Friday, April 6, 2012

A Public Park to Rival the Yankees’ Playground

A Public Park to Rival the Yankees' Playground

Marcus Yam for The New York Times

As the elevated train rolled by, Heritage Field opened this week on the site of the former Yankee Stadium. More Photos »

When the new Yankee Stadium opened in 2009, not even the loudest of Yankee fanatics could drown out the outraged howls over its costly tickets, its tax-exempt financing and, of course, its construction atop two city parks.

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But now, in an unabashed bid for redemption, New York City officials have spared no expense to deliver on a long-promised, $50.8 million public ballpark across the street from the stadium to make amends for their part in a bitter struggle over lost parkland that pitted Bronx residents against their most famous neighbor.

Heritage Field opened this week, more than a year behind schedule, on the site of the old Yankee Stadium — the last of which was demolished in 2010 — and nearly every inch, from the pavement stones underfoot to the three natural grass ball fields, has been elaborately designed to pay homage to the Yankees and their celebrated former home. Even the sod is the same that the Yankees, professional baseball's biggest spender, chose for their new stadium.

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