The Post's article about today's pending announcement of the new Yankee Stadium deal is proclaimed by the Post to be an "exclusive." Unfortunately, the Post's editors forgot to notify the other papers in town that they were not allowed to print coverage of the same, and so, in the end, the only thing exclusive about the Post's coverage is the lack of detail in this article, below, as compared to the competition.

BAT TO THE FUTURE
By BILL SANDERSON

June 15, 2005 -- EXCLUSIVE

The House That George Builds will be a cathedral to the city's winningest sports franchise, featuring elegant Gothic lines echoing the existing Yankee Stadium facade — as this exclusive first peek at the new ballpark shows.

This is the outside of the entryway to the blockbuster, 50,000-seat, $800 million stadium to be unveiled today.

Unlike the doomed West Side stadium plan, the Yankees have lined up plenty of political support for their proposal, which requires little public funding and is designed to boost the economic fortunes of the South Bronx.

Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Gifford Miller — who battled over the West Side project — are expected to join Yankees boss George Steinbrenner at today's press conference at Yankee Stadium.

Bronx officials are also happy with the plan.

"We are really creating a destination that will yield a long-term economic benefit for the city and that neighborhood," said Borough President Adolfo Carrión.

The new Yankee Stadium — to be built just to the north of the current ballpark — seems meant to remedy mistakes of the 1976 renovation. The new entrance hall and the exterior of the stadium will feature the same Gothic lines of the existing stadium, but bolder. A replica of the frieze that ringed the original House That Ruth Built when it opened in 1923 will be built above the stands.

And the new stadium will be designed to give fans a better view of the action. Most of the seats will be at field level — 30,000 will be on the stadium's first level, and 20,000 on the second level, the opposite of the current ballpark, which has 30,000 seats upstairs and 20,000 at field level.

The facade and playing field of the current stadium will be preserved, and the Yankees are also supporting the idea of a privately run hotel and conference center, Carrión said.

The new stadium will be across the street from the existing one in Macombs Dam Park. The $800 million stadium itself will be funded entirely by the team. City and state governments will be expected to pay for around $100 million of new infrastructure in the area.