Monday, September 28, 2009

New Yankee Stadium

I finally set foot in New Yankee Stadium this past Saturday. Upon arrival, the first thing you will realize is that The House That Jeter Built is gigantic. Walking into the the entrance hall took my breath away. In the hall towering banners line the wall showcasing the teams history. It is hard to go anywhere without seeing a picture of Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, etc. staring at you. It seems that beyond updating the amenities, preserving history was the most important thing to the orginization. One of the new additions is the Yankee Musuem. Though small, the museum packs a hefty punch. Lining the room are display cases documenting the history of the team Ruth to Jeter. Not only is Thurman Munson's locker on display, but there is a recreation of the current Yankee lockers that can be customized with your name for a photo. The middle of the room has a giant case of autographed balls bookended by Yogi Berra and Don Larsen statues. The autographs range from people who barely touched a Yankee uniform (Mike Lowell) to the most famous Yankee of them all Babe Ruth. If you don't get excited to see an autographed Ruth baseball you aren't a fan of the game.

The food, oh the food. The New Yankee stadium did food right. Sure two cheesesteaks and sodas will run you $30, but god damn it is good. Basically every food you could want is there. Pizza, cheesesteaks, burgers, fries, shakes, sushi, noodle bowls, nachos, a steakhouse, sweets, everything. I regret not eating the garlic fries, next time they are first on the list. I found the prices comparable to other stadiums and events, $8 beers $5 bottled water. New Yankee Stadium is top notch.

My ass was happy to find an extremely padded seat waiting for me. There are cup holders for every seat and plenty of space (there are actually less seats).

My favorite part of the new stadium is the same as the old stadium, The Bleacher Creatures. The roll call, the Ric Flair woos, and the hilarious heckling of the right fielder were all fantastic. Rocco Baldelli was in right for most of the game, and he heard some good ones. In the funniest voice I have ever heard, somebody screamed "Baldelli, your mother's a drunk!" with such speed and passion. When J.D. Drew came into the game later, there was never a moment of silence. Between the usual "overpayed!" and "you suck!" chants were some real winners. My favorite was "Hey Drew! You should change your name to Baldelli (long pause) BECAUSE YOU SUCK!!!", great delivery. Nick Swisher was treated like a god of course. If you go to New Yankee Stadium, sit in right field. The Bleacher Creatures are the heart and soul of Yankee Stadium old and new.

I have nothing bad to say about the stadium. While it isn't cheap to go, I can't say I didn't get my money's worth.

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