It is common knowledge in our country that baseball is America's pastime. Baseball started out much like the other professional sports, with smaller baseball clubs in many different cities all competing against one another. Over time, the game evolved into Major League Baseball, and many of the smaller teams went away, or became farm clubs for the big league teams. One team that evolved from this mess to become the most successful ball club of all time is the New York Yankees. The New York Yankees were founded in 1901 as the Orioles, before relocating to Manhattan in 1903. The name changed to the Yankees at this time, but they were also referred to as the Highlanders. The team name officially changed to the Yankees in 1913. The Yankees played at Hilltop Park in Upper Manhattan until 1913, when they moved their operations to the Polo Grounds.
      The Yankees stayed there until 1923, when they moved into Yankee Stadium, and, with the exception of a short stint in the 1970s in Shea Stadium for park renovations, the Yankees have been there ever since. This is their final season in the House That Ruth Built. The 1920s saw more than a move to Yankee Stadium for the club, as they also brought in two power sluggers that would forever change the face of the club as well as the league, George Herman "Babe" Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The 1930s saw Babe Ruth depart, but soon after Joe DiMaggio arrived on the scene along with Joe McCarthy as manager, and the Yankees in turn won four World Series titles in that decade. The DiMaggio/McCarthy Era ran through until Casey Stengel took over the club in 1951. Stengel lasted until 1959, and then the era of the M&M boys took over for a few short years with Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
      The Yankees took a bit of a dive until 1973, when George Steinbrenner took over. Steinbrenner has since turned over the majority of the responsibility over to his son, but he remains the principle owner of the club. Steinbrenner made the moves necessary to return the Yankees to dominance, as they have won 10 pennants and 6 World Series titles in the period of his ownership, which is the longest in club history. Although the Yankees appear to be heading into a new era, with a new manager as of last year, possibly a new owner in Hank Steinbrenner, and a new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees have an extensive history to fall back on. If history is any indication of how the future will turn out, then the Yankees are in for many more years of success.