On April 18, 1923 a ballpark opened in the Bronx to an enthusiastic crowd of baseball lovers who had stood in line to see the likes of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig head to the plate and play the Boston Red Sox in the first game of the spring.

Babe Ruth’s salary that year was $52,000 – an unheard of amount back then for a ball player, and an unheard of amount now in the opposite respect. None of the Yankee players wore numerals on their jerseys, as Ruth’s #3 and Gehrig’s #4 wouldn’t be seen until 1929 when the Yankees’ pinstriped and numbered jerseys would set the precedent for the rest of the league. There was no designated hitter rule either – could you imagine the potential of Babe Ruth as a DH?

Despite the vast differences in the in 1923 and 2008 in the game of baseball and in the makeup of the New York Yankees, there has been one constant – “The Stadium”, “The House that Ruth Built”, “The Cathedral” – Yankee Stadium.

For 75 years, Yankee Stadium has been the most renown and history-rich ballparks in the game and it will close its doors forever on Sunday following a weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles. If you are anywhere the vicinity of New York – or even on planet Earth for that matter, do whatever it takes to grab some NY Yankees tickets and be at the ballpark this weekend!

Imagine all of the greats to play in Yankee Stadium, from Ruth and Gehrig to Mantle and Maris; the great achievements of Mr. October, and the unforgettable opinings of Yogi and Stengel. Remember the legacies of Billy Martin, Joe Torre, and Joe McCarthy. Shed a tear for Thurman Munson and Cory Lidle. But most of all – enjoy the day, enjoy the ballpark, and enjoy the greatest game ever played.

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