The Associated Press reports that the Yankees will rename their Spring Training stadium, Legends Field after George Steinbrenner.
George Steinbrenner is replacing a Yankee Legend.
The New York Yankees will rename their spring training home Steinbrenner Field in honor of the man who has owned the team since 1973. The ballpark has been called Legends Field since it opened in 1996.
“I am humbled and flattered,” Steinbrenner said in a statement Tuesday.
Is George as important as figures in the history of the team like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra, or Ford? The answer is no. Those men and many others are more deserving of this honor. Nevertheless, it is nice to see a team pay homage to some facet of its history in this era of overcommercialization, especially when it comes to stadium naming rights. I would rather go to a stadium named after somebody important to baseball than one named after a cell phone provider.
From what I understand, the Steinbrenners didn’t have anything to do with the naming. It was an homage brought about by the town council to honor George, who has brought a lot of business and tourist dollars into Tampa…
Since Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra and Ford didn’t really have much to do with Tampla, FL, they picked The Boss instead….I like the move!
Comment by Jason — February 15, 2008 @ 10:47 am