Saying Goodbye to Yankee Stadium

For many die-hard Yankee fans, saying goodbye to Yankee Stadium this past Sunday was special, but at the same time it was very sad. Why you say, because there will be no postseason baseball as the Yankees will miss the playoffs for the first time in the last 14 years and all the great memories that came with it.

Unlike a lot of sports stadiums and arenas, Yankee Stadium is a place that stands by itself.

This was the place that not only has a team that has won 26 World Series titles, but it is also where some of the greatest sports spectacles took place.

In 1958, the New York Football Giants, who played in Yankee Stadium from 1956-1973, played in what was called, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” when they faced the Baltimore Colts for the NFL Championship on Dec. 22, 1958. The Giants unfortunately lost the game in overtime when fullback Alan Ameche scored a 1-yard touchdown after 8 minutes and 15 seconds to give the Colts a 23-17 win and the NFL title. What made this game special is that it help launch the popularity of the NFL and brought into the spotlight individuals like Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, Giants running back Frank Gifford, Giants assistant coaches Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi, Giants owner Tim Mara and Vice President and Secretary Wellington Mara who brought the NFL into the spotlight who would later on become synonymous with the game and be etched in its history forever in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.   

Along with football in its early days, “The Stadium” was also the host three notable boxing matches. It was here where Benny Leonard retained his heavyweight title defeating Lou Tendler in a 15-round decision on July 24, 1923. Jack Dempsey knocked out Jack Sharkey in the first $1 million non-title fight on July 7, 1927. The boxing match though that is most remembered at Yankee Stadium was between the bought between Joe Louis and Germany’s Max Schmeling on June 22, 1938. The fight took place as the world was on the verge of World War II. Adolf Hitler called Schmeling before his fight and urged him to defeat Louis for the Nazi Party. Louis knocked out Schmeling less than a minute into the fight and won the World Heavyweight Championship of the World. He also in the process sent a message that went beyond the walls of the Bronx Bombers ballpark.

This was also a place of some other significant moments in American history took place. This was the place where Nelson Mandela appeared four months after his 27-year stint in prison on Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town bay in South Africa. In his speech to more than 50,000 people, he encouraged them to unite in peace.

Yankee stadium was also the place that hosted the Papal Visits. The first took place when Pope Paul VI visited on Oct. 4, 1965. Pope john Paul II made his visit to the stadium on Oct. 2, 1979. The most recent visit came on Apr. 20, 2008 when Pope Benedict XVI visited New York and held his service at Yankee Stadium.

“The Stadium” is also the place where some of the greatest music artist of our era entertained crowds with the sounds that have made them the best at what they do. Billy Joel had his concert on June 22, 1990. The group U2 rocked their sounds for the New York faithful on August 8, 1992. English rock band Pink Floyd performed at Yankee stadium on June 10, 1994. The most memorable performance took place on April 25, 1999 when Rock and Roll musician Paul Simon, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sung his most popular song in centerfield on the day when Joe DiMaggio’s Monument dedication.

Yankee Stadium with all those great achievements in professional athletics, music and human kind will always be remembered for the baseball greatness that fans got a chance witness.

It is almost fitting that the first hit in this monumental ballpark happened was by Red Sox first baseman George Burns. The first home run though was by Babe Ruth. The Yanks beat their arch rivals on that day of Apr. 18, 1923 by the score of 4-1.

From that day forward, the Bronx bombers gave New York fans moments to cherish. From nine clinching World Series titles on their field; 10 regular-season no-hitters performed by the likes of Monte Pearson, Jim Abbott, Dwight Gooden, David Wells and David Cone; 10 walk-off postseason home runs, with former Yankee greats Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter and Aaron Boone to name a few.

To really understand the true meaning of what Yankee Stadium has meant to New York, just go back to Sept. 11, 2001 when our nation changed forever. It was “The Stadium” that played a major part in bringing some normalcy back to many New Yorkers. On Sept. 23, 2001, Yankee Stadium was where a memorial service was held for those who were victim of the terrorist attacks.

Two months later, the Yankees made it to the World Series and in Game 3 President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch to back up catcher Todd Greene.

What followed were three consecutive wins by the Yankees in dramatic fashion. in Former third baseman Scott Brosius broke a 6th inning tie with an RBI single that gave the Yanks a 3-2 victory and cut the D-Backs lead in the series 2-1.

The heroics of Game 4 belonged to first baseman Tino Martinez who hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the score 3-3. Then Derek Jeter added another page to his resume of greatness with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning that gave the Yankees a 4-3 victory and tied the series at two. Jeter’s game clinching dinger made him the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit a homer in November and earned him the nickname “Mr. November.”

The come from behind heroics by the Yankees continued in Game 5 when catcher Jorge Posada hit a double to begin things in the bottom of the ninth. Brosius who was the hero in Game 3 helped the Yanks draw even with a two-out blast over the left field wall that tied the contest 2-2.  Former Yankee outfielder Alfonso Soriano won it for the Yankees with a base hit that scored Chuck Knoblauch in the bottom of the 12th inning and the Yankees won 3-2 and were ahead in the series 3-2.

Unfortunately those great come from behind victories went for naught as the Diamondbacks won both Game 6 (15-2) and Game 7 (3-2) back in Arizona and would win their first World Series in franchise history. While the dream at the end was denied for the Yankees, they still gave the faithful of New York and those who watched across North America something to be very proud of, especially those that watched at the stadium.

Yankee stadium became more than just a place that housed 26 World Series titles. It stemmed beyond the record of 4,132-2,430. This stadium was a place that allowed fans to see and appreciate greatness from the likes of Reggie Jackson, Henry Louis Gehrig and many of the former and current Yanks. It was the home of Monument Park where you can see the 24 players, managers, broadcasters and events that made “The Stadium,” what is. This was home of an organization that while it had great players and managers, it always came back to the two most important things, the team and the fans.

While there will be no more baseball in the old Yankee Stadium, there will always be the memories that it bought to so many of us and we can only hope that another 85 years of greatness lie ahead at the new Yankee Stadium.