Today I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the second to last game ever to be played at the infamous Yankee Stadium. While not everyone who will read this thread may be a baseball fan, I would be willing to bet that everyone knows this stadium. Yankee Stadium has been home to historical event after historical event and its legacy is known on every corner of the Earth. The stadium has a special mystique about it that no other stadium holds, and those who have been there can attest to that. The ghosts of Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, and other Yankee great still accompany the fans and players in the stadium. The stadium has witnessed nine World Series clinching wins by the Yankees and countless unbelievable plays from Jeter's catch where his momentum carried him into the stands to Aaron Boone's walk off home run in Game 7 to carry the Yankees to the World Series. It has been host to college football games, to huge boxing matches, to even four visits by the Pope himself.
As the game ended today with a Cano walk off single and as Frank Sinatra serenaded the crowd of 55,000+, everyone was on their feet giving this stadium a standing ovation. Usually after about 10 minutes after the game has concluded, everyone is out of the stadium. I sat in my seat 30 minutes after the game ended just looking back on memories I had there and realized that Frank Sinatra is still singing and that about 10,000 people remained at their seats reflecting on times that have past at this historical venue. As my dad and I got up to leave, I noticed a guy who was around 55 years old sitting in his seat just staring off. As I looked at his eyes, you could tell that this gentleman actually had just cleared the tears off of his face. This "stadium" was much more than a stadium to many people. My dad and I chatted with a guy in the parking lot, a complete stranger, about the stadium. He had the opportunity to play in this stadium back in 1966 in a select baseball youth team. We sat outside for 30 minutes talking with this gentlemen and he got teary eyed towards the end of the conversation as we spoke about the past.
So tomorrow night, when Frank Sinatra's rendition of "New York, New York" plays for the last time, or when you hear Bob Sheppard's voice announce the Yankees line-up for the final time at Yankee Stadium, or even as God Bless America performed by Kate Smith as a dedication to the Sept 11th victims and military personal around the world plays on the loudspeakers, just remember all those great memories that have made this not only a stadium but a mausoleum of baseball legends.
I'm really not expecting many or any responses to this thread but maybe experiences you have had at Yankee Stadium would be appropriate.
I got teary eyed just reading that. haha. But for real, that was good man. Never been to Yankee Stadium but I remember when the Braves changed stadiums. I went to most of the home games there and it was a weird/sad mood all through the stadium after the last game even though it was nothing like yankee stadium.
Woulda loved to have gone to yankee stadium though
Im watching it now. Im not a yankees fan.. Actually I've wanted them to lose every game they've ever played...... Besides this one. I hope they hold on looks like they have it wrapped up though....
okay yanks i understand were your xoming from and very well spoken but there is one thing i can disagree on.
"The stadium has a special mystique about it that no other stadium holds"
ever heard of fenway park it is older than yankee stadium. but yes ive been to yankee stadium and have to say fenway has a better mystique to it more old fashioned and more like home thats why its called friendly fenway
but sad to c it go a great stadium i hope you love the new stadium
No disrespect Charlie, but I have been to Fenway and I gotta say it felt nothing like the way Yankee Stadium feels. No stadium has had the legends on that field day in and day out like Yankee Stadium has had. Fenway may have the old building and old feeling to it as the Stadium has but in no way does it have the same level of history as Yankee Stadium holds. Now obviously we both are severely biased in this argument so I think its best for us to agree to disagree with each other on this argument.
today i read a little story written by yanksfan. at first i was thinking whoop dee doo yankees stadium is finished.
but as i read on, i begin to realize how much this stadium means to yanks fan. not only to yanksfan (aka john) but to all baseball fans. if i was ever to go to a game outside of california, it would of been yankees stadium. i feel bad that i will never get that chance now.
yanksfan could be a little odd sometimes but he is one of the coolest person on the forum. i always enjoy reading what he has to say. always comes up with smart one liners that just cracks you up. he is a good person.
may the yankees prosper in their new stadium. even though this season maybe done for them, they will come back strong.
live long and prosper yanksfan (aka john) and the yankees.
yes i agree buddy i am biased and i know what you mean i think its just the place that means more to you. And that was home for you and fenway is home for me maybe someday we will go to a sox and yanks game together lol beers are on me up to 2 cause then i will be out 100 bux lol jk
I totally understand how you feel Yanks. Like you, sports mean a lot to me, and not just as a hobby. Sports bring family and friends together, help you enjoy the good times, and cope with the bad. Many of my fondest memories with my family and friends have to do with sporting events.
With that said, I was excitedly tuned in to the post game coverage last night, and was really disappointed. They opted to not mention Roger Clemens a single time, despite highlighting guys like Jason Giambi (an admitted steroid user), as well as Andy Petite and Chuck Knoblach (sp) who were both in the mitchell report. I found it to be very self-serving.
Even worse they didn't mention Joe Torre's name once. I found that very unsettling.
Pit, I'm sure that if Joe wasn't managing over in LA right now then he would have been at the game and got an overwhelming standing O. While he wasn't mentioned by players, the announcers made a few remarks about him and the dynasty that he managed over the years. And also, it would sort of be a slap in the face to Girardi if Joe got mentioned. Simply because, lets face it, a lot of fans are blaming Girardi and some of his moves for our under achieving year and I'm sure there would be a few signs and chants asking Torre to come back to NY. Torre never missed the playoffs during his tenor and got fired for losing in the playoffs and now Girardi can't even bring almost the exact same team (arguably better) to a playoff berth, I mean come on, thats just bush league. As I'm sure you caught on, I'm not a big Girardi as a manger fan.
charlie, what is it with you and ratings lol. the games are not fixed so that it gets better ratings. hahahaha. you and your conspiracy theories. lol. you bostonians are funny.
Lol. I think we will see Girardi managing next year for us. We won't fire him. Only way he won't be managing us is if he quits somehow. I would like to see Willie out there managing us though instead of Girardi. Don't get me wrong, I have all the respect in the world for Girardi as a person and a player but he is just too inexperienced to manage the Yankees. Its more than the typical MLB managerial job.
