The End of an Era

[offbalance]

Now, let's get one thing perfectly straight - I love the Yankees. Not like, love. They are my team. I am elated when they do well, and disappointed when they do badly, and heartbroken when anyone gets hurt (Posada having to be on the DL? I just, yeah). I get furious when people rip on them for doing well, or for doing badly. I get even angrier when pseudo-intellectuals with too much time on their hands complain about the new stadium that's going up. Sure, blame the politicians for giving them too many breaks, but don't fault the team for asking. Hell, I'll take something for free if I can get it. If someone is going to give me a deep discount on something I want, I'm not going to ask twice.

I try not to play favorites, but I will always have a very soft place in my heart for any member of the core 1990s squad. That doesn't mean I haven't loved some of the new kids they brought in, or warmed to some of the trades (even though I'm still pissed about Tino, I don't begrudge Giambi anymore). I'm steeped in the history, having heard stories all my life about the different squads that my parents saw (and in particularly the Bronx Zoo team). Some of those guys I knew better as announcers, mind you, but I loved them all the same (RIP, Bobby).

Thanks to the generosity of trebleahead, I've had the privilege of going to more games that I can count. And, the best part was that the lion's share of those games were spent in the bleachers. Beer or no beer, those were some of the best seats in the house for a game, particularly when things were still able to get rowdy. (Though if you have kids, don't sit there. Please. Take the kiddies elsewhere so the rest of us can have fun, okay?) Sadly, the ribald songs and alternative YMCA lyrics have been lighter the few times I've been there, but I'd like to think that they'll survive into the new park.

I wasn't there last night. I don't regret this. I love that park, and I'm happy for every chance I have to go, but I said my goodbyes last season. I didn't need to go for the circus. They've kept the storied field and the monuments in impeccable condition. However, as anyone who has spent any time in the stadium can tell you, everything else is in woeful shape. The infrastructure is crumbling. The bleacher entrance floods in the rain. To rehab the old stadium would have taken 3 years or more, and the Yankees would have had to play somewhere else that entire time. Where would they go? The Meadowlands? The Yankees in Jersey? Perish the thought. I'm trying to keep an open mind about the new park. I can make up my mind when I actually see it. I'm sorry it's not on the exact same spot, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Still, I did cry when Jeter gave his lovely speech. Mostly, because he looked a bit choked up himself. And considering how many hours and years he's logged in that park, I can't blame him - the guy is pure Yankees - the captain, and the anchor. I can share the nostalgia with him, the guys on the team, the guys in the booth (except those fuckers from ESPN, they can go to hell), the grounds crew, even the other bleacher-creatures and long-time season ticket holders. Or people who hardly got to chance to go to the games, but never missed them on the TV or the radio. It's bugging me that people who have usually never given three shits about the Yankees (even during their amazing World Series streak) are getting all choked up and nostalgic about this place going away. That's what you get with media hype, I suppose. All the hangers-on and tail-coaters who want to be part of something special, even though they couldn't have been bothered during any other point, even though they will SWEAR up and down that they've always, always been fans. The same ones who wrinkle up their nose in confusion when you talk about Thurman Munson, or think that Donnie Baseball is the name of the Yankee mascot. Sure, you've always been a fan, and you're going to prove that today by spamming various newyorkers communities with photos and testimonials of what you remember. Which is probably doesn't amount to much. I didn't need to be wedged in with a bunch of posers there for the "historical event," so that they could be part of something. If I'd known that it was just a regular game amongst the regular die-hards, I would have tried to get in to go. But it wasn't, and I don't regret missing it all that much.

I loved that place. I would get excited every time I saw the building, be it from a distance on the Deegan or as I walked up River Avenue to head in for a game. But as much as I love it, I understand that it's time to let it go. And it doesn't matter if you were at the first game or the last game - if you were there, if you paid attention, if you realized what you were seeing, then it will never leave you. Old stadium or new, you can't change what the Yankees have been or the Yankees are. They can play anywhere and they are still the same amazing team that has a history unlike any other. Tradition is more than just a pile of bricks - it's something intangible. The tangible things come and go, but the rest you can't lose. The memories will always be there.

Comments

[valjean615.livejournal.com]

I will miss the old stadium, but am looking forward to the new stadium. The media coverage has been a bit too much. And yeah, band wagon/posers folks will always annoy me. I started being a Yankees fan back in the mid 80s and it was Mets this and Mets that, but I stuck with Donnie and his team through some really crappy seasons (heck even Red Sox/Yankees games weren't sold out and I was able to get main level seats at a decent price). I'm still sad that Mattingly was never part of a World Series winning team as an active player, but was so happy to see the '96 victory on TV (the image of Wade Boggs (even though he was a former BoSox) happily riding a police horse is somehow imprinted on my mind from that celebration). I went to the game on Wednesday and said my goodbyes then to a happy crowd of fans (well at least the ones who got the Snoopy doll). The whole place was looking a bit run down and tired 30+ years after the renovation, so a new stadium is most welcome. Bring on April 2009! (and I think I'll be rooting for the Cubs in the postseason this year...but never ever the Mets).

[offbalance.livejournal.com]

I think I'll be rooting for the Cubs, too! And, I agree, bring on 2009! Time for a new dynasty!