Game 4 Viewing Party in the Bronx

The Yankees are once again opening Yankee Stadium to the public for a World Series Game 4 viewing party. The contest is scheduled to start at 8:20 p.m. ET (remember clocks go back on Sunday a.m.), and will of course be played in Philly.

Gates 4 and 6 will open up at 7 and you can watch from either field level on the big board or in the great hall. Concession stands as well as the NYY Steak and Hard Rock Cafe will be open.

Our First Trip to the New Yankee Stadium

The day had finally arrived. April 19, 2009, our first trip to the new Yankee Stadium. After flip flopping on whether to drive or take the train, we opted to drive in. We departed for the Bronx early, well aware the parking situation could be a mess.

We had received the Yankees propaganda guide in the mail. You know the one, the slickly made booklet that tells everything about the Stadium, tickets, food, booze, etc..as well as a map of the available parking. It comes in handy.

For over 30 years, my friends and family have always parked in the garage on River Ave. between 162nd and 164th streets. The parking garage is now right on the other side of center field. Which means, you guessed it, the "normal" fan can no longer park there. Permit parking only. We were glad we got in early (11:08 am) since it took a half-hour to get a parking space (River Ave. was very congested with traffic).

We cursed and moved along down the road towards the old permit parking garage at 153rd and River. We laughed as we saw the lot across the street that advertised valet parking for $32. Valet? To pull your car up 10 feet. Nice work if you can get it.

The Yankees have made a huge mistake with the garage on 153rd. You do not pay as you drive in. You get a small card, which you use to pay in one of the several machines inside the parking facility. That's no problem, but there's a big problem when you go to leave. You have to put the card into a machine to get the gate to open. Which means you have to wait and wait and wait while everyone in front of you performs this task. We left well after the game ended on Sunday and the line to leave was still wrapped up to the second level of the deck.

The outside of the old Stadium suddenly looked just that, old. Graffiti has already begun to appear on the walls and the old ticket booths looked particularly lonely.

It felt a bit surreal to walk past the new Babe Ruth Plaza and up the stairs to the new Stadium. As soon as you walk through the doors, you are bombarded with noise. Mainly fans talking with one another, but also the sound of Yankees history being plated out on one of the large screens in the Great Hall. In this case, it was the Mickey Mantle Yankeeography. Very appropriate for the first trip.

The Great Hall is set up nicely. Plenty of room for people to mill about and lots of history hanging from the walls. Escalators, stairs, and elevators get you to where you want to go. In this case it was the main concourse. This is what really told you that while you were still in Kansas, Toto, the Steinbrenner of Oz had been busy.

The concourse, for the most part is spacious. A major change is that it no longer smells like urine. The ability to see out on to the field as you move about is a big plus that was already a feature of most newer stadiums.

The new videoboard is overwhelming in size and the clarity is amazing. During the game it also displayed the miles per hour for each pitch and the pitch count for each hurler. A display board to the left of the big screen showed the lineups and batter info, while a display screen on the right showed the out of town scores. It is difficult at times to pick out this information between the, what seems like hundreds, of commercial advertisements. The ads are also all over the outfield walls. We're really against this look. It's great for minor league games or spring training, but ads on the outfield walls in the majors is horrid.

Unfortunately, Monument Park was closed. We'd heard the complaints that it looked like it was hastily put together and we wanted to check it out for ourselves. The sign leading to the area is also a bit misleading. It says Mohegan Sun Bar on the same sign, so there were people (we were only fooled for a minute) in line for the bar that thought they were in line for Monument Park.

We shook our heads in disgust/amazement at the blind spots in the outfield bleachers, which otherwise would have been fantastic. It's about time that the "Creatures" finally got to roam around the rest of the park. We like the touches of putting the retired numbers and World Series winning years on the bleacher's walls, but they should have made them larger, or at least in some way, more visible.

It was time to get something to eat and head upstairs. The new food court is great, though the prices are as you would expect. Hamburger, hot dog (just a normal sized one), large fries, 2 sodas, $32. Yeah, that's sticker shock. Mrs. MM and I had a great Italian meal the night before that was only $26. Be prepared to spend $9 on a beer. We can only imagine what the hard liquor costs (it does concern us that the availability of hard liquor could lead to more unruly fans).

