Photo Blogging: Yankee Stadium

As any baseball fan will tell you, there’s nothing like catching a game at the ballpark. I have been fortunate in my life to see games at many different ballparks, including Cincinnati (Riverfront w/ turf, Riverfront w/ natural grass, and Great American), Philadelphia (Veterans and Citizens Bank), Pittsburgh (Three Rivers and PNC Park), Baltimore (Camden), Cleveland (Jacobs Field), New York (Shea), and San Diego (Petco).

Despite a decent list of ballparks visited, there were still three “big ones” that I had never visited: Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, and Wrigley Field. As a baseball enthusiast, it’s been my goal to attend a game at each of the aforementioned parks at least once before I die. Of course, those of you who are on top of baseball happenings realize that Yankee Stadium is 40 some games away from being demolished for good. Luckily for me, I was able to catch a game (via a bus trip) there last weekend when they played my Cincinnati Reds.



First, the bad news… As it seems to be my luck, the game I attended was the only game in which my Reds lost while at New York. I suppose it was a good thing I didn’t bring along a broom to the stadium…



My seats were in the outfield bleachers, which aren’t nearly as bad as people make them out to be. First, the seats themselves offer a nice view of the ballpark. I had never sat in outfield bleachers before (in any stadium), so that was a unique experience for me. However, the seats offered me another great view of the weather…namely, a devastatingly strong storm that approached the ballpark during the middle of the game.

Now, mathematically speaking, the Yankee Stadium bleacher concessions section was not meant to hold all the people sitting in the bleachers at once. After the rains started, we all shuffled down to the covered concessions area…like a bunch of sardines in a can. (Speaking of, does anyone ever buy sardines in a can anymore?)



After about an hour of standing around in a cramped, smelly place, the rains finally stopped and we retook our seat. The game itself was rather uneventful for a Reds fan, except when Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 601st homerun of his career. That was exciting for me since I have always liked Griffey Jr, going back to his days in Seattle. I think Griffey should provide me with tickets though, since I appear to be good luck for him… When I saw the Reds play in Cleveland a few years ago, I watched Griffey hit his 498th homerun.

After returning to the bus for the trip home, I took a moment to reflect on Yankee Stadium. The Stadium is undoubtedly a place chockfull of history and mystique, there’s no doubt. However, the stadium itself is rather dumpy. It’s no mystery why the Steinbrenners wanted a new Yankee Stadium! That said, I highly recommend that you make the trip to New York to catch a game at Yankee Stadium this year. Oh, and you can wear opposing colors in the bleacher section – but at your own risk. I was fine with my Reds hat, but I did see another Reds fan get tossed from the stadium…

Until next time, keep readin’
-fanofreds