2009 Game #28 - Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Final Score: Yankees 13, Red Sox 6
Hot Dog - 2/5
I’d been looking forward to game 1 of this Yankee-Red Sox series since before we left on our trip. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing a Sox away game in New York (I absolutely hate going to Sox-Yankee games), I was looking forward to the new Yankee Stadium. I was looking forward to this park as much as I was Wrigley Field. Everything I’d seen or read built the new stadium up to be a cathedral or museum or coliseum; and from the outside, that’s what it is. The facade is impressive and beautiful, capturing the historical significance of the ballpark perfectly.
As you walk inside, into the Great Hall (outer concourse), the feeling is the same: Palatial. The Yankees know their place in baseball history and this hall, although much smaller than it looks on TV, reminds you of that as soon as you enter. The height; the open, airy feeling; the banners showing great players in Yankee history, the Hard Rock cafe… well, I guess not everything there was awe-inspiring. When you leave the formality and polish of the Great Hall and enter the main stadium and concourse, the feeling changes. Inside, you’ll find a really great ballpark. That’s it, though. There’s nothing special about it. I mean, it’s new, it’s clean, it’s fairly big… Nothing to complain about, I know. Nevertheless, I was disappointed.
The Yankees have such a rich team history; there have been so many great players, so many great teams… Even as a Sox fan, there’s no way not to respect the history of this franchise. Yet, when you’re inside the stadium, it feels like any other new stadium. You could be watching a game in St. Louis or Philadelphia. Maybe it seems like I’m nit-picking, and maybe I set my expectations too high, but I was disappointed. I expected the same feeling I get at Fenway and Wrigley: A mixture of giddiness and awe. Here, I was impressed… but that was it.
Oh, and there was a ball game played there as well. Apparently, the Red Sox plane never showed up, so a group of little-leaguers and an old man faced the Bronx Bombers and embarrassed themselves. Neither team pitched particularly well, but the Yankees lineup was unstoppable. The final score says it all.
Other notes:
- Muhammed Ali was honored before the game. It was neat to see the Yankee players huddle around him like awe-struck little kids. I’d do the same thing.
- Sean and Drew joined us for the game. In the second inning, when Posada got thrown out at home (apparently forgetting how to slide), Seanny had a mild coronary. He’s resting comfortably at home now.
- Bruce Willis was there. He had to save the crowd from some crazy Eastern European terrorist during the third inning, but he was done in time to sing “God Bless America” on the jumbotron during the stretch.
- There was a surprising amount of scoreboard “stuff,” including a few different “let’s get loud” cheers and several John Sterling-isms. This surprised and disappointed me a little; Yankees fans are smart enough to know when to “get loud.” I’m not sure why these are necessary.
- There was also a scoreboard “Subway Race.” Again, lame.
Kudos to the Yankees for being one of four in baseball not to have a mascot. (The others are the Cubs, Dodgers, and Angels.)
No comments:
Post a Comment