Memories of Yankee Stadium

My first game was June 17, 1978 when Ron Guidry struck out 18 Angels. What a night for a 9 yr old. Seeing the green grass & my Yankee heroes in person for the first time...nothing beats it! I'm going to miss the "big ballyard in the Bronx", as Babe Ruth was known to call it. My first game was June 17, 1978 when Ron Guidry struck out 18 Angels. What a night for a 9 yr old. Seeing the green grass & my Yankee heroes in person for the first time...nothing beats it! I'm going to miss the "big ballyard in the Bronx", as Babe Ruth was known to call it.

It was July of 1947. I'm not even sure who the Yankees played that day. I just know it was the spot where my Dad and Mom had their first date. It must have went well. Two year later they were married. My Mom passed away a few years ago but my Dad still has the memories of the place. My memories of Yankee Stadium are many but two stand out. The loudest cheers I ever heard at a sports venue came at Yankee Stadium in October of 1998 in Game One of the Yankees World Series against the Padres. New York was down big early in the game but roared back ...literally when Tino Martinez hit a grand slam to put the Yanks ahead for good. It was ear splitting. The Padres wouldn't win a game in that series. The cheers were just as loud in October of 2001, a month after 9/11. When President George Bush threw a perfect strike in throwing out the Ceremonial First Pitch of Game Three of that World Series. The roar was deafening. It was July of 1947. I'm not even sure who the Yankees played that day. I just know it was the spot where my Dad and Mom had their first date. It must have went well. Two year later they were married. My Mom passed away a few years ago but my Dad still has the memories of the place. My memories of Yankee Stadium are many but two stand out. The loudest cheers I ever heard at a sports venue came at Yankee Stadium in October of 1998 in Game One of the Yankees World Series against the Padres. New York was down big early in the game but roared back ...literally when Tino Martinez hit a grand slam to put the Yanks ahead for good. It was ear splitting. The Padres wouldn't win a game in that series. The cheers were just as loud in October of 2001, a month after 9/11. When President George Bush threw a perfect strike in throwing out the Ceremonial First Pitch of Game Three of that World Series. The roar was deafening.

I clearly remember seeing Yankee Stadium from the helicopter for the first time. It was in 1988, during a "training flight" with Neal Busch a few days before I was to start on-air at WCBS. Neal flew up to the GWB then turned down the Harlem River, made an orbit and put the Stadium right out my door, seemingly close enough to touch. All I could say was "Wow!!" Since then I've been fortunate enough to be overhead during the World Series, a Papal Mass, and two concerts by Billy Joel. But my favorite memory *inside* the Stadium happened just last summer, when I brought my family to a game. Alongside me were my wife Lyn and son JT, and my wife's mom Marie, who has been a Yankees fan since the days of DiMaggio. JT was four-and-a-half, and though this was not his first baseball game, it was the first time he was aware of what he was going to see, and he was very excited. We got a chance to say hello to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman, who were very gracious to us even as they busily prepared for the game in the broadcast booth. We left there and went back to the main entrance. When we got to our section in the loge, we walked thru the darkness of the breezeway out into the sunshine, the green grass now stretching out in front of us. JT looked at me, and all he could say was "Wow!!" Where have I heard that before?? I clearly remember seeing Yankee Stadium from the helicopter for the first time. It was in 1988, during a "training flight" with Neal Busch a few days before I was to start on-air at WCBS. Neal flew up to the GWB then turned down the Harlem River, made an orbit and put the Stadium right out my door, seemingly close enough to touch. All I could say was "Wow!!" Since then I've been fortunate enough to be overhead during the World Series, a Papal Mass, and two concerts by Billy Joel. But my favorite memory *inside* the Stadium happened just last summer, when I brought my family to a game. Alongside me were my wife Lyn and son JT, and my wife's mom Marie, who has been a Yankees fan since the days of DiMaggio. JT was four-and-a-half, and though this was not his first baseball game, it was the first time he was aware of what he was going to see, and he was very excited. We got a chance to say hello to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman, who were very gracious to us even as they busily prepared for the game in the broadcast booth. We left there and went back to the main entrance. When we got to our section in the loge, we walked thru the darkness of the breezeway out into the sunshine, the green grass now stretching out in front of us. JT looked at me, and all he could say was "Wow!!" Where have I heard that before??

