Play Ball: The Last Word on New York’s New Ballparks

I’ve written a good deal about New York’s two new ballparks in various publications and on the web over the last few years, but this new piece, from the July issue of Metropolis magazine, is my last word on the subject, and — I humbly submit — the most comprehensive look anywhere at the stadium game as it has played out here in New York. But I leave that for you to judge. Please do read it; I will not recapitulate the arguments here, but will say that I believe that the two new ballparks, and others of their ilk, reflect a fundamental shift in the way we watch and think about professional baseball. Magazine stories don’t typically warrant acknowledgments, but in this case there are a few individuals I’d like to thank for their participation in this story, directly and otherwise. Editor Martin Pedersen, fellow Yankee agoniste, commissioned and shaped it. Criswell Lappin designed it. (It looks phenomenal; buy the magazine, it needs your support.) The amazing photographs are by Sean Hemmerle. Jay Jaffe and Ivan Drucker were my intrepid co-explorers. For their time and thoughts, I thank Jim Bouton, Neil DeMause, Alex Belth, Greg Prince, Ben Barnert, Cliff Corcoran, Susan Carroll, John Thorn, Andrew Bernheimer, and the YFSF community. Update: On an unrelated note, I have another piece running now on the Metropolis home page, on the threat to Moscow’s architectural patrimony.