Having a baseball team in the same stadium from 1923 to 2008 is impressive enough, but when you stop and really think about the history of Yankee Stadium, it's really incredible. From Babe Ruth to Lou Gehrig and his farewell, to Joe DiMaggio to Maris and Mantle to Reggie Jackson to the more recent years, the Yankees, and their stadium, have largely defined baseball in this country. Certainly they have set the standard for greatness.
You can go to almost any point in baseball history and the Yankees are there. Redsox (former) futility? Check. Perfect game in the World Series? Check. Jackie Robinson? Six World Series with his Dodgers, so check. Free agency? Check.
The major strike against the Yankees came when George Steinbrenner bought the team. He has won titles, but he turned the franchise into a complete circus and his own issues ended up getting him almost kicked out of the game and an earlier problem ultimately resulted in a presidential pardon from Ronald Reagan.
But as bad as he is, his kids are worse. Hank, who is now effectively running the team, has his father's bullying side with none of the self-deprecating (even if it's later) charm. His next public smile will be his first.
So the Yankees move on to their new palace, and palace is the right word. Â Scroll down here and check out the virtual tour. It's impressive.
What they'll never have, though, is the tradition of the old place. And with young Hank running the show, odds are that train has left the station permanently. And that's a bigger loss than the stadium is.