PrintOctober 14, 2008
Remembering Yankee Stadium
Harvey FrommerRemembering Yankee Stadium: An Oral Narrative History Of The House That Ruth Built 1923-2008Stewart, Tabori, & Chang 2008
During the eighty-five years of Yankee Stadium's existence, it has become the foremost sports venue in the country, and possibly, the world. The House That Ruth Built was built for the Yankees, and they made the Stadium what it became. Anyone who watched the televised ceremonies on the day of the last game played at the Stadium, September 21, 2008, felt sadness at the realization of the passing of this American shrine.
Many ballparks have been closed in cities across the country during the last 50 years with little fanfare. A few have become something more. Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston are two ballparks that have become a part of baseball mythology. But Yankee Stadium has become something more.
Remembering Yankee Stadium by Harvey Frommer documents the Stadium's storied history in pictures and words in this handsome coffee table volume. Anyone with even a mild interest in baseball will enjoy this book due to the part Yankee Stadium and the Yankees play in our nation's sports history.
The book's arrangement, with each chapter covering a decade, makes it fun to read. It begins with a list of all the people quoted throughout the book, with descriptions of who they are. Quotes are then shown in separate text blocks embedded within the narrative, and it is easy and informative to flip back to the list for reference. The narrative and quotes tell the story of both the team and the Stadium since its opening in 1923. Hundreds of pictures, many of which are full page, accompany the text. They show the Stadium itself and many of the Yankee players throughout their history.
While the main role of the Stadium has been being the home of the Yamkees, and they have been at the center its storied existence, it has been used for many other purposes. These include being the home field of the New York Giants football team, the scene of world championship boxing matches, many music concerts and other events, and as the venue for Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II saying mass during their visits to the United States. None of these were addressed, and as a volume about the Stadium itself, it would have been a plus had they been included.
If you love the Yankees or simply have an abiding interest in baseball, this book will provide you with many pleasurable hours of recalling memories through its many pictures and loads of interesting tidbits and anecdotes about our most storied baseball team and its home field for eighty-five years, Yankee Stadium.
