Goodbye to a mecca

[Laxplayer]

Even though most of you hate the Yankees and those of us who are Yankee fans, saying goodbye to The House that Ruth Built may even bring a tear to Red Sox fan. Even though it's been over 20 years since I was in the stadium (April 1976) and the Yanks lost that game 6-1 with Otto Velez of the Blue Jays hitting a home run and Chris Chambliss making an error as not only a baseball fan but a Yankee fan I'm going to miss this grand palace. My first trip was a memorable one going to bat day in the early 70's and my mother telling me to hurry up through the line and the dude passing out bats had the same name as I did, so he gave me two bats. I had Thurman Munson's name on mine and my brother had Pete Ward. Munson became my idol and favorite player because of that stupid bat.
I was born in 1964 and it's been a genetic thing in our family to be brought up loving the Yanks. My grandfather who passed 2 years ago at 95 was an usher in Yankee Stadium for 10 years was full of stories that I loved to listen to and my mother who used to skip school to go with her dad to the stadium to watch The Mick the tradition of being a Yankee fan has been passed down from generation to generation in the Lax household.
My mom still has in scrap books the original newspaper clippings from the Mick's entire career and it's an entire history lesson in a few books that one day I'm going to show my kids.
I've lived through the good times and the bad with the Yanks. The 70's were good with Chambliss hitting the HR of Mark Littell to get them in to the 76 series, then the 77, and 78 series vs. the Dodgers. The 80's were tough with George spending tons of money on crap and losing the the hated ones in 81, but the 90's and the new millenium have been good to us. My son who is 12 has shared the ups and downs of being a Yankee fan with me. When he was 5 months old he sat in his little bouncy chair when Charlie Hayes caught the last out of the 96 series. He's the only one out of my 4. One is a Dodger fan and one of my daughters is a Red Sox fan. Go fucking figure, but when you marry into a family that lives in New England you take the good with the bad. It was all good until 2004, but the Yanks will be back. There are too many names that have made this stadium what it is and I don't have the time to mention them all
I, along with many baseball fans shed a tear tonight because the mecca of baseball is leaving us. Now we are only left with a few shrines in Boston and Chicago but the history that has happened in Yankee Stadium will never be paralleled by any sporting arena in the world.
Thanks for the memories,
Sincerely,
a baseball fan.

[Yer a Fuckin Jerkoff]

one of my daughters is a Red Sox fan.

That fuckin blows, dude. You need to turn her to the good side.

[Shoalzie]

Love or hate the Yankees, you have to respect what was Yankee Stadium and what it meant to the American sports scene. Not many stadiums transcend beyond it's given sport. It's arguably the most important sports venue in this country's history. Just consider what great players called it home, how many championships that franchise has won and then throw in the other sports and non-sporting events that took place there...it was a very special place.

I would've loved to go there just once. I've at least been to Wrigley but that place is comparable to saying you've gone to Daytona Beach on spring break one time...it's one big party but it doesn't really have any other redeeming value to it. Going to Yankee Stadium would have a much great significance...again, whether or not you like the Yankees. I didn't watch a whole lot of that game last night...was mostly watching Cowboys-Packers but I did see some of the pregame stuff. Very cool stuff and I loved the opening ESPN had with Yogi.

R.I.P. THE Stadium

[Goober McTuber]

Even though it's been over 20 years since I was in the stadium (April 1976)

Math is not your strong suit, is it?

[ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2]

Is 32 not greater than 20?

[Dinsdale]

It's been over 2 weeks since he's been there, as well.

[Laxplayer]

So my math and memory aren't that good. Who fucking cares? Yes it was Yankee Stadium that I was at.

[MuchoBulls]

My first game there was during the 1980 season against Oakland. I remember Bobby Murcer hitting a HR and the Yankees won the game.

My all time favorite game I saw there was when the Yankees played the Red Sox and Willie Randolph walked with the bases loaded in extra innings. I think the Boston pitcher was Bob Stanley and he blew a gasket at the umpire after the walk.

It was a shame that Don Mattingly was unable to make the last home game festivities. He will always be my favorite Yankee player. He had the sweetest swing.

[War Wagon]

The 70's were good with Chambliss hitting the HR of Mark Littell to get them in to the 76 series...

grrr...

That's a painful memory, as was '77 and '78.

But I will always remember Yankee stadium for the 1980 ALCS, where the Royals finally got the 500 lb. gorilla off their back ala Brett's upper deck shot off Goose.

Lax, don't know if you read SI, but Tom Verducci has a good (long)article about the storied history of the stadium in last weeks issue you may want to check out.

[RadioFan]

Who do we play next?

EAD, "Todd"

Btw, how is this season's playoffs going?

FUCK the Yankees. FUCK an "end of an era."

Please.

Yeah, an end of an era of George Steinbrenner fucking up the game that used to be baseball.

How's that $210 mil payroll taste NOW, bitches?

Get the fuck out of here with your sorry-ass platitudes, you fucking sheep.

Try joining the 21st century, even if baseball doesn't.

And for all of you fucking myopic Yankee fans, I'll put it to you this way:

Every year, you get the car with the most horsepower. Every year, you tweak it and tweak it and tweak it.

Bwwwwaaaahhhh!!

DIE.

[battery chucka' one]

(caveat: I'm about to have some fun with Yankee fan)

Oh shoot. By the title of this thread, coupled with the high number of responses, I thought this thread was about Shea Stadium.

:D

Having fun with you Yankee fan. Great stadium. Am still shocked that they were willing to raze and replace it. What'll be the name of the new place? Steinbrenner Stadium? :P

[battery chucka' one]

btw, an aside. I love Bar-S brand.

[RadioFan]

Since the new stadium will be right next door, the crappy location of Yankee Stadium can't be improved upon.

Given the state of baseball, did you honestly expect anything more?

Nevermind.

You do find football "boring."

Idiot.