Spring Break
Win or Go Home
Nick Hunte
Issue date: 9/24/08 Section: Sports
The New York Yankees played its final home game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles. It was a tragic but memorable moment in baseball that will never be forgotten.
I'm not writing about Yankee Stadium because I am a fan of the Yankees, but I'm just paying homage to the most well-known and historic Major League ballpark in the nation. Any baseball fan would agree with me on that.
Many can argue that the last game at Yankee Stadium is not that significant either because they hate the Yankees. Others don't see what the big deal is with the demolition of some old giant baseball stadium since it's the same as any other stadium. The thing is though, Yankee stadium is not just any ordinary baseball stadium. No other baseball stadium has as much history as Yankee Stadium does, which is what makes this point in time in baseball extra special.
There are many baseball fans who desire and even dream of watching a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, and most of them aren't even Yankee fans. They just want to see a game at "The House That Babe Built." The same one where legends like Babe Ruth, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Roger Maris, and Mickey Mantle played at and made history decades ago.
The original Yankee Stadium will be demolished by the end of this season, but honestly, I wished they could have preserved and renovated the stadium more. The team will move across the street to the new Yankee Stadium next season.
Tickets to a Yankee game were virtually impossible to purchase this year because everyone rushed for theirs since this year is the last chance to see a baseball game at the landmark ballpark. When I tried to purchase tickets to a game during my vacation to New York City in August, they were sold out for the rest of the season.
Look at this year's All-Star game. Of course any All-Star game will look glamorous because it's supposed to be filled with baseball stars from the past and present. This year, the All Star game at Yankee Stadium had the glamor of an Oscar or the Grammy awards. Many athletes, sports journalists and celebrities of all shapes and sizes were at Times Square in Manhattan to participate in the festivities and red carpet showings of the All-Star game. All of this just shows you how big of a deal it is when the most famous sports stadium closes down.
The construction of Yankee Stadium started in 1922 and the stadium was built in an amazing 284 working days with a budget of $2.5 million. The Yankees played their first home game in April 18, 1923 and of course, Ruth hit the first home run.
Some of the greatest moments in Yankee Stadium include Ruth and Maris hitting record-setting home runs, and Ruth and Gehrig delivering their memorable speeches. The "Stadium" was also the sight of the famous boxing rematch of the first African American boxer Joe Louis and German Max Schmeling on June 22, 1938. After Schmeling defeated Louis two years earlier, Louis got his revenge and defeated Schmeling in two minutes and four seconds, proving to America and the world that Aryan superiority was a myth.
In the 1950's and 60's, Mantle and Berra came about and made their marks with the numerous records that they made. After the Yankees reached the World Series five consecutive times in the late 50's, things started going downhill for the franchise. The stadium eventually needed renovation, but once the repairs were finished, the Yankees began a new epoch after the stadium's reopening.
The Yankees did not have any major highlights until the late 1970s when Reggie Jackson led the Yankees to a World Series win in 1977. A year later, he helped the Yanks overcome a 14-game deficit and surpass the Boston Red Sox to become world champions again (any championship win where New York defeats Boston is my favorite).
Fast forward to the late 90's under manager Joe Torre, The Yankees won for World Championships from 1996 to 2000.
Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettittie and Jorge Posada are the remaining players still on the roster from when the Yankees had its glory days in the late 90's. It was only fitting for manager Joe Giradi to have Pettitte start and Rivera close in the last game of the season. Last week, Jeter surpassed Gehrig and recorded his 1270th career hit at Yankee Stadium, a record that will never be broken.
During the final game at Yankee Stadium, fans got to tour the stadium one last time and witness the sights and smells of the stadium.
The final game at Yankee Stadium was quite an emotional one. The fans at the game did not want to leave. It took a while for everyone to realize that the final game was played. Everyone seemed glued to their seats. The closing ceremonies were symbolic and resembled an authentic patriotic moment in American history because baseball is "America's Favorite Pastime."
The closing of Yankee stadium is definitely a huge loss in Major League Baseball, but whether people like the Yankees or not, everyone will remember and recognize the many memorable moments that took place at "Stadium" that changed baseball. Farewell to the Cathedral.
