Yankee Stadium Memories

I'm just listening to Mike Francesa & people are calling in with their favorite Yankee Stadium memories. I wanted to call, but I have so many great memories that I would be on there as long as a scheduled guest would be. So I figured I would blog about all of my favorite memories as we head into the final series ever at the Stadium. I think my favorite is my most recent memory (see previous post).

The first game I ever went to was in 1997. Andy Pettitte was pitching but he got hit with a come-backer & was taken out of the game (in favor of Hideki Irabu).  It was the same day that Mother Theresa died, but other then that it wasn't a very memorable game. In 1998, the game was pitched by El Duque & we played the Seattle Mariners. This was the first time I saw Alex Rodriguez & thought he was amazing. He hit a home run in that game. Once I fell in love with him, that was the game I had to go to every year, when the Yankees were playing whatever team he was on. In 2001, I was at the ALCS when Alex hit a home run off Denny Neagle & we lost 2-0.

August 8, 2000 was one of my most favorite games. I was a little bummed going into the game because Chuck Knoblauch was my favorite & he went on the D.L. that very day. We were playing the Oakland A's & were losing 3-2 going into the bottom of the 9th. Jason Isringhausen came in to close it & Bernie Williams hit a home run to tie it. The crowd went crazy. Before Bob Sheppard was even able to announce him, David Justice came up & hit a home run on the first pitch. We won 4-3. I almost fell off the Loge balcony because I was jumping up & down like a crazy woman. It was amazing.

Another favorite memory was when we got to sit 10 rows behind home plate in my Dad's friend's seats in 2004. I like to get to the games early (ever since I missed a Chuck Knoblauch lead-off home run one game we were going to & I never let my Dad forget it.) We happened to be sitting, waiting for the game to start & a woman came up to us & said she needed a girl to do Yankee trivia during the game. Of course, I was more then willing to do so. I got put up on the big screen at Yankee Stadium & had to answer a question. "Who holds the Yankee record for most grand slams in a single season?" I knew the answer immediately was Don Mattingly but the woman tried to help me cheat & I looked at her with disgust & said "I know the answer!" I of course got it right despite everyone around me shouting the wrong answer. I won a $50 gift certificate to Modell's so I bought my A-Rod jersey with that money. After the game I even had a couple of fans who shouted my name, it was great.

One more memory was in 2005 against the then Devil Rays. Randy Johnson started & only lasted like 2 innings. We were losing 10-2 at one point early on & everyone thought it was over as the game headed into the 8th inning. So many people left but I told my Dad that real fans don't leave until the last out because as Yogi said "It ain't over 'til it's over." Well I was certainly rewarded for my loyalty because we scored 13 runs in the 8th inning to win by a final score of 20-11 (topped off by an Alex home run of course.)

There are tons of other games I've been to & they all have certain things about them that I will always remember, some good & some bad. My final visit to Yankee Stadium is certainly fitting, though. I said goodbye to baseball's cathedral in the grandest of ways.