Results tagged ‘ Yankee Stadium ’
Yankee Stadium Magic: How an Unfamiliar Place Can Begin to Feel Like Home
Still wearing a Yankees away jersey to symbolize the foreign feeling of entering the new ballpark, I ambled through Gate 6 and into “The Great Hall.”
(Interestingly enough, fans are now their own ticket scanners. It completely eliminates the need for dozens of people to stand around pretending to help you, but they do it anyway.)
I had seen it all before, and knew for the first time how to get to any seat in the stadium. It resembled a college student’s second week in a freshman dorm, as I began to figure things out while still feeling very uncomfortable.
After reaching what would be my final resting place for the next five hours, it was apparent that the stands would not be roaring like its predecessor across the street.
The rain had scared away thousands upon thousands of season ticket holders, and many others chose to retreat to “waterproof” areas of the stadium. Only the bleacher creatures and select trust fund babies remained in their tickets’ assigned seating location.
Shortly before the first pitch, Yankee Stadium finally began to take on a recognizable aura; “…and at designated hitter, batting third, Jason Giambi.”
I looked around to make sure a bar still stood in center field where the famed black seats once rested. Indeed it did, and Giambi was again donning an “A” on his cap.
The game could be described by no word other than damp, and got off to a very inauspicious beginning. C.C. Sabathia’s prized and high-priced pitching shoulder evaded him once again, and the Yankees quickly trailed 3-0.
Sabathia was missing spot after spot, and it appeared as though a postponement would be a blessing in disguise. As the game wore on, however, the stadium began to produce more and more occurrences of déjà vu.
Derek Jeter willed the Yankees into the lead not once but twice. The captain made sure that his late-game heroics would not rest in peace along with the original Yankee Stadium.
Shortly thereafter, a very familiar sound began to crescendo over the stadium’s myriad of speakers:
“Say your prayers little one
It was of course the uplifting lyrics of Enter Sandman by Metallica, a song Yankees fans have sung along to many times before. It helps to resurrect “The House that Ruth Built,” and forces you to think back to lists of everlasting memories.
There was now just one missing element to a prototypical “Yankees Classic.” The game had to end as a result of an unexpected moment involving a surprising underdog as hero. After nearly five hours of rain-soaked baseball, the Bronx got its wish.
Up to the plate stepped a little used outfielder who was left for dead within the Yankees organization. He lost his starting job, and only remained on the Major League roster as a result of Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon’s recent injury histories.
Wearing a new number in 2008 to attempt a new beginning in New York, Melky Cabrera was forced to face former teammate Dan Giese. He was in danger of becoming a member of the very undesirable “golden sombrero” club.
A “golden sombrero” represents a player striking out four times in just one game, and Cabrera was poised to do so in consecutive at-bats. One magical swing later, however, he was instead met with a mob of teammates jumping around like home plate had suddenly become a trampoline.
Cabrera had hit the first walk-off home run at the new stadium, and began to recapture the mystique that flowed through the walls of the old ballpark.
Heroics from the Yankee captain? Check. Dominance from Mariano Rivera after a karaoke-like sing along? Check. Storybook ending? Check. Unsung hero? Check.
Yankee Stadium felt familiar for the first time, and more importantly, it felt like home.
“The House that the Rockies Built”: Yankee Stadium Mimics Coors Field
As the national anthem rang throughout the new Yankee Stadium during the home opener on April 16, an entire city became energized for baseball.
Little did they know that “the bombs bursting in air” would refer to an on-field power surge instead of the fight for out nation’s freedom.
Fans and players alike watched as twenty home runs were launched into the stadium’s newly completed seats in just four games.
In a violent mixture of horrendous pitching and a relentless jet stream toward right-center field, Yankee Stadium housed the season’s first home run derby exhibition.
Solo shots were as easily attainable as singles, and grand slams became a simple right of passage.
Yankees and Indians supporters were frantically scanning the ballpark for Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks, Larry Walker, Vinny Castilla, and Andres Galarraga.
They had to have been somehow transported back in time to 1997 Colorado, where the five Rockies sluggers combined to hit 188 home runs in just one season.
