That was a surreal game last night. I was sitting there in the third inning thinking, 'Wow. This is the new Yankee Stadium. I've lived my whole life watching the old one 81 times a year. Who's stadium is this? It looks like one of those new-fangled ones that teams out west are always building.'
But by the middle innings, I started getting used to it. And then it struck me that for most of us, this is the last Yankee Stadium we'll ever see. If this one lasts 75 years like the previous one, this will be the Yankees home for the rest of our lives.
Anyway, the crowd wasn't too loud, but that was mostly due to the weather and the insignificance of the game (I'm sure). But Pete Abraham brings some disturbing news:
The highly-touted manual scoreboards set inside the wall in right field and left field are almost useless. The numbers are too small to see from the stands. The out-of-town scoreboard is in right field now. Only four games at a time, however.
... you can’t see the retired numbers in Monument Park like you used to be able to. There should be somewhere where everybody can see them. Retired numbers should be celebrated, not hidden away...
The Yankees, unfortunately, didn’t change the in-game entertainment very much. The same old lame YMCA, etc....
... it won’t be a very intimidating park for opposing players. The fans are not on top of the field like they used to be.
As far as the field goes, the infield seemed extremely fast (especially considering the rain). Those first two grounders the Cubs hit rocketed past Jeter and Cano.
The ball carried extraordinarily well to left-center field. Several fly balls that looked like 'cans of corn' sent fielders almost to the warning track. Only time will tell if these are real characteristics or just flukes (or perhaps something about different camera angles).
Homeruns clanged off each of the foul poles. The baseball gods were with the Yanks last night, let's hope they stay there.
Another game today at 1 p.m. on YES. What are your thoughts on the new place?