I am sitting at my kitchen table, watching the festivities at Yankee Stadium and it’s hard to believe that my favorite baseball team is switching homes. The “House that Ruth Built” will provide that home-field advantage tonight for the last time.
Whether you love or hate the Yankees, there’s no denying the stadium’s place in sports lore. For me, spending large chucks of my childhood in New Jersey, I remember going to lots of games. I don’t really recall the details of many of them — I think I was in awe of the experience as a whole. But, there is nothing more amazing that walking in the stadium and looking at the white fence. There’s just something about that fence … it’s hard to even put into words.
I remember being a little kid and sitting just a few rows away from first base. (My uncle had the hook-up and got us really incredible seats.) I will also always remember sitting as far away as possible from the field — in the nose bleed section — to witness a Yankee/Red Sox game. My best friend and I surprised our boyfriends with tickets for Valentine’s Day. (Thank goodness our significant others can appreciate the greatest rivalry in professional sports!) Plus, there are countless memories on television. Homeruns. Perfect games. No hitters. Mr. November. Randy Velarde. Heartbreaking losses. I could go on and on. Who wasn’t glued to the television in the days after September 11, 2001 when the Yankees took the field for the first time — symbolizing the strength and resiliency of a city and a country?
I’m sure the new Yankee Stadium will be great. But, it will be difficult to top this kind of history and mystic. But, I can’t wait to go to my first game! Maybe next year, we’ll have to make a trip up north …