The Ending of an Era--Yankee Stadium 1923-2008

I can hardly talk about what happened last night as Scott and I watched the final game played in Yankee Stadium. I bawled like a little girl!
The first game played in 1923 Babe Ruth (who the Yankees had recently acquired from the Boston Red Sox--thus the "curse of the Great Bambino") hit a 3-run homer and in the last game played, Johnny Damon (who we also a couple years ago acquired from the Boston Red Sox) hit a 3-run homer.
You know I'm a huge Posada fan! The catcher that replaced him while Posada is now recovering from surgery is Jose Melina. He was the last person to hit a home run in that stadium.
It was quite an emotional experience when Mariano Rivera ran out from the bull pen to close his last game in the old stadium. They interviewed him after and he was a little choked up! (That made me feel better about ME crying!)

Unless you have been there and love baseball, you can't quite explain the feelings that arise as you walk off the subway out in the smelly Bronx air and behold the Yankee Stadium! I have some incredible memories in the stadium--the "House that Ruth Built." Some of the banners that fans were holding last night were tear-jerkers. My favorite was: "Thank you Yankees for making this House a Home!" I am tearing up thinking about this...what a baby! At the end of every Yankee game, they play Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." And so when the game ended last night (when we beat the Orioles 7 to 3), so it began.."Start spreading the news..." They must have played it 7 times before anyone even moved from their seat. Fans crying and waving, and then good ol' Jeter makes this announcement:


"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 with New York Yankees that never change. That’s pride, tradition and most of all we have the greatest fans in the world. (INSERT ME BAWLING HERE!) 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."—Derek Jeter

After that speech, the entire team walked around the entire field with their hats off in salute to the fans...I felt it clear out here in Lehi, Utah!!! (And I know you did too, Mario!)
I love this great American pastime and like Yogi Berra said, "I will miss this place, but the memories will never leave my heart!" Ya, I gotta stop typing this post right now....:(