Jan 23 2009
GOODBYE OLD, HELLO NEW
Today our beloved New York Yankees have officially said goodbye to the old stadium, which has been such a historical landmark, and moved into the new building - let’s get ready for some new memories. With big players added such as Teixeira and Sabathia, you can bet that this will be a new era in Yankee baseball, especially since these guys are young and stickin’ around for a while. As a tribute to the former cathedral, I thought I’d list and discuss some of the greatest memories ever to take place between the lines. They are in no particular order:
* Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech - This was not only one of the most memorable speeches in sports, but in the history of America. It was so heart-felt, that it still gives me chills everytime I hear or see it replayed. Gehrig came down with an unknown fatal illness, sadly ending his career. The “Iron Horse” was no doubt one of the greats, as he played a big part on the 1927 team, later named, “Murderers’ Row.”
* Jeter’s Toss to Home - Who could ever forget the classic play the captain made to prevent Jeremy Giambi from scoring in the 2001 ALDS against Oakland. A lot of people forget that the Yanks were down 2-0 in the series, so that play was monumental in them coming back and eventually making another World Series trip. Man, this was close….I’m still not sure if he was even out at the plate.
* Don Larsen’s Perfect Game - Can you imagine if this happened in the game today? The stadium would literally explode. Of course I wasn’t around to see this, but on October 8, 1956, the Yankee-hurler did the unthinkable and pitched a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers (only 97 pitches thrown). Remember, this was the mighty Jackie Robinson Dodgers - no easy task.
* Aaron Boone’s Walk-Off Homer - Still to this day, this was the best baseball game I’ve ever watched. I reeeeeally get chills from this one, and everytime I see it, I feel like I’m back in my living room on that October night. This of course was the walk-off homerun hit by Aaron “did he really just do that” Boone in the 2003 ALCS against our forever-hated Bo-Sox. It was one of those when you knew the second that the bat made contact, it was already in the seats. Thanks Timmy Wakefield (even though we didn’t win the big one that year).
* The Babe’s First - On April 18, 1923 (first game at the stadium), Babe Ruth hit the very first long-ball against Boston (naturally) and led the Bombers to victory, 4-1. Not only did Babe cement himself in Yankee history, but he also was forever known as the player that jump-started Yankee Stadium (The House that Ruth Built). Let’s face it, there was no moment more important than this.
* Reggie’s Big Game - Reggie Jackson was not welcomed very kindly by the Yanks when he first arrived, but this one game in the 1977 World Series gave him a spot in Monument Park. Three big homers in game 6 of the series took the city by shock, and the chants of “Reg-gie” began.
I would love to go on all day, but there’s just too many to list (96′ championship, Maris hitting #61, Cone’s perfect game on Don Larsen Day, the 01′ WS after 911, etc.) It’s a sad day, but at the same time, it’s very exciting to have a fresh stadium to look forward to. Keep your eyes on that first game this April, because there’s gonna be plenty of trivia to go around years from now.
R.I.P. “Original” Yankee Stadium
