Yankee Stadium
Most of my memories of Yankee Stadium are not pretty. It strikes me as a little odd the celebrations thrown at the stadium, calling it a cathedral, after hearing for my entire childhood about how no one wants to go to the Bronx to see a baseball game. That was before the recent streak of playoff appearances, back when the Yankees were not a top team in the league. Winning changed everything and apparently whitewashed into celebrations after years of vilifying the franchise. Watching games on TV it looks great and much of the stadium was great. I loved the overpriced restaurant underneath the bleachers. It felt like we were inside the Yankee family dining room. However, in contrast to the ESPN montage of black and white memories I wanted to share some of mine, mostly from the upper deck.
I remember being the upper deck with my father as a child and uncomfortable with people shouting obscene words. I remember a drunk man tripping on the tiny steps and spilling nearly a full beer down my back - and being too afraid to even turn around. I remember moving down to the box seats after the 7th inning stretch because there was no one there and by that time the ushers gave up caring to see tickets. I remember shouting at Dave Righetti as he closed out on one of his record saves in 1987 - even though I actually thought he was Tom Guidry at the time! I brought a ball to the field once and tossing it around in my glove a boy obviously thought I caught it, even though the ball had been run over by a lawnmower a few times over and was very browned. I got an autograph once, from rightfielder Gary Ward. That was also the last game I brought a glove to the park because a foul ball was caught immediately to the right of my father by a barehanded man. I could not stand up with my glove because I had a lap full of food at the time. Once a friend's brother had a foul ball hit his way while we were getting food - he ducked instead of trying to catch it so he was booed. Once my father offered to buy me a tee-shirt on the walk to our car. I got mad and told him that the cheap price meant they were stolen goods and I wanted to part of them - my father thought that was priceless and told everyone that story with a laugh. In high school my friend Chris and I went to two opening day games together. Once we ran into a guy our age wearing a rainbow wig and I laughed hysterically. The second time a friend was pelted with ice from someone farther up - we left the area instead confronting the stranger. Both times I vividly remember the fights that broke out and spread across rows like wildfire. People fell into each other in a spectacle fun to see from afar. Our senior class trip was a Yankees game. Some people wanted to see the view from the upper deck and I believed them, only to get booted when they were caught smoking pot. I spent my 21st birthday at Yankee Stadium with my sister and her husband and enjoyed a beer. I took Lisa to a game with tickets from the radio station once. We sat behind home plate. Someone threw wet hot dogs at a man in our row. Later a drunk man flipped over many rows and ended upright in a seat right next to a very nervous Lisa. Ushers quickly escorted him away before he knew what happened. After I proposed to Lisa my father took me to see a game against the Mets with my friend and nephew. While visiting monument park my friend caught a batting practice homerun. He later had Aaron Heilman sign it. My nephew, a basketball fan, spotted Jason "White Chocolate" Williams and got his autograph. The Yankees hit a bunch of homeruns and defeated the Mets to my glee.
I had no desire to spend outrageous sums to see the final games at the stadium, but I can understand others who did. It was a cultural landmark. That does not mean they should keep playing there forever. It has been several years since I saw a Yankee game, but I hold no nostalgia for the facility itself. I look forward to the new stadium, at the very least for cupholders and cleaner bathrooms.
I remember being the upper deck with my father as a child and uncomfortable with people shouting obscene words. I remember a drunk man tripping on the tiny steps and spilling nearly a full beer down my back - and being too afraid to even turn around. I remember moving down to the box seats after the 7th inning stretch because there was no one there and by that time the ushers gave up caring to see tickets. I remember shouting at Dave Righetti as he closed out on one of his record saves in 1987 - even though I actually thought he was Tom Guidry at the time! I brought a ball to the field once and tossing it around in my glove a boy obviously thought I caught it, even though the ball had been run over by a lawnmower a few times over and was very browned. I got an autograph once, from rightfielder Gary Ward. That was also the last game I brought a glove to the park because a foul ball was caught immediately to the right of my father by a barehanded man. I could not stand up with my glove because I had a lap full of food at the time. Once a friend's brother had a foul ball hit his way while we were getting food - he ducked instead of trying to catch it so he was booed. Once my father offered to buy me a tee-shirt on the walk to our car. I got mad and told him that the cheap price meant they were stolen goods and I wanted to part of them - my father thought that was priceless and told everyone that story with a laugh. In high school my friend Chris and I went to two opening day games together. Once we ran into a guy our age wearing a rainbow wig and I laughed hysterically. The second time a friend was pelted with ice from someone farther up - we left the area instead confronting the stranger. Both times I vividly remember the fights that broke out and spread across rows like wildfire. People fell into each other in a spectacle fun to see from afar. Our senior class trip was a Yankees game. Some people wanted to see the view from the upper deck and I believed them, only to get booted when they were caught smoking pot. I spent my 21st birthday at Yankee Stadium with my sister and her husband and enjoyed a beer. I took Lisa to a game with tickets from the radio station once. We sat behind home plate. Someone threw wet hot dogs at a man in our row. Later a drunk man flipped over many rows and ended upright in a seat right next to a very nervous Lisa. Ushers quickly escorted him away before he knew what happened. After I proposed to Lisa my father took me to see a game against the Mets with my friend and nephew. While visiting monument park my friend caught a batting practice homerun. He later had Aaron Heilman sign it. My nephew, a basketball fan, spotted Jason "White Chocolate" Williams and got his autograph. The Yankees hit a bunch of homeruns and defeated the Mets to my glee.
I had no desire to spend outrageous sums to see the final games at the stadium, but I can understand others who did. It was a cultural landmark. That does not mean they should keep playing there forever. It has been several years since I saw a Yankee game, but I hold no nostalgia for the facility itself. I look forward to the new stadium, at the very least for cupholders and cleaner bathrooms.
respond or e-mail this post:
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home