We're Still Laughing

You may have seen it by now, but if you haven't, be prepared to laugh. To laugh heartily. The Yankees and Mets unveiled their 2009 uniform commemorative patches. Only one team got it right and one team got it wrong. Any guesses?

First here is the Yankees' patch. Nicely done. Very nice.















And now, drumroll please. Here is the Mets' patch.

WTF definitely comes to mind, but our favorite is Big League Stew's comparison to the Domino's Pizza logo.

Inaugural season of what? You guys forget to put "Shea Stadium" or do you need to save that money to sign Oliver Perez?

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Welcome to Yankee Stadium

It is impressive. Is that guy always going to stand on the 'Y'?

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A Grand Finale

The final game and it's pre- and post-game ceremonies were a perfect send off to the Stadium. Kudos to ESPN and YES for a fantastic job all around. The day started out with ESPN Classic. We caught parts of Boomer and Coney's perfect games, Brosius' heroics in game 5 of '01, and Boone's big blast in '03.

We watched, with great envy, the fans pouring in from 1:00 on, stopping at the monuments, walking on the warning track, and the best of all, leaving their hand prints on the outfield wall.

ESPN's team of Karl Ravich, John Kruk, Steve Berthiaume, and Steve Phillips reminisced and talked to a number of former Yankees and some celebrities too. Getting John Sterling to do his body shaking, "thaaaaaaaaaaaa Yankees win" was classic.

At about 6:00 the ceremonies began with a great surprise. A pre-recorded message from Bob Sheppard, who then introduced the two emcees for the night, Sterling and Michael Kay.

The ceremony began oddly, using actors to re-create the 1923 opening day lineup. We think it was no coincidence that they were in the deepest part of center field so no one could see their faces.

Next was a salute to the players and managers who had plaques in Monument Park. More actors to represent Joe DiMaggio, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez, and Casey Stengel (the actor looked eerily like the Ol' Professor from the distance).

Each position on the field was saluted with a video montage and then an introduction of the past players from that position.

LF - Dave Winfield, Roy White

SS - Cora Rizzuto representing the Scooter,

3B - Graig Nettles, Scott Brosius

RF - Reggie Jackson, Paul O'Neill, Randy Maris representing his Dad

2B - Willie Randolph, who provided one of the highlights by sliding into second base, Bobby Richardson

1B - Moose Skowron, Tino Martinez

C - Yogi Berra, Joe Girardi, Michael Munson representing his Dad, Cheryl Howard representing her Dad

P - Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Helen Hunter representing her husband, David Wells, David Cone

CF - David Mantle representing his Dad, Kay, Todd, and Tori Murcer representing their husband and Dad, and then the biggest moment of the night. Bernie Williams, donning the Pinstripes for the first time in 2 years, returning to Yankee Stadium. Bern Baby Bernie received a raucous standing ovation for 2 minutes.

Notably absent was the inclusion of Roger Clemens in the pitching montage. And there was no real salute to the managers, which left out Joe Torre, Ralph Houk, and Buck Showalter.

The starting lineups were then introduced with each player joining the greats at their position. It also provided comic relief since Johnny Damon didn't realize what was going on and didn't have his cleats on. He quickly ran back to the clubhouse, put them on, and raced out to the field, the wrong field at that. They told him to go to left field even though he was playing center field, which only confused him further.

After the lineups were introduced, Derek Jeter, joined by his parents and sister, was presented with a Waterford crystal bat and ball, by Hal and Jennifer Steinbrenner (Swindal), to commemorate him becoming the all-time hits leader at Yankee Stadium.

The Babe's 92-yr old daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, through out the first pitch to Jorge Posada, and then it was game time.

The Yankees won 7-3, more on that later, and then there were more festivities. Derek Jeter and his team gathered on the mound, and the Captain spoke to the fans. Thanks to Peter Abraham for the transcription of the speech,

“Every member of this organization, past and present, has been calling this place home for 85 years, There’s a lot of tradition, a lot of history and a lot of memories. Now the great thing about memories is you’re able to pass it along from generation to generation.

