Yankee Stadium

Where: Bronx, New York, NY

When: Several times

With: Several people

Ahh, the Yankees. Not only is going to Yankee Stadium an item in the Book, the Yankees are my team. Like MY TEAM. Of all sports, baseball is by far my favorite, and growing up on the the other side of the river in New Jersey, this was my home team. My dad is a die hard fan who watches most of the 162 games per year, and even my grandmother watched their games almost every night. So needless to say, the Bronx Bombers have been in my blood since Day 1. 

I would say I was a fairly idle fan until I was about 12. I remember the day in the fall, watching playoff baseball and for some reason something clicked. Maybe it had to do with a young player named Derek Jeter, not even in his rookie year yet, but the following year, I was full on obsessed. In 1996, I had the Starter jacket, I went to sleep listening to the games on AM radio, and I clipped box scores out of the newspapers. And what a year to get into it - it was the modern day dream team with Derek Jeter (officially Rookie of the Year), Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Joe Girardi, Mariano Rivera, Andy Petite, Wade Boggs, David Cone, and Tino Martinez making up the daily roster, and Joe Torre  was at the helm. They went on to win the World Series that year, and it felt like magic to be a fan. 

That year, I took my first venture to the Bronx to see them play live. My dad got amazing seats and I brought Loren with me. We talked about going for days (the excitement is still documented in our yearbooks). They were playing the Cleveland Indians, and we went early to watch batting practice. It was incredible, and I will not forget the feeling of emerging from the stadium tunnel to the bright green field in front of me. It remains one of my favorite feelings every time I enter the ball park. 

All of those early trips to ball games right up through my early years living in New York were at the original Yankee Stadium, the "House that Ruth Built". Of course, this refers to one of the most famous Yankees (and baseball players) of all time, Babe Ruth. When the stadium opened in 1923, Babe Ruth was in his baseball prime and that year, the Yankees would go on to win their first World Series, the first of the 27 they have won. 

As my love for the Yankees (and Derek Jeter) grew, my dad would make a point to get tickets once a year. I would keep the box score and sit in the hot sun and love every minute of it. This was in 1997, when they played the Seattle Mariners. While Ken Griffey Jr. was the exciting player to see that day, we also got a glimpse of a future man in pinstripes, Alex Rodriguez. 

My first time watching Andy Petitte pitch. 

But really, this is where all my attention lay: on #2. 

I had this money shot blown up and framed in my room for many years. 

In 1999, I was old enough for a night game. And not just any night game: a World Series game. And not just any World Series game: Game 4 against the Atlanta Braves when the Yankees were up 3-0 in the series. This time, we took whatever seats we could get, but still got some field time by showing up early for batting practice. 

Night time in the stadium had its own special magic. And that night was especially magical because the Yankees won, sweeping the Braves and giving me a once in a lifetime experience: watching my home team win the World Series in our home stadium. My face hurt for days after smiling through this amazing experience. 

A fist got in the way, but this was the game winning catch. 

Security lined the field forming a barricade as the team rushed the mound in celebration. 

And as per Yankee tradition, Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" blasted through the speakers in celebration, as it does every time the team wins. 

When I moved to New York in 2005, I was reunited with two of my closest friends and fellow Yankee fans, Jon and Suzannah. Among the three of us, now adults, working and living in and around the city, Yankees games were even easier to attend. We would navigate the subway lines to get up to the Bronx (so much easier than the drives in from NJ!) and get pregame drinks at the famous bar across the street, Stan's.

Over the years, I attended a lot of games with a lot of friends, both local and visiting from out of town. I was always up for a game.  

Night time games shifted to become my favorite.

And 10 years later, this guy was still going strong and is still my favorite. 

Also finally got some nice exterior shots of the stadium. 

One of the best parts about a Yankees game? The grounds crew cleaning the field to the YMCA in the middle of the 5th inning. It never gets old. 

One other fun thing about Yankees Games as I got older was that my dad started working for a New York based company with incredible box seats. Not only did we get to sit on the field again, but we got to hobnob with famous celebrities who were also Yankees fans. To name a few, Bon Jovi, Paul Simon, and even former Yankee, Paul O'Neill. 

In 2008 though, Yankee Stadium as we knew it was about to undergo a huge change. Change isn't even the right word. It was *gasp* the last year it would exist. It was being torn down and replaced by a new more modern facility across the street. We relished every game that year. Even though we'd only known this stadium for a few years, there was something horribly tragic in baseball terms that such a legend would be swept away. I really focused on stadium photos that year. 

Suzannah and I went during Opening Week that year. 

Along the back wall of the stadium were a series of retired numbers. This is the Yankees Hall of Fame, Monument Park. In my humble opinion, this is probably the most impressive Hall of Fame in baseball. 

In 2008, I also had a new friend who was a huge Yankees fan to go to games with, Erika from my softball team. She took me to my first Yankees vs. Red Sox game, a huge rivalry and lots of fun to be part of. 

I also got my new camera in 2008, allowing for some great photos of the old stadium. 

The Yankees bullpen and a Mariano Rivera entrance to "Enter Sandman". 

At my last game at the old stadium, my seats ironically gave me a vantage point of the new stadium to come the following year. New vs. old, side by side. 

And so, in early 2009, Jon and I headed to a preseason game at the new Yankee Stadium, the one that still stands today. It definitely looks fancier. 

But, I was happy to report that it still felt pretty good inside. 

They kept some of the charm of the old stadium in the design and decor. 

And throughout all the change, Derek Jeter is still there. 

So is the grounds crew!

We approve!

Another Yankee classic that thankfully moved with the stadium was Freddy "Sez". At every home game since 1988, this old man named Freddy Schuman would make a "Freddy Sez" poster with encouraging words for the team and wander the stadium banging on a frying pan painted with a shamrock. You could always hear where he was in the stadium by the clanging. He would encourage fans to cheer and bang the frying pan with his spoon. When he died in 2010, the Yankees held a moment of silence for him. His frying pan now sits in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

The other big change for me in 2008/2009 was that I ended up meeting my future husband who was NOT a Yankees fan. But we survived our first Tigers/Yankees game together, and have been able to make do ever since. When he starts ragging me that the Yankees haven't been in a World Series since 2009, I simply whisper the number "27" to him, which usually will shut up any baseball fan of a less superior team. We also seem to steal all of the best Tigers players as well which I love to remind him of. 

Finally, in 2014, it was time to say goodbye to this guy. While it was sad, I'm happy he was part of my Yankees experience for almost 20 years. 

Some other staples that stuck around for quite a while too: Posada and Rivera. 

And my new generation favorite: Brett Gardner. He's so fast!

Needless to say, Yankee Stadium, both old and new, has been a very important, fun, and exciting part of my life and my time in New York. It's one of the main things I miss about New York. Thankfully, I can still love the team from afar.