BALLPARK STEEL CRASHES DOWN; NONE HURT AT YANKEE STADIUM; ANGELS GAME POSTPONED.

Byline: Ben Walker Associated Press 

Part of the House that Ruth Built came crashing down Monday afternoon - just five days before its 75th birthday.

A 500-pound steel joint smashed into the Yankee Stadium stands, forcing postponement of two games between the New York Yankees and Angels and shifting a third game to Shea Stadium.

There were no fans inside the park - baseball's most storied landmark - when the chunk fell an estimated 40 feet from the underside of the upper deck into the mezzanine section and landed on seats between third base and left field about 2 p.m., city officials said.

More than 20,000 people had been expected at Monday night's game at the stadium, which turns 75 years old Saturday. Mayor Rudy Giuliani said someone almost certainly would have been killed if the collapse had happened during the game.

The 1-cubic-foot steel joint crushed one of the blue plastic seats into pieces and gouged a 6-inch hole in the concrete. The joint tore another hole in the ceiling of the upper deck.

``Yankee Stadium is crumbling. . . . Everybody is in a little disarray right now,'' pitcher David Cone said.

While games Monday and tonight were postponed, the Yankees later announced they would play the Angels at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Shea Stadium, home of the rival New York Mets. The Mets are also scheduled to play at Shea that day, at 4:40 p.m. against the Chicago Cubs.

The earliest the Yankees can play in their own stadium would be Friday night against the Detroit Tigers. If the stadium is not repaired by then, that series would be moved to Shea.

``As a Yankee fan, I'd rather that we were playing, but as a mayor we have to make sure it's safe,'' Giuliani said at an impromptu news conference at the stadium.

Babe Ruth christened the stadium with a homer the day it opened, April 18, 1923, and it has been home to many of baseball's greatest players ever since. Hall of Famers like Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson have helped the Yankees win 23 World Series championships.

Bill LeSuer, the Angels' muscle therapist, was walking on the field toward the hallowed Monument Park beyond the left-field fence when the piece of steel fell and landed in section 22, row B, seat 7.

``There was a real loud bang,'' he said. ``I looked up and saw a lot of debris falling down, a lot of concrete.

``I mean, I'm from New York and it's always exciting to come here. But the only explosion I was hoping to see was from the Angel bats.''

Yankee Stadium was extensively remodeled in 1974 and 1975, forcing the Yankees to play at Shea until the Bronx ballpark reopened in 1976. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has been trying to get a new stadium, complaining the current one doesn't have enough parking and amenities.

Steinbrenner was at his home in Tampa, Fla., when the accident occurred.

The announcement was made while the Yankees were taking batting practice. The team began the season on the road and did not have its first home game until last Friday.

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PHOTO (Color) Pieces of debris litter the stands in the loge section of Yankee Stadium after a 500-pound steel joint fell from the ceiling.

Ron Frehm/Associated Press