Baseball Trip - Day 3

As we boarded the bus on Saturday morning, I could imagine Old Blue Eyes singing “Start spreading the news…”. We were heading to New York. Our guide shared the day’s agenda and the day’s trivia questions and we settled in for the ride. Every day we were traveling there was an appropriate movie playing on our screens. On this day, the feature was Pride of the Yankees, with Gary Cooper portraying Lou Gehrig. A classic! If you haven’t ever seen this movie, you should watch it. Or if it’s been a while, watch it again. Just try not to tear up when you hear The Iron Horse say “ Today… I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth “.

As we passed through New Jersey the traffic picked up. Just the beginning! We got to the point where we could see the New York City skyline in the distance. It was like watching a movie. Then we finally got into the parking lot at Ellis Island. We spent some time in the Immigration Museum, then boarded the ferry to go to Liberty Island. As the Staue of Liberty came into view, it was an awesome sight. The statue is a symbol of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. We are so blessed to live in this country!

We reboarded the coaches and headed for the Bronx. With the congestion, you could either go slow or slower. It made the trip seem longer. As we got closer to our destination the area was very run down. I’ll just say it wasn’t anywhere I would have been comfortable driving! Finally we got a very brief glimpse of Yankee Stadium, then it blended into the scenery. We continued to drive for what seemed like a very long time, then eventually pulled into the bus parking lot, which may have been in a different area code from the stadium. After a long hike, we could again see our destination. There were so many people. The line to get into the game (which had already started) was over two city blocks. Fortunately the line moved pretty quickly, and we were inside. The concourse was just as crowded. I will confess that at this point I was not impressed. Too many people in a very crowded place! I guess you can take the boy out of Gladewater but you can’t take the Gladewater out of the boy.

Then we got to our seats and I realized “Hey we’re in Yankee Stadium!”. The Yankees were playing the Red Sox! Possibly the best rivalry in sports. There was definitely excitement in the air. Thousands of Yankee fans with their arrogant confidence. Thousands of hostile Bosox rooters who were doing their best to be heard. As it turned out, the Red Sox had plenty to cheer about on this night as their bats were hot and they built a lead. NY rallied towards the end of the game and pulled close, but the final score was 10-7. This game was the opposite of the one we had seen the night before. Plenty of action.

Some of you have seen the picture of me wearing a Yankee jersey at the game. Here’s my reasoning. It was a replica Babe Ruth jersey. The Sultan of Swat played for both teams. You’ve heard of the Curse of the Bambino. This was my tribute. I assure you I’m not a fan of either franchise. The Rangers are my team!

We were sitting in row 8 in left field. A Red Sox home run landed about 8 feet from us. The lady who caught it was subjected to some hostility from the surrounding Yankee fans, who wanted her to throw it back. I was glad she kept it. Forty thousand people went to that game with a hope of catching a baseball - and she got one. She was entitled to keep it no matter who hit it!

My only regret (other than never seeing the original Yankee Stadium which was replaced by the current version in 2009) was not being able to see Monument Park. It is an area behind center field where the team honors the 24 players who have had their number retired with plaques and granite columns, along with tributes to many other franchise luminaries, two Popes, and Nelson Mandela. The Park is only open for 45 minutes prior to game time and we missed that window.

So in summary, Yankee Stadium was a mixed bag. Other than the sheer size and spectacle, the Stadium itself was nothing extra. But the atmosphere was electric, the game was fun, and my pastrami sandwich was outstanding. We made the long walk back to our busses and headed for Nanuet, NY. “Rush Hour” traffic was just as bad at 11:00 pm as it was earlier. It was good to get back to the hotel safe and sound. Another exciting day awaited us.

That’s one man’s opinion - what’s yours?