“There have been two only geniuses in the world: Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare.”
                                 - Tallulah Bankhead

When the most storied place in baseball is torn down after this season, I’ll be among those mourning the loss.

Progress is progress, and I can take it or leave it most of the time. But, why tear down Yankee Stadium, the House that Ruth Built - where Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle defined baseball athleticism and wore their baseball caps decade after decade like hero crowns, with style and dignity.

Surely someone could think of a practical use for the old Yankee Stadium that would give it a new lease on life. How about hiring an a-r-c-h-i-t-e-c-t to come up with a few transition zones and save the place. Where would historic Europe be today if moneymen over the years tore down all the historic buildings to increase profits?
Nor would I tear down Alex Box Stadium for all the money in a Pennington bank account.

LSU is gaining respect nationally for football, but if you want mystique and legendary status, LSU baseball and former Coach Skip Bertman are on a pedestal as high as Bear Bryant and Alabama football, John Wooden and UCLA basketball.

Tear down the stadium where LSU baseball was born, rising without precedent from the bayous and capturing the imagination and admiration of the nation - for what, to put up a parking lot? Give me a break. On that field, where stood the greatest heroes in LSU baseball history, are invisible beacons that shine to lead the way for each succeeding generation of LSU ballplayers.

Though The Box is no great physical ball park, when the wind is up and the four national championship flags are whipping about, snapping and popping in concert, the stadium swells out to include not only sports greatness, but the heroic patriotism of the stadium’s namesake.

Long ago, the Romans did not tear down their coliseums. A great one, built in 72 A.D., still stands today in Rome. Bob Dylan gave a concert there in 1984, singing “Masters of War” and “License to Kill.” Entertainment in a Roman coliseum has evolved over nearly 2,000 years from throwing Christians to lions to singing protest songs. This cultural evolution tells us much about where we, the torchbearers of humanity, came from, where we are today and where humanity may be headed.

Tearing down the great, historic assembly places of the American people, whether the buildings be stadiums, great theaters, or historic churches is a mockery of America’s short but spectacular progress. The new stadium which will replace Yankee Stadium is not only a slap in the face to American history, but to everyday fans who financially supported the Yankees through the years with loyal attendance.

When the Yankees move into their new $1 billion stadium next year, roughly half of the unbelievably flatulent price tag will be paid by city taxpayers, many of whom will then be locked out of the stadium by the high ticket prices. Choices seats behind home plate which cost $250 in Yankee Stadium’s last year will zoom up to $2,500 in the new stadium, and there will be a corresponding rise in all seat charges.

It’s safe to say not many cab drivers, teachers or cops and firemen will be scooping up seats to see Yankee baseball next year.

Nor should we expect to be able to buy bargain $10 tickets in the new LSU baseball stadium.

It looks like we’re headed into a phony new world in baseball where the fans are expected to be flush like their steroid heroes on the diamond playing field - and the great stadiums of old are relegated to the trash heap, memories and all.