptly named; those fans were bleached by the sun.

Click below for a satellite shot of Wrigley Field. North is Up. Notice how the fans would be in the shade during afternoon games. (The State Street elevated train runs along the right boarder of the photo. The east-west street is Addison, the diagonal street is Clark St.)



If you click on the above link, you can use the directional arrows in the upper left of the photo to move around Chicago. Go down one photo and you'll see the Ravenswood elevated diverging off from the State Street el and heading west. Lake Michigan is a few clicks to the right.

[Elvis]

Found this interesting response to some who were saying that the current Yankee Stadium is basically not the same stadium of Ruth, Mantle etc., because it was torn down and rebuilt from the ground up in 1975-76- which isn't at all true.



From SparkyLyle on the Yankees official board:

"You, and many others, are SOOOOO wrong when you say that the original Stadium was torn down and completely rebuilt.

I have blueprints from the renovation and it is amazing how much of the original Stadium remains (which is why the concourses and ramps are so small and the sight-lines are not perfect).

Here's a summary of the renovation:

1) The original roof, lights and facade are removed (without the supporting columns, there was no way to hold them up)

2) An additional ~15 rows were added to the upper deck (the lower 2/3's of the upper deck is ORIGINAL). This was done to cantelever the deck.

3) New supporting columns were added about 20 feet into the seating area. These columns go from the Stadium's foundation thru the lower deck and the Loge to under the upper deck. The actual steel columns are wrapped in concrete. They are inside the concrete "bump-outs" that you can see on the interior wall at the back of the lower deck and the Loge levels. They have the section numbers painted on them.

4) A new concourse level was added to access the expanded upper deck and to aid in holding up the upper deck once the seating area supports were removed.

5) The remaining seating area supporting columns could now be removed.

6) Escalator towers were added.

7) The front section of the lower deck was removed and rebuilt with a stronger pitch.

8) The front section of the leftfield bleachers (which used to be wider than the rightfield bleachers) was removed to provide room for the bullpens and Monument Park.

9) Several sections of the leftfield bleachers were removed to make room for the loading dock.

10) The new scoreboard and facade were added above the bleachers.

The exterior walls are original. The corridors and ramps are original. Most of the seating area is original. About 65% of the Stadium is ORIGINAL, including the overall shape. When Mantle hit a HR into the uppder deck, it's the SAME upper deck (the Babe never hit an UD HR since that section wasn't added until the late '30's). Maris' 60th went into the same short porch that you can sit in now. THAT'S why Yankee Stadium should be preserved."

[Bluesteve32]

Who wants sunshine? Let the field be in sunshine; I want to sit in the shade. I don't care to have the hot sun beating down on me all afternoon.

All of the older ballparks (like Wigley and old Comisky) had the first base line running east-west with first base being east of home plate. This was done so that most fans would not be sitting in the sun. The bleachers were aptly named; those fans were bleached by the sun.

Click below for a satellite shot of Wrigley Field. North is Up. Notice how the fans would be in the shade during afternoon games. (The State Street elevated train runs along the right boarder of the photo. The east-west street is Addison, the diagonal street is Clark St.)



If you click on the above link, you can use the directional arrows in the upper left of the photo to move around Chicago. Go down one photo and you'll see the Ravenswood elevated diverging off from the State Street el and heading west. Lake Michigan is a few clicks to the right.

You realize the rule book does reccommend that homeplate-second base be in a ENE direction? 1.04 third paragraph:

"It is desirable that the line from home base through the pitchers plate to second base shall run East Northeast. "

[Gmax]

You realize the rule book does reccommend that homeplate-second base be in a ENE direction? 1.04 third paragraph:

"It is desirable that the line from home base through the pitchers plate to second base shall run East Northeast. "

Well, the rule book may recommend it, but many of the new ballparks do not follow that recommendation. Here is a photo of the "The Cell," the new home of the Chicago White Sox. North is Up. Homeplate-second base faces SE. The fans on the third base side face the sun in the afternoon. (Note where the shadow of the upper deck falls on the north side of the park.) Old Comisky was orientated like Wrigley. I bet Fenway Park is too.

[westsidegrounds]

in order to give sunshine to the fans
<...>,
upper decks hafta be pushed back a bit. <...>

mmm. cause they play so many day games any more ...

[Gmax]

cause they play so many day games any more ...

On weekends they do play mostly day games. 14 out of 15 games played today, a Sunday, were day games. As Yogi would say: "you could look it up."

[rxpro]

yes

Found this interesting response to some who were saying that the current Yankee Stadium is basically not the same stadium of Ruth, Mantle etc., because it was torn down and rebuilt from the ground up in 1975-76- which isn't at all true.



From SparkyLyle on the Yankees official board:

"You, and many others, are SOOOOO wrong when you say that the original Stadium was torn down and completely rebuilt.

I have blueprints from the renovation and it is amazing how much of the original Stadium remains (which is why the concourses and ramps are so small and the sight-lines are not perfect).

