The “New” Yankee Stadium Grade Book

In the midst of recent family vacation to the Big Apple. The executive editor and her protege decided it was time to go shopping. In turn, I decided it was to teach my protege a life lesson of his own. That being, if the ladies in your life want you to go shopping with them— they are LYING.

Ignoring the fact that this little nugget might keep him single for a very long time. The little man and I were off to the Bronx for the rare Monday matinee between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. As a quick disclaimer. I am not a Yankees fan. Actually the furthest thing from it. I’m a salt of the Earth, old English D wearing, mid market baseball fan.

That being said, I went to “old” Yankee stadium in the early aughts to watch a Tigers game and…lowering my voice… it was pretty sweet. I’d only place it behind Wrigley on the list of stadiums I’ve been to. So I was curious to see how the new version holds up.

Getting there

If you have ever been to New York, you know how easy it is to get around the staggering metropolis with public transit. The historic Grand Central Station deserves a column of its own. I just bought a ticket and hopped a train. It only stopped one time before arriving at the clearly marked Yankee Stadium stop. No horror stories, no unruly passengers. A smooth and uneventful ride.

Additionally, a Monday day game before the start of the Subway Series is dare I say it… affordable. I was able to get a lower level seat down the left field line without taking out a second mortgage.

This isn’t meant to be trip advisor article. If I’m making this sound like some type utopia, it’s not. Don’t try to drive there. That looked like a nightmare. Understandably security is much tighter than other ball parks. Because of this (and other reasons I’ll cover later) I would make sure to get there early. And unless you are dying for the culinary delights of the McDonald’s across from the stadium. I would eat before arrival. If you are the type of fan who is used to the modern “ballpark entertainment districts”. You will be disappointed. The stadium most definitely has an entertainment district. It’s called Manhattan.

Grade: A

The Stadium/Pre Game Atmosphere

My initial thought of stadium was mildly perplexing. Kind of like when you hear about a friend doing something audacious or daring. You hear it, it registers cognitively, but it doesn’t really take hold until you see it for yourself.

How should I say it delicately? They are not getting points for creativity here. They literally just built a replica of the old place next door. This wasn’t a surprise. However staring at that iconic facade above. It really sunk in for the first time. As a former history teacher, I’m generally all about preservation. But man this is taking it kind of far. It also made me wonder. Why couldn’t Detroit simply have done something like this with Tiger Stadium?

My initial reaction is similar to my unpopular take on guacamole. It’s definitely there, I can taste it. Does it taste good? Does it taste bad? I’m not really sure. It’s not really better. Just a different taste.

Once through the gates. You enter what I could best describe as a… mausoleum. I can’t call it a full on concourse. You can’t even see the field yet. Just a gigantic high ceilinged room lacking any type of character or soul.

The space had two things going for it. It was very clean and oddly very calm. Just look at the fans pictured here. If you remove the Yankee iconography, this could pass for an airport terminal. Not exactly what you are looking for in a July baseball game with playoff implications.

Grade: C-…… but hold up. Just like my old teaching days. Right when you are ready to put that substandard grade in a book. A student comes in with extra credit.

Yankee Stadium’s extra credit comes courtesy of something only a few other stadiums in sports can offer. A heavy dose of nostalgia in the form of….

Despite baseball’s alleged decline in the sports zeitgeist. It has something other sports simply can’t match. The ability to move you during the “Field of Dreams” game in the cornfields of Iowa. The ability to make you feel like a kid again with a contest at the Little League World Series.

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio? His spirit is in the place known as Monument Park just beyond the outfield fencing of Yankee Stadium. There is really no demerits in this tranquil location.

After going past the tiny sign above. You head down a nondescript hallway and walk head long into a legitimate hall of history. It’s all right there in front of you. Berra, Gehrig, Mantle, and of course Babe Ruth. The modern “core four”, Thurman Munson, and even Nelson Mandela. The little man was subjected to his dad turning into a tour guide for about a half hour. I could have stayed longer. I have nothing negative to say here. It is treasure trove of rich history.

Grade: I’ll amend the previous grade quite a bit with the inclusion of Monument Park. We”ll go with an A-. The minus coming from the slightly antiseptic atmosphere.

concessions

I have a news flash for you. Stadium concessions are quite expensive— everywhere. You could imagine what they would be in New York City. So I was pleasantly surprised when they were reasonably priced. The $20 Chicken Bucket is a sight to behold. It’s massive and is probably the best bang for your buck.

That being said, this was baseball game. You have to get a hot dog don’t you? It’s New York as well. When a I saw a Nathan’s Famous Extra Long Hot Dog for less than 9 bucks. I told the little man to go that route. The review— well a picture says a 1,000 words

When I kid. Wendy’s built a whole ad campaign around the slogan “where’s the beef.?” I ask the fine folks at Nathan’s “where’s the bun?” Maybe I’m showing my midwestern small town roots. But I felt like we needed a handbook to eat our hot dogs. With a collapsing to non existent bun it was quite difficult. Honestly, what I was able to get into my pie hole wasn’t that great.

