Bye Bye Yankee Stadium
Posted by Gonzalo, Sat Sep 20 12:50:00 UTC 2008
By the end of the 2008 Major League Baseball (MLB) Season, old Yankee Stadium will be no more. I say "old Yankee Stadium" because the new and improved Yankee Stadium is being built directly across the street. The stadium that has hosted the most MLB World Series Champions will close its doors forever. Knowing full well that 2008 would be the final year to experience the stadium that Babe Ruth called home, I made sure to pencil in a visit to Yankee Stadium. Of course, a visit to Yankee Stadium would only work if I can cheer on my home team: The Chicago White Sox.
September 15, 2008 is the memorable date that will live with me forever. On that date, I watched the New York Yankees in their famous pinstripes uniforms take on Mark Buehrle and my White Sox. Sitting in section M24, which is located on the main level by 3rd Base, I experienced every sound, sight and smell associated with Yankee Stadium. Some of the more memorable experiences was hearing the "YMCA" Song during the 7th inning stretch (not really a memorable experience, but more of a weird experience); beer vendors selling Coors Light instead of the traditional Miller products I am used to at Comiskey Park (a.k.a. US Cellular Field: Home of the Chicago White Sox); running into the White Sox fans I saw at Carnegie Deli earlier in the day (actually, they sat right behind us); New Yorkers booing Alex Rodriguez (a member of the New York Yankees); camera flash bulbs going off like fireworks every time Derek Jeter attempted to break the Yankee Stadium Hit Record (he did not accomplish this feet on Sept. 15, but he did accomplish that feet on Sept. 16); paying $8.50 for a beer; enjoying the sight of the full moon as it panned across the outfield; hearing and seeing the elevated train; the Goosebumps I felt when "Enter Sandman" played from the stadium speakers as Mariano Rivera (the Yankees closing pitcher) made his way to the pitching mound to save the game; the annoyance I felt when the song "New York, New York" played through the stadium speakers after the Yankees victory; gazing at the white frieze along the outfield billboards; finally, the packed subway station outside Yankee Stadium.
No matter what team you root for, every baseball fan respects the history and allure of the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium. The stadium has been home to many important baseball players and has seen its share of success. Behind Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago, Yankee Stadium was/is a historical ball park that attracts visitors from all over the world. History fills the walls and memories will echo forever.
Will the new Yankee Stadium create the same type of nostalgia? Only time will tell.
