As I stared at the television screen and the green grass and facade faded to black, it began to sink in.
Yankee Stadium, my dear friend, was now gone.
No more home runs to hit or curtain calls to cheer. No more champagne or World Series pennants, no more grounds’ crew dances or meetings at the Big Bat. No right field porch or Monument Park.
And as I sat there stunned, I couldn’t help but think: How will we remember Yankee Stadium?
If there was a eulogy of your favorite moments, how would it read?
If you could etch your greatest memory on the tombstone of the House of Ruth, Gerhig, Mantle and DiMaggio, what would you say?
In the end, there’s only one way to find a fitting obitu
ary for a Stadium beloved by so many across the nation: memories, as told by the fans who lived them:
Denis Walsh ’09: ‘I was in the third grade on a field trip. I didn’t get it, but the guy next to me caught a foul ball, and he gave it to me. I’ll always remember that.’
Chris Diana ’09: ‘I was sitting in the upper deck. It was the game Melky [Cabrera] robbed Manny Ramirez. We all went crazy.’
Rory Bernier ’10: ‘I was yelling at Sox fans with the Bleacher Creatures. Jeter ran full speed, diving into the seats. His fearlessness (was) unbelievable.’
Julia Hermanowski ’09: ‘I remember sitting at the Stadium as a kid with a Mets’ fan behind me, telling everyone how great Shea was. I was so, so mad!’
Brad Gorson ’10: ‘2001… the comeback games,’ ‘Tino, then Jeter, then Brosius. It was unreal.’
Prof. Jack Cavanaugh: ‘Though I saw many exciting Yankee baseball games at Yankee Stadium as a boy and later covered many as a sportswriter, the Colts-Giants game (in the 1958 NFL Championship) – which I watched on television – was far and away the most exciting game I ever saw at the Stadium. It was a game for the ages.’
Prof. Michael Maccarone: ‘I was 7 years old. It was the original Yankee Stadium, and my idol, Mickey Mantle, hit a home run and made an amazing catch.’
Kevin Shaw ’10: ‘Definitely the World Series against the Diamondbacks after Sept. 11. President Bush threw out the first pitch. People were crying. It might be the greatest moment of our era.’
Jeff Seiser ’10: ‘It was a 1992. A day game against the Brewers. My grandpa took me, and he bought me a souvenir ball and bat. I was too young to remember what was going on, but I still have that bat to this day.’
Frank Barbalaco ’11: ‘It has to be when Mariano Rivera comes out to ‘Enter Sandman’. I still get chills.’
Keith Connors ’10: ‘I was 6 or 7 years old, and too young to realize who the Yankees were playing that day or what that moment meant. But I sprinted up the tunnel and finally caught a glimpse of the blue sky and then the field. I’ll never forget it. Ever.
‘Just like the Stadium, those memories live on.’
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