Yankee Stadium: Oh, What an Experience It Is!

Remember those days when bleacher seats at Yankee Stadium would cost 75 cents, hot dogs would cost 50 cents at the most, and the Subway fare was only 15 cents? Ninety years ago, John Phillip Sousa's band played the National Anthem. The Yankees ended up winning 4-1 to the Boston Red Sox. Now I'm not talking about the Yankee Stadium that the Yankees currently play in; this post is about the original stadium.



Though it was called the "House that Ruth Built," it was actually the second stadium, located at 161st street and River Avenue in the Bronx.  It was in the same location as the first one, which was built in 1923, but was remodeled in 1973.  The seating capacity was extended from 58,000 to 67,000 once the remodel was completed.  The wooden seats and beams that would block many peoples' view were removed for a more updated look.  Yankee Stadium lost a little bit of its charm during that the time of the remodel, but still retained most of its character.

 Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez, and Andy Pettitte have all played in the old Yankee Stadium where Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Whitey Ford, and Joe DiMaggio both started and finished their amazing careers.  Yankee Stadium has hosted a number of other sporting events including the historic Joe Louis and Max Schmeling boxing match in 1938. "Did you know that underneath second base in Yankee Stadium there was (removed in 1976) once a brick vault fifteen feet wide that contained electrical, telephone and miscellaneous equipment for boxing events?" (Baseball Almanac)


One of the most important features that the old Yankee Stadium had was its own Monument Park in center field.  It was basically like an open museum for everyone to see every time they came to watch a game at the stadium.  Monument Park contained plaques, monuments, and the uniform numbers of the retired, Hall-of-Fame players.  A replica of Monument Park was created in 2009 for the new Yankee Stadium.

As former Yankee Bernie Williams stated about the closing of the old Yankee stadium,"concrete doesn't talk back to you---it's the people in the stands who made this place magical."  The new stadium may not have the same charm and character that the original stadium had, yet history is still being made every game.  After all, it is the people that wear the clothes; the clothes don't wear the people.  Just as it is not the wooden seats, nor the steal beams or concrete walls that make Yankee Stadium magical; It is the thousands of cheering, screaming, die-hard fans that do.

                                                    

Yankee Legend, Mariano Rivera, Announces His Retirement

 On Saturday, March 9th at the George M. Steinbrenner field where the Yankees are in the midst of spring training,  closing pitcher Mariano Rivera officially announced his retirement, concluding the 2013 season.  With his teammates by his side, Rivera discussed how honored he was to wear the pinstripes all throughout his career.  Day of sadness? Maybe for his many fans who will miss him running up to the mound during the ninth inning to save the game; but for Mariano there is no sadness, just blessings. This brings an end to Rivera's amazing career, including seventeen seasons with the New York Yankees. 

  Pitcher Andy Pettitte recalls the days back in 1996 when Mariano Rivera was first starting in the major leagues.  He had no remarkable pitches and his fastball didn't have much to it.  "It was like, `Man, he'd better come up with a little bit more stuff to be able to start in this league,'" Pettitte said.  The following year, Rivera was sent to the bullpen a year later and he has never looked back. 

  Who is going to replace the hopeful-future-Hall of Famer? Well, the question is simple.  No one.  The thing about Mariano Rivera is that he is not just one of the best closers of all time; nor is he just a great teammate. Rivera's integrity, sportsmanship, classiness, and dignity encompass it all.  He is a role model to the young rookies just starting out in the MLB, and an inspiration to young little-leaguers who only dream of making it to the MLB. Yet, Rivera has never been named the AL (American League) MVP, nor has he ever won a Cy Young award.

  His statistics speak for itself.  Rivera is a  seven-time pennant winner, five-time World Series Champion, and a 12-time All Star. In his seventeen years in the major leagues he has 608 saves, with an earned run average under 2.30.  In his playoff appearances over sixteen years, Rivera has a .070 ERA and 42 out of 96 saves.  As Yankees GM Brian Cashman stated twice, ""You'll never see that again, you'll never see that again." 