Yankee stadium had not been a pitcher’s park since before the monuments were moved beyond the stadium’s outfield wall, but it had never produced such effortless power.
The only locations for cheap round-trippers were straight down either line, including the famed “short porch” in right field. The new stadium has instead helped to carry even the most undeserved fly balls into the hands of mystified fans.
New York may require their own version of Coors Field’s “humidor,” an effort to prevent batted balls from entering the Earth’s orbit.
Whether or not contact is made at the end of the bat or the handle, or is the product of an off-balance lunge…players should still prepare to practice their casual trots around the bases.
Jorge Posada’s eventual game-winning home run on Sunday was struck high enough to affect airline flight patterns. Regardless of that fact, it still carried the exact distance required to save a series split with the Indians.
Perhaps the most alarming evidence of Yankee Stadium’s hitter-friendly tendencies occurred in Sunday’s eighth inning.
Cody Ransom stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, and proceeded to shatter his bat upon contact. Completely unaware of the ball’s location, he awkwardly jogged toward first base.
A few seconds later, Ransom was credited with a bases-clearing double, as his lazy fly ball landed just feet from the warning track. If a shattered bat can produce a 300 foot fly ball in mid-April, imagine where balls will land during the dog days of summer.
The original Yankee Stadium had a well-documented increase in home runs as the weather warmed, and many worry that the same phenomenon could make a mockery of the new park.
Another issue results from the altered seating arrangement at the new stadium. Seats were placed directly behind the outfield wall, which eliminates any possibility of a quick fix in terms of fencing distance.
There will likely be many discussions on how to best attack this unexpected dilemma, but they will not take place until after the stadium’s inaugural season has been completed.
It is anyone’s guess whether the surge will continue throughout the entire 81-game home schedule, but I will officially be bringing a glove to the right-center field bleacher seats in 2009.
Once merely a fantasy, it appears that virtually any seat is souvenir territory at the Bronx’s new launching pad.
Chien-Ming Wang’s formally dominant sinker would be very advantageous right about now. Perhaps it is time to place a call to Rick Ankiel’s former therapist.
A Day of Firsts: A Look into Attending the Yankees True “Opening Day”
The early morning fog and clouds cleared to reveal nothing but blue sky and sunshine.
The baseball gods would not allow anything to ruin the unveiling of the most remarkable structure its sport has to offer.
Crossing over the Macombs Dam Bridge as I have done hundreds of times before, my eyes grabbed hold of the place I once called my second home.
I could not help reflecting on all of the timeless moments that I had witnessed within the stadium’s high walls, and was forced to realize that there would be no further stories to tell.
Having to almost wrestle with the steering wheel in order to leave “The House that Ruth Built” in the rearview mirror, I quickly approached the new stadium.
At first it appeared much like a stepfather, forced into your life as a replacement for what you once loved.
Your mother would comfort you by saying, “Everything will be ok. It will just take time to adjust.”
You didn’t want to learn to like this new part of your life. You wanted back what you always had.
After parking the car in a newly built garage next to the stadium, I looked for a way to get back to ground level.
An elevator stood just twenty feet from my parking spot. Wow, the Steinbrenners had really ensured comfort to the finest of details.
Upon approaching the stadium’s Gates, I realized that I was standing within Babe Ruth Plaza.
What better way to attempt to appease the ghosts of Yankee past than to pay tribute to the man that began the franchise’s legacy?
Still somewhat uneasy about taking my first steps inside, I felt as though I was cheating on a long-term girlfriend.
As soon as I entered the stadium, however, I was welcomed by “The Great Hall.”
A miraculous passageway lined with huge banners of Yankee greats, it made me forget my trepidation and begin to drop my jaw closer and closer to the floor.
Everything around us was an impressive sight, from the record-breaking center field video board to the pinstriped hot dog boxes.
Even the team’s memorabilia stores are lines with countless HD televisions so that no game action is missed while you max out your credit card.
After working my way around the stadium, I began to catch my first glimpses of the players and field surface.
Equally as magnificent as its amenities and awe-inspiring façade, the field is as well-groomed as the front lawn of the White House.
The backdrop of the stadium is far superior to its older version, with the exception of no longer displaying the beloved black seats in center field.
