We left Penn Station in Manhattan at 4pm to head up to our first stop of the 30 Stadiums in 30 Days adventure, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. We took the 1 Train uptown, transferred to the D Train at 59th Street – Columbus Circle and got off at 161st Street – Yankee Stadium. The trip took about 45 minutes and was an easy ride on a train packed with other Yankee fans.
The subway dropped us off right on River Ave in the heart of the Yankee Stadium atmosphere. There was a sea of Yankee fans dressed in black to honor Bob Sheppard and Geroge Steinbrenner, two Yankee legends who passed away just days before. The street vendors we’re out in full force selling creative, commemorative and unlicensed t-shirts. A big favorite of ours was the George Steinbrenner shirt but we also enjoyed “Texicutioner,” “Swisher Salute,” “Hughes Your Daddy,” and the shirts that that poked fun at the Red Sox.
We asked our Twitter following which restaurant’s were popular pre-Yankee game destinations and they suggested Billy’s and Stan’s both on River Ave. Comparing Stan’s and Billy’s is like comparing old Yankee Stadium to new Yankee Stadium. Stan’s is a everything you want in a stadium sports bar. It has Yankee nostalgia, pays homage to the legends of the past and attracts your typical everyday Yankee fan. Billy’s has a more swanky, slick and modern feel that attracts an after work crowd. The bar has chandeliers over head, framed Yankee jersey’s behind the bar, a nice place to eat on the second floor and the air conditioning was on full blast which was a major plus. The most exclusive place was a bodega we found through word of mouth that turned out to be a hidden oasis full of lifelong, die-hard bleacher creatures. At the bodega you purchase your beer of choice at the counter, the clerk puts it in a brown paper bag and you walk through the back and out into a courtyard surrounded with airbrushed Yankee artwork. Junior, one of the most well-known “bleacher creatures” greeted us with hello and introduced us to everyone. Junior told us that, “Billy’s and Stan’s is for tourist and this is for the die-hard Yankee fans” and we would have to agree. If you’re a Yankee fan you should check it out but only if you can find it.
Gate 6 is the central meeting point at new Yankee Stadium, similar to what the Babe Ruth bat was at old Yankee stadium. We decided to hook up two lucky ticketless fans with a Nokia Nuron smartphone from T-Mobile and the chance to come to the game with us, but only if they could answer a Yankee trivia question. We found a Rutgers college guy in a sling who was trying to scalp, the perfect candidate. Being sympathetic to his injury and his collegiate misfortunes we decided to let him play. Our question was, “On July 17, 1941 which Yankees player set one of the most accomplished baseball records of all-time and what was the record?” The answer was Joe Dimaggio and his 56 game hitting streak. Our new Rutgers friend nailed the question so as promised we gave him the phone and two tickets to section 201 where we all sat with the bleacher creatures.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O9d25jGPy0]
The game itself was a prefect start to our 30 Stadiums in 30 Days adventure. Two aces were going head to head in an inter-division battle for first place. 15 minutes before the game started there was an emotional tribute to Bob Sheppard and “The Boss” George Steinbrenner where Derek Jeter gave a heart felt speech and Mariano Rivera placed two roses on home plate. The game itself was one of the best Yankee games of the decade. Robbie Cano and Jorge Posada hit back-to-back homeruns in the 6th inning followed by a Nick Swisher homerun to tie up the game in the 8th. In the 9th inning with game tied, Swisher continued his heroics with a game winning walk off single for which he got pied in the face by AJ Burnett.
Yankee Stadium Ratings
The rating system is based on a scale of 1 to 5 Joe Girardi heads. 1 Joe Girardi head is a lowest rating and 5 Joe Girardi heads is the highest rating.
Yankee Stadium Hot Dog
Hebrew National Footlong – $6.75
7th Inning Tradition
God Bless America
Signature Food
Lobel’s Prime Steak Sandwich – $15.00
12oz Beer Prices
$6.00
Bathroom Line at Bottom of the 4th Inning
25 people/ 3 minute wait time
Stadium Superfan
Bald Vinny “King of the Bleacher Creatures”
Street T-shirts
Mascot
N/A
Signature Player Chant
Bleacher Fans
Pregame Bar
Stan’s
Billy’s
“Bodega”
Stadium Aesthetics
Stadium Atmosphere
