Yankee Stadium

When I was a small boy my dad used to take me to Yankee Stadium. I can remember on many occasions, out of the blue he would say “Let’s go down to Yankee Stadium” I would get so excited and run around in circles until it was time to hop in the car and head to the Bronx. I was fortunate to be able to see Mickey Mantle play. Maybe it was towards the end of his career, but it was still MICKEY MANTLE! I remember he would play first base, no longer able to roam center field due to his bad knees. Bad knees or not, he would trot out to first base every half inning to standing ovations. What memories do I have of that old Stadium? Three monuments used to stand out on the playing field in those days. Miller Huggins, Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig, I thought were buried out there which made it hallowed ground. They were not buried there, but it turns out so many others thought the same thing. So many great memories in “The House that Ruth Built” was all spent with my dad. He passed along his love of Baseball, and his love of the Yankees that he still has today. I remember the ornate façade that adorned the very top of the stadium and made its way from end to end. The old pictures of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and other past greats used to have the façade in the background. I would think when I went to the Stadium myself, Babe Ruth used to look at that same façade. How cool is that!?! In 1976 the newly renovated Yankee Stadium opened on the footprint of the old structure. It was nice, but it was not the place I remembered “The Mick” playing in. And the façade was gone, relegated to an area above the bleacher seats from left field to right field. What a major disappointment. A part of my childhood was gone forever. I guess that’s why I never liked this new stadium the Yankees were calling home. Yes, it was Yankee Stadium, but not my Yankee Stadium. Many great things happened there, I saw Jim “Catfish” Hunter pitch there and all the amazing championships. My dad had not gone to the renovated stadium. I was fortunate to bring him last season to a game before they closed the gates for good. The last time we went to a game I was a kid, and now I am bringing him to a game. It’s amazing how things change with time. More than anything, I enjoyed watching him enjoying himself. We got there early so we could tour Monument Park. Dad was like a kid, smiling from ear to ear as he read the inscriptions and dedications to past players and various dignitaries. During the game, dad clapped to root the Yanks on and yelled CHARGE when the organist and the message board summoned us to. The whole time he was smiling, soaking up every bit of the experience. I’m so thankful to have that memory. It will be even more profound someday when life does what it does and dad is no longer here. Until then, I am grateful to have made that memory now. So now that stadium is closed, and in its shadow, a brand new stadium has been erected. I had the great fortune to tour the New Yankee Stadium on Saturday, March 21, 2009, thanks to a friend of mine Bill. Bill coached a young man named John a few years back. John now works in the Yankees ticket office. He gave us a guided tour of the new facilities. I had heard that the Yankees wanted to make the new place as much like the original stadium as possible. As I walked out to see the field, my eyes caught something beautiful. The façade is back!!! All around the top of the stadium just like I remember as a kid. What a thrill. I couldn’t help but think of Mickey, The Babe, and the Iron Man, Lou Gehrig. I was a kid again. I felt like I was transported back in time, to a very sweet time in my life. I hope I will be able to bring dad there. I need to share it with him to complete the circle. It may be a small thing to some. But the Yankees have given back a piece of my childhood. I guess we shouldn’t live in our memories, but boy it’s sweet to visit from time to time.