The final game of the 1955 world series and to see Sandy Amoros catching the ball in left field and seein the Brooklyn Dodgers dance on the field of Yankee stadium. The final game of the 1955 world series and to see Sandy Amoros catching the ball in left field and seein the Brooklyn Dodgers dance on the field of Yankee stadium.

April 5, 2007. It was cold. There were flurries. It was actually a pretty bad game, but my father and I had a great time together. There was another game - I don't remember the year - when the Yanks played the Seattle Mariners. I got to see home runs from Ken Griffey, Jr.; Derek Jeter; and Daryl Strawberry. That was fun. April 5, 2007. It was cold. There were flurries. It was actually a pretty bad game, but my father and I had a great time together. There was another game - I don't remember the year - when the Yanks played the Seattle Mariners. I got to see home runs from Ken Griffey, Jr.; Derek Jeter; and Daryl Strawberry. That was fun.

Today was like any other morning trying to get out the door for work, saying goodbye to my wife, my 5yr, 2.5yr and 3wk old sons and until I was driving on the parkway and I heard it on the radio... "today is the last opening day at Yankee Stadium". It honestly hit me right then, granted this was no newsflash and of course there are much more important news worthy items happening in the world today but it was one of those moments that I felt a flurry of nostalgic activity in my mind flash before me. I can remember being there as a kid at my first game with my father, grandfather and brother, thinking nothing was better than that moment I was in, I was only seven. That feeling has lived in me and repeated every time I have gone to Yankee Stadium for a game. With my girlfriend/now wife sharing season tickets where I caught my first foul ball by jumping a few rows forward (sorry to the big guy I landed on), games with my buddies and brothers and of course the first game I took my son to. Though there is a new park being built next door and the new park will bring new memories, but the ones I had in this park are more than hours spent watching a ballgame and are unlikely to be reproduced as this was the same field that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle played in. I know what you are thinking if you have read this far... "stop complaining buddy" or "the Yankees can buy {blank}". See I was a Yankee Fan when it wasn't a "band wagoning" thing to do and thankfully it appears that the Red Sox Nation has taken over that cause. Sure there were great names in that park when I started being a Yankee fan, like Reggie Jackson, Bucky Dent, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage, Willie Randolph (ok I could go on) but the eighties didn't see any championships and that was with Don Mattingly at bat. Yankee Stadium is a special place and of course everyone will want a piece of the action now that the 2008 season has started. Hopefully those who are at the games are genuine fans and making an effort to create memories first for their and others children. It would be a miracle if you could get to a game this year without paying four times the ticket price and I may just have to do that so my soon-to-be three year old has his day at the park as well. No need for me to continue to babble here but I wanted to give a shout out to all you fellow Yankee fans and say that this year is a special year for our team and make sure you share those wonderful times with your children. For those of you who are kids at heart, do us all a favor when you are at the park, be nice. Don't be rude, drunk or obnoxious because those are memories everyone can do without. To all my buddies, go Yanks! Be sure to contribute your NYY photos to Everwhere Magazine http://everywheremag.com/places/3176 JPG Story - http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/3608 Today was like any other morning trying to get out the door for work, saying goodbye to my wife, my 5yr, 2.5yr and 3wk old sons and until I was driving on the parkway and I heard it on the radio... "today is the last opening day at Yankee Stadium". It honestly hit me right then, granted this was no newsflash and of course there are much more important news worthy items happening in the world today but it was one of those moments that I felt a flurry of nostalgic activity in my mind flash before me. I can remember being there as a kid at my first game with my father, grandfather and brother, thinking nothing was better than that moment I was in, I was only seven. That feeling has lived in me and repeated every time I have gone to Yankee Stadium for a game. With my girlfriend/now wife sharing season tickets where I caught my first foul ball by jumping a few rows forward (sorry to the big guy I landed on), games with my buddies and brothers and of course the first game I took my son to. Though there is a new park being built next door and the new park will bring new memories, but the ones I had in this park are more than hours spent watching a ballgame and are unlikely to be reproduced as this was the same field that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle played in. I know what you are thinking if you have read this far... "stop complaining buddy" or "the Yankees can buy {blank}". See I was a Yankee Fan when it wasn't a "band wagoning" thing to do and thankfully it appears that the Red Sox Nation has taken over that cause. Sure there were great names in that park when I started being a Yankee fan, like Reggie Jackson, Bucky Dent, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage, Willie Randolph (ok I could go on) but the eighties didn't see any championships and that was with Don Mattingly at bat. Yankee Stadium is a special place and of course everyone will want a piece of the action now that the 2008 season has started. Hopefully those who are at the games are genuine fans and making an effort to create memories first for their and others children. It would be a miracle if you could get to a game this year without paying four times the ticket price and I may just have to do that so my soon-to-be three year old has his day at the park as well. No need for me to continue to babble here but I wanted to give a shout out to all you fellow Yankee fans and say that this year is a special year for our team and make sure you share those wonderful times with your children. For those of you who are kids at heart, do us all a favor when you are at the park, be nice. Don't be rude, drunk or obnoxious because those are memories everyone can do without. To all my buddies, go Yanks! Be sure to contribute your NYY photos to Everwhere Magazine http://everywheremag.com/places/3176 JPG Story - http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/3608

