You know, the Yankees have not always played in “Yankee Stadium.” In their history, the team has played home games at Hilltop Park, the Polo Grounds – and even Shea Stadium. Therefore, it’s not like the team has a 105-year tradition of playing exclusively at “Yankee Stadium.”
Would it be the end of the world if the team decided to call the new digs (that are presently under construction) “Steinbrenner Stadium”?
Think about it: Steinbrenner has owned the team longer than anyone else. Colonel Jacob Ruppert owned the team in some fashion for 30 seasons. Big Stein has 35 seasons to his credit. The Dan Topping, Del Webb, and Larry MacPhail group is the only one close to Ruppert and Steinbrenner – and they had the team for 19 seasons.
George Steinbrenner, to date, has owned the Yankees for one-third of the team’s history. And, they’ve been great years – including World Series rings and all sorts of team and league attendance records. Doesn’t someone like that deserve to have a stadium named after him?
Further, by naming the new Yankees ballpark “Steinbrenner Stadium,” you somewhat preserve the legacy of the old Yankees ballpark in that the name “Yankee Stadium” will forever be associated with the exact location found south of 161st Street and west of River Avenue.
At the least, doesn’t the idea deserve some consideration? To be candid, I’m not 100% sure how I would feel about such a decision. But, if someone told me today that it was being thought about, I would understand why…it’s not a wild and unwarranted notion – at least to me.
17 Responses to “Steinbrenner Stadium?”
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August 3rd, 2007 at 12:46 pm
What the hell?
No way. It’s Yankee Stadium.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:03 pm
I understand your logic Steve and I personally wouldn’t mind the name change. At least we know for sure that the new stadium will be referred to as “The House That the Boss Built” instead of “The House That Ruth Built.”
Steve here’s a question thrown at you, who would you least like to follow, Joe Torre as Yankee Manager or The Boss as Yankee Owner?
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Just like there are no names on the back of the jersey, there should be no other name on the Stadium besides Yankee. If they want to name a part of the Stadium after him that’s fine, but not the Stadium itself.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:34 pm
I think Jen has the solution. Regardless of where else they’ve played, or who has owned the team, Yankee Stadium should continue to be the name of the new field.
Tradition is one of the things I love about baseball and it makes me sad every time we lose a bit more of it. I wish they weren’t tearing down the old park, even in its 1975-remodeled state. But if there’s going to be a new park, don’t give it the name of a guy who, despite the successes the team achieved under his ownership, was pretty much reviled by a major segment of Yankee fans.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:41 pm
What if they called it “The Boss” similar to how jacobs field is “The Jake”
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:53 pm
It MUST remain Yankee Stadium.
If they want to honor the Boss, rename Jerome Ave or River Ave, Steinbrenner Street, like they did for Joe D on West Street.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Bad idea if only because, when the Steinbrenner family sells the team, that name would be the first thing to go; thus, we’d open the door to something like Verizon Wireless Stadium. New owners most likely would not dare to change the name from Yankee Stadium, but they certainly wouldn’t keep Steinbrenner’s name on the facility.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:01 pm
How ’bout “Steinbrenner’s Yankee Stadium at Macombs Dam Park”
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Jonm..good strategic political logic. Has to remain Yankee Stadium but there appears to be other naming opportunities. Yawkey Way has been successful in Boston and there will be an inner courtyard of sorts i thought between the outer shell of the stadium and the new ballpark.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Since DickStein (”I don’t care about Yankee history”) destroyed much of the old Yankee historical material from the Yankee Archives Room.
Does it really matter much anymore?
I could care less what they name this money-grabfest stadium (a phoney shell around the stadium to fool the publick into thinking it’s not going to be a 75-foot across Yankee Mall)…unless they name it The Burke Building..:)
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Since DickStein (”I don’t care about Yankee history”) destroyed much of the old Yankee historical material from the Yankee Archives Room.
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I wasn’t aware of that. Please explain.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Further, by naming the new Yankees ballpark “Steinbrenner Stadium,” you somewhat preserve the legacy of the old Yankees ballpark in that the name “Yankee Stadium”
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To me that’s just the opposite of the point. George is tearing down “The” Stadium. It will no longer contain the field that all the greats played on. I love the thought of Babe, Joe D, Lou and Mickey roamed that field.
Further, while I appreciated some of the results, I couldn’t stand him during his prime.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:49 pm
“I wasn’t aware of that. Please explain.”
Peter Golenbock talks about it here.
http://keyboardbaseball.blogspot.com/2005/05/peter-golenbock-on-steinbrenner.html
Plus…I’ve been told by another source that this was the case.
BTW…Soon after taking over, Stein resumed the old Topping/Webb habit of allowing the drunk-knuckled ushers to club cheapseaters back into the upper-deck like they were common baby seals.
Bless Michael Burke.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:24 pm
redbug: I’m with you. When I went into monument park, I remember seeing clips of Mickey Mantle catching balls in there. I was standing where he stood. I watch A-Rod hit home runs out of the same park Babe Ruth did. What’s even sadder is that Thurman Munson’s locker will be gone. They have preserved his locker since he passed away. But they can’t very well move a locker.
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:15 pm
~~~Steve here’s a question thrown at you, who would you least like to follow, Joe Torre as Yankee Manager or The Boss as Yankee Owner?~~~
I think Torre 2002 to 2007 has made it easier to follow him. The guy following Stein better be prepared to never, ever, let a player go, who could help the team, over reasonable money – - because, once he does, he’ll be told that he’s no George.
August 4th, 2007 at 12:27 am
I agree that the Steinbrenner name really should remain somewhere , but maybe not the whole stadium.
August 4th, 2007 at 1:04 am
//They have preserved his locker since he passed away. But they can’t very well move a locker.//
Pete Abraham addressed this in one of his mailbags:
“I checked with clubhouse manager Rob Cuccuzza who said as far as he is concerned, there will be an empty locker with a No. 15 over it. Certain things should not change.”
I’ve heard that his original locker was donated to Cooperstown (I’ll have to find that out from my HOF contact). I don’t think it matters if it’s the original material from 1979 or not. It’s the gesture that’s important.