July 13, 2008
Missed Opportunity
I am usually considered to be a very thorough person. I'm the planner, the organizer, the one who can plan the trip and remember even the smallest details. I've guided my friends through wonderful trips to see the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Seattle Mariners. I've been a key part of other good baseball trips such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Philadelphia. It is with this established that I can admit that I've missed Yankee Stadium. It closes its doors forever at the end of the season.
Built in 1923 and certainly open for business, Yankee Stadium is a must see that I will not experience. I want to see the short porch in right field, the white frieze that runs along the top of the stadium, and Monument Park. I'm missing history – the public address announcer and maybe an eagle flying around the stadium. And I'm the only one to blame.
It's not like this stadium is in a city that doesn't have a lot to offer in the area of culture or entertainment. It's New York. And I've even seen Shea Stadium and their cool apple back in the day. That's the kicker. And I took my mom to New York last fall. Ugh. And I decided on my first two baseball trips based solely on the basis of which historical stadiums I should definitely not miss before they are demolished. And then what happened?
I got sidetracked. Other trips are good, but I lost my sense of tradition. What stadiums, when I'm in my rocking chair with a blanket covering my legs, will the other old-timers sigh and grunt when I say I missed that one? It's like having a cup with a huge hole in it. Great. You saw Turner Field and Camden Yards. That totally makes up for missing the House that Ruth Built.
Looking on the Yankees website, there are no tickets available I could find before my summer is over. I did see some on eBay, but how badly do I want to go? Tickets, hotel room and flight or gas isn't going to be cheap. How important of an experience is this? It's a regret, and I'll I guess I'll have to live with it. The next oldest stadium is Dodger Stadium. You can bet that I will not miss that one.
Posted by ed at 08:33 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)
State Of Fear