The seats in the lower levels are cushioned and roomy. Plenty of leg room as advertised. The same can't be said for the upper deck (grandstand) seats. The seats are a little bigger than across the street, but the leg room is the same. The biggest improvement upstairs is the gradual slope going up the stairs. No more steep climbs up and down.

The sight lines are great upstairs. It used to be you couldn't really see the right field corner if you were sitting behind home plate, but with the new layout you can. We didn't walk around the upper deck, but it looks like the view would be good from anywhere. The grandstand also has the best priced seats outside of the bleachers.

It didn't take long for the new outfield layout to come into play. Jorge Posada's seventh inning home run turned out to be the first home run to go under video review in the new place. Flashback to 1996 when Jeffrey Maier interfered with Derek Jeter's fly ball. The Yankees no longer allowed fans to stand at the edge of the right and left field walls during the game. Seats were far enough back that a fan could not interfere. That's no longer the case and it only took four games for it to become a controversial part of the game. We're for raising the walls rather than pushing the fans further back.

Seeing the old facade/frieze line the top of the Stadium was great. A throwback look indeed. That and the field level scoreboards are the only retro looking things inside the Stadium itself. This is a retro looking stadium from the outside and a very modern facility inside.

After the game we stopped in the new Yankee Museum. It's great and a must see. Memorabilia from all eras of Yankees baseball is included. It's a shame it's not larger. Just think of all they could have done with it had they created a separate building, say as part of a remaining structure across the street. But what is included is wonderful.

Bats and jerseys from Babe Ruth, Joe D., Mickey Mantle, the Scooter, Reggie Jackson, and Bernie Williams. World Series trophies from the last six championships. Statues of Don Larsen and Yogi Berra that are separated by a wall of autographed baseballs from everyone that has been associated with Yankees baseball.

For fans who began watching the team in the late 1960's/early 1970's, the most memorable of the memorabilia may be Thurman Munson's locker. It was taken from the clubhouse across the street and given a permanent home in the museum. You can't help but feel a tinge of sadness in see his jersey, cap, and bat sitting there waiting for him. We certainly did

We we took one last look around as we walked downstairs to exit. In doing so we were reminded that the security/ushers can still be a pain in the ass. We noticed someone in the outfield with young kids. We realized it was Andy Pettitte pitching to one of his sons. We were quickly reminded that the "stadium is closed" and we were to leave. Put your own epitaph here.

All in all though a very good day. Yankees won, Mariano finished up, traffic to the GWB. Just like it's supposed to be.

Open for Business

The Yankees held an open house today so fans could take a look around and see this year's ball club work out. The fans were in awe, but so were the players.

Derek Jeter hit the first batting practice home run.

"I think everyone was excited to be out there and amazed at how big the stadium is," Jeter said. "Everyone is going to enjoy it -- from the coaches, the players and even more importantly, the fans."

Jorge Posada is doubly excited since he missed most of last season.

"I was really excited to get out there and see the field, see how it plays," catcher Jorge Posada said. "It looks like the dimensions are the same. We can't wait until they turn those lights on. It's in great condition."

Andy Pettitte likened the new Stadium to the House across the street.

"Really, it looks exactly like the old ballpark, when you just look from the dugout," left-hander Andy Pettitte said. "It looks like it's going to play big in left and a short porch in right. That usually works out pretty well for a left-handed pitcher, so I'm hoping that will be the case."

And of course, the manager, Joe Girardi was blown away.

"Last night when we walked in, I felt like it was Christmas morning, listening to the players talk about it -- the excitement of visiting every little nook and cranny in the ballpark and in our clubhouse," Girardi said. "It's an unbelievable building."

Ryan Tandy, my partner in crime at Baseball Digest, has some great pics from the day at Bronx Brass Tacks.

Build it and they will play

In my latest Baseball Digest piece, I take a look at the Stadium's opening. No, not the new stadium, the refurbished stadium in 1976.

Click here to read it.

