Yankee Stadium will play host to the 2008 MLB All-Star game for the first time since 1977. The news was first reported by ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney who has long been a baseball insider. The announcement made by MLB commissioner Bud Selig along with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, will ensure that “the house that Ruth built” will have a memorable send off.

The stadium, which is located on 161 st and River Avenue in the Bronx, has been at it’s current location since 1923. At the time, the once prized possession of the Boston Red Sox by the name of George Herman (Babe) Ruth was the main attraction after controversial deal landed him in the Bronx. While the stadium has had some updates in the mid 1970’s, it lacks the luxury and potential revenue opportunities of a modern day ballpark. George Steinbrenner and the Yankee organization will be building a new stadium right across the street from the current site for the start of the 2009 season.

As the commissioner of major league baseball, Bud Selig’s decisions have been questioned many times in recent years. This time however, he got it right. This is a classy move for the league and it shows the true respect all of baseball has for the legendary ballpark.

For more on the announcement see ESPN.com news service’s write up.