Yankee Stadium Tour

We actually missed our guided tour time thanks to intense traffic on the Cross Island Parkway. Fortunately, when we finally reached the stadium, the staff allowed us to hitch a ride with the 1:00 tour group, which was lined up outside Gate 6.

The first stop on the tour was the Yankees Museum. On display were the six World Series trophies the Yankees have won since the league began handing out World Series trophies. The one to the far right from the 2000 series is the new design of the trophy. Also on display is Thurman Munson's locker from the old stadium. At the old stadium, the locker remained empty in honor of Munson and instead of losing a piece of history like this when the stadium is torn down, the Yankees took Munson's locker with them. This picture's for you, Linda. Since we were not allowed to take pictures in the Yankees Clubhouse, I took a picture of the locker that is shown in the museum. Look at the difference between this locker and Thurman's! It's a nicer closet than mine and it comes with their own personal computer! Spoiled! Derek Jeter's got a lot of shoes in his locker. Dissecting the museum is a really cool exhibit that commemorates the only perfect game ever thrown in a World Series (1956). At one end is Don Larsen in pitching motion.At the other end is Yogi Berra receiving the final pitch of the game. Between the men is a wall covered with the autographs of past Yankees players, managers, and members of the organization. The top of the wall imitates the path the ball took from Larsen's hand to Berra' mitt. Pretty clever, huh? The distance between the statues is not the exact distance from the mound to home plate (Brother asked the question). According to our guide, it's a bit short. Of course, the first autograph I went hunting for was Bernie Williams.On the flip side of the autograph wall are over 700 balls signed by Yankees players, managers, and folks associated with the organization. Mamadukes was a bit peeved to find that Michael Kay's signed ball is next to Don Mattingly's. Naturally, I found Bernie's ball (I am pretty one-track minded).

Tech Support Sean found Ken Griffey Sr.'s ball and since I have such a fondness for Junior, I took a picture of his ball as well. Sean also found Jose Canseco's ball and felt that it looked like it had taken steroids.

From the museum, we headed to Monument Park. These are the three monuments that had originally stood in center field of the old stadium before renovations took place, which is when they were moved into "Monument Park." From left to right is Lou Gehrig, Miller James Huggins, and Babe Ruth. Immediately behind these stand the monuments for Mickey Mantle... ...and Joe DiMaggio. To the right of the original three (no, that is not my mother in the picture): To the left of the original three (I don't know anyone in this picture either): Me, Gator, and Donnie Baseball. Mama should be so proud! You can't tell in this picture, but they had just watered the flowers and I sat in a puddle. My butt was soaked!
I took a picture of the stands from the park because I'm confident that I'll never see the stadium this empty ever again (unless, of course, I buy tickets to another tour).

A monument to the victims of the September 11th attacks. After Monument Park, we went onto the field and hung out in the Yankees' dugout. I wanted to call the bullpen, but for some reason the phone was locked up. What, you have to be Joe Girardi or something to call the bullpen? This picture is the view that the players have of the field from the dugout. The only difference is that when they sit here, they actually see other players on the field whereas we only had our tour guide and a security guard to make sure none of us tried to run across the field. Tech Support Sean and I in the dugout: Me, Mamadukes, and Brother: From the dugout, we headed inside to the batting cages. Apparently, at the old stadium, the Yankees had to share their batting cage with the opposing team. Now, the Yankees and the visiting team have their own cages. After the cages, we got a glimpse into the clubhouse. The path roped off for us ran next to the lockers of Molina, Aceves, and Robertson. The rest of the lineup was across the way. Nady's was crammed with clothing. This is strange to me because out of all the players, due to his injury, he's played the least amount of time. Did his closet at home run out of room or something?

The clubhouse was the last stop of our tour and we ended where we began in the Hall of Legends. Outside the team store, Mamadukes got her picture taken with her beloved, Derek Jeter. After the tour, we ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. I think my mom would've preferred NYY Steak, but it was closed for lunch. Inside the Hard Rock's doorway: You might be wondering why I took a picture of a guitar. I am not much of a musician and I am not a guitar connoisseur. What mattered to me about the guitar was a certain someone's autograph: I have no shame regarding my obsession. In fact, Tech Support Sean also kindly pointed out that they had Bernie's guitar on display as well. The food was okay, but we had a good time nevertheless. Mamadukes orders a fancy drink called the Hurricane and earned a souvenir glass. Tech Support Sean and Brother each ordered beers in souvenir glasses. All in all, a good day was had. -Serena