Video Tour of Yankee Stadium

Members of the media took a tour of the new Yankee Stadium yesterday. Here's some video from NJ.com.

Touring the new Yankee Stadium with Lonn Trost

It's Just Like Being There

With a limited number of highly priced, individual game tickets and outrageous parking, this may be the closer you get to be in Yankee Stadium this year. Hanks Yankees.com found this video tour of the new digs. Great find guys!

New Stadium Photos

Some great new photos of the new Stadium over at Diamond Hoggers. The new right field scoreboard immediately made us think of Don Larsen's perfect game.

Mars Attacks

The new Yankee Stadium is either under invasion from outer space or they're testing out the new digs' lighting. (thanks for the heads up from Pete Abe).

Here's the complete gallery of photos taken by WCBS chopper dude, Tom Kaminski.

The Daily Yankeeland - 1/22

The oldest former Major Leaguer, Billy Werber, passed away earlier today at age 100. Werber was a member of the '27 Yankees, and in fact played bridge with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Bill Dickey.
UPDATE 1/23 - Steve Politi of the Star Ledger fondly remembers Mr. Werber.

Friday is moving day for the Yankees. Employees of the team, players not included, will be moving from the their offices in the current/old Stadium to the new park.

ESPN.com' Keith Law released his ranking of the top 100 prospects in MLB. Orioles cathcer Matt Wieters took the top spot with Rays pitcher David Price ranked number two. Three Yankees made the list - Austin Jackson (46), Jesus Montero (83), and Andrew Brackman (95). Dellin Betances narrowly missed the top 100.

River Ave. Blues has a good profile on Betances, who along with Andres Perez, honored scout Cesar Presbott at this past weekend's New York Professional Baseball Hot Stove League Dinner.

Lanny Breuer, who represented Roger Clemens during last year's Congressional hearings, was named assistant Attorney General, for the Justice Department's Juvenile criminal division, by Barack Obama.

Jon Heyman ranked his top 15 teams that could still spend some big money in the free agent market. The Yankees are ranked 12th.

12. Yankees. Even after spending $423.5 million on Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Teixeira, they're always a threat to spend, especially if they can find a taker for Nady, or even better, Swisher (who has $21 million to go). One person said it's "less than 50-50'' that they take back Andy Pettitte. But where else is he going to go?

MLB.com's Bryan Hoch spoke with hitting coach Kevin Long about the new lineup.

Virtual Tour of the new Stadium

Thanks to those diehard baseball people at MTV, ahem...here's a virtual tour of the new ball park. No word on why that's Jason Giambi in the batter's box.

We're Still Laughing

You may have seen it by now, but if you haven't, be prepared to laugh. To laugh heartily. The Yankees and Mets unveiled their 2009 uniform commemorative patches. Only one team got it right and one team got it wrong. Any guesses?

First here is the Yankees' patch. Nicely done. Very nice.















And now, drumroll please. Here is the Mets' patch.

WTF definitely comes to mind, but our favorite is Big League Stew's comparison to the Domino's Pizza logo.

Inaugural season of what? You guys forget to put "Shea Stadium" or do you need to save that money to sign Oliver Perez?

Welcome to Yankee Stadium

It is impressive. Is that guy always going to stand on the 'Y'?

Welcome to Yankee Stadium

It is impressive. Is that guy always going to stand on the 'Y'?

A Grand Finale

The final game and it's pre- and post-game ceremonies were a perfect send off to the Stadium. Kudos to ESPN and YES for a fantastic job all around. The day started out with ESPN Classic. We caught parts of Boomer and Coney's perfect games, Brosius' heroics in game 5 of '01, and Boone's big blast in '03.

We watched, with great envy, the fans pouring in from 1:00 on, stopping at the monuments, walking on the warning track, and the best of all, leaving their hand prints on the outfield wall.

ESPN's team of Karl Ravich, John Kruk, Steve Berthiaume, and Steve Phillips reminisced and talked to a number of former Yankees and some celebrities too. Getting John Sterling to do his body shaking, "thaaaaaaaaaaaa Yankees win" was classic.

At about 6:00 the ceremonies began with a great surprise. A pre-recorded message from Bob Sheppard, who then introduced the two emcees for the night, Sterling and Michael Kay.

