(New) Yankee Stadium Opens

It's the most expensive stadium - ever! The place is equipped with several bars, clubs and restaurants. Indoor batting practice is available. There's indoor parking for the players! There's also an individual laptop at each locker in the clubhouse. I'm sure that all of this will help the Yankees win ballgames!

In these tough economic times, there's money to be made, too! StubHub.com has sold more than 5,000 tickets at an average price of $400— $20 higher than the average for the final game at the old Yankee Stadium last year. It’s StubHub’s ninth best-selling event by dollar volume, trailing the old Yankee Stadium finale (No. 6) and last summer’s All-Star game at Yankee Stadium (No. 4), and the resale prices have ranged from $65 to $5,883 per ticket.

That’s quite a leap from the opening of the original Yankee Stadium on April 18, 1923, when a man was arrested for trying to scalp a $1.10 grandstand ticket for $1.25.

Why Is This Happening?

Can anyone tell me why Yankee Stadium is being replaced. I watched the final game at the stadium, last night. John Miller & Joe Morgan interviewed the living Yankee Hall Of Famers, but the question of why was never addressed. Joe Morgan mentioned that when he hit his first home run at Yankee Stadium he was thinking that he was rounding the same bases that Ruth, Gehrig and the others did. Why destroy this unique venue? You want a higher tech scoreboard? Hell, we could've put one in. You want more luxury boxes? Luxury boxes are for sissies! But I digress. I just want to know why?

I discovered some very old pictures of Yankee Stadium, circa 1923. Click for the full size.