NEW YORK — When Yankee Stadium opened for business on April 18, 1923, an army of writers strained for adjectives to describe the majestic, triple-decked structure that loomed over the landscape like the Coliseum in Rome , somehow relocated to the Bronx .

Babe Ruth , who was largely responsible for its construction, took one look around the place and chose a succinct description, exclaiming, "Some ball yard!”