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1996 vs. Oakland

2007 vs. Tampa Bay

2007 vs. Seattle

Those were the times I attended Yankee games in my life.  The first two were wins, the last a loss, but on this special day and on this night, wins and losses dont matter, only memories.  And I have plenty.

I remember each game vividly.  In 1996, my first Yankee game, there was a rain delay in the 3rd inning, and as a whiny 11 year old, i was upset at the possibility of it getting rained out.  It was a Tuesday night, and so that night was a schoolnight.  I had told my dad I wasn't leaving until either the game was called or the last pitch was thrown.  And boy will I never regret it. 

Cecil Fielder hit a big two-run homer in the 7th to break a 1-1 tie (it ended up being the game winner).  But my memory of that night was the final out.  Mariano Rivera struck out Mark McGwire (yes, he was still an Athletic in 1996) on a high fastball.  Up until that point, I had never quite seen the stadium erupt like it did that night.

In 2007, it was much sweeter.  I had seats down the 3rd base line courtesy of my former boss.  I remember the foul ball that Jose Molina hit that I would have gotten except for the fact that it bounced off the railing in front of me. ARod homered; it was Edwin Jackson's first MLB start for the Rays; the Yankees won 9-6.  But again, all of that good stuff did not prove to be the most memorable.  The most memorable part of that night was sitting there with all those fellow Yankee fans and feeling like family.  Honestly, out of all the games I have been to, at all the stadiums I have been to, none of the fans treat you like family quite like the Yankee fans.  Just being able to take in the game with total strangers as if we had known each other all our lives.  Talking, bantering, cheering.

The second game I had gone to in 2007 was a loss to Seattle, in the midst of a wild card chase.  It was a Labor Day matinee, and I had seats down the right field line right behind the foul pole.  There wasnt much to cheer about, as Mike Mussina got roughed up for 7 runs in 2 innings en route to a 9-4 Yankee loss.  But again, Yankee Stadium provided me with a great memory, actually my greatest memory of Yankee Stadium.  That was the swaying of the right field foul pole as the fans chanted the names of the Yankee players as they do at every home game.  Just the aura, excitement, sent chills down my spine.

There were other memories. Watching the 2001 World Series from my home, and seeing the team carry the enitre city on their shoulders for 3 nights.  Baseball was a respite, a quiet, peaceful get-away from a terrible American tragedy.  I have that epic series immortalized in my DVD collection with the documentary called Nine Innings From Ground Zero.  I will add The Bronx is Burning to that as well.

I am sure every Yankee fan has a memory of the stadium, of a game, of a pitch, of a wonderful New York night.  Yankee fans ARE  the greatest in the world.

Many of us will miss that stadium, but I agree with the words of a great Yankee legend, Yogi Berra.

He said, "I wont miss this place.  Because it is inside me,  It is part of me."

Guess what?  I wont miss this place either.  Because it also is a part of me.  And a part of every Yankee fan and New Yorker.

Legendary memories, legendary players, legendary stadium.  It may be gone soon, but the ghosts and memories live on, in each one of us.

The last one out, turn off the lights. Goodbye Yankee Stadium.