It’s been a week since I visited the Death Star and if D-Train doesn’t get his update he may go mad at work. So D-Train, this one’s for you.
I know there are some Mets fans out there who will say, “How can you go there? It’s an evil place! Screw the Yankees.” Although I share in the “Screw the Yankees” sentiments, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Yankee Stadium is probably the most hallowed grounds in all of sports. For that, I will try to get to as many Yankees games as possible before Rebel forces destroy it. I actually have a lot of great memories in Yankee Stadium, which I plan to write about later in the year, probably at the end.
Believe it or not, there was a time when I actually pulled for the Yankees. I was never a fan. I didn’t support or root for them, but if I were in the ballpark, I cheered. Then interleague play, the bloated payroll, 4 titles in 5 years and the hoards of obnoxious bandwagon Yankee fans came along and I quickly turned against the Empire. Sounds a little bit like the Star Wars saga. Consider me a Jedi always trying to keep peace with the Federation even during the Clone Wars (sudden appearance of bandwagon Yankee fans), before I took up arms against the Galactic Empire.
Okay, enough of me sounded like a hu-yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge geek. Let’s just say I have respect for Yankee Stadium. I love it’s history. I love the majesty. Babe Ruth played on that field, in that ballpark, as did Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. That’s just for starters. If only those walls could talk, what stories they would tell. I’m a Mets fan, but I appreciate the baseball
So, when A-Train had two tickets to go last Thursday, I moved some things around in my schedule to make the trip happen. As it turned out, he really couldn’t even go, so he left it to me to find a replacement. When it was too much of late notice for Little D, a mini-Darth Vader, who will soon see the light herself, (okay, that’s enough of the Star Wars references) I called her brother D-Train, who was wildly excited. This is probably because the conversation went like this:
As a preface, before Game 4 of the Rangers-Devils series, D-Train called and asked if I wanted to go, he had 3rd row, center ice at the Garden. He didn't have tickets. He then laughed at me when I got excited. As it turned out, the Yankee game was the same night as Game 3 of Rangers-Pens at the Garden.
D: Yo.
R: Hey.
D: What’s up?
R: We got a big game tomorrow.
D: Yes we do!
R: Wanna go?
D: SURE!
R: I got 2 tickets.
D: How much?
R: 30 bucks.
D: WHAT?!?! HOW? WHERE ARE THE SEATS ALL THE WAY UP?
R: Well, yeah, they’re $30, so they’re not great, they’re upstairs.
D: YEAH! Okay….
R: I mean, I’m not exactly where they are, but I think the are upstairs, down the left field line.
D: (Silent pause)……Wait, what are we talkin about here, Rangers or…
R: Oh, Yankees. Sorry dude……………………..That’s what you get for making me think you had center ice seats last week.
D: Fair enough.
Moral of the story: Don’t mess with me when it comes to Rangers playoff tickets.
1) I now know why I don’t take the train to Shea. Yes, it’s definitely cheaper and more economical, but man it takes forever. (It works for some people, especially those coming from the city, but it doesn’t work for me.)
2) Despite this we weren’t that late, we were in by the bottom of the first. (Tigers were already up 2-0.)
3) Getting off the train, we had to walk around the back of the stadium underneath the tracks, which is lined with bars and shops running the length of the block. (I love this area. This is sorely missed at Shea. Nothing against the proprietors on
4) Here’s a big plus for Yankee Stadium. Our seats were in the Loge, down the left field line, last section, yet we were able to walk around the entire length of the field on the field level, along the way enjoying the awesome views. If you tried this at Shea, they would do everything outside of releasing the hounds on you and for what? Granted, every section of Yankee Stadium on the field level is guarded and chained, but it’s still cool to walk. (It’s the little things that keep me happy Uncle Freddy.)
5) Yes, D-Train is a Bon Jovi dork.
6) It just so happens, that being that we were sitting in left field, we had a great view of the construction from just outside our section. (I know it’s not “Yankee Stadium” as you’ve come to know and love it, Yankee fans, but you’re gonna be pleased methinks.)
7) 2 beers and a bag of peanuts…$24. (Nice. Real nice.)
8) Well, if I’m gonna spend that much on beer, I might as well enjoy it! (Gulp)
9) Time to get to the notes, but before I do, not only is it Game 3 for the Rangers, for which, Griff is texting me updates, but it’s also Santana vs.
10) On top of that, Phil Hughes is pitching against Kenny Rogers. (Somebody help me)
You gotta know when to hold ‘em.
