Remembering Yankee Stadium

American flags atop Yankee Stadium, nicknamed "The House that Ruth Built," are poised at half staff in honor of Babe Ruth, who died, in New York, Aug. 17, 1948. From Ruth and Gehrig to DiMaggio and Mantle, to Jackson and Jeter, Yankee history is crowded with dynamic players flourishing in a ballpark whose roots date back to a bitter rivalry that was spiced with spite.

Home run king Babe Ruth bows as he acknowledges the cheers of thousands of fans who saw his No. 3 retired permanently by the Yankees during the observance of the 25th anniversary of the opening of Yankee Stadium in New York, June 13, 1948.

New York Yankees' Lou Gehrig, the "Iron Horse", wipes away a tear during a sold-out tribute at Yankee Stadium in New York, July 4, 1939.

New York Yankees right-hander Don Larsen delivers a pitch in the fourth inning of Game 5 of the World Series Oct. 8, 1956 en route to the first World Series perfect game. The Yankees won 2-0 and went on to win the series.

New York Yankees' Mickey Mantle watches his 536th career home run against the Boston Red Sox in a baseball game at New York's Yankee Stadium, Sept. 20, 1968.

New York Yankee greats Mickey Mantle, left, and Joe DiMaggio, doff their caps to the crowd at Yankee Stadium as they appeared for an old timers game between games of a doubleheader between the Yankees and the California Angels, July 22, 1972.

New York Yankees' Reggie Jackson hits a two-run home run in the 7th inning of final World Series game in Los Angeles, Ca., Tuesday night, Oct. 16, 1978. The Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 to win the World Series.

New York Yankees' Bobby Murcer acknowledges the cheers of the fans after his game-winning hit in the ninth inning of the Yankees' 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles in New York. Murcer hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, accounting for all the Yankees' runs, Aug. 7, 1979.

New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter (No. 2) kneels as players line up during the national anthem in their opening day baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium in New York, Tuesday, April 1, 2008.

New York Yankees fan David Migoya, left, of Denver, and other fans try to coax a ball that landed on the netting above Monument Park into their hands before the Kansas City Royals faced the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York, June 9, 2008.

Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman sits on a ledge in the visitor's bullpen overlooking the retired numbers of New York Yankees players at Monument Park in Yankee Stadium on June 9, 2008, in New York. This is the final season at the current Yankee Stadium.

A wall of monuments dedicated to New York Yankees players Reggie Jackson and Ron Guidry and to businessman Jacob Ruppert, under whose leadership the Yankees acquired Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, stands in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium in New York, June 3, 2008. A plaque, upper right, commemorates the recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the stadium.

A monument to George Herman "Babe" Ruth is the centerpiece of Monument Park, located beyond the outfield wall at Yankee Stadium in New York, June 3, 2008.

Everett Mathis, of Wharton, Texas, poses for a photograph beside Mickey Mantle's monument in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium in New York on June 3, 2008. Baseball's All-Star Game will be held at the stadium Tuesday, July 15.

The new stadium's design, by HOK Sport, consists of two separate structures. The exterior will be a wall circling the perimeter of the Yankees' new property, and will resemble the pre-renovation exterior of the original Yankee Stadium.

At a total cost of $1.3 billion, the new stadium is roughly 500 times the cost of the original stadium built in 1923. It is the most expensive stadium ever built in the United States and the third most expensive stadium ever built in the world after Wembley Stadium in London, and the Stade Olympique in Montreal.

The new ballpark for the New York Yankees, shown Friday, July 11, 2008, is currently under construction. The new ballpark will retain the Yankee Stadium title held by the current stadium.

The new stadium will feature a replica of the copper frieze (facade) that lined the inner wall of Yankee Stadium's upper deck until 1973.

The existing stadium opened in 1923 and the new Yankee Stadium is set to open in 2009. The new facility has a planned 2009 opening, coinciding with the opening of Citi Field, the future home of the New York Mets.

The new ballpark, set to open in 2009, is being built on the current site of Macombs Dam Park in the New York City borough of the Bronx, across the street from the current Yankee Stadium, which it will replace.