Yankee Stadium: More Than A Ballpark
From
Manhattan it's a subway ride to Yankee Stadium.
Since
the stadium opened in 1923, loyal fans have been cheering
on the Bronx Bombers. Now there are ferries that shuttle
fans up the East River to the Bronx, but real New Yorkers
still make the pilgrimage on the D train or the number 4.
My dad
started going to the stadium shortly after it opened. He
actually saw Babe Ruth play. Although his dad died when
he was four - just about the time that the first games were
played there - plenty of uncles, neighbors and extended
family made sure that he got to go to the games. There were
a lot of lessons on American values, teamwork and love that
were tied in with baseball.
The
first professional baseball game I saw was there. My dad
got bleacher seats for the whole family and off we went.
I remember
the noise of the crowd and the seventh inning stretch. Lessons
on keeping score: the difference between a sacrifice and
a real out; why someone would bunt to advance a runner;
errors and RBIs and double plays were acted out as we watched.
The
magic of the game was orchestrated by the vendors with their
cries of "Beer Here!" and "Hot Dogs - Getcha
Hot Dogs!" as they wandered through the stands.
When
my daughters reached baseball game age we rode the subway
to the Stadium.
The
Red Sox were playing and the rivalry made the roar of the
fans even louder. The vendors were fewer - hot dogs were
more expensive and were purchased at stands inside the stadium.
Kids
were given miniature bats as souvenirs. My grown daughters
still have those bats as mementos from their first baseball
game.
Explaining
why the shouts heard at the game were not appropriate language
for young girls made the subway ride home more interesting.
The topic came up when my four year old decided to yell
out, "Red Sox Suuu..." - well, you get the idea.
A long
time had passed since my last visit to the stadium. My Dad
was gone, my daughters were grown and most Yankee fans my
age would rather watch the game on TV than take the subway
to the Bronx. Then my grandson came to visit.
We got
on the subway and trekked up to the Bronx. At five, he was
ripe for his first Yankee game.
We bought
a glove small enough for his tiny hand from a street vendor
and we played catch while we waited for friends to meet
us.
Inside
the stadium, he was in awe. Grownups forget how incredibly
immense and loud a baseball stadium is from the viewpoint
of a little boy.
He watched
the men on the field in amazement. Yes, I answered - they
are just like on TV, but real.
The
vendors are all but gone. Except for soda and ice cream
- everything is sold at concession stands with long lines
and very high prices, but hot dogs are part of the tradition
and we waited on line for them. Ball park franks are the
best hot dogs - longer and somehow tasting better than any
frankfurter cooked in a kitchen or on a backyard grill.
The
Yankees were not playing against anyone as exciting as the
Boston Red Sox, but it really didn't matter.
As I
explained the sacrifice flys and the bunts, errors and RBIs
I was transported back to the fifties. To a time when Dad's
knew everything and the Yankees were populated with names
like DiMaggio, Mantle, Ford, Berra and so many other legends.
When life was good and sacrificing for the team made a lot
of sense.
They're
talking about moving Yankee Stadium. I hope they change
their minds. I hope my grandson can take his kids to their
first ball game there and explain the important things in
life to them.
The
Official Site of the New York Yankees
- schedules,
tickets, etc.
The
Yankees and the A's: 1955-1960
Yankee
Stadium
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