“Although things are going to change next year. We’re going to move across the street. There are a few things that New York Yankees that never change. That’s pride, tradition and most of all we have the greatest fans in the world.

We want you to take the memories from this stadium, add them to the new memories that come at the new Yankee Stadium and continue to pass them along from generation to generation. So on behalf of the entire organization, we want to take this moment to salute you, the greatest fans in the world.”

The players then took a lap around the Stadium, waving to the fans, who like them, didn't want to go home. Players did interviews with the media and scooped up dirt from the batter's box, the mound, and the bullpen, and took photos (would love to have the Bernie, Tino, Derek, Jorge, Mo, Andy photo).

Finally everyone went home and went to sleep. They had already lived a dream.

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End of Days

Robinson Cano singled to snap a scoreless tie in the bottom of the ninth and the Yankees won for the seventh time in nine games, 1-0. Mariano Rivera picked up the win after entering, dare we say it, a tie game. Disturbing isn't the word for it, but the Yankees celebrated like they had just won the pennant. More disturbing was the ninth inning pitch Derek Jeter took off his left hand/wrist, the same area that Daniel Cabrera plunked back in May. X-Rays were negative and you can bet your ass he'll be in the lineup tonight though.

But enough about that.

This is it, the final day of the Stadium. In case you haven't realized it by now, it's perfectly acceptable to refer to Yankee Stadium as merely "the Stadium". Every Yankee fan knows what you mean. It's like saying "the Garden" for Madison Square Garden.

It's an emotional day for many. It's a place where so many of us spent our youth. Where so many great moments took place. Among those we witnessed in person - Game 2 of the 1981 World Series, David Cone's 20th win in 1998, Bobby Murcer's opening day grand slam in 1981, the first Sunday game in the renovated Stadium in 1976, Derek Jeter tying Lou Gehrig's home hit record last Sunday, El Duque's return to Pinstripes, Phil Rizzuto Day, combined with Tom Seaver's 300th win in 1985, Bobby Murcer Day in 1983. Countless home runs by Reggie Jackson and Bobby Murcer, the return to glory in '76-'78', and again from '96-'01.

Our first game on August 30, 1970, a 5-2 win over the Twins. Seeing Mickey Mantle, Joe D., Tommy Henrich, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Casey Stengel, and more on Old Timers Day in the early '70s. Being at the Old Timer's Day when number 8 was retired for the two Hall of Fame catchers, Berra and Dickey. Bat Day, 1971, and getting our Bobby Murcer bat. And so many more. We have countless programs and yearbooks from those days, some of them with autographs. On and on it goes, so many memories, remembered with joy much more than with tears.

As watch today's coverage on ESPN and ESPN Classic (we've seen Boomer's perfecto, Coney's perfecto, and now Game 5 of the 2001 Series), and YES, and listen to the local ESPN radio, here's some more great stuff to read about the Stadium.

Reggie reflects on the 2001 World Series.

"Writer" George Steinbrenner talks about the finale.

Steve Serby does a Q & A with Bob Sheppard. The Daily News with a profile as well.

Rudy Guiliani reflects on the '96 WS.

Mike Vaccaro's 100 classic Stadium moments.

About the, gulp, dismantling of the HTRB.

Pettitte reflects on his final start. Another take here.

Kevin Kernan talks to some of the real veterans, the vendors.

A look from Boston's Bob Ryan.

Steve Politi looks at the House the Fans Built.

Retired beat writer Moss Klein (this is the guy we grew up reading) looks back.

Stadium magic bridges generations.

Peter Abraham's fondest memories. And he takes a look back.
"Writer" Billy Crystal looks back.

Henry Kissinger, yes, Henry Kissinger looks back.

Tyler Kepner looks back.

A very cool virtual tour of the Stadium from Newsday.

You can even take a vintage subway to today's game.

You can go home again when home is the Stadium.

Buster Olney gets opponents views.

Bob Klapisch looks back.



Goodbye old friend.