   We can only hope that Rivera gets what he deserves in his last year with the Yankees.  He deserves to throw the last pitch in the ninth inning and save the game to win the 2013 World Series with the New York Yankees.

 

Retirements, Injuries, Updates, Comebacks..It's All Covered!

What a week!  I have heard more news about the Yankees this week than many Mets fans have in the span of many months.  Speculations about retirement, another injury added to the long list, and improvements on a few others.  Since it has been quite an eventful week for the Yankees, I wanted to summarize an array of top stories in this blog post.  Let's get to it!

• In the most-talked about sports news, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is set to announce his plans for retirement today, following the 2013 baseball season.  The teams scheduled conference will be held in Tampa, Florida at the George M. Steinbrenner Field, where the Yankees are in the midst of Spring Training.  In his eighteen seasons in the MLB, all with the NY Yankees, Rivera is said to be one of the greatest closers of all time.  Manager of the Yankees Joe Girardi stated, "Greatest closer of all time.  No question in my mind." I will be writing a full blog about the press conference and Rivera's Hall of Fame career in the upcoming week. 

In other news, Andy Pettitte says he ready to start pitching in Spring Training after bouncing back from an injury in the 2012 season.  After pitching a stimulated game on Friday, Pettitte said his fastball was not as sharp as his previous game, but he feels ready to pitch in his first Spring Training game of the year next week. 

 

• After a minor setback with right shoulder discomfort, Yankees bullpen pitcher David Robertson is one step closer to pitching in a Spring Training game again.  Robertson has not pitched since March 1st due to the injury, but is said to be fully cleared for all baseball activity now.

• Good news Yankees fans! Derek Jeter is fully healed from his 2012 ankle injury.  Upon his visit to Charlotte, North Carolina to see Dr. Robert Anderson, Jeter was cleared to return to camp.  As Jeter stated, "As soon as I'm about to play, I'll play."  According to Girardi, Jeter will only play designated hitter in his first appearance back with the team.  He has yet to run the bases at 100% effort, but this is still encouraging news for the injury-filled New York Yankees.                              

• With Mark Teixeira out until May with a wrist injury, the Yankees now have a new contender for his position at first base.  Along with prospect Juan Rivera, 13th-year veteran Dave Johnson had his tryouts with the Yankees this past Friday.  Although he went 0-2 in his first day playing for the team, he had no mishapes that proved significant in Girardi's decision.  Of course it is too early to tell who is in the lead right now for that position, all Johnson wants to focus on is what he wants to do; "What I want to do is show everything."  That is what  I feel," said Johnson. We hope he follows through with his words and puts them into action!  Teixeira is a tough void to fill until May.                          

Well, that is all for this post!  These are the top stories from Spring Training with the Yankees this week.  Hope you like the new creative spin I added to this post.  Feel free to comment with any opinions or new information!

With Grandy out, Center Field Is In Doubt

When I first heard the news that Curtis Granderson broke his forearm and would be out until mid-May, I literally did not believe it.  Considering the Yankees have a lot of big decisions to make before the regular season begins, this new injury to the team could not be more heart-breaking. Personally, I would put Curtis Granderson up there as one of the classiest guys in the MLB.  He has been a positive and motivating part of the Yankees ever since his 2010 trade from the Detroit Tigers. 


In his first plate appearance of Spring Training, Granderson was five pitches in when he was hit with a fastball by J.A. Happ of the Toronto Blue Jays.  He was evaluated after the game, and the results showed that the 31 year-old fractured his forearm.  This puts the Yankees in a compromising position because it seemed that they had their outfield positions lined up with Curtis Granderson in left field, Brett Gardner in center, and Ichiro Suzuki in right field.  Although it was not set in stone, it took to being the more probable outcome.  The two big Yankee prospects for left field, Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz, are said to not be ready for the big leagues just yet. 

