After a deal was constructed for the new Shea Stadium to receive $20 million a year from Citi Group for naming rights, the stadium was named Citi Field. Not a bad day at the office considering the team is looking at $400 million in the next 20 years. Then of course, you have the Sterling area that will be named after Delta Airlines as well as a substantially large area behind home plate. However, this is just the beginning to many benefits the stadium has for its fans.

On Opening Day in 2009, you will see the unveiling of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, which is basically the entrance to the ballpark. You’ll notice when viewing photos that it is almost identical to the entrance of Ebbets Field so many years ago. In fact, once you begin to look over all the benefits that the new stadium has to offer, one of them isn’t increased seating capacity. You’ll find that what used to be a stadium with over 57,000 seats available will now only have around 45,000.

The seats at the new stadium will also be a little larger, making for a more comfortable day at the ballpark. All of this is great, but the best news of all for New York baseball fans is that the Mets are committed to remain in Queens until at least 2049. Incredible as it may seem now that Citi Field is an inevitability, but the new stadium may not have happened, at least not so soon were it not for New York Coty losing its bid to host the 2012 Olympics. This paved the way for the Mets to build a new stadium.

It’s hard to believe that this may have never happened so soon considering the original plans were built around winning the bid to hold the 2012 Olympics. However, everything fell through and eventually opened the door to the Mets organization for a new stadium. Granted, it would have happened anyways, but the timing couldn’t have been better. So take a look at all the images of construction and the computerized blueprint of what the finished product looks like.

Soon Citi Field will be completed and fans will be able to see and enjoy the park in person. Shea stadium will be missed of course, but we’ll always have our memories. The opening of Citi Field will be a new era in Mets history – and you could be a part of it!

Seriously. I’m not joking. I’ve been studying this for some time. Not academically or anything like that. If you look at cops and the way they talk and look and then you compare them to many baseball players, it is very similar. Like they got the whole strong silent type thing going on. They look all beefed up (sometimes from illegal substances) too. And they got those military looking haircuts going on. Watch an interview with a baseball player or a baseball manager once and close your eyes. You could swear it is a cop talking about baseball or something.

Opening day for the new Yankee Stadium is not too far away now; while for eager fans, it may seem like an eternity, Spring 2009 will soon be upon us and fans will be able to see and experience the latest chapter in Yankees history for themselves. While there are some who are of the opinion that with the old stadium an important piece of New York history will be lost; and indeed Yankee Stadium has seen a lot of changes in the South Bronx in the last 86 years, the new stadium promises to be something which fans new and old alike will enjoy. The new $1.3 billion Yankee Stadium will be a worthy addition to the Yankees and to the up and coming South Bronx.

Since 1980, the idea of a new Yankee Stadium has been kicked around. Originally, the owner wanted to move the stadium given the state of the South Bronx at the time. As ideas were brought up, discussed and discarded, the neighborhood turned around and the team gained in popularity. By the early 1990s, the Yankees organization were still interested in building a new stadium – but right there in the Bronx.

However, the cost of building a new stadium was a challenge. The team’s hopes were raised when former Mayor Giuliani proposed city funding for new stadium construction for both of the city’s baseball teams. Giuliani’s plan included $800 million in construction funds, $390 million to be invested in improved transportation to the stadiums (via the MTA’s B,D and 4 train lines to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and the 7 line to Queen’s Shea Stadium). Both teams would also have received $25 million for planning and the Mets another $80,000 of debt forgiveness.

The plan also waived sales and property taxes on the teams, would have provided both stadiums with state subsidized low cost electricity and allowed the teams to keep 100% of parking and other revenue brought in by the stadiums, with the city receiving a mere 4% of the ticket sales. Things looked a little less rosy for New York’s ball clubs when current Mayor Michael Bloomberg too office. Mayor Bloomberg decided to exercise the escape clause provided for in the contract – however, the contract also included a provision allowing the teams to leave the city should the escape clause be used! Happily, the city and the two teams came to a new agreement and planning for new Yankees and Mets stadiums kept moving along.

The new Yankee Stadium has been designed carefully to be reminiscent of the current stadium. Indiana limestone will encompass the entire structure, just as was the case until the original stadium was renovated in 1974. The copper frieze which was present on the original stadium has also been replicated, but the interior features many new amenities for Yankees fans, including two new restaurants which will be open year round.

Whether you support it or feel like many do that a piece of history will be lost forever, it is safe to say that the new Yankee Stadium will keep with the tradition that brought the old Yankee Stadium, one of progress and financial risk taking. It paid off the first time, we will soon see if it will a second time.

Known as A-Rod to fans and teammates, Alex Rodriguez plays third base for the New York Yankees. Born in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood, Rodriguez moved to the Dominican Republic at the age of four. However, the family soon returned to the US and settled in Miami. Soon after, is father abandoned Alex and his mother, moving to New Jersey.