Here's a summary of the renovation:

1) The original roof, lights and facade are removed (without the supporting columns, there was no way to hold them up)

2) An additional ~15 rows were added to the upper deck (the lower 2/3's of the upper deck is ORIGINAL). This was done to cantelever the deck.

3) New supporting columns were added about 20 feet into the seating area. These columns go from the Stadium's foundation thru the lower deck and the Loge to under the upper deck. The actual steel columns are wrapped in concrete. They are inside the concrete "bump-outs" that you can see on the interior wall at the back of the lower deck and the Loge levels. They have the section numbers painted on them.

4) A new concourse level was added to access the expanded upper deck and to aid in holding up the upper deck once the seating area supports were removed.

5) The remaining seating area supporting columns could now be removed.

6) Escalator towers were added.

7) The front section of the lower deck was removed and rebuilt with a stronger pitch.

8) The front section of the leftfield bleachers (which used to be wider than the rightfield bleachers) was removed to provide room for the bullpens and Monument Park.

9) Several sections of the leftfield bleachers were removed to make room for the loading dock.

10) The new scoreboard and facade were added above the bleachers.

The exterior walls are original. The corridors and ramps are original. Most of the seating area is original. About 65% of the Stadium is ORIGINAL, including the overall shape. When Mantle hit a HR into the uppder deck, it's the SAME upper deck (the Babe never hit an UD HR since that section wasn't added until the late '30's). Maris' 60th went into the same short porch that you can sit in now. THAT'S why Yankee Stadium should be preserved."

...thats right....see my post above...the very reason why it must be torn down....65 percent of it is 82 years old!!...but they should make the roof and facade look more like the original

[rxpro]

just

I heard that the "old field" would be used for high school and youth league games. Does that mean that they are going to tear down the grandstands and keep the "field" or keep the whole thing standing? I can't imagine that they would leave a 75,000 seat stadium standing for high school games.

the playing field and a small portion of the lower deck...it willbe turned into a youth/high school playing field

[rxpro]

nope.....

I just hope they call it "Yankee Stadium" and not sell naming rights, so we would end up with "Yahoo Yankee Stadium"

its Yankee Stadium at Best Buy Blvd...or Cingulair Circle

[rxpro]

progress means$$$$$$

This is a HUGE shame though.

So because lower deck fans have to get sunshine, us people up in the upper deck (I've never once in my life sat anywhere but the upper deck at a baseball game) have be pushed ten miles back from the action? The upper deck is SUPPOSED TO cantilever out over the lower deck. The lower fans have a close up view of the field; who cares if they get sunshine?

more lower deck seats means more seats for the highest ticket prices...who gives a crap about the pions who sit in the upper deck or, for that matter, the bleachers!...did you notice how far back the first rows of the bleachers are behind the fences???

SAD!

[MontCobaseball]

=rxpro]the playing field and a small portion of the lower deck...it willbe turned into a youth/high school playing field.


Wow. They will need the National Guard to keep the people away from the demolition site.

[Gmax]

"Here's what I think is wrong with this new ballpark -- but it is the same thing that is wrong with ALL the new ballparks ...
...but the cabled cantilever design is expensive -- much too expensive to waste on the "cheap seats". So they build luxury boxes instead and move you and me to a seat in a different zip code. For all its architecural excellence, even a place like Camden Yards gives the back of its hand to the peons upstairs.

I agree.

...us people up in the upper deck (I've never once in my life sat anywhere but the upper deck at a baseball game) have be pushed ten miles back from the action? The upper deck is SUPPOSED TO cantilever out over the lower deck...

Agree again.

...more lower deck seats means more seats for the highest ticket prices...who gives a crap about the pions who sit in the upper deck or, for that matter, the bleachers!...

And agree once more. Three excellent posts. There is much more social stratification at the new ballparks than in the past. Perhaps ballpark design is imitating life in present day America.

[BasEbaLlKnoItAll]

[QUOTE=ElHalo]but I don't see the facade anywhere in the new pics./QUOTE]


you gotta look closely under the lights, its small in the drawings

[BasEbaLlKnoItAll]

i love the new stadium...i remember when YES aired the press conference i was glued to the TV (even though they had every NY politician on the face of the earth there)....it looks amazing, i especially like the "Yankee Club" replacing the "black seats" behind monument park...i hope in the end they have the facade go all the way around, like the old stadium (which is already planned) plus around the outfield like it is now...it would be something to comemorate both Yankee stadium prior to and following the renovation.

I was originalyl against tearing the current stadium down, i wanted them to keep it up as a museum of some sort, but when they talked about all the things theyre going to do with the land that the current stadium i liked they're idea...plus the field will still be there and the people will be able to walk on it as MontCobaseball said, they will keep it a regulation size field for youth/high school baseball...im sure it wont be limited to youth and college though.

I cant wait until 2009, but will be sad to see the current stadium go

[voodoochile]

On weekends they do play mostly day games. 14 out of 15 games played today, a Sunday, were day games. As Yogi would say: "you could look it up."

Casey Stengel said "You could look it up." Yogi said (concerning the shadows that fall on the Yankee Stadium outfield) "It gets late out here early."