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Welcome to the New Yankee Stadium

The giant "Yankee Stadium" sign went up over the main entrance of the new joint earlier today.

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Finale Details

The Yankees have released the following schedule of events for Sunday's Stadium finale.

The New York Yankees announced today details involving the pregame ceremonies for the final game at the current Yankee Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 21, when the Yankees play the Baltimore Orioles at approximately 8:15 p.m.

Yankee Stadium gates will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday as the Yankees invite fans to take one last memorable stroll through Monument Park. Fans will also be allowed to exit Monument Park onto the field where they will be permitted to walk along the warning track around the outfield and behind home plate. Access to Monument Park is via the staircase at the end of the aisle between the Field and Main Level seats in Section 36. Wheelchair access is via the elevator in Section 24. Field exit from Monument Park will close at approximately 4 p.m., prior to pregame batting practice for each team. Monument Park will remain open until 6:45 p.m.

Pregame ceremonies, scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m., will encompass the chronology of Yankees greats who have played at the famous Stadium. Among the distinguished alumni scheduled to take part in the festivities will be Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Graig Nettles and Bobby Richardson. A historic artifact from the Yankees' past will also be unveiled during the ceremony. The Yankees are urging fans to be in their seats by 6:50 p.m.

The Yankees remind fans that numerous law enforcement agencies will be on hand for the final game to ensure a safe and enjoyable fan experience. Damaging the Stadium and/or attempted theft of Stadium property is a crime, and violators will be prosecuted by the Bronx District Attorney's Office to the fullest extent of the law. The New York Police Department, Major League Baseball and several federal and state agencies have joined in the effort to safeguard against any and all unlawful activity.

Only fans with valid ticket(s) for Sunday's game will be admitted and there will be NO RE-ENTRY. Bleacher ticket holders who would like to visit Monument Park should enter the Stadium through Gate 2, 4 or 6.

Fans and media are also reminded that Sunday's game will NOT be the final event at Yankee Stadium. A ceremony will be held at a later date this fall to celebrate the Stadium, details will follow.

Schedule of events:
Noon - Press Gate opens
1 p.m. - Gates open to the public, Monument Park opens
1-4 p.m. - Field access for fans
4:15 p.m. - Yankees stretch begins
4:40-5:40 p.m. - Yankees batting practice
5:40-6:20 p.m. - Orioles batting practice
6:45 p.m. - Monument Park closes
6:50 p.m. - Fans are asked to take their seats
7:05 p.m. - Pregame ceremony begins
8:15 p.m. (Approx.) - First pitch

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Wow

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The Daily Yankeeland - 9/19

"This was the place, the No. 1 place in baseball. The Stadium was like the Empire State Building or the Grand Canyon of baseball, and every time I stepped inside of it, I had to pinch myself!"

- Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen

Prior to last night's game, the Yankees honored 102-yr old (listed as 103 in some places) Emilio Navarro. Navarro was the first Puerto Rican born ball player to play in the Negro Leagues and is the oldest living major league player. It was the first time Navarro ever stepped inside Yankee Stadium.

Dan Graziano has more on this wonderful story.

The Yankees won the season series with the White Sox, 5 games to 2.

An Iraqi veteran's journey to the greatest Stadium on Earth.

Sunday is going to be emotional and the Yankees are lining up an amazing send off for the Stadium.

Joe Girardi has Andy Pettitte starting Sunday's finale and plans to take him out in mid-inning. He also plans on giving the ball to Mariano in the ninth.

Moose reflects on his final start at home. He's taking some dirt and baseballs with him.
Mariano Rivera can't wait to see the fans' reaction to Bernie Williams.

In case you missed it, and care, the A-Rods are now officially divorced.

A giant "Yankee Stadium" sign is to be hoisted into place today at the main entrance of the new Stadium.

SI's Tom Verducci says goodbye to baseball's cathedral.

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The Daily Yankeeland - 8/15

Hideki Matsui's rehab assignment couldn't kick off yesterday due to rain.

