Ballpark Memories debuts: Yankee Stadium
The Heckler would like to turn things over to our newest family member here at BaseballBigMouth.com, Stejay. Here, Stejay kicks-off our newest category - Ballpark Memories - a 1998 World Series contest at the hallowed Yankee Stadium.
Do you have a story about your most-cherished Ballpark Memory? Remember – BaseballBigMouth.com is always looking for new writers or photographers. Drop us a line via the comments link at the bottom of any post. We’ll get back to you in no time, and soon, you’ll be on here as our newest family member. But back to Stejay. Settle down for his tale of World Series magic . . .
By Stejay
BaseballBigMouth.com baseball news
I turn the street and can feel the atmosphere. It is my fifth baseball game and I am bustling with excitement. The day is October 17, 1998 and I am going to watch San Diego Padres versus my beloved Yankees. My dad gets me a hot dog and a coke and we take our seats, right in front of the Yankees dugout . . . It is a 10-year-olds dream and I love it.
Hallowed Yankee Stadium - a memory-maker for Stejay
It was also the first game of that year’s World Series – which would eventually prove a successful one. I had seen the Yankees last win, two years earlier at Yankee Stadium over the Atlanta Braves, but didn’t remember it much. That is why this win would prove all the more special. Also, my previous games were all in the bleachers, or the family seats, so it was not much of an experience. This game was different. We were practically right on the pitch. I loved it.
Then the game started. There were mumbles of expectation as the Yankees came out, then cheers. The game was largely unspectacular. Chuck Knoblauch and Tino Martinez hit homers for the Yankees and Greg Vaughn (2) and Tony Gwynn hit homers for the Padres. The end result was 9-6 to the Yankees.
As we made our way home to where we lived at the time, Manhattan, I remember asking my dad why there was not many Yankees home runs and he said, “Son, the Yankees are unpredictable. Never rely on a win or a loss, just go with the flow.” That has lived with me since and when the Yankees win and when the Yankees lose, I think of this advice and it makes me smile. This is what made me fall in love with baseball, and what has fuelled my love for sports all together ever since.
Why did I love and remember so fondly a not-so-good game – it wasn’t even my first — so much? I think that will remain a mystery, just like the lack of homers that fateful day I fell in love with baseball. It has been common ground for me and my father, who lets just say I do not have much in common. Not only has it fuelled my love for baseball, then, as it has brought me new friends and the respect of my father - it has fuelled my love for life.
Steven Jones lives in Cleveland, OH. The 19-year-old lists the New York Yankees and Mets as his favorite teams, due to his father being a Yankees fan, and his grandmother being a Mets fan. He has watched baseball since he was seven and loves baseball journalism. His work will appear sporadically on BaseballBigMouthcom. He hopes one day to write for magazines and newspapers. A version of the above story originally appeared on DieHardBaseball.com
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photo courtesy of Ladybatting.com