If this is goodbye

This weekend, Yankee Stadium bid farewell to the world, its beloved fans, devoted New Yorkers, and pinstriped heroes. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the penultimate game with a large group of family. We sat in right field, behind Bobby Abreu. The bleachers were particularly animated on Saturday. After they called out all the players’s names, they turned to the crowd and chanted, “box seats suck.” God I love New York.

Before I even arrived at the game, I told myself to relish it all. Staring out at the grass, I was struck once again by the greenness of it. To me, taking in Yankee Stadium during the first inning feels like watching Wizard of Oz when Dorothy enters the bright colors of Munchkin Land. At Yankee Stadium, the grass is even greener than the other side.

The penultimate game was dull as far as baseball goes. I don’t think I’ve seen more pop flies and strikeouts. Even donning Giambi mustaches couldn’t bring on a hit. For each historic game that has gone down within the throbbing confines of the stadium, there have been 6 slow ones. Having watched Giambi win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs earlier this summer, I didn’t feel like I had the right to complain about the slowness of this particular game. You gotta take the good with slightly yawn inducing. The Yankees won in the blink of an eye, when Robinson Cano hit a single with the bases loaded. I think the Yanks were simply saving their energy—both physical and emotional—for the last game.

Sunday night, I watched the coverage of the last game and felt the sting of tears form in the back of my eyes as Yogi proudly stood in uniform on the infield. Despite the slight hunch of his back, his presence was still intimidating. The biggest cheers, mine included, went out not for Yogi, however, but instead for Bernie Williams. It was an overwhelming ovation, one that clearly registered on Bernie’s smiling face.

Saying goodbye to the legacy of the stadium is no easy task. Yet, I think it’s time for a new era, and there’s nothing more symbolic of change than a new setting. The Yankees were lackluster this season. It’s easy to get complacent within the walls of a winning stadium. Autopilot setting, however, does not get you to the playoffs. These guys need to change something so why not build a new stage?

Bernie Williams said that the fans really made the experience at Yankee stadium. “It was more the people than the stadium,” Williams said. “You talk about the magic and the aura, but what really made the Stadium was the fans. Concrete doesn’t talk back to you. Chairs don’t talk back to you. It’s the people that are there, that root for you day in and day out. That’s what makes this place magical.” This was clear as the camera panned across the stands, showing tearful young boys decked head to toe in Yankee gear hugging close to their Yankee cap-clad fathers. Yankee fans aren’t going anywhere any time soon. Actually, they are, but only a baseball’s-throw across the street.