GOOD-BYE YANKEE STADIUM

It was bittersweet to watch the last game in Yankee Stadium last night. However, it was mostly sweet because there are so many good things I remember about watching games from the old ballpark in the Bronx. Whether I was watching a game live or jumping up and down in my living room during another moment provided by the ghosts of Yankees past.

I have been to Yankee Stadium five times. Each time was unique but there are two experience that I will never forget. During those five trips the Yankees went 1-3 and had one game rained out.

1) July 3, 1999 -- During my second game at the Stadium the Yankees were down 5-3 to the Orioles in the bottom of the ninth inning. However, a lead off single by Chili David and a walk by Jorge Posada set-up a dramatic finish.

Luis Sojo followed the Posada walk with a strike-out and my once excited hopes got crushed for a moment. Scott Broius nailed an offering from Auther Rhodes into the leftfield stands for a dramatic one-out three-run homerun to win the game for the Yankees.

The homerun ball landed literally three feet away from me but I was too excited about the win that I never went for the ball! Oh well, at least the Yankees won!

2) After the attacks of 9/11 I went to the first playoff game at Yankee Stadium in mid-October against the Oakland A's. The trip to the Stadium was what I remember most. Me and my friend took a ferry that went by Ground Zero. It was one of the most eerie 15 minutes of my life. There was still a fair amount of smoke around the site even three weeks after the event.

Unfortunately the Yankees lost the game to the A's but seeing Ground Zero just a few weeks after such an impactful event left all 100+ people on the ferry speechless.