June 24, 2005 [LINK]
Yankee Stadium "renovations"
I've finally completed one of the biggest diagram revision projects I've yet taken on: Yankee Stadium; that page is kindly sponsored by Michael Rudolf. (Reminder: Anyone who has a favorite stadium and would like that page to be updated is invited to sponsor it by making a PayPal donation. 
) It includes five chronological phases plus a football version; all the diagrams are oriented with center field at the top, and the current (1988) version diagram conforms to the common home plate coordinate which facilitates comparison on the Side-by-side page. Speaking of which, you can now easily see that Yankee Stadium's outfield is actually smaller than that of RFK Stadium, in all directions. Shame! This latest enhancement to this Web site comes just as the Yankees have begun to move ahead with replacing the grand old Bronx basilica. Bruce Orser, who provided me with extremely useful blueprints and many fine archival photos of Yankee Stadium, looks on the potential bright side of this sad deed:
The [Yankee Stadium] plan would be even better if the playing field resembled the original instead of the outside. It would give fans a contrasting illustration to what they are used to. What would be ideal in my opinion is for the field dimensions to match the '23 configuration and in two years change to the 1924 dimensions, in two more years the 1937 dimensions and finally to modern dimensions. This would be a very tangible history lesson and one to linger in the fans' mind for some time. It surely would spark conversation and be written about a great deal. In short, lets see a for real Clem Dynamic Stadium over a period of about 7 years.
I agree, but I wonder if the Yankees front office is smart enough to do something that creative. I made a similar suggestion about how the District of Columbia should handle the new stadium, making a virtue out of fiscal necessity by building it incrementally on a "pay as you go" basis. Speaking of which,
D.C. stadium news
As expected, the D.C. council has passed a bill that approves Mayor Washington's preference for labor unions in the new stadium building contracts. But when will groundbreaking begin? The financial pinch of the new stadium has already hit D.C. businesses, and one law firm is threatening legal action over the special-purpose tax assessment. See Washington Post.
Nats squeak by again
The Nationals concluded their road trip by winning their first series in Pittsburgh since moving to Washington, thereby staying on top of the NL East by a 3 1/2 game margin. The Pirates whomped the Nats in game two, 11-4, but the Nats once again came from behind in the rubber game on Wednesday and came away with a close win, 5-4. This weekend they take on the Toronto Blue Jays back home in good old RFK Stadium. Jose Vidro is practicing more every day, and should be ready to return to the lineup before the All Star game.