New Yankee Stadium Will Have HD TVs, Touch-Screen Phones

It may not be the House That Ruth Built, but new Yankee Stadium will be a tech lover's delight when it opens for the 2009 Major League Baseball season. The Yankees announced Tuesday that the club will use networking gear from Cisco to anchor a range of state-of-the-art video and communications equipment that will be deployed throughout the stadium.

Among other things, plans call for the stadium to include high-definition television sets that will show live game broadcasts at in-stadium concession stands, bars, restaurants, and other areas where fans gather when not in their seats. The sets also will display Yankees trivia and out-of-town sports scores.

At the conclusion of games, the monitors, using Cisco's StadiumVision technology, will be used to direct fans to the nearest exists and provide live traffic and weather information.

Luxury boxes at the new stadium, under construction across the street from its predecessor in the Bronx section of New York City, will include IP telephones with touch-screen interfaces that fans can use to order snacks and merchandise.

"This is an opportunity for Cisco to demonstrate the power of the network while establishing a lasting legacy at baseball's new grand cathedral," Cisco chairman and CEO John Chambers said in a statement.

Yankees COO Lonn Trost said the team chose Cisco gear "because they understand our business needs, our future goals, and our vision for creating a unique experience that caters to our fans."

The new stadium will be the Yankees' fourth permanent home. The team first played at Hilltop Park from 1903 to 1912. It moved to the Polo Grounds the following year, where it played until 1922. The Yankees played in the original Yankee Stadium from 1923 until this year, with a two-year break for renovations from 1973 to 1974, when the team temporary called Shea Stadium home.