It is almost time to say goodbye to an old friend of mine. I’ve been visiting this fixture in my life for the past 15 years. Invited inside with open arms, I could not wait to jump off the train and get there so I could be treated to a good time, some ice cold lemonade, and a bunch of homemade cold-cut sandwiches. Usually this would be a story about a grandmother’s house, or a family friend of some sort. The second one is somewhat correct, but only in my mind. This is the last year for Yankees Stadium, my home away from home every other Sunday during the Spring, Summer and Fall months.
Sure, others might have been visiting the Stadium longer than I have, but that does not matter. If you visit a place enough times, it becomes special. Now, at the end of the 2008 season, I will have a brand new place to call home away from home. But will it be the same? Will this shiny new Yankees Stadium capture the same mystique the old one did? Somehow the almost completely renovated from the ground up version that opened in 1976 kept that classic feel of the 1923 model. Now we will be treated to a gorgeous walkway, bleachers integrated into the overall structure of the stadium, and no more black empty bleachers to act as an eye catch in center field. Yes, “The Bleacher Creatures” will be able to mingle with the “regular fans.” Scary, but they do not bite, I promise. Oh, and current season ticket holders will be given tickets to the new stadium, but not in the sections we have all gotten used to.