As the stretching was completed and the workout began, I was able to witness a bevy of stadium “firsts.”
Ranging from C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett’s first stadium tosses to Mariano Rivera’s first bullpen appearance, everything I saw was being done for the first time.
Most notably, Rivera chose to jog out of the bullpen after his tour was completed.
Metallica’s Enter Sandman began to play louder and louder in my head. I could imagine the stadium beginning to shake as he makes his first real appearance on the mound.
Batting practice commenced shortly thereafter.
Derek Jeter continued the trend of firsts, as he fittingly took the stadium’s first swings. As if the Yankees would have had it any other way.
Johnny Damon then christened the new right field porch, making sure fans did not have to wait long to witness the cathedral’s first home run.
Just when I thought that this day could not possibly get any better, Robinson Cano casually fielded a deep drive into center field.
He turned and smiled into the bleachers, and tossed a ball high into the air. As soon as it was released, I knew that my 20 years of playing baseball was about to come in handy.
I jumped into the air with the aid of an obnoxiously long wingspan, and came down with a baseball in my hands. I did receive a right cross to the temple which knocked my hat to the ground, but it was well worth it.
Thrown balls into the stands quickly led to another Yankee Stadium first. This is of course referring to the breakout of the first fight.
A wrestling match over another Cano souvenir resulted in violent pushing, countless threats, and the utilization of five security guards to escort the men from the building.
That certainly did not take long…and between two Yankees fans no less?
Every day has its end, regardless of your wishes for its continuance. As it was time to leave, I was again forced to pass by the eerie view of the original stadium.
Its grass appearing as grotesque in color as Nick Swisher’s spit tobacco residue, Yankee Stadium looked nothing like I had always hoped to remember it.
Though somewhat against my will, I decided one last photo was needed to complete the stadium’s timeline.
As I lifted the camera to my eye, however, the screen turned black. At that exact moment, the camera had run out of power.
The timing was almost impeccable, as the spirits of “The House that Ruth Built” sent a clear message to one of its most passionate fans.
They wanted me to remember the greatness of their home the way I always had. They wanted the final photographs in my Yankees album to consist of the farewell ceremonies of September 21.
It is ok to feel saddened at the removal of the Bronx’s most famous sanctuary, but it is also ok to appreciate what lies in front of us.
Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio, and Gehrig sent their message loud and clear. It is time for us all to attempt to follow their advice.
R.I.P. Yankee Stadium: A Picture Truly IS Worth 1000 Words
Here lies “The House That Ruth Built” (1923-2008):
(Courtesy of This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes)It was almost time for baseball season, and the Bronx would once again be alive with chants, rants, cheers, and boos.
In 2009, however, the tradition will be carried across the street to the new Yankee Stadium.
It is otherwise referred to as “The House That Steroids Built”, “The Eighth Wonder of the World”, or “Steinbrenner’s Last Gasp”; depending on my mood.
The concept of a picture being worth 1000 words is a severe understatement in this case.
The above photo is worth a never-ending novel filled with timeless memories, reflections, and the disbelief that it is truly over.
Symbolic of a grave site for a fallen hero, the shell of the original Yankee Stadium appears more similar to the ruins of the Roman Coliseum than a place just six months removed from game action.
If not for the rounded outfield fence and sharp contrast in color between the dirt and lifeless grass, it would be difficult to determine what sport was played here.
It is truly depressing to see how a structure that provided the heartbeat for an entire city could decompose so quickly without care and a watchful eye.
It is fitting that the brightest section of the stadium lies beyond the outfield wall, where countless home runs landed off the bats of the game’s greatest players.
The Yankees will ensure that new storybook endings are created as soon as possible. However, it will take decades to recapture the essence of history and tradition that the old stadium represented.
This photo symbolizes the rapid fall of the most recent Yankee dynasty. All that remains from the best of times are Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte.
Even the great George Steinbrenner has lost the ability to make his mark on the proud franchise.
The new stadium is as much a tribute to all that Steinbrenner represented as it is to the greatest team in sports history.
I eagerly anticipate the day that I first walk through the gates across the street, and officially become a part of the dawning of a new legacy in the Bronx.
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