Memories of the old Yankee Stadium!

The Yankees are back in the post season and it’s time to remember that baseball cathedral called Yankee Stadium.

Yes, the Yankees were usually the team that I was rooting against.

Nevertheless, I love the Yankee tradition, history and those 20-something World Series championships.

I love “Pride of the Yankees“, the great movie about Lou Gehrig. I watch it every time.

I love Billy Crystal’s “61“, the wonderful movie about Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.

The Yankees are 27-11 in 38 World Series! They are the most successful professional sports franchise in the US. What else can you say?

In 1972, my dad, mom, brother, sister and I took a trip to New York.
We went to Yankee Stadium to catch a Saturday afternoon game between Baltimore and NY.

I remember staring at the field before the game. Truthfully, I was overwhelmed.

I kept looking to the Yankee dugout to see if Maris, Mantle, Whitey Ford, Berra or DiMaggio were in the park.

During my Baltimore days, the Orioles, Yankees and Red Sox were usually playing in a pennant race. It was some of the greatest baseball ever. 

Over and over, Baltimore, Boston and New York decided the AL East in the last weekend of the season. Again, it was great baseball and Yankee Stadium was in the middle of it all!

More recently, the Rangers and Yankees played 3 great post-season series in 1996, 1998 and 1999.    

New York won all 3 but it was great baseball.      The Rangers finally got their revenge in 2010 when they beat New York to advance to the first World Series.

Who can forget the back to back Boston-New York AL championship series of 2003 and 2004?

Who can forget Reggie Jackson’s 3 home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 Series?

There are a ton of memories, specially watching all of those Yankee veterans in the pre-game ceremony.

Thank God for giving us Yankee Stadium and all of those baseball memories.

Best of all, thank God for Yankee Stadium after 9-11.

I will never forget game 3 and Pres. Bush’s pre-game strike.
I stayed up late to watch New York win those extra inning games in game 4 and 5.

Who can forget Derek Jeter and Paul O’Neill with their NYPD and NYFD caps?  It was a wonderful tribute to the policemen and firemen who died on 9-11!

The new Yankee Stadium will have its own story. How can the new stadium top all of those rings and so many memorable moments? It will be hard but the Yankees are the Yankees!