September 21, 2008 - A special night at the House that Ruth built that fell a bit flat

UPDATE (9/22) - I'd just like to add to this and mention that the post-game ceremony made up for ANY shortcomings in the pre-game ceremony. Jeter's speech was spot on and the "victory lap" was one of the classic moments in Stadium history. Kudos to the Yankees for getting THAT part right and letting the fans go home satisfied.

Without getting too wordy, here are some gripes I had with the ceremony at the Stadium tonight:

- The "ghosts" of the deceased players to kick off the ceremonies. Honestly, a corny Babe Ruth lookalike? That part just insulted my intelligence and the fans reacted appropriately - with disinterest.

- No representatives from the DiMaggio family. Why? They couldn't fly anyone in? Does he have no remaining family?

- No Donnie Baseball. OK, this was not the Yankees fault, but closing this ballpark just doesn't seem right without one last Donnie Baseball chant.

- Failing to acknowledge Roger Clemens' history with the franchise during the pitcher montage. I understand not inviting him, but to simply forget that he was a big part of the dynasty years and a member of the '07 team is really insulting to the fans of the franchise.

- Conveniently ignoring the historical managers in Yankee franchise history. The Yankees have had the likes of Miller Huggins, Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, and finally, Joe Torre. Anyone who believes this was anything other than a way to "stick it" to Joe Torre is kidding themselves. Joe Torre has a very distinct place in Yankee history and deserved to have at least a mention in this ceremony.

- Booing A-Rod when he appeared in a great third baseman video montage and the smattering he received during the starting lineup. Way to embarrass yourself, fake Yankee fans. Bravo.

Overall, the ceremony fell flat. There were some great moments sprinkled in; Willie sliding into second base, the return of Bernie Williams. However, in the end it reeked of Old Timer's Day redux. Perhaps the expectations for this ceremony were set a bit too high with the day-long coverage it received from the Worldwide Leader. The night will certainly go down as a special one in the history of "The House That Ruth Built", but not as memorable as I had expected.

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Yankees reveal plans to let fans on the field before the final game

However, Big Stein has a message for you:

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.

You hear that kids? DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT STEPPING ON BIG STEIN'S BEAUTIFULLY MANICURED (pedicured?) LAWN! Trust me, you don't want to break the rules at Yankee Stadium. I took the Stadium tour this winter and the guards watch you like hawks making sure that you don't step foot on the grass. I think there may have even been snipers on the facade of the Stadium ready to act if I took a wrong step.

All kidding aside, this is a pretty cool thing for the Yankees to do. If you have tickets to the game on Sunday, you will most certainly have a memorable day at the old ballpark.

Check out the details of the festivities and don't forget that if you try to steal stuff, you will be arrested.

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The House that the New York Rangers brought down?

Let me preface this by stating that whoever thought of the hockey in stadiums idea to drum up interest in a fledgling sport is genius. Being a pretty big Ranger fan, I was pretty pumped when I heard that there were talks of bringing the New York Rangers to a stadium in the New York area. Unfortunately, it looks as though that stadium will be Yankee stadium, and it will be the last game in the history of the "House that Ruth built".

Momentum has built in recent weeks toward finalizing a deal that would have the Rangers play the final game in the storied history of the current Stadium, the Daily News has learned. The Yankees, who will move into their new Yankee Stadium for the 2009 baseball season, are said to be completely on board with having the NHL close the 85-year-old original.

Again, I love the idea of hockey in stadiums to get people interested in the sport again. However, a LOT of people are paying top dollar to see the final regular season game at Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2008. In addition, I'm sure people will spend even MORE money to see the playoff games in the "old" stadium if the Yankees make it that far. To make the final sporting event in the historic Yankee Stadium be a gimmicky regular season hockey game is pretty anticlimactic.

I heard that there is a dump in Flushing, Queens that is closing down after this season. Maybe they have some interest in hosting a hockey game?

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