The New York Yankees, the most famous and successful team in all sports started from humble beginnings. Brought into the American league in 1903 from Baltimore and renamed the 'New York Highlanders' it would take many more years before they would attain the success for which they have become famous.
      After being renamed the 'New York Yankees' in 1912 they were on the verge of emerging as a top team in the American League. When Jacob Ruppert purchased Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox in 1920, the legend began. They won pennants in 1921 and 1922, then lost to their city rivals, the New York Giants in the World Series with whom they shared the Polo Grounds. With Ruth drawing tremendous crowds, out-drawing the Giants, John McGraw, the Giant owner and manager told the Yankees to go build their own stadium. They did exactly that, and Yankee Stadium opened in 1923 to a roaring crowd of 74,000 people. Yankee Stadium was renovated during 1974 and 1975, reopening in 1976 remaining their home until it's final closing at the end of 2008. A new stadium rises across from the original and will be ready for Opening Day, 2009. It would take writing a book to mention all the Yankee heroes that have come and gone over the years: Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Maris, Berra, Jackson, Jeter, Mattingly. The list is endless. With this collection of immortals they have won 39 American League pennants and 26 World Championships. They are the standard by which championship teams in any sport are measured.
      As they prepare for the 2009 season in their new ballpark, recent years of frustration hopefully will be swept away. They will make changes during the off-season always trying to put the best team on the field that they can. For the New York Yankees, only winning is acceptable, nothing else This will never change.