Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Yankee Stadium - Inaugural Season- Subway Series

Reposting about the new Yankee Stadium after doing some editing, as my first post about it was too long and all the photos would not load properly. Thanks for coming back for a second view!


My family and I were lucky to be able to attend two games of the Mets/Yankees baseball "subway series" at the brand new Yankee Stadium a couple of weekends ago!

Yankee Stadium is located in the The Bronx, a borough of New York City. It serves as the home ballpark for the New York Yankees, replacing the previous Yankee Stadium, which was built in 1923. Much of the stadium incorporates design elements from the previous Yankee Stadium, paying homage to the Yankees' history, but there were plenty of new modern amenities to see.

It was a little sad to see the 86 year old original Yankee Stadium -- "House That Ruth Built" -- being dismantled across the street from the new stadium. I blogged about the final season in this stadium last summer.

A Hard Rock Cafe is located within the new ballpark, but it is open to anyone at the 161 St. and River Ave. entrance year round. Be prepared for a long wait, however, if you decide to eat there on a game day. They do not take reservations and we were told there was an hour and a half wait for a table. After two hours we were still waiting, and it seems that "VIPS" are allowed to skip ahead in the waiting list. We were not very happy about that and left without eating there.

One thing that did make me laugh about the Hard Rock Cafe experience, however, was that the line to the men's room was very, very long and meanwhile the women's room had no line at all! How often do you see that? (I know the photo is blurry but I did that on purpose as I did not ask the men on line permission to take their photo)

There is also a steakhouse called NYY Steak which is located beyond right field, a membership Mohegan Sun sports bar located above monument field in center field, and a premium seating Jim Beam Club .

There are also 25 fixed concessions stands, along with 112 movable ones on the various levels of the stadium.


Between the exterior perimeter wall and interior of the stadium is the "Great Hall," which is a large concourse that runs between Gates 4 and 6. With seven-story ceilings, the Great Hall features more than 1,000,000 square feet of retail space and is lined with 20 banners of past and present Yankees superstars.

The Yankees Museum, located on the lower level at Gate 6, displays a wide range of Yankees' memorabilia. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the museum this weekend but the next time I'll try to leave extra time to go in and I will will blog about it then.
It is always a thrill to see a baseball field for the first time, every season, and even more so now as Yankee Stadium was a new $1.5 billion dollar construction. A nice retrospective about all the new features and amenities to be found in the stadium can be found in this New York Daily News special feature.


You can also watch a video about the new stadium on The Daily News website


The seating capacity is 52, 325 -- a little more than 4,000 less than the old stadium. The seats are larger, many are padded, and there is more leg room. There are more restrooms and concession stands. There are also more private luxury boxes. What has remained the same is the field dimensions with right being 314 feet, center 408 feet and left field 318 feet.

The stands were full for the games we attended as the competition between the New York teams of the National League Mets and the American League Yankees is fierce.

The center field scoreboard, which measures 59 x 101 feet is the third largest high definition scoreboard in the world.


We were excited to see "Freddy Sez" in the stands near us. Freddie is an 84 year old fan and mascot of the Yankees, who attends almost every game, and roots them on by roaming the stands and having fans in the stadium hit his "lucky frying pan" with a "lucky spoon," which he says "Brings 'em luck."! It's a thrill to be able to do this if you are a Yankee fan!

The first game we attended was on June 12, 2009, and it was a beautiful Friday evening instead of the usual rainy spring days we have been having in New York this year.

Pitcher Joba Chamberlian started the game.


A view of Monument Park, which features the Yankees' retired numbers, as well as monuments and plaques dedicated to distinguished Yankees, is located beyond the center field fences at the new stadium.


A view of the visiting team, the NY Mets' dugout.

Night is descending on the stadium.


A view of the Yankees' dugout.


A close up of Yankee batter, Derek Jeter.

Jeter hits a home run! The Yankees hit a total of five home runs this game and the lead went back and forth during this very exciting game.

When the field crew comes out to smooth the infield in between the fifth inning, it stops to dance along to the song "YMCA." It's become a tradition, and continues on in the new stadium.

As the famous Yankee, Yogi Berra, once said: "Everyone wants to get into the act"!

A view of the Yankee bullpen, and part of the outfield bleacher seats. Relief pitcher Mariano Rivera is warming up.

When Riviera comes into the game the stadium PA system always plays the Metallica song "Enter Sandman," and the crowd goes wild! This fan was captured on the big screen playing air guitar and dancing along.




David Wright had put the Mets ahead 8-7 with an eighth-inning double off Mariano Rivera, and the Met's pitcher Francisco Rodriguez appeared to escape a ninth-inning jam on a two man out, two men on base, pop up hit by Alex Rodriguez ........



....but the second baseman for the Mets, Luis Castillo, dropped A-Rod's two-out pop up as Derek Jeter scored from second and Mark Teixeira scored from first, giving the Yankees a wild 9-8 victory over the Mets!