The ceremony began oddly, using actors to re-create the 1923 opening day lineup. We think it was no coincidence that they were in the deepest part of center field so no one could see their faces.

Next was a salute to the players and managers who had plaques in Monument Park. More actors to represent Joe DiMaggio, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez, and Casey Stengel (the actor looked eerily like the Ol' Professor from the distance).

Each position on the field was saluted with a video montage and then an introduction of the past players from that position.

LF - Dave Winfield, Roy White

SS - Cora Rizzuto representing the Scooter,

3B - Graig Nettles, Scott Brosius

RF - Reggie Jackson, Paul O'Neill, Randy Maris representing his Dad

2B - Willie Randolph, who provided one of the highlights by sliding into second base, Bobby Richardson

1B - Moose Skowron, Tino Martinez

C - Yogi Berra, Joe Girardi, Michael Munson representing his Dad, Cheryl Howard representing her Dad

P - Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Helen Hunter representing her husband, David Wells, David Cone

CF - David Mantle representing his Dad, Kay, Todd, and Tori Murcer representing their husband and Dad, and then the biggest moment of the night. Bernie Williams, donning the Pinstripes for the first time in 2 years, returning to Yankee Stadium. Bern Baby Bernie received a raucous standing ovation for 2 minutes.

Notably absent was the inclusion of Roger Clemens in the pitching montage. And there was no real salute to the managers, which left out Joe Torre, Ralph Houk, and Buck Showalter.

The starting lineups were then introduced with each player joining the greats at their position. It also provided comic relief since Johnny Damon didn't realize what was going on and didn't have his cleats on. He quickly ran back to the clubhouse, put them on, and raced out to the field, the wrong field at that. They told him to go to left field even though he was playing center field, which only confused him further.

After the lineups were introduced, Derek Jeter, joined by his parents and sister, was presented with a Waterford crystal bat and ball, by Hal and Jennifer Steinbrenner (Swindal), to commemorate him becoming the all-time hits leader at Yankee Stadium.

The Babe's 92-yr old daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, through out the first pitch to Jorge Posada, and then it was game time.

The Yankees won 7-3, more on that later, and then there were more festivities. Derek Jeter and his team gathered on the mound, and the Captain spoke to the fans. Thanks to Peter Abraham for the transcription of the speech,

“Every member of this organization, past and present, has been calling this place home for 85 years, There’s a lot of tradition, a lot of history and a lot of memories. Now the great thing about memories is you’re able to pass it along from generation to generation.

“Although things are going to change next year. We’re going to move across the street. There are a few things that New York Yankees that never change. That’s pride, tradition and most of all we have the greatest fans in the world.

We want you to take the memories from this stadium, add them to the new memories that come at the new Yankee Stadium and continue to pass them along from generation to generation. So on behalf of the entire organization, we want to take this moment to salute you, the greatest fans in the world.”

The players then took a lap around the Stadium, waving to the fans, who like them, didn't want to go home. Players did interviews with the media and scooped up dirt from the batter's box, the mound, and the bullpen, and took photos (would love to have the Bernie, Tino, Derek, Jorge, Mo, Andy photo).

Finally everyone went home and went to sleep. They had already lived a dream.

A Grand Finale

The final game and it's pre- and post-game ceremonies were a perfect send off to the Stadium. Kudos to ESPN and YES for a fantastic job all around. The day started out with ESPN Classic. We caught parts of Boomer and Coney's perfect games, Brosius' heroics in game 5 of '01, and Boone's big blast in '03.

We watched, with great envy, the fans pouring in from 1:00 on, stopping at the monuments, walking on the warning track, and the best of all, leaving their hand prints on the outfield wall.

ESPN's team of Karl Ravich, John Kruk, Steve Berthiaume, and Steve Phillips reminisced and talked to a number of former Yankees and some celebrities too. Getting John Sterling to do his body shaking, "thaaaaaaaaaaaa Yankees win" was classic.

At about 6:00 the ceremonies began with a great surprise. A pre-recorded message from Bob Sheppard, who then introduced the two emcees for the night, Sterling and Michael Kay.