My first game at Yankee stadium was with my father and brother for bat day; I was 9 years old. I never saw so many bats in my life. The only player I remember was Celerino Sanchez becuase his name was on the bat. My Dad and I took in a few more games in the old stadium before it was renovated and many more since then. Now that Dad has passed I cannot walk into that wonderful place without thinking about the times I spent with him there. Those are truly precious memories to me. My first game at Yankee stadium was with my father and brother for bat day; I was 9 years old. I never saw so many bats in my life. The only player I remember was Celerino Sanchez becuase his name was on the bat. My Dad and I took in a few more games in the old stadium before it was renovated and many more since then. Now that Dad has passed I cannot walk into that wonderful place without thinking about the times I spent with him there. Those are truly precious memories to me.

As an Oriole fan in the sixties, I went to see a game against the 1966 Orioles. Curt Blefary hit two HR's in an Oriole romp. It was great As an Oriole fan in the sixties, I went to see a game against the 1966 Orioles. Curt Blefary hit two HR's in an Oriole romp. It was great

I was nine years old on May 31, 1956, when my Dad took me to the Stadium for a Memorial Day Doubleheader against the Washington Senators. In the fifth inning of Game 1, Mickey Mantle hit a towering home run of Pedro Ramos that hit the right field facade and missed leaving the stadium by a couple of feet. We were seated in the Mezzanine on the first base side and watched it go. The ball went up like a line drive, plunked against the copper and dropped like a dead bird. I will never forget it! I was nine years old on May 31, 1956, when my Dad took me to the Stadium for a Memorial Day Doubleheader against the Washington Senators. In the fifth inning of Game 1, Mickey Mantle hit a towering home run of Pedro Ramos that hit the right field facade and missed leaving the stadium by a couple of feet. We were seated in the Mezzanine on the first base side and watched it go. The ball went up like a line drive, plunked against the copper and dropped like a dead bird. I will never forget it!

Every win against the RED SOX Every win against the RED SOX

I lived four stops up from Yankee Stadium; we used to walk to the stadium. Our downstairs neighbor had season box seats, and since her grandkids lived in the mid west, she'd bring her little neighbors. I was about 5 when I started going to the stadium, in 1960. I used to play with the little kids in the next box. They used to share their gum (Juicy Fruit, I think). Turns out their Dad was Elston Howard. Years later, when I had my own kids, they played in a marching band that used to go to Opening Day and all the Day 1 playoffs. One night they played behind Cheryl Howard, who sang the National Anthem. My old buddy from the box seats! I lived four stops up from Yankee Stadium; we used to walk to the stadium. Our downstairs neighbor had season box seats, and since her grandkids lived in the mid west, she'd bring her little neighbors. I was about 5 when I started going to the stadium, in 1960. I used to play with the little kids in the next box. They used to share their gum (Juicy Fruit, I think). Turns out their Dad was Elston Howard. Years later, when I had my own kids, they played in a marching band that used to go to Opening Day and all the Day 1 playoffs. One night they played behind Cheryl Howard, who sang the National Anthem. My old buddy from the box seats!

1996: fans cursing joe torre and joe girardi, back when 17 thousand seats were filled per night...1998: shaking jeter's hand and saying "i wanted to shake the hand of a future hall of famer" and he looked at me like i was nuts.....2000: receiving a standing ovation in the bleachers after putting down an orioles fan who was excessively cheering.....meeting wells, cone, mendoza, bernie and greame lloyd....calling joe torre a genius in 96, only to have someone say....let's wait til he wins a title first.....just a few 1996: fans cursing joe torre and joe girardi, back when 17 thousand seats were filled per night...1998: shaking jeter's hand and saying "i wanted to shake the hand of a future hall of famer" and he looked at me like i was nuts.....2000: receiving a standing ovation in the bleachers after putting down an orioles fan who was excessively cheering.....meeting wells, cone, mendoza, bernie and greame lloyd....calling joe torre a genius in 96, only to have someone say....let's wait til he wins a title first.....just a few

