Your memories of Yankee Stadium

First time I saw it was Christmas Day 1989 when my sister was driving me from the airport to her home to help her move and we could drove past the ballbark and the marquee read, "Billy Martin RIP"

Not only was that the first time I saw the park, it was also when I'd learned Martin had died.

 

I've been there, I believe, 11 times. And in those 11 games, including Game 2 of the 2002 ALDS, the Yankees are 2-9.

The first time I saw them them win, though, was in the second game of the season in 2005 against the Red Sox. After what happened in the 2004 playoffs, there was so much relief in watching Derek Jeter inside-out yet another pitch and drive it into the right-field stands for a game-winning home run. It was one of those times where you just knew it was going to happen.

I just looked that game up; turns out Carl Pavano made his Yankees debut that day. How unremarkable.

The only other time I saw them win was against the Blue Jays a couple years ago. Alex Rodriguez homered again a day after hitting three home runs and driving in 10 runs.

Some other random memories:
-My first game was in 2002. In a game that was rain-delayed, the Yankees lost to the Red Sox. Andy Pettitte pitched for New York and Raul Mondesi hit a home run.

-I found my own route to the Stadium, through Harlem, that completely bypassed the Major Deegan.

-I saw Barry Zito and the A's beat Roger Clemens 2-0 when Clemens was two or three wins away from 300. At the time I thought I was seeing two of the game's best. So much for that.

-And my personal favorite, I like to think that I started the "Ass-hole" chant that rained down on Troy Percival and was heard on the television broadcast after Percival drilled Alfonso Soriano in the shoulder during Game 2 of the 2002 ALDS.

That was also the game when I knew the dynasty was dead. Raul Mondesi left me feeling nothing whenever he came to the plate, so I wasn't surprised when he popped out to second to the end the game, something Paul O'Neill never would have done.

 

First saw the Stadium in late July of 1999. We were headed to Cooperstown to see George Brett get inducted into the HOF. My dad, ever the bastion of details, noticed halfway through our morning flight that it was an afternoon game.

So we land, actually forget a piece of luggage in our haste to get to the hotel, and try to navigate the subway systems. Finally get to our seats, somewhere in right-field Maier-ville, around the sixth or so.

Saw it again last July with sweet gratis tickets deep in the lower deck, behind third base. Whilst at that game, the Yanks announce $5 tickets for a make-up night cap with Tampa that Saturday. We snag two seats right behind home plate... two rows from the top of the stadium. Not too shabby.

 

I'll post mine later, but here's Paul Simon's from today's Times:

Songs Open Doors to the Inner Sanctum

By PAUL SIMON
I was sitting on my father’s lap listening to a Yankee game on our old Philco radio. It was 1948 and I suddenly realized I was a Yankee fan. The team was headed for a dismal third-place finish. I was 7, and there was nothing to do but wait for 1949 and the new Yankee manager, Casey Stengel.

I was standing in a subway car, holding my dad’s hand when the train emerged from the tunnel, climbed the elevated tracks, and I saw Yankee Stadium for the first time. How beautiful! The emerald green grass, the old-fashioned white facade and the dots of color that were the fans in their seats. We were in the left-field bleachers and the colors seemed even more intense, the grass a bluer green, the pinstripes dazzling and the ball a white rocket that shot from the hands of the outfielders playing long toss.

We were playing the Indians and DiMaggio was returning to the lineup after an injury. As he approached the plate, the crowd was thumping. At the crack of the bat everyone around me stood to watch the ball’s trajectory. I couldn’t see a thing. It was a home run. I stood on my seat as Joe rounded third. I’d like to play in Yankee Stadium, I thought.

“Just lay it in there,” I told Artie. “I want to see how far I can hit it.” It was 1968, the year Mickey Mantle retired and “Mrs. Robinson” was nominated for a Grammy. Simon and Garfunkel had gotten permission to make a video at Yankee Stadium. As an ex-high school baseball player (all-Queens second team), I was eager to test my left-handed swing against the fabled “short porch” in right field. After fouling off a couple of pitches I finally hit one on the screws, as they say. The ball arced gracefully and landed in what could be charitably called medium right field, about 250 feet from home. Porch not short enough. Stickball was really my game anyway.

1988. Would Mickey Mantle be willing to play stickball in a music video of “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”? Calls were made. Feelers put out. Yes! The Mick would do it but was demanding $1,500 and a limo from his hotel. We met at a playground at 46th and 10th, and for a good hour I got to play stickball with Mickey Mantle. Did I thank him as he eased his aching knees into the limo? Profusely. Did I mention that I spent countless hours imitating his style of running? No, I was too embarrassed, but the photo of the two of us is one of my treasures.

