I <3 Yankee Stadium – My meager, yet meaningful memories

In little more less than a day from now, the facility that hosted over 9,000 World Series will play it’s final official Major League Baseball game. Much has been documented about the glorious history that Yankee Stadium has achieved in it’s 80+ years. Save those grandiose stories for ESPN and SI. It’s all about the people that experienced them, not some sports writer who is forced to talk about it.

In the years of my existence, I have lived long enough to endure the years when you could truly say “Yankees Suck!” without repercussions; during the 1980’s. I was very young at the time and while I was aware that the Yankees existed and even knew about the name Don Mattingly, I never really paid much attention until 1994. If it weren’t for the Houston Rockets and the strike, it would’ve been the best year for sports in the New York EVAR. That was the year that I really got into watching sports and religiously followed the Yankees as they were in first place in the American League East for much of the season. Of course, I watched every single World Series win from 1996 and ‘98-2000. Seeing such epic win was simply some of the best parts of growing up.

Up until the year 2000, I have never attended a Yankees game in my life. Unfortunately (or fortunately) my first MLB game was actually at Wrigley Field while I was on a school trip in 1998 (Before Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds were vilified). During my senior year in High School, I went by myself to the Stadium from Penn Station. Back in the day, even when the Yankees got to the World Series, it was a LOT easier to get tickets for most games right before first pitch. The opponent being the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t help much in selling seats in 2000 apparently. These tickets were also MUCH cheaper. I think I paid around 20 bucks to sit in Tier Reserved, day of game. David Cone pitched that night and the Yankees won huge. Before I went to see games at more modern parks like Candem Yards, I really didn’t notice the lack of amenities. Oh yeah, security was MUCH more lenient back then compared to today.

Several years after I went to school in Florida, I returned to Yankee Stadium in 2005. After 9/11, security at public gatherings such as sporting events were a lot more like going through airport security – both irritating and annoying. The jarring differences from 2000 and 2005 were evident. First, the place was swarming with cops. Second, River Ave. was closed before and after games. Third, Ruppert Place to the north was completely closed off to the public. I had absolutely no problems getting into Madison Square Garden with a book bag, but according to Yankee Stadium security, it is a threat to national security and giant women’s purses are a still a harmless threat. (I’ll talk more about in another blog posting) Needless to say, I had to “check” my bag out at some bowling alley across the street for a few bucks.

At the second home game of the season in 2006, I saw a game in the bleacher seats for the first time. These seats are the most affordable of all in the stadium and also the least comfortable of all in the stadium. Sitting on metal for hours on end will make you literally butthurt. Not only there is no alcohol served, the entire section is separate from the stadium, which means no monument park or team store for you! The “Bleacher Creatures”, who do the roll call of every Yanks player in the lineup reside in section 37. Fortunately, I was further to the left. I recall they were pretty harsh on some dude wearing Red Sox gear at a Yanks-ROYALS game.

My favorite moments recently were seeing Bernie Williams get a curtain call in 2005 vs. the Angels, Joba Chamberlain pwning the Rays as a middle reliever in the bitter April cold this year and Manny Ramirez getting beaned multiple times this July. Never got an autograph. Never saw a no-hitter or perfect game. Never caught a ball. Never met a player in person. Never sat in Main Reserved or Field Championship. Never saw a playoff game at the Stadium. Still freaking loved every single minute of it.

Yankee Stadium has a lot of history, but it’s time has passed. Even though it is revered for it’s countless moments of baseball immortality, sadly, it is a dump in today’s standards. I’m sure a lot of people will be disheartened once the current Yankee Stadium closes, but be glad your team is moving to a modern facility. As for the Bronx residents, I wish the Yankees didn’t poop on so much with their loss of park land and apparent lack of job creation.

In my next post, I will tell you my 5 LEAST favorite things about Yankee Stadium.