My father always says, "I'm Catholic, my wife is Jewish and my kids are Yankees fans." Therefore, it's understandable that in my eyes Yankee Stadium is the holiest of places.
Be in 1993 watching Melido Perez pitch miserably for us, or screaming endlessly in Game Two of the 1999 AL Championship Series (Bostonians, I'm sure, can recall that result), every time I venture into the Stadium is truly a spiritual experience. I cannot help but get teary eyed each time I take my first glance out on to that beautiful baseball diamond, the most marvelous piece of real estate in all of sports.
I believe, and please write in if you do not concur, that no serious baseball fan can deny that Yankee Stadium is, if not the greatest, one of the greatest sports venues in the world. Both Yankee and Red Sox fans have to appreciate the majestic natures of their rivaling meccas, Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. In fact, I would go as far to say that those two ballparks, along with Wrigley Field, are unmistakably the three best stadiums ever built. I doubt even the Draft Board would come up with a different answer, eh?
There are so many elements that make Yankee Stadium so superior, so for the purpose of limiting myself to 800 words, I will name just a few. Obviously, there is the unbelievable history that surrounds the ballpark. The stadium was initially constructed to accommodate its growing fan base as its newest star, George Herman Ruth Jr., was drawing in crowds too large for their previous home at the Polo Grounds.
In 1923 the Stadium was born, affectionately nicknamed the House that Ruth Built, and appropriately christened with a home run by the Bambino on opening day, which resulted in a 4-1 Yankee victory against our unfortunate Boston neighbors to the north. Such delicious irony.
Since then, the stadium has been the site for many of the most memorable events in baseball history, such as Mantle's 500th home run, Ruth's 60th, Maris' 61st and Don Larsen's perfect World Series game, to name a few. And of course, being the home to 26 World Championships is pretty damn noteworthy as well.
Every inch of Yankee Stadium has its own rich history, from the bleacher creatures out in Ruthville chanting each player's names till they are acknowledged, to Bob Shepard, the Stadium's announcer for over 50 years. I can still hear him in my head, introducing my most favorite Yankee of all "Number 23, Don ... Mattingly."
Everywhere you look in the stadium, some amazing hit, catch or out, has been recorded. From my seats, I often find myself staring up into the right-field upper deck, and imagining what it must have been like to see Mickey hit a moonshot up there.
Despite the renovations during the '70s, the ballpark is virtually the same as 50 years ago, when DiMaggio went on his remarkable 56-game hitting streak. Unlike the new generation of larger, modern ballparks, like the one my colleague Mr. Orbuch writes about, the stadium maintains a unique intimacy, allowing each fan to feel like part of its magic. The acoustics might not be as great as San Diego's new digs, but no where else do they play the most beautiful chimes, those that signal a Yankee run: "done dun done dun da dun done done." If you're a fan you know what I am talking about.
Another aspect that distinguishes Yankee Stadium above the rest is class. Yes, class. A term I don't throw out frivolously. I'll try to refrain from talking about the impeccable class of the Yankees and focus strictly on the Stadium -- actually no I won't.
The Yankees maintain the most recognized uniform in sports, navy blue pinstripes on white, with an interlocking NY on the hat, no last name of course. Their uniform is one of the few that remains unchanged, (as the Yankees would NEVER convert to solid black jerseys like our neighbors in Queens, or to wearing cheesy looking red jersey on Sundays like some other teams I know).
Anyway, back to the Stadium, and its level of class. One example, which sums it up pretty well, is the Stadium's choice of songs played after each game is finished. The song "New York, New York" is a classic melody to anyone, and is always played regardless of the outcome. However, Yankee Stadium knows how to appropriately celebrate a losing contest, by humbly playing Liza Minelli's version after every loss, and naturally, Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra's version after each victory.
Yankee Stadium is truly the most impressive and prestigious sporting cathedral.