... to attend Sunday's game, show up early so you can walk around on the field. Take home some dirt or grass if you can. Be ultra-cautious of security though. It ain't worth getting arrested.
- You can find some of the best moments here. Mine include the following three (off the top of my head):
A Friday night game in 1989 when the Yanks sucked. Al Leiter started and Steve Balboni got booed through two at-bats when he flew out and poppped out. He came up again in the 5th, Yanks down 4-1, with the bases loaded and promptly hit a grand slam. It was the first one I ever saw, and of course he got a standing ovation. It was when I learned that New York is a 'What have you done for me lately?' kind of town. Anyway, it was thrilling to see such a turnaround, and considering I was just 8 (all I had known of the Yanks was losing), the Yankees winning like that was awesome.
The next came in 1996 - the Jeff Maier game (ALCS Game 1). Because ballparks refuse to show replays of close plays on the Jumbo-tron (to not 'show up' the umps), I had no idea what had happened until I got home to see the replays. Anyway, Jeter's shot had tied the game in the 8th, so the place was buzzing (a buzz that only happens when the Yankees haven't won a title in 18 years). Randy Myers was Baltimore's elite closer, and on his 3rd pitch of the 11th inning, he served up a gopher ball to Bernie Williams. It was a moon shot down the left field line. Pandemonium ensued.
Almost as great was Tino's grand slam in the '98 Series. The Yanks were down 5-2 early in Game 1. It took a Chuck Knoblauch ('exorcise the demons') home run to tie the game in the 7th. Tino stepped up five batters later and crushed a pitch from Mark Langston into the right field upper deck. I still remember Michael Kay's call on 770 WABC: 'Seven runs in the 7th inning in the first game of the best of seven World Series!' It was one of those exhilirating shots where everyone knows it's gone the moment it leaves the bat and you start celebrating even before the balls lands.
- Yankee Stadium timeline with one glaring error. Can you find it?