Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Thursday I went to an amazing Yankee Game. Yankees 13, Red Socks 6. I mean the score alone is all you need to know about why it was a great game. Broke the Socks winning streak vs the Yanks this year, established a steady first place in the east, and also established the end of John Smoltz's career. AND THEN....The Yankees would win Friday's game 2-0 in 15 innings and then Saturday 5-0. Their lead in the division is now 5.5 games! And I couldn't be happier with how the team is playing.

But that wasn't all in the baseball-related world this weekend. For the third time in four years (2006, 2007, 2009), my softball team, Roosevelt & Cross, were victorious in the championship. We won game one (without me) Thursday, something like 13-4. Then last night we won the second and final game, 12-3. I ended the season batting .471, with I believe 8 RBI in 12 games (stats including the playoffs). We overall were 11-3 on the season, easily winning the B Division. It should be noted that the 3 losses were during the regular season: one to who we would beat in the first round of the playoffs, and the other 2 to the team would beat twice in the finals. Great job to everyone on the team, can't wait til next season.

I decided to end with some interesting facts about the 17 Major League Baseball games I've seen in person. Thanks to http://www.baseball-reference.com/, my weird memory, and seasonal unemployment, I was able to look up all the box scores and find out some things worth sharing about the games. Enjoy.

Team Records;

• Yankees: 8-5
• Orioles: 5-6
• Rays: 0-2
• Red Socks: 2-1
• Twins: 0-1
• Mariners: 1-0
• Rangers: 1-1
• Blue Jays: 0-1

Notable pitchers I've seen;

• Andy Pettitte
• John Smoltz
• CC Sabathia (twice)
• El Douque (twice)
• Mariano Rivera (twice)
• Tim Wakefield
• Mike Mussina
• Carl Pavano as a Yankee lose in 2005
• Scott Kazmir
• Doc Gooden

Notable home runs I've seen;

• 500 Home Run Club Members: Ken Griffey Jr., Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez
• Bernie Williams hit 2 in one game
• Jorge Posada has homered in 5 different games I've been to. Brian Roberts, Melky Cabrerra and Bernie Williams have 2 each.
• Notable steroid users: Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, David Oritz, Brian Roberts, Miguel Tejada, and Javy Lopez

Notable games I've been to;

• 5/16/98 (Yankees 5, Twins 2). Ramerio Mendoza throws 5 no-hit innings on Yankee Sock Day. The next day David Wells would throw 9 perfect innings on Beanie Baby day. This is one of the few times I'll be quoted saying Fuck My Life
• 4/6/09 (Yanks 5, Orioles 10) Opening Day at Camden Yard in Father Linnane's personal seats
• 5/8/09 (Yanks 4, Orioles 0) CC Sabathia throws a complete game, 4 hit, one walk, shut out and Alex Rodriguez homers in his first at bat of the season after being hurt. Yanks go on a roll from then on in.
• 5/8/99 (Mariners 14, Yanks 5) Who cares??? I saw Ken Griffey Jr. hit a home run

Yankee Stadium, 6/2/09

So last night I made my first trip to the new Yankee Stadium, and I was simply blown away. It was really amazing, and I had a great time there. As everyone else seems to have, I too have some objections to the Stadium's design and how its being run, which I'll get into soon. But overall, the Stadium is really remarkable, and even the casual Yankee fan must go to appreciate all of the history it has to offer.

We got there right before the gates opened at 4 so that we could see all the sights in time. We went straight to Monument Park at four, and were within the first 10 people there. Monument Park was the first thing i disliked about the Stadium...at least in comparison to the old Stadium's Park. The new one is more confined, and also less garden themed. It doesn't offer the outdoor environment that the old one did, which is what it was designed to do in order to save room. I can't complain too much, but I would have liked it to be more out-doorsy like the previous Stadium.

After that we went to The Yankee Museum, the lesser-known feature of the park. The museum was not too extensive, but was still very interesting to see. They highlight all the championships by the era, and have the most recent 6 (77, 78, 96, 98, 99, 2000) trophies on display. They had a lot of interesting memorabilia such as actual jerseys and autographed balls and bats. They highlight the Stadium's transformation from 1923 to 2009, with actual seats from all the different era's of the ballpark. The highlight is in the center: A statue of Don Larsen, 66.6 inches from a statue of Yogi Berra, catching the historic last pitch of the perfect game in the 56 World Series. Following the trajectory of the ball is a case, filled with autographed balls from as many Yankees as they could get, from Ed Yarnell to Babe Ruth. It was a lot of fun to go by the display and see all the players I loved and all that I barely remembered. The final exhibit is Thurman Munson's locker, removed from the old Stadium's clubhouse, where it's sat since 1979.

Our seats were in section 205, the last part of fair territory in right on the second level. Despite being over 350 feet from home plate, I still felt very close to all the action. For some reason, we couldn't access our seats until 5 pm, which was stupid. Also, we were in the 4th row...the first row couldn't even see if it was a home run in the level below us. Despite the blocked view, the seats were great. The Yankees did an amazing job of bringing the fans closer to the action. Oh, and the best part of the day. Yankees won...THHEEEEEE YANKEEEEES WON!

I know nothing can be done to make Monument Park better, but I think the Stadium well only get better over time. The Museum will grow in size and they will handle the seating issues better. Make sure you go. And, GO YANKEES