The ceremony began oddly, using actors to re-create the 1923 opening day lineup. We think it was no coincidence that they were in the deepest part of center field so no one could see their faces.

Next was a salute to the players and managers who had plaques in Monument Park. More actors to represent Joe DiMaggio, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez, and Casey Stengel (the actor looked eerily like the Ol' Professor from the distance).

Each position on the field was saluted with a video montage and then an introduction of the past players from that position.

LF - Dave Winfield, Roy White

SS - Cora Rizzuto representing the Scooter,

3B - Graig Nettles, Scott Brosius

RF - Reggie Jackson, Paul O'Neill, Randy Maris representing his Dad

2B - Willie Randolph, who provided one of the highlights by sliding into second base, Bobby Richardson

1B - Moose Skowron, Tino Martinez

C - Yogi Berra, Joe Girardi, Michael Munson representing his Dad, Cheryl Howard representing her Dad

P - Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Helen Hunter representing her husband, David Wells, David Cone

CF - David Mantle representing his Dad, Kay, Todd, and Tori Murcer representing their husband and Dad, and then the biggest moment of the night. Bernie Williams, donning the Pinstripes for the first time in 2 years, returning to Yankee Stadium. Bern Baby Bernie received a raucous standing ovation for 2 minutes.

Notably absent was the inclusion of Roger Clemens in the pitching montage. And there was no real salute to the managers, which left out Joe Torre, Ralph Houk, and Buck Showalter.

The starting lineups were then introduced with each player joining the greats at their position. It also provided comic relief since Johnny Damon didn't realize what was going on and didn't have his cleats on. He quickly ran back to the clubhouse, put them on, and raced out to the field, the wrong field at that. They told him to go to left field even though he was playing center field, which only confused him further.

After the lineups were introduced, Derek Jeter, joined by his parents and sister, was presented with a Waterford crystal bat and ball, by Hal and Jennifer Steinbrenner (Swindal), to commemorate him becoming the all-time hits leader at Yankee Stadium.

The Babe's 92-yr old daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, through out the first pitch to Jorge Posada, and then it was game time.

The Yankees won 7-3, more on that later, and then there were more festivities. Derek Jeter and his team gathered on the mound, and the Captain spoke to the fans. Thanks to Peter Abraham for the transcription of the speech,

“Every member of this organization, past and present, has been calling this place home for 85 years, There’s a lot of tradition, a lot of history and a lot of memories. Now the great thing about memories is you’re able to pass it along from generation to generation.

“Although things are going to change next year. We’re going to move across the street. There are a few things that New York Yankees that never change. That’s pride, tradition and most of all we have the greatest fans in the world.

We want you to take the memories from this stadium, add them to the new memories that come at the new Yankee Stadium and continue to pass them along from generation to generation. So on behalf of the entire organization, we want to take this moment to salute you, the greatest fans in the world.”

The players then took a lap around the Stadium, waving to the fans, who like them, didn't want to go home. Players did interviews with the media and scooped up dirt from the batter's box, the mound, and the bullpen, and took photos (would love to have the Bernie, Tino, Derek, Jorge, Mo, Andy photo).

Finally everyone went home and went to sleep. They had already lived a dream.

End of Days

Robinson Cano singled to snap a scoreless tie in the bottom of the ninth and the Yankees won for the seventh time in nine games, 1-0. Mariano Rivera picked up the win after entering, dare we say it, a tie game. Disturbing isn't the word for it, but the Yankees celebrated like they had just won the pennant. More disturbing was the ninth inning pitch Derek Jeter took off his left hand/wrist, the same area that Daniel Cabrera plunked back in May. X-Rays were negative and you can bet your ass he'll be in the lineup tonight though.

But enough about that.

This is it, the final day of the Stadium. In case you haven't realized it by now, it's perfectly acceptable to refer to Yankee Stadium as merely "the Stadium". Every Yankee fan knows what you mean. It's like saying "the Garden" for Madison Square Garden.

