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| Fenway Park, Home Of The Boston Red Sox |
Today marks a historic milestone for one of the most historic facilities in professional sports. Fenway Park turns 100 years old today, and how better to celebrate than with an afternoon game against their rival, the New York Yankees. Now despite the fact that I am a die-hard Yankees fan (and the fact that I really hate the Red Sox), I have a true appreciation for Fenway Park. It's one of the few relics left that tells us a story every time we see it. Babe Ruth played there. Ted Williams played there. Mel Parnell played there. Carlton Fisk's home run in Game 6 of the 1976 World Series is one of the more recognized highlights in all of sports (along with Bucky Dent's, don't argue with me on this one).
It's also a symbol of "newer isn't always better". I think that the John Henry-Tom Werner-Larry Lucchino group should be saluted for their respect to the organization, the fans, and baseball as a whole. They've spent hundreds of millions of dollars repairing the old place, and it seems like Fenway is here to stay. Apparently, they were the only group of potential owners that were willing to keep the place going. Let me say this, I am a Yankees fan, and I have teams that I like, and teams that I don't, but I am a BASEBALL fan first and foremost. I am a true believer in hanging onto things that make the game what it is. There should be a certain bit of magic that comes with attending a game. Some parks offer a little more than that. Some teams do it by adding restaurants and shops, or fan plaza's, which is all well and good in this day and age. There are some parks that just give you a sense that you are somewhere special, which is more than any video arcade or over-the-top salad can do. Fenway can do that. Wrigley can do that. Yankee Stadium (the OLD Yankee Stadium) used to do that.
Every time I see Fenway on television, it makes me angry that Yankee Stadium is gone. Call be biased, but Yankee Stadium was the greatest ballpark on the planet. There were more historic, memorable moments at that stadium, than anywhere else. More legends played there, and it seemed like the ghost of legends past was always lingering. It started the minute you walked into the place: The smell of stale beer and hot dogs is something that I will carry with me forever. It was dark and crowded, and all you wanted to do was get to your seat. To me, this was the most magical part of going to Yankee Stadium: You walked through that dark tunnel, and all you could see was light. Once you got to the end, it was almost as if the world just opened up around you, and all of a sudden you are transported back in time. Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle are sending balls into the short porch. DiMaggio extends his hitting streak. Lou Gehrig refuses to sit down, all while Yogi and The Scooter are joking around.
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| The Old Yankee Stadium sitting next to the New Yankee Stadium |
You knew you were somewhere special. You knew how important Yankee Stadium was. For me, it was a place I looked forward to going to for the rest of my life. The Yankees were all about tradition and legends, and there was no way Yankee Stadium would ever be taken down. I was wrong, and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss the old place. Is the new Yankee Stadium nice? Yes, it is. Does it have soul? No way. What the new Yankee Stadium has is padded seats and luxury boxes for those who can afford it. It has a wide variety of food options...on the field level. It has wider seats and aisles...on the field level. You can stand on line for food and not miss a bit of the game...on the field level.
The new Yankee Stadium does very little to cater to the blue collar fan. Now I can only speak for myself with certainty, but I think it's a safe assumption to say that I speak for the vast majority when I say, I can't afford those seats. I can afford to sit upstairs. Upstairs, you see the same 5 or 6 food stands over and over again. Upstairs, you can't see the field if you are standing on line. Funny thing about standing on line is that it hardly moves upstairs. We were told, "more options, shorter waits". Last time I was there, I spend 2 innings waiting for a hot dog and a soda. I could have done that in the OLD Yankee Stadium and have cared less because I was at Yankee Stadium. In my opinion, the seats aren't much wider, and the aisles are still on top of each other. The even figured out a way to ruin Monument Park! In the old stadium, you would walk slowly past the plaques of each retired Yankee. Once you finished that, you had to turn a corner which opened up into the beautiful Monument Park. Again, butterflies in your stomach. Now, you walk down a flight of stairs, and in no particular order is Monument Park. It's kind of thrown together in a, "Well, there it is, go look at it" mentality.
Let's be real here, the new Yankee Stadium is for the business man, not the baseball fan. The proof to me was when people complained about the obstructed view seating in the bleachers, which the Yankee Organization had "no idea" would happen. It's architecture 101: If you build something moving forward, your view to the left and to the right WILL be blocked. Billions of dollars spend between designs and executions, and you're telling me that the designer didn't notice that? Give me a break. You just took your most loyal fans, The Bleacher Creatures, out of the game by blocking out half of the outfield. But that's OK, because they can enjoy the game inside the air conditioned Mohegan Sun Sports Club...all for an extra $110 ($100 if you buy them in advance).
Good for the John Henry-Tom Werner-Larry Lucchino group for fighting the good fight and keeping Fenway alive. Good for the Ricketts family for slowly improving Wrigley, yet keep it afloat. Those stadiums are special venues for a special game. Baseball is a game with heart and integrity. It's about history and triumph in the face of disparity. Baseball is THE American Past time. Baseball keeps up together. It gives us hope. It makes us happy and sad. It gives us something to root for. It's about acceptance and diversity. It's about Jackie Robinson who broke the color barrier, and Fernando Valenzuela who connected the Dodgers with the large Mexican community out in Los Angeles. We all played Little League, and we all dreamed of one day playing for our favorite team. It's that childhood innocence, the smell of your glove, and the will to win that keeps me coming back for more. Those two buildings remind us of that, and about a past era when baseball meant all of this. Yankee Stadium has no feeling anymore. It isn't inviting for the blue collar fan anymore. I miss the old Yankee Stadium, I really miss it.
*Disclaimer: This article, like any other, is strictly based on MY opinion. Some may agree and some may disagree. This wasn't meant to hurt any feelings or insult anyone, but this is the way that I feel.
-Sean
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