Between a trip to Florida and the holiday weekend, I managed to be at 14 BBQs in several countries, so I have been supporting the beef industry rather than blogging. That said, I did get to swing by the new Yankee Stadium before all of that for a game, thanks to a timely invite from my cousin Amanda.
The May 17th matchup between the Yankees and Twins was memorable, as it would become one of many come-from-behind or late-inning wins at home. I had to leave early to catch my flight (violating my cardinal rule of never leaving a game early, which started when I was the only one of my group to stay through the entirety of this game).
Having heard all the negative press about the stadium, and since we weren’t on the streak that we’re on now, I wasn’t expecting much. I was very pleasantly surprised.
First off, the stadium is enormous. The columns facing the outside have large gaps between them, though, so you can see everything inside. Right away, you can see that the Yankees did what the Mets didn’t – pay significant homage to their history.
The “Great Hall” is filled with pictures of Yankee legends from present and past. In fact, the banners are divided roughly like that, with most of the living players on one side and recent players on another. Yogi Berra is the only living member of the dead guys, which is either a testament to his longevity or a thinly veiled threat from Randy Levine.
Dead guys (plus Yogi)
Living guys
After walking around for awhile, we headed to the museum. The problem was that there was a 45-minute line at said museum. Fortunately, I was able to sneak discuss my way into the museum from the exit after discussing our situation pleading with the security guard. The museum’s central feature is a glass case full of baseballs signed by everyone imaginable in Yankee history. They are in no particular order, so you get funny combinations like Joe DiMaggio next to Suzyn Waldman. I was, however, able to find my quasi-favorite Yankee of the last decade.
Thank you, Aaron Boone.
We got there very early, and after taking in batting practice, the memorabilia, the food and most of a game, I think overall it is a great place.
There is no doubt that the tickets were, and remain, overpriced (the fact that we have been winning of late doesn’t change that). There are several things that make absolutely no sense – for example, there is a bar on the second floor, and rather than entering through the gate right in front, you have to walk down a hallway, through a door, and around the corner just to get to where you already were.
I think that a lot of the issues since 2001 have been oversimplified into the idea that the Yankees “got too many overpriced free agents.” Although this is partially true, it wasn’t that you can’t buy talent. The issue was that when you take 35 year old millionaires, give them more money than they are worth, remove any fun or passion for the game, and then mandate a WS win every year, you aren’t going to compete with the hunger of an up and coming team like the Rays.
However, I think the Yankees managed to get around that in spite of themselves. New players like A.J. Burnett seem to have lightened the mood a lot, and have helped existing lunatics like Damon act more relaxed. They are playing with energy for the first time this season, let alone this decade. If the entire team were to live up to their career-long potential (or early signs of potential..I’m looking at you Phil Hughes) then we would be unstoppable.
In any event, it was a great time, and we had great seats. Thanks again to the Topches for the invite.
