Most people will be sad when the wrecking ball topples Yankee Stadium, but NY Newsday Columnist Shaun Powell begs to differ as he explains his disdain for the "House That Ruth Built". He does pay homage to the baseball history that resides withing those walls:
The beauty of the Stadium nowadays lies exclusively with the history and tradition of the Yankees. People are attracted by walls that talk. They know this is where Babe Ruth smacked his 60th homer and where Don Larsen pitched his perfect World Series game. They want to press their ears close enough to hear the heavy heartbeats from Lou Gehrig's courageous speech and the Babe's good-bye.
He does proverbially tear down the actual walls:
It can't compare to any of the grand old baseball buildings still standing. For sheer magnificence, nothing tops Dodger Stadium, still in all its retro 1960s glory, sitting atop Chavez Ravine. Wrigley Field also blows away Yankee Stadium, especially if you compare the neighborhoods that surround both ballparks. And Fenway Park, cozy, intimate and buffeted by the imposing Green Monster, is a more inviting place to waste a lazy afternoon.
Now living in Los Angeles, I can attest to the beauty of Dodger Stadium. Still the parking situation can be miserable and there is almost NO shade which is agonizing in a city known for being cloudless. I can also understand the frustrations of the current iteration of Yankee Stadium with the cramped quarters and less than ideal amenities.Still, to me, it's the stadium where I learned about baseball. I was not alive when they remodeled (almost exactly a month before I was born), so I hold onto the current Yankee Stadium as THE Yankee Stadium. Sure it's torture just to leave the place after a game and sure there are several obstructed angles. But that's part of the old timey charm for me. I can wait for the sparkly new stadium (which I love the design for) to grow from nothing. It will be a sad day for me when the old piece of history topples to the ground, but am glad to have spent as much time there as I did.