The House That Jeter Built

I finally got to the new Yankee Stadium recently. Even though we (my brother in law, “cousin in law” and my son) breezed in and out and didn't spend much time in the stadium other than watching the game I did manage to get a few “grab shots” with my digital point and shoot. As I was looking at them the next day on my iMac I noticed something interesting in one of the photographs that really added a nice unintended touch. I shot the picture rather quickly from the outside of the stadium as we briskly walked back to the parking lot. Through one of the windows in the lower left area of the picture can be seen the number 2. Anyone who is a baseball fan can tell you that the #2 Yankees jersey is worn by Derek Jeter. The old Yankee Stadium which still stands right next to the new one like a tired, but seasoned antique bookend is often referred to as “the house that Ruth built”. I don’t claim to be the first person to suggest that the new Yankee Stadium is the “house that Jeter built” but the photograph seems to make the suggestion on its own merit. I converted the image to black and white for two reasons. First of all there wasn’t much color in the photo anyway and secondly I wanted to convey the classic feeling that is in the architecture of the stadium and in the history of Yankees. In fact, my son Joe and I have a bunch of baseball cards called “Yankees Classics”. They are cards of all the great Yankee baseball players printed in black and white. The new Yankee Stadium has a very classic style of architecture as many buildings in New York and elsewhere dating back to the old days of the 1920’s - 1940’s. Architecture Review from the New York Times April 2, 2009 says “Yankee Stadium is the kind of stoic, self-conscious monument to history that befits the most successful franchise in American sports.”