Baseball Stadiums I Have Visited, Part 2

Working in New York City between 1982 and 1984 afforded me the opportunity to visit two more major league stadiums (well, in this instance, the term major league is very relative). Frankly, one of the reasons I took a job in New York was to have access to big league games (along with the museums and libraries; after all, I was something of a nerdy academic, even before going to graduate school).

4. Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)

I have a clearer memory of my first visit to Yankee Stadium than almost any other baseball going experience (at least of those more than a few years past). I remember buying the tickets at an outlet in Union City, NJ (the town adjacent to where I had my apartment in Weehawken); I remember thinking through what other team I wanted to see (the Minnesota Twins, because they had a bunch of up-and-coming young talent at the time: Hrbek, Brunansky, Gaetti); I remember the subway ride up to the Bronx, and getting off to walk around the stadium; I remember coming up the passage to the diamond and being entirely stunned by the greenness of the field, the whiteness of the railing spread our above the outfield, and the rich orangey brown of the infield dirt. I had a seat directly behind home plate maybe ten or twelve rows back (I sprung for a pretty expensive ticket, though about half way through I moved to the upper deck to get a different view, and ended up liking that better-- I couldn't ge tused to looking through the netting used to protect fans close-up from foul balls). I do not remember who won, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere there, as I did everytime I went to Yankee Stadium (probably five or six more times altogether over those two years). On another occasion, I went up to see Carl Yastrzemski's last game in NYC, and that was pretty cool, given the longstanding rivalry between the Yankeees and Red Sox. I should mention that I consider myself a Yankee hater, mainly because of Steinbrenner, but I always liked going to see them play at home. It really was a special experience, and you can count me among those who think it's a travesty to tear the place down. I can't imagine the new park holding any of the magic of the House That Ruth Built.

5. Shea Stadium (New York Mets)

Shea Stadium was something altogether different, and considerably less worthwhile. I always considered myself a National League guy, but the long train ride out, uncomfortable seats with poor sightlines, crummy food, and a then-dismal Mets team (the tail end of the Kingman years, pre- Gooden and Strawberry) made it hardly worth the effort. I think I only made the trip twice when the Braves were playing (and they were actually enjoying some good times as Dale Murphy emerged as an MVP). My primary memories are so different from what I experienced at Yankee Stadium-- mostly being hot, uncomfortable and bored. In my experience, one of the two worst stadiums I ever visited. The new stadium the Mets'll be playing in this year can't help but be much better.

One post-script: I remember one incredibly hot day in 1984 when I was planning to go and catch the Yankees game. I came into Manhattan early to do a little shopping first and by noon, the heat was so unbearable, that I couldn't imagine sitting in the hot sun through the afternoon. So instead, I ducked into a movie theatre that prominently promised air-conditioning and saw Ghostbusters. I enjoyed myself immensely (not the least for being cooled off so completely), but always wondered if I made the right decision to skip the game. As it happened, I ended up moving back to Buffalo shortly thereafter and haven't been back to Yankee Stadium since.

Part 3 should be up tomorrow or the next day.