If a good ole American hot dog isn’t your speed. This stadium is located in the melting pot of our nation. Walking around the stadium you could have gotten just about anything. Italian, Asian, Thai, and even an ample supply of Sushi. While that doesn’t exactly scream baseball. With the Big Apple’s diverse population, it’s an understandable business decision. However there was one thing I took umbrage with. Remember that gigantic wall that turned our concourse into a mausoleum in the picture above. The front side of the wall looked like this

I’ll acknowledge the July sun complicated things a bit, and this is not my best photography work. The detail you should focus in on there is the white tablecloth. For the culinary uninitiated— the white tablecloth is used to signify fine dining. Each of the visible tables in the “club” was feted with a chilled bottle of wine. Listen I’m not an anti- one percenter. It’s your money, if you got it spend it. But come on this is baseball. It’s just like popular refrain from the quintessential baseball song says….

“buy me some peanuts and…. Caviar?”

I feel like channeling my inner Tom Hanks here. “There’s no Caviar in baseball” or “There’s no Filet Mignon in baseball.” To make matters worse. This exclusive club wasn’t in some far flung skybox. This was in prime concourse real estate right behind home plate. If Juan Soto walks away from the Yanks after this year. It won’t be over money.

Grade: B– An excellent variety of food at decent prices that was dragged down by poor quality and a high end that was simply unaffordable.

The Game Itself

This is New York City. You’re not going to get the “dizzy bat” or between inning hijinks you might see in other ball parks. Just professional no frills baseball in a raucous and passionate atmosphere. Some quick observations from the game.

-On Monday July 22nd. The Tampa Bay Rays were already playing out the string. That was some bad body language. Especially from Randy Arozarena. Three days later. He got his wish and was sent to the Seattle Mariners

– Aaron Judge is a LARGE human being. I never saw Shaq. But I’ve seen LeBron James. That would be the best comp. Just a truly imposing human being born to play some sport professionally.

– The famed short right field porch is real. The fans got excited anytime something was hit into right. More often than not they were justified. There were six home runs in the game. It felt like batting practice at times. Juan Soto hit two of them.

– About those “done” Rays. Soto’s second home run was particularly long. Not in the tape measure variety. I think he stopped between first and second and did a snow angel. Between second and third he shaved. There is admiring a home run. Soto contemplated its place in the universe. This was a slow “show up the opponent” home run trot if I ever saw one. I thought we might get some fireworks with a Rays retaliation. Nope, the boys from Tampa were done.

– Singing “God Bless America” during the 7th inning stretch in New York just hit a little different. Explaining it to my son was sobering reminder of the history old Yankee Stadium held

and finally….I believe I discovered the secret to happiness in this life

– Find something in life that you love as much as the people of New York love Frank Sinatra’s “New York New York” ballad. I can appreciate old Blue Eyes as much as the next person. That being said, do you know how many times I heard this song in my time in the city? After the Yankees victory they played it, which was fine I guess. Then they just let it go on loop. Over and over, and over. Mercy, it’s too bad there aren’t any other New York songs… Wait a minute maybe a little Alicia Keys

Grade: B Nothing special. Just a solid passing grade. The short porch made the game exciting. The fans were passionate and involved. But they could done just a little more with presentation. And the song that never ends knocks the grade down a bit.

Final Grade- B+

Pretty simple tabulation here. The only grade not used was right in the middle with a B+, so that is where we landed. Meaning the “New” Yankee Stadium is a perfectly suitable modern ballpark with plenty of strengths and a few glaring weaknesses.

So what is it? This might sound like a slight, but trust me this is a pro-Disney World space. The New Yankee Stadium is essentially Epcot. Or more specifically, the World Showcase at Epcot. If you have ever been there you know where I am going with this analogy.

At the World Showcase in the span of few miles you can take in the sights, sounds, and tastes of cultures from around the globe. The architecture is dotted with mini Eiffel Towers and Mayan ruins. The food booths are staffed by actual residents of each county. It’s about as authentic of experience as you can get. But….

It’s ultimately not real. Sorry Yankee fans, I was at the old house. I saw Jeremy Bonderman lose to Joba Chamberlain (that’s a deep pull for middle aged baseball fans) You could still feel the echoes of the 9-11 World Series in the walls of that hallowed hall. There was a buzz and grittiness to Old Yankee that can’t be replicated in a 2.3 billion dollar baseball palace.

In summation if you want to catch a baseball game in a picturesque environment in America’s largest city. You can’t go wrong with Yankee Stadium. However if you want to get the old neighborhood Americana baseball vibes. Head to Wrigley Field or dare I say it..Fenway Park.