The Yankees ran onto the field to celebrate!

As the crowd leaves the stadium there is a tradition to sing along with the Frank Sinatra song "New York New York" that is playing over the PA system -- it always feels good to sing that song after such an exciting win!

The next game we attended was a rainy Saturday afternoon game on June 13,2009 (click the link to read the play by play)

We had bleacher seats this time --they turned out to be rather expensive seats as we had to pre-order them from "Stub Hub" as this game was a sell out.

> The game started on time, and continued for the whole 9 innings, even though there were rain showers during most of the game.

The view from the bleachers is pretty good and the fans really cheer vigorously in that section.



This wall behind the bleacher seats shows the years of the 26 World Series games the NY Yankees have won!


The Mets beat the Yankees 6-2 Saturday, so the cheers from the bleachers on that day were mainly coming from visiting Met fans, and my daughter was among them!


Our little grandson was happy, regardless of the game's outcome, as this was his very first Yankee game!

In the stadium lobby there was a display of Yankee memorabilia from the old stadium for sale.

It's possible to purchase seats from the old stadium also.

A subway tressle ouside the stadium. It was an exciting subway series, especially for the Yankees who won two out of the three games played!





Now for my give away of this Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair tote bag!

I went to the Random.org. and put in the total number of comments I received on that post after writing it, and it chose the # 15. The 15th commentator was Lisa of Lisa's Retro Style blog!



Congratulations Lisa! Please e-mail your address and I will send the bag out as soon as possible. I'm also going to include a few Italian sepecialty treats that I bought here in it!



Thank you everyone who commented. I hope to do another give away soon!

25 comments:

Marg said...

Not very often that I get the opportunity of posting first.
I loved your passion being your photos. Being an avid sports fan myself, I just can feel the real sports atmosphere.
Imagine standing in front of the Coliseum in Rome???And finally taking a lap...
Imagine the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona 1992..and just staring and grazing and imagining what it feels like to participate in the activities.
You have my full heart in this blog.

Lynn said...

Don't those people at HRC know that YOU are a VIP!?
I enjoyed the (your) day at Yankee stadium.
Did you get a brick from the old stadium?

Anonymous said...

That was a wonderful post. That day the Mets won we were cheering down here in Kentucky. Dan Murphy, rookie for the Mets, has family in his Granddad's home town just down the road from us. Dan is from Florida, but I grew up with his grandad in Springfield, Kentucky. There is nothing better than a beautiful day at the baseball park. Blessings
QMM

Nola said...

Wow, I wonder how much those seats from old Yankee stadium go for? Glad you mentioned Mark Teixiera, he's my fav Yankee, because he used to be a Ranger! Go Tex!

Ciao Chow Linda said...

You got to see a great game (at least the first one if you're a Yankees fan) and get some great shots. But Leo is still the scene stealer.

Junie Moon said...

I love going to ball games. We've not gone to one yet this year but are planning to after our road trip. There's something about the whole experience I just love.

The new ballfield you visited looks amazing, so much more to offer than our dinky one here in Tucson.

However, that being said, I was sitting behind home plate a few years ago when Randy Johnson did his famous bird kill pitch. He threw his pitch and suddenly you feathers were flying everywhere around the batter. At first I thought the batter had stuffed a down-filled pillow in his shirt or something and was hit by the ball. The stadium went super quiet and then we all realized what had occurred. A dove had unwittingly flown right in front of the batter when Randy pitched--and the dove was no more. It was one of those amazing times in sports I actually got to witness. Sometimes they replay that scene on TV and my husband and I look for ourselves in the video. It was a memorable day.

Before I forget, congratulations to the winner of your adorable market bag. It's so very cute!

Joanne Kennedy said...

How fun! I would love to go to baseball game while in NY. I'm not a big fan of baseball really but it seems like baseball is such a NY thing to do.

Sure wish I could have gone in the old stadium though.

Hugs,
Joanne

Mimi said...

HI!!
My name is Jamie--aka-queen mimi, I live in Arizona and I enjoy peeking in on other people's blogs!! To be honest I cannot even remember how I found you, just sometimes a name or a blog title catches my eye!!!
First off yes, Yankee stadium was the stadium RUTH built and everyone knows we are talking about BABE RUTH!!!WEll Surprise surprise, Babe Ruth's daughter Julia Ruth Stevens lives right next door to my in-laws all Winter long, she is at every family party --Christmas and Easter, I have had the privilege to sing many a Christmas carol's with her as my in-laws have a karaoke machine and she loves to sing, even at 92 this Year!!!!
It is a special honor to get to go into her home and see all the memorabilia she has about her father.Also one other tidbit of news, I was an Extra in the Gatorade commercial a few years back that starred Derek Jeeter and Harvey Kietel, remember that one??? Derek was a bit stand-offish to us Extra's, while Harvey Kietel was very friendly.
So I am a Yankee Fan and a Red Sox fan if you understand why!!!I have only been to New York once in 1994, I would love to return to New York as it is a very exciting place to be most of the time.I still cannot get over what happened on 9-11.
Thanks for letting me peek in
have a blessed day,
jamie--aka mimi

Tracy said...

