Historical significance sinking in as curtain falls on Yankee Stadium
There's an air of both excitement and sadness here in the Bronx as the Orioles play the Yankees in the final series ever at Yankee stadium.
The excitement comes from all the wonderful memories baseball fans are reliving here this weekend. For the next three days, grown adults will revert back to the wide eyed children they were when they first came to Yankee Stadium so long ago.
The excitement comes from the indescribable aura here on 161st street that can only be explained as the ghosts of Yankee Stadium coming to life one last time.
The sadness comes from the reality that those ghosts will never again be summoned to work their magic on an October night.
Never again will a player of today dig into the same batter's box Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio became legends in. Never again will a manager sit on the same bench Billy Martin sat on. Never again will fans sit in the seats so many celebrities sat in.
It's all overwhelming when you think of the history Yankee Stadium holds, and it's natural for anybody who loves baseball to mourn its closing.
The historical significance of this series seems to be sinking in for most of the Orioles. Many are taking advantage of the opportunity to take home memorabilia. Kevin Millar, Aubrey Huff and Jay Payton all bought bases from Yankee Stadium.
After his last start at Yankee stadium, Jeremy Guthrie scrapped the dirt off his cleats, and put it in a plastic bag to take home.
Clearly, they get it, but it won't be until years from now, when they are talking to their grandchildren that they'll realize how lucky they were to play in the house that Ruth built.
It's time to go. I think of the place as the location of two stadiums. The old Yankee Stadium and the one that was built or rebuilt in the early seventies. The outside walls were about all that was left. The playing field was smaller and about 8 feet lower, not even on the same plain as the old park. Close it, say goodbye and welcome the new park which will have a great history of its own.