With Yankee catcher and pitchers reporting in less than two weeks (some players like Derek Jeter, Chein Ming Wang and Jorse Posada are already in Tampa), I supposed it’s time to start looking forward to the 2009 season and the new Yankee Stadium.
However, I’m stuck in the past. I just bought this Yankee Stadium plaque. It has a color picture of the stadium in 2008, authentic dirt from the infield and a gold coin commerating the stadium. I’m really not a sentimental person, except when it comes to the Yankees.
I want another season like 1996. I don’t like that palyers I grew up with are now veterans. I’m even more bothered when they talk about them retiring soon – i.e. Derek Jeter.
So, anyways, I’m counting down the days until the new season starts, but looking back at the past with some fond memories.
It was a quiet week for the Yankees – no major signings or anything that was super newsworthy. However, there were definitely some blog posts worth checking out.
River Ave. Blues has a video of the Yankees staff moving their tophies that’s definitely a must watch. I would’ve paid for the honor of moving the World Series Trophies, although I would be pretty nervous about breaking them.
Along the same lines, Sliding Into Home has a photo update of the exterior of the new Yankee Stadium. I’ll admit that seeing photos like that make me a little giddy about seeing the new stadium in person.
I may be the only Yankees fan who didn’t already know, but I stumbled across Phil Hughes’ blog at Yardbarker this week. He gave away an autographed hat that he wore in high school. It’s definitely not every day that you see a player like him interacting with the public like that.
Really there’s no question what the top Yankee moment of 2008 was – it was the closing of Yankee Stadium.
There’s hundreds of records set there. Two home run records were set there by Babe Ruth and Roger Maris.
There were thousands of important moments in baseball. There was Lou Gherig’s unforgettable farewell speech. Three perfect games were thrown there and more than a few no-hitters. The Yankees clinched nine world series there. Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in one World Series game to help the Yankees win the World Series in 1977. And that’s just the beginning of a very long list.
It wasn’t just baseball either. The greatest game in NFL history was played there. Boxers Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali fought and won there. Four times Popes had visited there.
But it wasn’t just those things that made it so special. It was going with my family to watch the Yankees play. Whether we were in the upper upper deck or six rows back from homeplate it was always an amazing experience. I’ve seen MLB played in many different fields now, but none can really compare to Yankee Stadium (with maybe an exception for Wrigley Field). There was the familiar facade (or the frieze), hearing Bob Sheppard call the players names. There was seeing Monument Park, the huge NY symbol behind home plate and the short right porch that make Yankee stadium special. No other stadium would make me want to travel halfway across the country to visit in it’s final season.
It wasn’t just being at the game either. It was watching it on the television with family, friends and roommates. Watching them win world seriess, watching them lose regular season games. Listening to Phil Ruzzuto, Bobby Murcer and Michael Kay.
The final game at Yankee Stadium couldn’t have been any closer to perfect with the Yankees winning 7-3. Who better to have thrown the last pitch than Mariano Riveria. Derek Jeter’s speech said exactly the right words. And of course what would it have been without greatest fans in the world.
If the New Yankee Stadium is half as special as the Old one, it’ll make it one of the greatest stadiums ever, but it has some pretty big shoes to fill.
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With Yankee catcher and pitchers reporting in less than two weeks (some players like Derek Jeter, Chein Ming Wang and Jorse Posada are already in Tampa), I supposed it’s time to start looking forward to the 2009 season and the new Yankee Stadium.
