, 1923-04-29
YANKEE STADIUM
is A MISNOMER,
SAYS SANBORN
Ruth Temple Would Be
More Appropriate.
BY I. E. sANBoRN.

Yankee Btad1um 10 BoufotnnG OK
. misnomer for tho mammoth nSw
baseball plant which was dedicated
On the opening day Of the American
league season and which gives New
York the largest plant Of its kind In
the world
The word sXEnkes- has come 10 b
symbolic OF sousthinE hard heaAsd-
Ehrewd. and not naturally inclined 10
indulge tn foniea, particularly Il they
entaa separation from any oonHidsr-
able sum Of money. Tho new stadium
in the Bronx Is a two and a half mil
lion dollar folly.
There was no sound reason for ereck
ing this record breaking structure, no
demand for It. and there will be small
use for IL compared TO the tremendous
cost Of IT Tho new homo OF the Yam
KEGS IL only an eight or ten minute
walk from the Polo grounds. just
across the Harlem river. where the
two New York teams rospored might
ny for q number of years 1t does mot
draw from any noighborhood II 800
ton Of Gotham hat Is not equally
adjacent to the Giants stamping
bioAhh- Win n hOHNOllAgAlAb b(nCF
ule OF games there was no moro iced
for two ball parks In New York than
there Is for two Yale bowls at New
Haven.
Should Be Ruth Temple
Il might have been moro appropr+
ate to christen the new plant Ruth
temple" since its immediate use Ia to
DO a place OF worship for the fans
whose idol Babe Is, and since no 10
responsible for its existence In at least
q couple of ways The home run king
n contributed by his drawing power
many Of the dollars which went into
the steel and concrete monument to
mad folly. Ruth also furnished oue
of the leading motives for it's erection
As a matter OF fact. the Giants and
Yankees could havo dwelt in peace and
comparative harmony on the Polo
grounds. but for Ruth. who has been
loosely referred to as the man who
~batted the Yankees out OF house and
home" Back In the years when the
Giants were first violin in the minds
Of Gotham lovers OF fan music and
the Yankees were merely second fiddle
the arrangement by which the two
teams shared one playing neld a
.minently satisfactory.
But when Ruth not only displaced
nories OF blk Six" MatheWson
the minds OF Giant rootera but
his name II household word
rc ever baseball Is spoken. that was
'latthing else again. The owners Of
the Giants, being holders OF the lease
on the grounds and proprietors OF the
plant served notice on the s~ubleaAinR
Yankee owners that they no longer
were desirable co-tsnants. Due notice
was given. OF course but II entAIisd q
two and q half million dollar folly.
Secondary Reason
A secondary reason for the deztre Of
the Giant maBnates TO be solo oocu-
pants OF their premises was the schcme
to stage . larger number Of Sunday
Eames in New York In tho National
league schedule than was possible uD-
der the scheme OF dual occupation
That font hope was blasted. however.
whom the American league quietly de-
elined to permit tho scheduling Of con-
flctinE games in Now York. To diA-
regard that objection meant q split BE-
tween the two major leagues and the
abrogation OF their agreement with
resulting chaos
Now tho GiAntS ovpers are not nd
ID Ruth as a counter irritant because
he will Be playing lust aeroSs the
river from tho old Polo grounds and
drawing patronage from the sanas
sources az before the removal Thsy
have lost tho big money paid By tbs
Yankee club for tho use OF their
grounds and. In addition. they have
had To expend q wnd of coin in enlarg-
Ing tho Brush stadium SO as not to b
completely overshadowed by tho new
Yankee palace All this for tho lack Of
4 little common sense.
Need Big Profits.
II takes = quarter OF a million dob
lars in pronts to pay interest on the
tremendous Investment in the Yankee
Stadium and TO make that profit the
plant can DO worked only seventy
seven days out OF 1855 under tho exist
ing major league schedule system
That Il all the home games allowed the
Yankees and postponements usually
cut that down to seventy games .
year.
The maximum seating capacity, esd
mated at $1,000. Is n liability instead
OF an asset except on n few occasions
and probably will not DO fully utilized
more than W or three times a season.
Across the Harlem river the Glants'
ovners also have a big investment
which must make It's profits In les
than ssventy-seven days out Of 5e5.
Amt It the llnilt7'