I'm not a native New Yorker,but have been a life-long Yankee fan, listening to games in the 1960's on a transistor radio tucked under my pillow when I was a kid growing up in Washington, DC. I was lucky to attend the Halloween Day 2001 World Series game in which Derek Jeter hit a walk-off homerun. It was such an emotion filled day... so many emotions, being less than a month after 9/11. I think the excitement of the game, warm & patiotic feelings, and camaraderie shared that day in Yankee Stadium...at such a sad time in the history of our country...made for a day I will never forget. I'm not a native New Yorker,but have been a life-long Yankee fan, listening to games in the 1960's on a transistor radio tucked under my pillow when I was a kid growing up in Washington, DC. I was lucky to attend the Halloween Day 2001 World Series game in which Derek Jeter hit a walk-off homerun. It was such an emotion filled day... so many emotions, being less than a month after 9/11. I think the excitement of the game, warm & patiotic feelings, and camaraderie shared that day in Yankee Stadium...at such a sad time in the history of our country...made for a day I will never forget.

Memories of Yankee Stadium warm my heart and fill me with inspiration. As a child, our annual trip to the stadium was our family%u2019s most treasured summer excursion. For this one day, our dad would treat us like the sky%u2019s the limit. We would revel in endless hotdogs, pretzels, yearbooks, and of course, tee shirts with our heroes%u2019 names displayed boldly on our backs. On the surface, it was an enjoyable time. Yet, there was so much more at work. To this day, thirty years or more later, I still look forward to my procession into the dark, dreary edifice that surrounds the playing field. With its questionable aromas and suspicious twists and turns, I experience that feeling of being so close, but not quite there yet. The anticipation, of something wonderful around the next corner, begins to explode inside me. Finally, after what seems like eternity, it%u2019s time to step through the magic portal, as the field of dreams emerges, smiles and greets me, in a phenomenal Technicolor---the bluest of skies, the greenest of grasses and the most hopeful feelings of wonder. Yankee Stadium will always be a place that makes sense in an unpredictable world. It%u2019s where dreams come true, where effort and risk are rewarded, where history is honored, where traditions are respected, where team is valued, where winning is everything. And yet, when expectations fall short, there%u2019s always hope for the next %u201Cat bat%u201D, the next game, the next season. The new stadium will lose the flavor of the contrasting worlds, but will offer new and even more poignant experiences for a host of generations to come. The Yankees will always be my team. These will always be my memories. They will live longer and stronger than any stadium. They are as real and special, as those treasured by the greatest of players in pinstripes. Thank you, Yankee Stadium. Memories of Yankee Stadium warm my heart and fill me with inspiration. As a child, our annual trip to the stadium was our family%u2019s most treasured summer excursion. For this one day, our dad would treat us like the sky%u2019s the limit. We would revel in endless hotdogs, pretzels, yearbooks, and of course, tee shirts with our heroes%u2019 names displayed boldly on our backs. On the surface, it was an enjoyable time. Yet, there was so much more at work. To this day, thirty years or more later, I still look forward to my procession into the dark, dreary edifice that surrounds the playing field. With its questionable aromas and suspicious twists and turns, I experience that feeling of being so close, but not quite there yet. The anticipation, of something wonderful around the next corner, begins to explode inside me. Finally, after what seems like eternity, it%u2019s time to step through the magic portal, as the field of dreams emerges, smiles and greets me, in a phenomenal Technicolor---the bluest of skies, the greenest of grasses and the most hopeful feelings of wonder. Yankee Stadium will always be a place that makes sense in an unpredictable world. It%u2019s where dreams come true, where effort and risk are rewarded, where history is honored, where traditions are respected, where team is valued, where winning is everything. And yet, when expectations fall short, there%u2019s always hope for the next %u201Cat bat%u201D, the next game, the next season. The new stadium will lose the flavor of the contrasting worlds, but will offer new and even more poignant experiences for a host of generations to come. The Yankees will always be my team. These will always be my memories. They will live longer and stronger than any stadium. They are as real and special, as those treasured by the greatest of players in pinstripes. Thank you, Yankee Stadium.

Share your memories of Yankee Stadium as its final season begins. Share your memories of Yankee Stadium as its final season begins.