It's an emotional day for many. It's a place where so many of us spent our youth. Where so many great moments took place. Among those we witnessed in person - Game 2 of the 1981 World Series, David Cone's 20th win in 1998, Bobby Murcer's opening day grand slam in 1981, the first Sunday game in the renovated Stadium in 1976, Derek Jeter tying Lou Gehrig's home hit record last Sunday, El Duque's return to Pinstripes, Phil Rizzuto Day, combined with Tom Seaver's 300th win in 1985, Bobby Murcer Day in 1983. Countless home runs by Reggie Jackson and Bobby Murcer, the return to glory in '76-'78', and again from '96-'01.

Our first game on August 30, 1970, a 5-2 win over the Twins. Seeing Mickey Mantle, Joe D., Tommy Henrich, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Casey Stengel, and more on Old Timers Day in the early '70s. Being at the Old Timer's Day when number 8 was retired for the two Hall of Fame catchers, Berra and Dickey. Bat Day, 1971, and getting our Bobby Murcer bat. And so many more. We have countless programs and yearbooks from those days, some of them with autographs. On and on it goes, so many memories, remembered with joy much more than with tears.

As watch today's coverage on ESPN and ESPN Classic (we've seen Boomer's perfecto, Coney's perfecto, and now Game 5 of the 2001 Series), and YES, and listen to the local ESPN radio, here's some more great stuff to read about the Stadium.

Reggie reflects on the 2001 World Series.

"Writer" George Steinbrenner talks about the finale.

Steve Serby does a Q & A with Bob Sheppard. The Daily News with a profile as well.

Rudy Guiliani reflects on the '96 WS.

Mike Vaccaro's 100 classic Stadium moments.

About the, gulp, dismantling of the HTRB.

Pettitte reflects on his final start. Another take here.

Kevin Kernan talks to some of the real veterans, the vendors.

A look from Boston's Bob Ryan.

Steve Politi looks at the House the Fans Built.

Retired beat writer Moss Klein (this is the guy we grew up reading) looks back.

Stadium magic bridges generations.

Peter Abraham's fondest memories. And he takes a look back.
"Writer" Billy Crystal looks back.

Henry Kissinger, yes, Henry Kissinger looks back.

Tyler Kepner looks back.

A very cool virtual tour of the Stadium from Newsday.

You can even take a vintage subway to today's game.

You can go home again when home is the Stadium.

Buster Olney gets opponents views.

Bob Klapisch looks back.



Goodbye old friend.

End of Days

Robinson Cano singled to snap a scoreless tie in the bottom of the ninth and the Yankees won for the seventh time in nine games, 1-0. Mariano Rivera picked up the win after entering, dare we say it, a tie game. Disturbing isn't the word for it, but the Yankees celebrated like they had just won the pennant. More disturbing was the ninth inning pitch Derek Jeter took off his left hand/wrist, the same area that Daniel Cabrera plunked back in May. X-Rays were negative and you can bet your ass he'll be in the lineup tonight though.

But enough about that.

This is it, the final day of the Stadium. In case you haven't realized it by now, it's perfectly acceptable to refer to Yankee Stadium as merely "the Stadium". Every Yankee fan knows what you mean. It's like saying "the Garden" for Madison Square Garden.

It's an emotional day for many. It's a place where so many of us spent our youth. Where so many great moments took place. Among those we witnessed in person - Game 2 of the 1981 World Series, David Cone's 20th win in 1998, Bobby Murcer's opening day grand slam in 1981, the first Sunday game in the renovated Stadium in 1976, Derek Jeter tying Lou Gehrig's home hit record last Sunday, El Duque's return to Pinstripes, Phil Rizzuto Day, combined with Tom Seaver's 300th win in 1985, Bobby Murcer Day in 1983. Countless home runs by Reggie Jackson and Bobby Murcer, the return to glory in '76-'78', and again from '96-'01.

Our first game on August 30, 1970, a 5-2 win over the Twins. Seeing Mickey Mantle, Joe D., Tommy Henrich, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Casey Stengel, and more on Old Timers Day in the early '70s. Being at the Old Timer's Day when number 8 was retired for the two Hall of Fame catchers, Berra and Dickey. Bat Day, 1971, and getting our Bobby Murcer bat. And so many more. We have countless programs and yearbooks from those days, some of them with autographs. On and on it goes, so many memories, remembered with joy much more than with tears.