It was in Miami that Rodriguez began playing baseball, becoming a star on his high school team. Rodriguez went All-American in his senior year, becoming the first high school player to try out for Team America.

Upon finishing high school, Rodriguez signed a letter of intent to play for the baseball team at the University of Miami – but he decided to pursue a professional career in baseball instead, entering the amateur draft.

When he was just over 18 years old, the Seattle Mariners signed him. Alex was fresh out of high school and the first eighteen year old to be signed in ten years, and was only the third 18-year-old short stop since 1900. His major league dreams would stop short that year as just a few months later was the baseball strike of 1994.

Rodriguez did not let the strike slow him down much and in 1996, he had his break out year. He took over as the Seattle Mariners short stop and quickly showed everyone what he was made of batting an impressive .358 average with 36 home runs and 123 RBI’s. This was the highest average of an American League right hand batter since DiMaggio. Plus it was the third highest ever for a short stop if any league. The year would continue with Alex having the highest totals in runs, hits, doubles, extra base hits, and slugging, ending the year as Major League Player of the Year and nearly the youngest to boot.

Rodriguez played with the Texas Rangers briefly before signing with the New York Yankees in 2004. As a Yankee, Rodriguez continued to be a record-setting player, winning MVP in 2005 and 2007. Despite his performance on the field, Rodriguez has often been criticized by fans for failing to deliver under pressure. Rodriguez is unrattled by the criticism, saying: “I could care less. In my career, I’ve been hearing it for a long time. It will never stop until you win five or six World Series in a row, and hit a Joe Carter home run. I’ve done a lot of special things in this game, and for none of that to be considered clutch, it’s an injustice.” No matter what some fans may think, Rodriguez is highly valued by his team, signing a 10-year contact in 2007 with the Yankees for $275 million – with the prospect of more should Rodriguez manage to break the home run record.

Lately however rumors and scandal have moved from his professional to his personal life. Reported sightings of him in a strip club with another woman, his impending divorce and allegations of an affair between him and Madonna have blazed across the media. Rumors that have only been reinforced by Madonna’s own pending divorce from Guy Ritchie.

Born in Pequannok, New Jersey in June of 1974, Derek Jeter and his family later moved to Michigan where Jeter played basketball and baseball at his Kalamazoo, Michigan high school. He was chosen by the New York Yankees as the sixth overall first round pick of the 1996 draft.

He quickly began to establish himself as one of the top players in his league. He was awarded Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Yankees. He continued to show improvement each year at the plate and delivered outstanding fielding in his shortstop position. He was the first rookie in 34 years to start with the Yankee as shortstop during the first season. Derek Jeter has become one of modern baseball’s most recognized names.

Jeter was instrumental in the Yankees World Series sweep of the Atlanta Braves in 1995. In 1996, Jeter scored five runs in five hits. Though the Yankees didnt make it to the World Series in 1997, Jeter had impressive batting statistics that year, with a .291 batting average, 10 home runs, and 70 RBIs. By the end of his 1998 season, he had earned a .324 batting average, with 19 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 203 total hits. He was the leagues high scorer with 127 runs.

In 1999, Jeter and his agent were unable to come to any agreement with the Yankees on his new contract so they entered into arbitration with George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees. The goal was to come up with an agreeable figure to be paid for his new contract. Jeter came out of arbitration a winner with one-year $5 million contract. This made Jeter the highest paid player in baseball history with just a few years of service.

Jeter kept his drive and focus, and that paid off for him again in 1999. He ended that season breaking most of his personal records. His impressive statistics included 24 home runs, 134 runs scored, 9 triples, 102 RBIs and an incredible .349 batting average. He received the All-Star award for a second time that season.

The New York Yankees and New York Mets faced off in World Series play in 2000. Jeter jump-started game four of the series with a home run hit on the games first pitch. In his second at-bat, Jeter hit a triple and subsequently scored, garnering a three-run lead for the Yankees. The Yankees went on to win the series in game five.

While Jeter retains his super-stardom on the field, he finds time to contribute to his community. He and his father founded the Turn 2 Foundation. This agency is geared toward high-risk kids and steers them away from drug use. It encourages academic achievement and a healthy lifestyle. Turn 2 operates in his hometown of Kalamazoo and in New York City, where he lives.

Jeter has the distinction of being the first player in history to receive both the World Series MVP and All-Star Game MVP awards in a single season. He won both awards in 2000. He has been an American League All-Star seven times.

all this talk about the yankees being finished this year, i think is total bull-s***!! this is why: our next 7 series are against TOR, TB, KC, BAL, CWS, KC, and TOR!! so our next 23 games are against sub-.500 teams!!! so for all you doubters out there: WE DEFINATELY ARE NOTTT OUT OF IT!!! tell me what you all think of this! thanks.

Has there been anybody in the history of baseball that have thrown with both right and left hand in the same game.

First a great video tribute to the Yankees

Baseball Collectible Plaques

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