Tyler Kepner reports that Yankees' top pick in this year's amateur draft, Gerrit Cole, has opted to attend UCLA instead of signing with the Yankees. Ed Price reports that a source close to second pick in the first round, Jeremy Bleich, says he wants to sign with the Bombers. Negotiations with second rounder Scott Bittle are said to be far apart. Makes you wonder if the Yankees did more harm than good when they gave sixth round selection Brett Marshall an 850K bonus.

Darrell Rasner will get another start next Tuesday, meaning Phil Hughes will definitely make his minor league start on Sunday.

Dan Giese has been diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis.

Joba Chamberlain will begin his throwing program today, but you have to wonder if it would be smarter just to shut him down for the final month and a half of the season.

The Yankees will open their new Stadium on April 16 against the Cleveland Indians. The season starts on the road in Baltimore.

In an interview yesterday, Jon Heyman referred to Robinson Cano as the most overrated player in MLB right now. That's a stinging criticism, but you can see why Heyman is saying it. Cano is clearly wasting his talent and it would not be surprising if the Yankees moved him this winter.

Update 4:15 PM EDT

The Yankees have fired two Latin American scouts as part of the on-going kickback scandal.

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Through the Looking Glass

Should have gone with stained glass.





















Photo courtesy of stadiumpage.com

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Beaming with Pride

The final beam was put in place in the new Yankee Stadium today ending the structural construction phase of the project. That's centerfield you are looking at.

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Start Saving Now

We told you earlier that the seats at the new Yankee Stadium were going to be outrageously priced. Well, even our expectations were blown off the map.

In a lot of cases, this won't effect the average fan, such as the "Legends Seats", which are geared more at corporations and well to do individuals. There are 1,800 seats comprising the Legend seats. Prices begin at $500 and top off at $2,500 for the front row seats. Are your eyes blinking rapidly? Are you experiencing sticker shock? $2500- 1 seat, 1 game. The current stadium has 160 of these seats priced at $1,000 per game.

Then you've got your "luxury suite experience"- the 74-seat Club Section, which is 4 luxury seats combined into one. The $700 cost includes food, drink, parking, concierge service, but no service from Elliot Spitzer's hookers.

And on it goes. We'll just have to go back to the 1920's and try to peek through a knothole in the fence.

Source: NY Times

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The Daily Yankeeland

Peter Abraham of the Journal News informed us that reporters will be getting a sneak peek of the new Stadium today. He will be posting some pics this afternoon and will also be trying to answer some of the questions that readers have sent him.

David Cone was introduced as a new YES Network announcer yesterday. In speaking with reporters, Cone took some of the blame for the rampant use of steroids in the game today. Cone was one of the players negotiating for the new collective bargaining agreement that was struck after the 1994 strike. The players' association rejected a proposal for P.E.D. testing.

"Certainly in retrospect, I think there's plenty of blame to go around. Certainly I share some of that blame as being involved with the players' association at that time," Cone said yesterday. "It's something I'm not proud of. It's humbling. It's embarrassing."

Yesterday was the 113th anniversary of Babe Ruth's birth. He is remembered fondly by his 90-year old daughter, Ruth Stevens. She's still amazed at how her Dad is admired with such great reverance.

“I think daddy’s just one of a kind,” said Ruth Stevens, (seen between her mother Claire and her famous Dad in the photo to the left), 90, from her Arizona home. “It’s just wonderful that 60 years after he died people are so interested in learning about and remembering him. My family does the best they can to keep daddy’s name out there.”

Ruth's buried in his native Baltimore and now a local attorney is spearheading a campaign to purchase a headstone for Ruth's mother. Catherine Ruth died of tuberculosis at age 38 and was buried in an unmarked grave.

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Now Batting...

Today I have the honor of having one of my posts on The Journal News' Yankee Blog written by Peter Abraham. With January being a slow news month, PeteAbe had some of his readers, who also write blogs, do some guest blogging. It's always interesting to read other people's viewpoints, and it has given exposure to a bunch of great blogs. Some of the guest bloggers aspire to be future PeteAbe's while I aspire to have fun during my day job.

