I’ve never been to a strip joint with Newsday’s Shaun Powell, but suffice to say, Mystique & Aura consider him to be a lousy tipper. (link swiped from Repoz and Baseball Think Factory)
It’s never nice to speak ill about the ill, especially when death is apparent. With that in mind, I’ll be kind and just say this: Yankee Stadium can’t collapse fast enough.
Unfortunately, the Grim Reaper won’t swing the wrecking ball until sometime in October 2008, depending on when Alex Rodriguez kills another playoff run. That’s 21 months from now, or roughly the time between Carl Pavano starts. Until then, baseball fans must continue to root for the Yankees while sitting in a facility past its glory, which is sort of like taking Giselle Bundchen for a spin in a wheezing, old Coup de Ville.
Four million people visit Yankee Stadium every year to see Derek Jeter throw across his body to first base, to witness what $200 million buys these days in baseball talent, to observe the winningest team in baseball this decade.
Four million people do not visit Yankee Stadium to do a riverdance while standing in line for the three or four restrooms. Four million people do not visit Yankee Stadium to squeeze through aisles built for supermodels or fight for shouting space at concession stands the size of shopping-mall information booths. Four million people, or at least the few who dare to drive, do not visit Yankee Stadium hours before the first pitch just so they can find one of the limited parking spaces sold at monthly home mortgages.
Once you remove the product on the field and Monument Park in the outfield, the “Yankee experience” is like the death of Barbaro: overrated and overplayed.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, commissioner Bud Selig and other important types made it official yesterday when the All-Star Game was given to the Bronx in ’08, but this was a mercy gesture, a nice way of being nice to a sick, suffering old cathedral that should’ve had the plug pulled a decade ago. Ordinarily, the Midseason Classic wouldn’t come anywhere near Yankee Stadium, because baseball knows what we know: The place isn’t fit for it.
Ahem. Perish the thought the ballgame alone is worthy of a near-capacity venue. In my too-many years of attending games at Yankee Stadium, I’ve been hit in the head with a full cup of beer. I’ve had two cars broken into. Worst of all, I even paid money that in some way went towards Mel Hall’s wages. And despite of all this (and a near pathological dislike for the hosts), I would still rank the place far ahead of most of the nuevo ballparks that feature wider concourses, plentiful parking, etc.
This guy is a douchebag. Seriously, he must be a Mets or Red Sux fan. Yankee Stadium is the BEST place to watch a baseball game. When I go to a Yankees game I expect to be at a sporting event, a place where opposing teams don’t like to play. Getting beer spilled on you is part of the mob mentality of the Bronx. Stepping in piss in the men’s room is part of that grimy goodness too. Long and short, stop being such a pussy and deal with it. You’re at YANKEE STADIUM in THE BRONX, not a sports bar. All we need at the Stadium are dirty water dogs and beer…maybe some mustard for the hot dog…not the other frilly crap that they provide at those “lovely” modern parks. FU – Shaun Powell.
Obvisously, this man has no idea about what baseball is or what is stands for. Just because you mention Mel Hall in your little soliloquy doesn’t mean you know the Yankees or baseball. Your analysis is short-sighted and ignorant. Every other baseball fan, even those in Boston and especially those in New York consider Yankee Stadium a shrine. It represents what the game is about, having been there for so many years and hosted so many legends and classics. Everyone else in the baseball world feels this when they enter its gates. If you don’t, then don’t you think the problem lies with you instead of the stadium?
I for one was sorely disappointed when a new Stadium was announced. Yankee Stadium is a place where so many memories in so many generations have been created. You don’t need a luxury box to enjoy baseball. You don’t need concession stands and friendly ushers. You don’t need state-of-the art facilities or a bathroom per seat or the cleanest aisles. This is baseball, the real American pastime, hard-nosed and rough. You see all these kids playing ball in the streets near the stadium? Do they need a retractable roof and a foyer near the sidewalk in order to enjoy the game? How about all those kids from Dominican Republic, Venezuela and other countries who play in the dirtiest conditions dreaming of playing in any sort of ballpark? They represent what baseball is about jusy like Yankee Stadium. I suggest to you that you also become a baseball fan and learn what it’s all about.
Paul,
presumably you’re able to tell the difference between Shaun Powell’s opinion and mine. And if your reading comprehension skills are indeed, up to snuff, you’ll note that I wrote “I would still rank the place far ahead of most of the nuevo ballparks that feature wider concourses, plentiful parking, etc.”, and “Perish the thought the ballgame alone is worthy of a near-capacity venue.”
That said, I’d still encourage you to write a letter to Newsday about an editorial that ran 3 weeks ago. I’m sure they’ll be as thrilled to hear from you as I was.