Wrecking Ruth’s House

No bad trade, no bad free-agent signing, no bad season and certainly no good Red Sox team ever did it. No owner like the one who moved the Brooklyn Dodgers out of Ebbets Field or the one who moved Manhattan's Giants out of the Polo Grounds did it. Nobody ever took down the Yankees or the Stadium. Only Father Time and the pursuit of the almighty dollar have done that. Now, the city has requested bids from companies to demolish Yankee Stadium. They’ll put a wrecking ball hit on the House that Babe Ruth built for a $27,000,000 contract. New York City has given the New York Yankees until February 28, 2009 to "vacate the premises." And so they shall, to create a proud new tradition right across the street in their new Stadium. From March to May of 2009, asbestos will be removed from the old ballpark. The month of May will bring memorabilia collectors and recyclers to remove the stadiums treasures and valuables. The seats will be removed along with many of the smaller items. The well known "smokestack bat," a familiar meet-up spot and the white frieze along the roofline will be tougher items to sell. They may be moved to Heritage Field once it replaces the Stadium. Demolition will begin once everything worth taking has been removed, probably through early 2010. Many Yankee fans, find it hard to believe that the Stadium’s days are numbered. But we should remember is that we’ll remember uniform numbers even more than the Stadium. #3 Ruth. #4 Gehrig. #5 DiMaggio. #8 Berra. #10 Rizzuto. #7 Mantle. #16 Ford. #15 Munson. #49 Guidry. #23 Mattingly. #42 Rivera. #2 Jeter. The list of Yankee greats, near greats and others who have worn the pinstripes is a long one. With a tear in one eye to the end of an era, we look with a dry eye across the street. Yankee fans can start now to imagine the all-time players and memorable moments yet to come.