Baseball Digest LIVE: Save The Gate | 
On June 30th at Foley’s NY, please join me as I host a very special Baseball Digest LIVE, hoping to help the most incredible group of baseball fans I have met to date.
Far be it from me to try to articulate what these fine folks are trying to accomplish. Instead, here are the words from Chris Jones, Yankee fan and member of the Save The Gate committee:
“Save The Gate” is an endeavor to preserve a part of the original Yankee Stadium (1923), and it nvolves the hard work of a lot of individuals. I am writing on behalf of those individuals. We are artists, photographers, writers, businesspeople, retirees, students, educators, and most importantly, fans; Yankee fans as well as baseball (and history) fans, who recognize the importance of retaining something of “Baseball’s Cathedral.”
Together, we makeup the Save the Yankee Gate 2 Committee.
I first walked into the original/renovated Yankee Stadium back in 2007, accompanied by my 15 year-old daughter. I first saw the pre-renovated Stadium from the Harlem River, back in 1969, while taking the Circle Line cruise. All of my visits have been awe-inspiring.
I have made it a point, on all my pilgrimages, to touch the outer façade, encouraging those with me, to do the same. I would touch the Roman Coliseum as well; and for the same reason. The two venues, separated by 2000 years, are very similar.
I was encouraged by Mike Wagner; a native New Yorker and rabid Yankee fan, to join Baseball Fever on the internet. Back in late March, after viewing some early comments as well as some basic renderings, Mark Costello, Matt Visco, and I decided to pursue the preservation of Gate 2 of the original Stadium; the only entrance not altered by the 1974 – 1975 renovation. We initially wanted to include the scoreboard, as well as the ticket booths, but scaled down our goals, focusing our efforts on the preservation of Gate 2. Its location, as well as the relative ease of preserving it; (it does not interfere with, or infringe upon, land allocated for Heritage Park) make it an easy choice for preservation.
Since that day in late March, the Save the Yankee Gate 2 Committee has put together a proposal and website, and distributed the information to as many organizations and individuals as possible. The response has been overwhelming and 100% positive.
The Committee has set up meetings with several departments, organizations, local boards,
politicians, former players, and celebrities.
Webster defines preserve (preservation) as “1. to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction;
2. to keep alive, intact, or free from decay; 4. to keep up and reserve for personal interest…to raise and protect game for purpose of sport.”
New York City has saved much; Poe’s Cottage at Fordham and Grand Central Station; while, at the same time, Her losses have been tragic; Penn Station (renovation has rendered it unrecognizable) as well as the original Metropolitan Opera House. Ebbets’ Field, the Polo Grounds, and Washington and Hilltop Park have all been victims of the wrecking ball.
But preservation is possible; sections of League Park in Cleveland, the outfield wall at Forbes’ Field in Pittsburgh, and Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium have all been preserved for the sake of history and as a link to our collective memory. A century ago, Williamsburg,
Virginia was a crumbling ghost town slipping into oblivion. Today, Colonial Williamsburg is one of the most visited historic sites in the country. And a financial success.
On a sentimental note…not only is Gate 2 an architectural masterpiece, but an historical and
cultural one as well. Joe Louis, Ali, Unitas, Gifford, the “Gipper,” three Popes, and the collective and individual sorrows following September 11, join all the players, fans, and employees who played, cheered, and worked within the Stadium’s majestic confines, inside Gate 2.
The location of Gate 2 is perfect. It provides a dynamic entrance into Heritage Park (the Park’s name should be reason enough to save the Gate, which is “heritage”), it also serves as a tangible, touchable bridge from one Yankee (and baseball) era to another.
Unfortunately, the Initial Plan for Heritage Park has been scaled down, effectively erasing any evidence of the original Stadium, which hosted its first game on April 18, 1923.
Without the preservation, Heritage Park is simply, a park. With Gate 2, the park truly becomes Heritage Park.
To us, Gate 2 is a tapestry, with too many lives, memories, and generations woven into its fabric, to be carelessly thrown away.
Aside from the architectural, cultural, and historical importance of the preservation, we hope everyone will consider the economic and social benefits of preserving Gate 2; to the fans, to the franchise, to the city, and to the community.
Since the early planning stages, the Committee has been strengthened by the involvement of Tim Reid, John Trush, Rick Kaplan, Cindy Jones, and Richard Lillard (Mike Wagner, who first introduced me to Baseball Fever, was the catalyst that got us all talking). The dedication and talents of these individuals, along with those of countless others, have made all the
difference.
SAVE THE GATE is not a Yankee issue, or even a baseball issue. It goes a lot deeper.
Finally, we hope all fans visit the website and view the proposal. You’ll like what you see.
Sincerely,
Chris Jones, Save the Yankee Gate 2 Committee
www.savetheyankeegate2.com
Topics: Save The Gate, Yankee Stadium
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One of the people involved in this whole thing just happens to be my son Richard Lillard. He is 24 years old and from Arizona. For a person this young to be so interested no dedicated to saving something that he has actually only seen for the first time in Nov. of last year is awesome. He is a dedicated fan of Yankee Stadium and is in a quest to save it. My hope is that it will work. I would love to be able to say my son had a hand in saving something so great and historical. No matter what happens I am and of course will continue to be proud of his and all of their collective effort. All I can say in ending is this \Save The Yankee Gate 2\
For further reading, news and photos of the Yankee Stadium demolition checkout http://www.demolitionofyankeestadium.com.
[...] Digest Live, a weekly Internet radio show that broadcasts out of Foley’s in Manhattan. Click here for info on the show, and check out my post about the movement. A few RABers are going to meet for [...]
To leave not one shred of historic Yankee Stadium would be unforgivable. This, baseball’s most historic park, has been proudly ingrained in the fabric of the American soul since 1923. Not just with respect to many of baseball’s greatest moments, but that of other sports. Additionally, Popes have held mass here, as have other religious leaders. And, the 9/11 memorial was held in this sacred arena.
Far less buildings have received historical designation. For Yankee Stadium to be totally obliterated would be totally wrong!!! It would also be a tremendous black eye for New York City and the New York Yankees. Yankee Stadium has earned the love and respect of New Yorkers, Americans, and many foreigners.
To not leave Gate 2 for current and future generations to visit would come back to haunt New York City and the Yankees. It’s only right to save Gate 2, as Yankee Stadium has earned such an honor. For all the proud moments witnessed by millions of people over the years in this most historic landmark, we can ask for nothing less.
There’s nothing wrong with doing what is right. This is one of those times.
[...] Digest Live, a weekly Internet radio show that broadcasts out of Foley’s in Manhattan. Click here for info on the show, and check out my post about the movement. A few RABers are going to meet for [...]
[...] (The following is a Press Release from the Save The Gate Committee) [...]