In a little bit of a surprising twist, though, former NY Yankee Johnny Damon stated that he would accept a low budget contract and come back just for the amount of time that Granderson will be out.  He was recently let go by the Cleaveland Indians after playing for three different teams in the past three years.  So why am I bringing that little twist into this blog when Brian Cashman does not seem so interested in the idea as of right now?  Well, Johnny Damon thinks his bat can do the talking because he was so comfortable hitting in Yankee Stadium.  Although there are some big shoes to fill since Granderson was a big offensive threat for the Yankees, Damon thinks his actions will speak louder than his words. With Travis Hafner being the new addition to the team, the Yankees are hoping they he can bring some offensive magic to the line-up. Let's go through the batting situation the Yankees need to compensate for.

• Curtis Granderson: (Out until May with a forearm injury)
• Eric Chavez : (Traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks) 
• Raul Ibanez: (Traded to Seattle Mariners)
• Alex Rodriguez: (Recently had hip surgery)
• Russell Martin: (Traded to Pittsburgh Pirates)
• Nick Swisher: (Traded to Cleavland Indians)
• Andruw Jones: (Signed a contract to play in Japan)

These seven players accumulated 155 home runs for the Yankees last year. 

The young rookies need to step it up and show why they should be given a chance in the big leagues with the Yankees.  With Granderson sidelined until May, Girardi and Cashman need to decide what is best for the team.  It seems as though they are thinking to stay within the realm of the team, instead of searching elsewhere for a backup. 

All I know is that the NY Yankees are an experienced team, the veterans know when to step it up, and the rookies will hopefully follow suit.  They aren't considered champions just for the heck of it.  They have earned that title over and over again. With or without injuries the Yankees will prevail!

"Win Today, Worry About Tomorrow Later"

So I was kind of stuck when thinking what specific Yankees topic I should write my blog about this week.  I took to asking around and seeing what people are interested in reading.  Most of the responses I received were about A-rod and the steroid scandal; others were about the respect Joe Girardi receives as a manager, and some questioned the Yankees starting rotation.  All good suggestions, but since I already talked about two out of three of the topics in my past blogs, I wanted to come from a bit of a different direction.

What was the end result you may ask?  A blog about the Yankees transitioning into territory that may not be too familiar to them.  What do I mean by this unfamiliar territory?  As we true Yankee fans know, a World Series Championship is expected of the team every season.  Those close to George Steinbrenner knew that he demands nothing less than the best.  The American League East is no longer a given to the Yankees or to the Boston Red Sox.  The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have made the playoffs in the past three years, and the Baltimore Orioles have turned around the franchise and won over ninety games. 

Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and Ichiro Suzuki are technically the only Yankees that will be under contract in 2014.  Those four contracts, alone, are just under $80 million.  Keep in mind that in order to avoid the 50% luxury tax the Yankees will have to pay, they must keep their payroll below $189 million.  What is the team's payroll as of now? $210 million.  That is a substantial amount of money to cut.  In the past five years, the Yankees have traded thirteen of their big prospects and talent.  Their response to those trades?  Five players, including Curtis Granderson, Ichiro Suzuki, and back-up catcher Chris Stewart.  Pitcher Michael Pineda turned out to be a huge disappointment for the team thus far. 

Above all, the New York Yankees will continue with their "win-today, worry-about-tomorrow-later mentality that has not put a lot of value on draft choices and bringing along homegrown players." (Yankees.com)

The Core Three: Age, Experience, and Wisdom

 Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte bring age, experience, and wisdom to the New York Yankees. With seven American League pennants, eleven American League Championships, and seventeen visits to the post-season, including five World Series championships together; the core four have experienced it all. Excluding the time pitcher Andy Pettitte was traded to the Houston Astros for three years, they have accumulated sixteen seasons together as teammates.  Even more amazing is that they were all brought up to the Major Leagues in 1995. 
 
