Goodbye to Yankee Stadium

By Chris Furnari

The tickets to simply step inside Yankee Stadium cost about as much as my flight to New York.

Don't be mistaken, I wasn't sitting field level. I wasn't even within range of taking a halfway decent photograph, even with my digital camera on full zoom.

But I was fortunate enough to catch one of the last home games at the original Yankee Stadium.

I managed to figure out a New York subway map and get off the train with hundreds of other New Yorkers. I also managed to walk all the way around the stadium (in the opposite direction of where I needed to go), passing a few crowded sports bars along the way.

Thick New York accents filled the air as fans in pinstripes hurried to their seats. I had finally made it to the house that Ruth built.

My first order of business was ordering a hot dog and a beer. Next I had to find my seats, which were conveniently located behind the left field foul pole, a glamorous five rows from the top of the stadium.

I rose for the national anthem, removed my Yankees cap (which I had bought earlier that day in Times Square) and took a second to actually capture the moment I had the privilege to experience.

As I sipped on my $10 Bud Light and listened to "The Star-Spangled Banner," I couldn't help but think if I had ever experienced anything more American than enjoying a game in the most famous baseball stadium in history. This brought one question to mind.

If someone told you that only 150,000 more people could walk through the White House ever again, wouldn't you want to be one of those few lucky individuals?

For me, Yankee Stadium has the same allure.

With all of the history that has taken place in the stadium and all of the legendary people that have set foot inside its walls, it seems necessary for any sports fan to visit Yankee Stadium, just like it seems necessary for any American to visit the White House.

If anything, baseball might actually be discussed more frequently on a daily basis than politics. It is America's pastime, after all.

This is not to say that the game is more important than what occurs in the White House. For me, however, attending a game in the original Yankee Stadium was equally important, at least for one night.

Oh, and the Yankees won.

"New York, New York" played over the loudspeakers. It was everything I thought it would be: Perfect.

Chris Furnari is a Santa Clara alumnus and former sports editor of The Santa Clara.