A month after DiMaggio’s death I was standing in center field with Bernie Williams. It was a few hours before the unveiling of the Yankee Clipper’s monument before 53,000 fans. I asked Williams, the Yankee center fielder, how it felt to view the three-tiered majesty of the Stadium from his vantage point. He replied, “It’s a little like looking at the Grand Canyon.”

Two hours later I heard Bob Sheppard announce my name, and I walked from the old bullpen to center field and began to sing, “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?” but the roar of the crowd was muted in my earpiece and I was far away thinking of my father and that subway ride. After the ceremonies we were invited up to the Steinbrenner suite. I sat at a table with Phil Rizzuto, who introduced me to his wife, Cora. This was becoming a Yankee-dream-come-true afternoon. After an appropriate amount of time, I thought I ought leave, but Rizzuto said: “You can’t leave yet. You didn’t eat any of Steinbrenner’s chicken.” I said I had to pick up my son at a birthday party and, besides, I was a vegetarian. “A vegetarian?” Rizzuto said. “A vegetarian. Holy cow!”

My youngest son always says that his favorite moment is when you’re just coming out from under the stands and you see the players and the field. I know that pleasure will still be there in the new Stadium, but for those of us lucky enough to have known the House That Ruth Built, something special has passed

So, so long, Scooter, so long, Joe, so long, Mick, and since I never got the chance to say it, so long, Dad.


Paul Simon is a singer and songwriter.

 

Only saw Yankee Stadium once, on Aug. 4, 2007 -- when A-Rod hit home run No. 500.

Just so happened that the Royals swung through New York for a three-game weekend series on our honeymoon. My wife, being the sports fan she is, was disappointed we couldn't see Shea Stadium on the trip, too. A-Rod hit No. 499 the week before, I think, so we rooted against him the entire week on the chance we could be there for No. 500. When I saw the Royals would start Kyle Davies that day, I figured if he didn't reach the milestone by then, he would at our game. Sure enough, it took only one pitch that Saturday for history to happen.

Great time that day. Learned the way to deal with Yankees fans who mocked me for being in Royals gear was to say one of two things -- "At least it's not a Red Sox cap" or "At least no one can ever call me a bandwagon fan." Those comments got me some respect from Yankees fans ... "We respect that, good luck today."

 

Only got there once, about a dozen years ago, a midsummer game against the Mariners. So no Red Sox, no postseason, but still -- I had the experience mentioned by several others of climbing to our seats at the top of the upper deck, convinced that any moment I was going to hurtle backward spontaneously. The Yankees lost. Griffey homered to right (doesn't every one-time Yankee Stadium visitor want to see a homer to right?).

A good day.

 

I have the gift, but it cost me dearly this summer when I vacated my original seat only to have Bill Hall hit an extra inning home run into the vacant row I had been sitting in at Busch Stadium. I watched from behind the plate, but I was pissed at myself.

 

I've never been to Yankee Stadium, but three words come to mind when I think of the House That Ruth Built:

Fuck Arthur Rhodes.

 

Maybe because the final game at Yankee Stadium is tomorrow and the final reglar-season game at Shea is next weekend ... plus there will be games there in October.

 

Darryl Strawberry damn near fist-fucked him. Does that count?

 

My fiancee and I went to NYC over New Year's. We made the trip up to the Stadium, walked around the outside, perused the store a little bit and left. As we were about to leave, she asked me if I was sure I didn't want to take the tour. I told her I didn't want to go in unless I was seeing a game.

As we were leaving, I placed my hand on a random part of the outside wall and promised myself I would be back for a game. I didn't care which game, just one game.

As the season started and time passed, me and a former co-worker planned on going to a game at some point, but we either always had scheduling conflicts or financial issues. First we were going to the Mets series in May, then the Reds in June, then the Red Sox over July 4th. It started to get really frustrating, but we were finally able to set a weekend to go in August.

I had to take out a small loan to make the trip, but I didn't care. I saw the 20th to last game at the Stadium on Aug. 3 against the Angels -- a 14-9 Yankees win. They scored 10 unearned runs, the Angels' No. 9 hitter walked four times and none other than Darrell Rasner started the game for the Yanks. They fell behind 5-0, somehow came back, Mark Teixeira hit a grand slam to put the Angels up 9-8 and then the Yankees scored six wild runs from there.

We had great seats in the second deck. An awesome afternoon game that wasn't too hot. After the game ended, we sat in our seats, just looking around for a good 15 minutes. We took some pictures from right behind home plate, and eventually a cop told us we had to leave. My friend went ahead of me and I walked as slow as I could through the little tunnel to leave. I turned around one last time and tipped my hat to the stadium.

I eventually realized that making this trip came with a price. The flight up there was God-awful with weather and a woman directly in front of me was very unruly and even got on her phone in the air.

The return flight was worse. I posted a thread on it, but here's the link on our flight: http://www.newsday.com/ny-liair0805,0,2837895.story.

Was it worth it? Absolutely.