11) So, Morgan Ensberg during every at bat comes up to “Come Together” by the Beatles. “At least it’s not ‘Rompe,’ Bobby Abreu would be all confused.” ~D-Train.
12) Difference between Mets fans and Yankees fans right now: Robinson Cano is hitting under .200. Do your hear Yankee fans booing him when he walks to the plate? (You’re damn right I’m throwing my own fans under the bus.)
13) And Cano cranks a two run bomb into the right field stands. (See what a little encouragement will do?)
14) Back to the music topic, Derek Jeter comes up to the Humpty Dance?????? This is the point where D.J. achieved “I’m Keith Hernandez” status. (Seriously, you don’t walk up to the Humpty Dance without having a status like that.)
15) 3 text messages later, it’s 3-1
16) Just to recap, Johan Santana, Phil Hughes, Kenny Rogers AND Tom Glavine are all pitching on the same night. (It’s New York Pitching Carousel Night. And Rick is in Hell.)
17) Another point I forgot to mention, no A-Rod or Posada in the lineup tonight.
18) Speaking of which, “This catcher’s awful. They should have an auction like for the Jimmy Fund to pick the Yankees starting catcher.” ~D-Train
19) Where is Sal Fasano?
20) Speaking of lineups, the Tigers lineup consists Kenny Rogers (Mets), Edgar Renteria (Braves/Marlins), Pudge Rodriguez (Marlins), Gary Sheffield (Braves/Marlins), Placido Polanco (Phillies) and Miguel Cabrera (Marlins). Not to mention Dontrelle Willis (Marlins) on the DL and Todd Jones (Phillies/Marlins) in the bullpen. The only team in the NL East that did not employ any of these players that I know of is the Nationals. (It’s like a late-90’s/early 2000’s NL East Reunion hosted by Jim Leyland!)
21) Chin-Ming Wang should never be allowed to read trivia questions on the big screen. (There, I said it.)
22) Back to the song discussion. D-Train and I picked four situational songs for points in a game. My early game walk up song would be “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen. Later in the game it would be “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. My song in the moment of clutch would be “Right Now” by Van Halen. If I were a closer, it would have to be “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. Now, onto D-Train’s:
Early in game: “Ode to Joy”
Middle of game: “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Moment of Clutch: Real American Hero
Closer Song: “Mony Mony” the Billy Idol version. (BANG!....BANG! BANG!)
23) “JETER YOU’RE TERRIBLE!” (Nope. Wasn’t me who said that. If you guessed D-Train, YOU WIN!)
24) Even I will boo Gary Sheffield, who subsequently hits a BOMB to the section below us. (I don’t care how old and broken down he is, he still has one of the most intimidating stances in all of baseball and when he hits the ball, he still hits it hard.)
25) Phil the Thrill can’t get through the 4th. (And I thought WE had pitching problems.)
26) I don’t think the fans were yelling “HUGHES!!!!!” either. (Nope, definitely not.)
27) D-Train just called Griff to tell him I’m not allowed in “My stadium” as he called it, because I was a jinx. (Yes, Griff and D-Train have become friends.)
28)
29) And we have our first “That’s what she said” of the night and I can’t remember why. It had to do with the entire Tigers bullpen stretching. (Beer is bad for the brain.)
30) I’m convinced that Edgar Renteria is not Edgar Renteria. I think just before he signed with
31) Johnny Damon story inserted and deleted. (I’ll never forget this story, nor will I tell it.)
32) So while waiting on line for a beer, I missed the second “That’s what she said.” D-Train wrote it down: BROKEN BAT GUESS IT WASN’T GOOD WOOD. THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID! (Yeah, the guy sitting behind us dropped the good wood line, and D-Train responded with That’s what she said. They didn’t get it. They lived sheltered lives.)
33) Al Leiter is officially dead to me. (I know he’s on the broadcast team and all, which is bad enough, but does he have to pull the lever to change the Met Life Regular Season Countdown? Dead to me.)
34) “God Bless
35) Just got off the phone with Mike, apparently there was nothing good to talk about regarding the Rangers and Mets, so he’s going home to watch American Idol on DVR. It’s Neil Diamond Night, “which will make me happy.” ~Mike (Apparently, even that was a disappointment. “Home doesn’t seem so far away!”)
36) Kobayashi is throwing in the pen for the Tigers. Do you think he throws ß à ↑ ↓ Gas? (That was a Full House reference. Pay attention!)
