• JackC

    Every time I see one of these pics, I am amazed again at the speed and depth these images cut right to my soul. When you think of the flood of horrific images we’ve all been exposed to through modern media, I’m embarrassed at how inured I’ve become to pictures of real human suffering. And yet, these pics, in which no one is suffering, still really bother me. I don’t think I fully appreciated the degree to which this place had become a central and perpetual setting in my narrative of the world. And now that it’s being disassembled, with a methodic logic that strikes me as all the worse for its deliberation, it serves one final function in my understanding of things: a grim and stark metaphor for how nothing lasts. Sorry for the hideous over-writing, but it’s my gut reaction

    • josh gillenson

      I won’t try to negate, or criticize your sentiments with respect to the demolition of Yankee Stadium. Most, if not all of us, experience feelings of sadness when the places we’ve come to love disappear in the neme of “progress.” Every time my son and I visit Coney Island, I feel pangs of sadness that, most probably, have much in common with your sentiments.
      That said … here’s my reaction nevertheless.
      You speak of the “methodic logic” with which the old ballpark is being disassembled . . . “all the worse for its deliberation.” Those words could well describe my sadness (anger?) … but not in relation to the Stadium demolition. Rather, I’m sickened by the ease with which the City snatched the precious parks (Macombs Dam and Mullaly) that were so critical to the lives of South Bronx residents; and now, there is little if any urgency to give back what was taken away. I can easily invoke your words: “methodic logic” and “deliberation” . . . however, I’d use those words to describe the glacial pace with which this place is being demolished, to ensure that every single item that might fetch a handsome price on the auction block is salvaged . . . no matter how long it takes. In the meantime, the residents of the South Bronx are about to begin their fourth August with no fresh air respite. And no one seems to give a damn. Certainly not the average Yankee fan who travels in from his or her comfortable suburban enclave. Once they’re in the confines of the new “palace”, they can easily forget that they’re even IN the Bronx (which is exactly what the Yankees wanted to guarantee for their fans). The closed-in design of the place, with virtually no view of the neighborhood, speaks for itself.
      Just imagine what the reaction would be if some corporate entity came along and stole the precious open spaces that we in the suburbs take for granted. There would be instant calls for “heads on silver platters”, and civic warfare would be waged to prevent such a heinous plan form ever coming to fruition.
      Meanwhile, Bronx residents wait, and the voices of local community groups suggest that no one expects anything to come their way anytime soon. And again; the City, the Yankees, the developers, don’t give a damn as long as there is money to be made.

      • Joe

        Who cares about the residents of the South Bronx?
        If you work, like I do — theres a good chance that those residents are sucking their share out of your paycheck.

  • Lenny

    Actually all of those pictures come from demolitionofyankeestadium.com. Yankees universe picked em all off of there….

    • morty

      Yeah, I agree with Joe.
      The people that live in the South Bronx are lucky to have all the traffic that the Yankees bring in. Without the Yankee enterprise, the neighborhood would be revealed to be the dump that the rest of the Bronx is. Poor welfare recipients — no park to play in — boo hooo.

      • http://TERENCETORRES.COM Terence torres

        AND YET AGAIN, ANOTHER ASS WIPE.

  • yankeelover

    who cares about the demolition? this stadium was built in the 1970s- hardly the same house that ruth built. boo-hoo.

    • redsoxsuckhaha

      the old Yankee Stadium was build in 1923 and fixed up in the late 70’s

  • Tim

    Listen to this bleeding heart liberal Josh above. He’s worried about park land in the South Bronx vs. the history that took place on that real estate. What a joke. Any park in the South Bronx is just another spot for the drug dealers, another spot that has to be policed. This guy has never been to the South Bronx. It’s a friggin’ war zone.

    That stadium, even though it was remodeled in the 70’s should have been maintained as a museum. Why not hold special events there throughout the year? High School and College football and baseball championships, concerts, etc.?

    If nothing else, the field itself should be maintained in it’s original position. Let kids stand on the same spot as Ruth, Gehrig and Mantle.

    • http://yahoo chris boston

      Bingo! I have said this very thing many times. I would like to stand in those spots myself. It is a part of history that should be preserved!

  • Jon from Boston

    As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I would be sad to visit the site of the original Yankee Stadium and not be able to get a sense of the old place. Back when there was an active proposal to build a new Fenway Park across the street from the current one, there was at least a proposal to keep the original infield and the Green Monster; and even at the site of Braves Field I can still find the old team office building, the right field pavilion and the right field wall.

    The Yankee Stadium site is as historic as any in baseball; and that history should be celebrated. Yankee fans should be able to celebrate their team’s heritage there… and (I can’t resist) Red Sopx fans should be able to remember 2004 there.