In my guest post, I talk about the old/current and new Yankee Stadiums. You can either read the entry HERE or below. Hope you enjoy. And yes, the photo is me in pre-renovated Yankee Stadium, circa 1973 (or possibly earlier).

And a big thank you to my biggest supporter, my wife, for doing a great editing job as always.

--- Pinch-hitting for Peter Abraham ---

2008 is a year of transition in the Bronx.

To begin with, someone new will be filling out the lineup card for the first time in 12 years. Then, there's been a shift in philosophy regarding the role of the organization’s up-and-coming prospects. Following the long reign of King George, there’s a different Steinbrenner at the reins. But most of all, the Bronx will be the site of not one, but two Yankee Stadiums. For this is the final season of the House that Ruth built and New York city remodeled. Except for two unmemorable seasons in Flushing, it has been the home of the Yankees since 1923.

It’s hard to imagine which will feel more odd- walking out of the current Stadium for the last time, or walking into the new one for the first time. And, the impact of both events will be overshadowed by the day the wrecking ball takes down most of the place we all grew up in.
To compare this with the last transition, in 1973 there was also much debate about renovating the original Yankee Stadium. Many fans wanted their beloved ballpark to forever remain as it was.












I remember the first time I walked inside the old Stadium in 1970. I looked on in wonderment at the monuments in centerfield, uniquely placed right smack in the field of play. The high black centerfield wall seemed a mile away, at 461 ft.. The white facade regally encircled the top of the place. The simple, but informative scoreboard stood out in centerfield, and the Yankees’ bullpen was nestled between the bleachers and the rightfield seats. And yes, there were those annoying structural posts that could completely block your view if you had the misfortune of sitting behind one. About half of the 65,000 seats were filled on that day.

After that game, we walked onto the field (yes, you read that correctly!), and exited out beyond left-centerfield. The atmosphere was of a different era and we all wanted it to stay that way.
Flash forward to today. There are many people who are just as angry about the new Stadium being built as they were about the renovation 35 years ago. The discussion has been going on for years: move to New Jersey (I always liked that idea as a kid), renovate again, or build a completely new place. I was indecisive for the longest time. Despite some of its’ obvious warts, I thought the Stadium should stay put and be improved. But over the last couple of years, I’ve come to realize that the fans deserve some serious upgrades to the facility.

While the players enjoy a state-of-the-art clubhouse like no other, the Stadium itself is no longer fan friendly. The average person sits in an uncomfortably cramped seat, traverses narrow aisles and stairs, waits in endless lines at the bathrooms and concessions, and has to decide which food tastes the least lousy. The video/message boards that line the 1st and 3rd base lines aren’t visible from much of the upper deck.

I realize the new place won’t come without its share of issues and problems. For the sake of high-priced luxury boxes, there will be 5,000 less seats. There’s a steep rise in parking prices on the horizon, and you can bet that ticket prices will increase dramatically as well. And NYC tax payers will be footing much of the $91 million bill for the new Metro-North station.

But, just as I remember attending my first Yankees game in 1970, I also remember going to the first Sunday home game in 1976 when the remodeled Stadium reopened. I recall a sea of shiny blue seats and a new gleaming white facade that paid homage to the old yard. There was a new Monument Park in left-centerfield where fans could pay tribute to their heroes, and a video display board in center. And though the park’s seating capacity had been decreased by over 10,000 seats, the once-upset fans were happy to see a better version of their Stadium.

I believe the fans reaction will be the same way this time around. We’ll take in all of the changes and new features and be in awe all over again. I now look forward to stepping into “Yankee Stadium 2.0” for the first time.

The greatest team in all of sports deserves the greatest place to call its’ home.




Check in from time to time to Sliding into Home to see updated pics of the new Stadium construction.

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It's a Gold Letter Day

The Yankee Stadium sign was lifted up to its place in new stadium glory yesterday, the sun reflecting off the gold in all its majesty.

Read all about it in the NY Post and follow the construction progress with some great pics over at Sliding into Home.

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