37) We’ve made the move to the lower level to head back to the train during the bottom of the ninth.
38) 5-3 Penguins. 4-4 Mets and Pirates. 6-2 Tigers.
39) BIG points to the Yankees security staff. With most of the fans in attendance already on their way home, D-Train and I were walking through the lower level to head to the gate down the right field line. We stopped at one point in the grandstand just to look out to the field, when one guard came up and gave us the, “Guys, can’t stand there,” line. As we began to move, the guard at the next section said, “Here guys, do you wanna sit here?” and open up the chain to let us down to the field level seats. I mean the good ones. (This is what I’m talking about. This is how it should always be done. Nobody’s sitting there, so let people move up. We dropped a nice tip for him for the effort seeing as he didn’t have to do this for us. Granted, I’m sure there are probably a couple of cool security guards at Shea as well, but take note Shea Stadium security staff. You’re getting embarrassed by your counterparts in the
40) As I walk out of the stadium, I get a call from Mike describing the Top of the 9th for the Pirates against Wagner. Clearly, I’m not please and on edge as I read these texts heading into the train:
Enter Sandman…
Reyes throwing error to lead off the inning…
2 out man on 3rd….
Tie game…unearned…
Reyes leadoff single…
Extra innings…
Double…
Got out of it…
Top 11…
41) You can imagine the tension I was feeling in the subway on the ride back as I had no service and the Mets had a Johan start in the bag, but were slowing throwing it away. Luckily D-Wright came through in extra innings.
So, I must say, I had a great time with D-Train. It was a good bonding experience. The Mets fan side of me enjoyed watching Phil the Thrill fall apart and the Yankees lose. The baseball fan side of me enjoyed the Yankee Stadium experience. I will be returning to the
We also have tickets to All Star Weekend at the
Okay, okay, here it is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, my stadium rating for Yankee Stadium…
Stadium Grounds: 10
It wasn’t bad, wasn’t great. I give them a positive score because there was nothing that really stood out at me either way.
Parking: -40
Any place that has a parking garage automatically losses points. Now, we didn’t drive to this game, but I’ve had some terrible parking experiences in Yankee Stadium, it sucks.
Seat Value: 15
Granted, we paid $30 for regularly priced $65 seats. So I can’t complain, but normally, this would get a bad rating.
Interior Design: 25
Say what you want about the place, but it is pretty cool inside. The old façade was much better when it was on top of the stadium, so that’ll be a cool look on the new park, but you have to love
Tribute to Jackie: 0
I didn’t see it anywhere. So I can’t really go either way here. Being that we were sitting in left field, I couldn’t see the retired numbers, but I would assume it’s there. Plus Mariano is still wearing 42, so I’m just going to leave this one alone.
Sightlines: 10
We couldn’t see below us to about 40 feet from the left field fence. No good.
Concessions: 0
We didn’t really test the waters here, we had one stand that we stuck with, but it was $24 for 2 beers and a bag of peanuts. Bad times
Prices: -15
Look at the ticket prices and the menu at the concession stands.
Scoreboards: 5
Yeah, it’s old school, but it’s not good old school. Add some color or something. It’s not 1989 anymore.
Weather: 5
April in
Staff: 30
Everyone from the concession people, to that security guard to even the cop working in our section was cool.
National Anthem: 50
We missed it, but I’m going to add a hitch to this. They play “God Bless
Promotions: 25
Cap day is always a big sell and Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium is a classic
Crowd Support: 30
I have to say, they were supportive, even down 6-2. The only booing I heard was for Phil Hughes after he couldn’t get out of the 4th, which is well deserved. They really made us Mets fans look shameful.
Crowd Personality: -5
Because of the novelty of the place, there are so many people at Yankees games now that are just SO clueless. Damn tourists.
Speaker System: 10
I’ll give this a modest 10. I can’t really remember it being good or bad
Stadium DJ: 15
Some good music when the Yankees drew walks was a plus. Not bad tunes for most of the night, except for YMCA. This really needs to go.
Crowd entertainment: -10
YMCA needs to go. I know I said it twice. “Cotton-eyed Joe” wasn’t as good as I remember either. And the lack of a t-shirt launcher loses points.
Location: -40
The
Transportation: -5
The Subway sucks, driving sucks.
Total Score: 105
Not a very good score. I think a lot just has to do with the area and the parking. It doesn't take away from what an amazing place it is, historically. I can understand the love affair with the grounds, but it is time for a new facility and no Yankee fan can deny that.
