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March 05, 2008

Plans Under Way To Knock Down & Sell Off Current Stadium

Via Paul White of USA Today -

Plans to raze Yankee Stadium and auction off some of its contents are being put in place by the team and New York City, but don't make any plans for a big haul of memorabilia.

Once the Yankees are settled into their new Yankee Stadium on the other side of 161st Street in the Bronx next season, the old one across the street will be awaiting the wrecking ball.

The plans were confirmed by a city Department of Parks and Recreation official with knowledge of the plans who couldn't comment because the deal hasn't been signed. The department has operated the ballpark since the city purchased it from the team in 1972. There's no timetable set yet for the demolition of the famed stadium, which has stood near the Harlem River in the Bronx since 1923, nor have details been finalized for the planned auction.

Though details are still being worked out, the Yankees expect the stadium will be replaced by a complex of three fields, one for softball, one with Little League dimensions and one for high school and college games. A running track will ring the field, and 12,000 trees will be planted to form the outline of the old stadium around the facility.

It would not shock me to see some outfit like Steiner Sports make a bundle off stuff from the current Stadium when they take it down. It will much different than when they took the "old" place down after 1973 when, for a few bucks, if you were there at the right time, someone with a blow-torch would rip you off a few seats and even let you pick which numbered seats you could carry away.

File this one under: When it was a game.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at March 5, 2008 10:58 PM

Comments

I have a seat from the old Yankee Stadium.

Posted by: Rich [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 5, 2008 11:56 PM

Auctions have been going on for a while now; there was an auction for the contents of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, which I think was razed in 2001. I think Silver Stadium (Rochester AAA home of the Orioles) parts were auctioned off as well, in 1997

Posted by: Raf [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 6, 2008 10:10 AM

I have a brick I use as a paperweight. Someone purchased it from a store owned by Elston Howard and gave it to me as a gift.

Posted by: redbug [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 6, 2008 06:07 PM