Build it and they will play

Written by: Drew Sarver on 29th March 2009

Build it and they will play | read this item

A new stadium, big names acquired in the off-season, high expectations, and plenty of pre-season buzz. Oh wait, you think we’re talking about the 2009 Yankees? Actually… we’re talking April 15, 1976, when the newly refurbished Yankee Stadium opened to a crowd of 52,613.

The “House that Ruth Built” was refurbished during the 1974 and 1975 seasons, and reopened in time for the 1976 season. The two years playing in exile at Shea Stadium were miserable. Bobby Murcer’s swing was ruined and he was dealt away to San Francisco. Center fielder Elliot Maddox badly injured a knee in the soggy Shea outfield. And, of course, it was the Shea Stadium of the 1970′s, a tremendous eyesore.

The Yankees had finished better than .500 for six straight seasons, but ’75 was like the rest of those years, as they couldn’t quite get over the hump. With no wildcard team in those days, the Yankees were relegated to watching the playoffs on TV year after year.

But there was renewed promise as the Yankees returned to their “promised land” in the spring of ’76. Billy Martin, the always-fiery former Yankees player and successful major league manager, had been brought in for the final 56 games of the ’75 campaign. The love/hate relationship between Martin and owner George Steinbrenner would epitomize the temperament of the ball club for the next decade.

The Yankees began their rein as the face of free agency with the signing of Catfish Hunter in December, 1974. Hunter’s winning pedigree and experience would be a huge help in the clubhouse. The Yankees dealt Bobby Bonds, whom they had acquired the previous season for Murcer, to the California Angels for speedy outfielder Mickey Rivers and pitcher Ed Figueroa. Not too many Yankees fans knew about either player, but they would become important keys in the success that followed.

A rookie second baseman by the name of Willie Randolph and pitcher Dock Ellis were acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Doc Medich. Slugger Oscar Gamble was picked up from the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Pat Dobson.

And, of course, there were the players already there- Thurman Munson, Sparky Lyle, Rudy May, Dick Tidrow, Grant Jackson, Graig Nettles, Chris Chambliss, Roy White, and Lou Piniella. When the Yankees took three of four road games from the Milwaukee Brewers to start the 1976 season, the buzz for the home opener was at a fever pitch.

April 15, 1976

Yankee Stadium was open for a baseball game for the first time since the final home game of the 1973 season. (Sept. 30, an 8-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers.) Every imaginable dignitary was there: former Yankees, political figures, entertainers, and a horde of media.

The Stadium was noticeably different than the old ball park. The monuments were no longer in play in center field, the dimensions were smaller to straight away center and left-center (“Death Valley“) fields. The trademark frieze was gone from the rooftops. Gone was the tall out of town scoreboard that was as much a part of every game as was the game itself. The supposedly new, high-tech video replay screen in center field had the clarity of looking through a window in a driving snowstorm.

But the iron girders that obstructed views were gone. Monument Park had been built past the left field fence so fans could regularly visit the tributes to Yankees legends. A replica of the frieze hung above the bleachers. Brand new seats, concessions, and bathrooms welcomed visitors. Most of all, the Yankees were back home.

Minnesota Twins’ outfielder “Disco” Dan Ford became the answer to a trivia question regarding opening day, becoming the first player to hit a home run in the renovated stadium. But the Yankees prevailed 11-4. Newcomers Rivers and Gamble each had three hits and drove in a pair of runs, and Tidrow threw 5 shutout innings of relief as the Yankees picked up their fourth win in what would be a 97 victory season, and their first pennant in 13 years.

33 years later, the buzz surrounding the team is much like that build up to the 1976 home opener. The Yankees have retooled their team with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher. Joe Girardi, like Martin, is in his second season as Yankees manager and is under tremendous pressure from ownership to win.

But most of all, everyone is excited to see the brand new stadium (…while possibly wiping a tear away as they see their old home being torn down.). From the pictures and videos posted throughout the internet, the Yankees have planned a stadium that pays homage to the park that opened in 1923, while keeping up with the latest amenities.

One thing remains consistant throughout: it’s the home of the New York Yankees.

Topics: A.J. Burnet, Bobby Murcer, Catfish Hunter, cc sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Opening Day, Thurman Munson, Willie Randolph, Yankee Stadium

M. Louis says:

March 30, 2009 at 8:27 pm

I remember Billy Martin replacing Bill Virdon as manager, but thought in error that it came after the 1975 season.

My most vivid memory of 1975 is that the Yankees started out very well and looked like they’d seriously contend, but by early June had been decimated by injuries, including a Bonds’ knee. So many outfielders were down that No Neck Williams was starting in center field at one point. Of course, had the Yankees stayed in the race, perhaps they wouldn’t have made the critical trades in the off season that you wrote of resulting in three straight American League pennants. It was kind of similar to 1995. Had the Yankees managed their escape from the Seattle Kingdome and gone on to the World Series, would Joe Torre have been brought in the next year with the success that followed?