The Yankees Experience

.          My World Series experience was one I will never forget. I got the opportunity to attend Yankee Stadium to watch game 4 on the big screen, where the Yankees played on the road in Philadelphia. The stadium was open to all who wished to attend. Entrance was free allowing anyone access to the Yankee experience. I also had the privilege to go to game 6 of the World Series, which was played in Yankee Stadium. The Yankee experience is offered to people of all social classes.

.          Watching game four at the stadium with die-hard fans was exhilarating. Every pitch and call was either booed or cheered. The crowd did not let anything slide. They brought signs, posters, and paraphernalia to cheer on their team as if the players were actually present to appreciate it. These fans would be classified as “bleacher creatures,” the wild fans that tried to attend every game they possibly can at an affordable price. They generally sit it the cheapest seats in the stadium, the bleachers. For the majority of the night, the Yankees were winning and things were running smoothly. The energy of the crowd was so electric that at points I felt the floor shake. In the bottom of the eighth inning the Phillies tied the game up and threatened to win the game. At that point a dramatic silence hit the stadium as they listened to the voice of Joe Buck on the Fox broadcast. After Mariano Rivera, the Yankee closer, got out of the jam, Alex Rodriguez, the Yankee all-star third baseman hit a game winning single which put the Yankees and the New York crown in an uproar.

.          The price of an actual World Series ticket can vary from $600 to somewhere in the ten thousands. Thanks to my father’s connection to the Yankee organization, he scored a pair of tickets and I was his guest of honor. Our seats were in the upper deck but the experience was like none I had experienced before. I witnessed the Yankees win the World Series. There was pandemonium in the Bronx from the first pitch of the game until late that night after a late-night celebration. Following a stellar Andy Pettit pitching performance and a Hideki Matzui record setting night, the Yankees brought the World Series title back to where it belongs. The team celebrated on the mound as their season goal was accomplished, along with life-long dreams. They saluted the crowd with a lap around the field and speeches directed to us fans. Derek Jeter, the Yankee captain, stated that without the fans none of it would have meaning. He thanked us for being the greatest fans in the world.

.          These two experiences go hand in hand in my mind. It was just as amazing to witness World Series immortality, as it was to watch a World Series game on the stadium big screen. Money is not a factor when trying to support your team or trying to experience baseball. The difference in class was clear-cut between game 4 and game 6 but each crowd got their own unique experience. Art and culture is available to all social classes living in America.

For full coverage of the opening of Yankee Stadium on game 4 please click here. To view a gallery of that night please click here.

World Series Experience Video Diary