Okay, okay I'll stop with the facts right now.  Let's move on to why I really decided to write this blog about the core four.  The usual questions of age have come up yet again right before the start of Spring Training.  Jorge Posada has since retired from the MLB so the core four is down to the core three.  Shortstop Derek Jeter recently responded to the questions and concerns about their ages, but he sees it as bringing more experience to the team.  I 100% agree with Jeter.  They may not be able to run as fast as the younger players, but one thing you can guarantee is that they will bring 100%, while representing the Yankees in the classiest way possible.  Experience is what each player earns every time he steps out on to the field or in the batter's box.  Without this experience, young rookies playing in the MLB would not be given the direction they seek in the more senior teammates.  It is a known fact that almost every rookie in the MLB looks up to either Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, or Andy Pettitte as their idols.

 
To sum it all up. With age comes experience.  With experience comes wisdom.  This is what the core four represents.  

The Yankee Stadium Tell-All

  For those of you who haven't gone yet, you must see a game at Yankee Stadium.  There's nothing like it, especially during playoff time.  Some may say that baseball games are too boring to sit through for nine innings.  Come on now! Enjoy yourself and have some fun screaming your lungs out for your favorite team!  Get up on the chairs and cheer like everyone else is doing!  I have been to those games where you just want to leave after five innings because nothing is happening and it seems never-ending, but honestly how often do you really get to go to Yankee games?  Think about it.  You're not going to go to a game every weekend, let alone every month.  Might as well enjoy yourself with the other 30,000+ fans who are freezing in their seats just as you are, cheering as loud as they can for the Yankees. 

   I loved going to games at the old Yankee Stadium.  The noise was deafening, nobody could hear themselves talk, and it was a nightmare for the visiting team.  That's exactly what it is all about.  You want the other teams' players to get frustrated in the batter's box, while trying to focus on the pitches.  The visiting team's pitcher should show signs of nervousness and frustration when the fans are screaming their heads off to distract him.  At the new Yankee Stadium this doesn't happen much at all.

   As said in a Wikipedia page that I found about Yankee Stadium: "The stadium has also been criticized for its lack of fan noise. During a Sunday Night Baseball telecast in 2012, commentator and former Red Sox manager Terry Francona spoke about the different atmospheres in the old and new stadiums saying that 'As a visiting team, especially for the Red Sox, by the time the (national) anthem was over, you couldn’t wait to get back in the dugout. Now (there is) a little different (kind) of fan sitting around down there by the dugout. Games at the new stadium do not feature the same deafening crowd moments and often sound eerily silent.^[75] The lack of fan noise has been noticeable in the 2012 playoffs as well, with thousands of unsold seats for Game 5 of the ALDS and Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS. 'This is a very easy place to play now', said Quintin Berry of the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees' ALCS opponents. Coming from Oakland, the fans there were so rowdy. It was easier to come here."

   Really Quintin Berry? It's an easy place to play now? I don't think New York is ever an easy city to play in, especially during the ALCS playoffs. A lot of players have trouble playing in New York because of the amount of pressure the fans give to the players during the game. You think A.J. Burnett or Alex Rodriguez would say it was easy to play here, having been booed so many times. New York fans are some of the greatest and most loyal fans around. I do not think they would ever make it easy on any team to play here.

   This is what I added to the Wikipedia page:
   Yankee Stadium has always been a tough stadium to play in due to the amount of pressure the fans put on the players. The noise, especially during playoff season, is something to experience. The whole stadium is lit up; the fans are running around the streets chanting for the Yankees. Even some Yankee players, such as A.J. Burnett had a tough time playing in New York due to the amount of pressure. Baseball players from other teams look forward to playing here because of the experience. It is like no other stadium.



Little known fact: Yankee Stadium was originally considered to be a left-handers ballpark because of the amount of space on the left field side.  Although the dimensions of the ballpark have not changed once the Yankees moved to the new stadium, the seating capacity and size of the main score board have changed dramatically.