As watch today's coverage on ESPN and ESPN Classic (we've seen Boomer's perfecto, Coney's perfecto, and now Game 5 of the 2001 Series), and YES, and listen to the local ESPN radio, here's some more great stuff to read about the Stadium.

Reggie reflects on the 2001 World Series.

"Writer" George Steinbrenner talks about the finale.

Steve Serby does a Q & A with Bob Sheppard. The Daily News with a profile as well.

Rudy Guiliani reflects on the '96 WS.

Mike Vaccaro's 100 classic Stadium moments.

About the, gulp, dismantling of the HTRB.

Pettitte reflects on his final start. Another take here.

Kevin Kernan talks to some of the real veterans, the vendors.

A look from Boston's Bob Ryan.

Steve Politi looks at the House the Fans Built.

Retired beat writer Moss Klein (this is the guy we grew up reading) looks back.

Stadium magic bridges generations.

Peter Abraham's fondest memories. And he takes a look back.
"Writer" Billy Crystal looks back.

Henry Kissinger, yes, Henry Kissinger looks back.

Tyler Kepner looks back.

A very cool virtual tour of the Stadium from Newsday.

You can even take a vintage subway to today's game.

You can go home again when home is the Stadium.

Buster Olney gets opponents views.

Bob Klapisch looks back.



Goodbye old friend.

Welcome to the New Yankee Stadium

The giant "Yankee Stadium" sign went up over the main entrance of the new joint earlier today.

Welcome to the New Yankee Stadium

The giant "Yankee Stadium" sign went up over the main entrance of the new joint earlier today.

Finale Details

The Yankees have released the following schedule of events for Sunday's Stadium finale.

The New York Yankees announced today details involving the pregame ceremonies for the final game at the current Yankee Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 21, when the Yankees play the Baltimore Orioles at approximately 8:15 p.m.

Yankee Stadium gates will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday as the Yankees invite fans to take one last memorable stroll through Monument Park. Fans will also be allowed to exit Monument Park onto the field where they will be permitted to walk along the warning track around the outfield and behind home plate. Access to Monument Park is via the staircase at the end of the aisle between the Field and Main Level seats in Section 36. Wheelchair access is via the elevator in Section 24. Field exit from Monument Park will close at approximately 4 p.m., prior to pregame batting practice for each team. Monument Park will remain open until 6:45 p.m.

Pregame ceremonies, scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m., will encompass the chronology of Yankees greats who have played at the famous Stadium. Among the distinguished alumni scheduled to take part in the festivities will be Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Graig Nettles and Bobby Richardson. A historic artifact from the Yankees' past will also be unveiled during the ceremony. The Yankees are urging fans to be in their seats by 6:50 p.m.

The Yankees remind fans that numerous law enforcement agencies will be on hand for the final game to ensure a safe and enjoyable fan experience. Damaging the Stadium and/or attempted theft of Stadium property is a crime, and violators will be prosecuted by the Bronx District Attorney's Office to the fullest extent of the law. The New York Police Department, Major League Baseball and several federal and state agencies have joined in the effort to safeguard against any and all unlawful activity.

Only fans with valid ticket(s) for Sunday's game will be admitted and there will be NO RE-ENTRY. Bleacher ticket holders who would like to visit Monument Park should enter the Stadium through Gate 2, 4 or 6.

Fans and media are also reminded that Sunday's game will NOT be the final event at Yankee Stadium. A ceremony will be held at a later date this fall to celebrate the Stadium, details will follow.

Schedule of events:
Noon - Press Gate opens
1 p.m. - Gates open to the public, Monument Park opens
1-4 p.m. - Field access for fans
4:15 p.m. - Yankees stretch begins
4:40-5:40 p.m. - Yankees batting practice
5:40-6:20 p.m. - Orioles batting practice
6:45 p.m. - Monument Park closes
6:50 p.m. - Fans are asked to take their seats
7:05 p.m. - Pregame ceremony begins
8:15 p.m. (Approx.) - First pitch