What I Think about the New Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium: I came, I saw, I…

I had a pretty good time.

There is just something special about going to an away game to support your favorite team. Cheering for the home team is great, but dropping in on enemy territory makes you feel like a real fan. You have to watch your back, stand your ground, and pay attention to the game despite getting pelted with ketchup packets.

So last night I donned my orange and black, put on my best foam finger and headed to Yankee Stadium… my first trip to the Bombers’ new digs. I was there to see the Orioles, but I have to admit: as far as stadiums go, this one is pretty sweet.

The old Yankee Stadium wasn’t exactly a sight to behold. The seats were small and cramped and it was so steep in the upper deck that you needed a seat belt to feel secure. The food was pretty boring and the concourses were just huge slabs of concrete.

The new place is much improved. No matter where you are, you can see through to the field, which was especially helpful when I was waiting in line for my Johnny Rockets hamburger (Duane from New Jersey’s favorite burger, by the way).

In the upper deck, there was a lot more room, and no matter how far I leaned over, I never felt like one sneeze would send me tumbling onto the seats below me.

For all its improvements though, the new Yankee Stadium is missing one thing.

It just doesn’t feel the same. Even for a Yankee hater like me, there was something special about the old Yankee Stadium. Just thinking about all the baseball legends who played on that field made it an exciting place to see a game. It may have been cramped, and steep, and dirty, but it had history.

Maybe if the Yankees win 26 more World Series, the new stadium will start to feel that way. Until then, every time I head to the Bronx, I will still wish I was back in the House that Ruth Built, not the new shiny one that sits right next door.