Aw shucks....none of the photos is loading while I'm looking here. :o) I'll have to come back later. So sad the old stadium had to go... I love the Yankees, but have not seen them play "live" only on TV--LOL! A live game is so much more fun than watching on TV. I don't bother going to Hard Rock Cafes anywhere. Fun concept, but they are too crowded, lines too long, and oftentimes food not so great--at least by my experience. Anyhoo, do you have a momento from the old stadium? Fun post, Pat! Happy weekend, my friend :o) ((HUGS))

Cheryl said...

I regret never having been to old Yankee stadium. Maybe I will make it to the new one.

But, in my heart, nothing can ever replace Wrigley Field.

Trotter said...

Hi Pat! Could only see three o f the pictures, but read whole text. Blogger has these idiosyncrasies...

Blogtrotter has a moved to another country on its 250th post. Enjoy and have a great Sunday!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing Pat. I think you had a wonderful time with your family all around. I hope the house won't feel too quiet now.

Lisa's RetroStyle said...

How frustrating about your photos. They aren't here now...but I still enjoyed reading about your days at the ballpark!

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

I'm still getting no images with the little ? on most photos.

Unseen India Tours said...

Nice Post !! Hope you enjoyed your day with your family?..Shots are fantastic..Unseen Rajasthan

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

Aaahhhh, I can finally see your photos!

GailO said...

This was so much fun, going to the game with you even though I am an avid Red Sox fan!...I'm sad to say I never got to the old Yankee Stadium but hope to get to the new one sometime. We're lucky if we get to go to Fenway Park once a year because the tickets are so difficult to get...sometimes it's easier to go to other stadiums and our plan is to see the Sox play in all the other stadiums during our retirement!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Oliag -- I've been to Fenway Park a couple of times and loved the experience! I sat near the Green Monster and it was fun to be so close to all the action. I hope Boston doesn't ever succumb to big business and build a new stadium -- there are so few original stadiums left!

Did you hear the story about the construction worker at Yankee Stadium who was caught burying a Boston player's shirt by the Yankee dugout? He obviously was trying to put a whammy on the Yankees...lol! I think it might have worked as they seem to have trouble beating The Red Socks these days!

Thanks!

Just a little something from Judy said...

What a fascinating post! I've never visited the new stadium so I was thrilled to see all of the photos. What an amazing place!

Unknown said...

A big congrats to our good pal, LISA *big smiles here** I have never been to such a game and look at all the people and Leo must be fascinated with all the crowd. Happy week Pat, love/M

Rajesh said...

Beautiful set of snaps. I love that huge seating capacity. Fun for all.

Tracy said...

Soooo happy to be able to see the photos second time 'round! These are sensation photo, and very much enjoyed just reading it all over again with the photos in place. The new stadium is very impressive! And Little Leo is an angel in in baseball outfit! :o) I gotta go back and look at this all again... Thanks, Pat! Happy Day, my friend ((HUGS))

CurtissAnn said...

I loved my 'tour' via your blog! Feel like I've been to the new Yankee Stadium. It is always sad when old things pass away. And just think, someday the 'new' Yankee Stadium will be old. :)

Yeah, your little grand has started early to his games!

xxxooo
CA

dana said...

Oh Pat, it has been far too long since I visited you!! You have been up to sooooo much and you had a giveaway I missed out on!!!! Congrats, however, to the lucky winner!

How awesome that Little Leo and his parents have been visiting you in NYC!! I just know you were on cloud nine!!! It looks likes you kept him busy with wonderful baseball games ag the new Yankees Stadium (which is just amazing--loved it that the guys had to wait in line at the johns for a change!) and birthday and graduation celebrations!! What fun for everyone! Happy belated b.day to you and your hubby and congrats to your daughter for her educational accomplishment!

Our newest little grand is due ANY day now. It's hard to believe there will be another tiny baby for us to love!!

It's so hot in KC---it's not supposed to be this bad in June, but it is until Sunday. I'm heading to the basement to work on a couple of projects--it's very cool down there and I have a big old TV so I can catch my soaps, too!

Have a great rest of the week! Dana

CatHerder said...

awesome pics...we havent been there yet this year...we normally have a shot at three separate seats..two being in lux boxes..but nothing this year yet :-( I did get to see the new stadium for the nj devils this past winter, and was in awe of the cool food they had...a "newark style" restaurant with all kinds of food i grew up with..mmmmm...hopefully we will get our yankee tix this year as usual..not counting on it though...enjoying watching it from the couch