Nick Hunte can be reached at nhunte@statehornet.com
I'm not writing about Yankee Stadium because I am a fan of the Yankees, but I'm just paying homage to the most well-known and historic Major League ballpark in the nation. Any baseball fan would agree with me on that.
Many can argue that the last game at Yankee Stadium is not that significant either because they hate the Yankees. Others don't see what the big deal is with the demolition of some old giant baseball stadium since it's the same as any other stadium. The thing is though, Yankee stadium is not just any ordinary baseball stadium. No other baseball stadium has as much history as Yankee Stadium does, which is what makes this point in time in baseball extra special.
There are many baseball fans who desire and even dream of watching a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, and most of them aren't even Yankee fans. They just want to see a game at "The House That Babe Built." The same one where legends like Babe Ruth, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Roger Maris, and Mickey Mantle played at and made history decades ago.
The original Yankee Stadium will be demolished by the end of this season, but honestly, I wished they could have preserved and renovated the stadium more. The team will move across the street to the new Yankee Stadium next season.
Tickets to a Yankee game were virtually impossible to purchase this year because everyone rushed for theirs since this year is the last chance to see a baseball game at the landmark ballpark. When I tried to purchase tickets to a game during my vacation to New York City in August, they were sold out for the rest of the season.
Look at this year's All-Star game. Of course any All-Star game will look glamorous because it's supposed to be filled with baseball stars from the past and present. This year, the All Star game at Yankee Stadium had the glamor of an Oscar or the Grammy awards. Many athletes, sports journalists and celebrities of all shapes and sizes were at Times Square in Manhattan to participate in the festivities and red carpet showings of the All-Star game. All of this just shows you how big of a deal it is when the most famous sports stadium closes down.
The construction of Yankee Stadium started in 1922 and the stadium was built in an amazing 284 working days with a budget of $2.5 million. The Yankees played their first home game in April 18, 1923 and of course, Ruth hit the first home run.
Some of the greatest moments in Yankee Stadium include Ruth and Maris hitting record-setting home runs, and Ruth and Gehrig delivering their memorable speeches. The "Stadium" was also the sight of the famous boxing rematch of the first African American boxer Joe Louis and German Max Schmeling on June 22, 1938. After Schmeling defeated Louis two years earlier, Louis got his revenge and defeated Schmeling in two minutes and four seconds, proving to America and the world that Aryan superiority was a myth.
In the 1950's and 60's, Mantle and Berra came about and made their marks with the numerous records that they made. After the Yankees reached the World Series five consecutive times in the late 50's, things started going downhill for the franchise. The stadium eventually needed renovation, but once the repairs were finished, the Yankees began a new epoch after the stadium's reopening.
The Yankees did not have any major highlights until the late 1970s when Reggie Jackson led the Yankees to a World Series win in 1977. A year later, he helped the Yanks overcome a 14-game deficit and surpass the Boston Red Sox to become world champions again (any championship win where New York defeats Boston is my favorite).
Fast forward to the late 90's under manager Joe Torre, The Yankees won for World Championships from 1996 to 2000.
Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettittie and Jorge Posada are the remaining players still on the roster from when the Yankees had its glory days in the late 90's. It was only fitting for manager Joe Giradi to have Pettitte start and Rivera close in the last game of the season. Last week, Jeter surpassed Gehrig and recorded his 1270th career hit at Yankee Stadium, a record that will never be broken.
During the final game at Yankee Stadium, fans got to tour the stadium one last time and witness the sights and smells of the stadium.
The final game at Yankee Stadium was quite an emotional one. The fans at the game did not want to leave. It took a while for everyone to realize that the final game was played. Everyone seemed glued to their seats. The closing ceremonies were symbolic and resembled an authentic patriotic moment in American history because baseball is "America's Favorite Pastime."
The closing of Yankee stadium is definitely a huge loss in Major League Baseball, but whether people like the Yankees or not, everyone will remember and recognize the many memorable moments that took place at "Stadium" that changed baseball. Farewell to the Cathedral.
Nick Hunte can be reached at nhunte@statehornet.com
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