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FeedA Buffalonian in Yankee Stadium, and more Wednesday thoughts
We made our annual pilgrimage to Yankee Stadium on May 15, and the place is everything it's been advertised to be: a twenty-first-century ballpark with every amenity imaginable. Yeah, the new barn is really first class, and it's already been christened with a World Series title.
But strolling down the gigantic staircase from our nosebleeds to the second level (that's where the premium beer and really choice junk food is peddled), we could peer out and see the old House that Ruth Built, now a fenced-off pile of rubble that resembles downtown Berlin, circa 1945. That was the only downer of an otherwise perfect day for America's pastime, adding equal parts of profound sadness to the unparalleled fun of a visit to the stadium.
I mean, if this is truly Yankee Stadium, where's the Budweiser sign and accompanying rowdy, drunken stiffs in dead-centerfield? I mean, Bud is absolute slop, and those guys represent the decay of Western Civilization, but it was all part of the experience!
Call me old-fashioned, but it seems to be too unceremonious an end to baseball's most hallowed ground. I have fond memories of my visits to the old place, so a piece of my childhood seemed to die as I scanned the dusty, wreckage-laden construction/excavation site. I never had the privilege of attending a game at the Aud, but I think I must've felt the muted anguish of Buffalo natives who could only watch helplessly as crews gutted the place in the spring of 2009.
I haven't a clue what's going to be built over the old site, nor do I care. But I have a feeling it will be haunted by the legends who made the stadium part of American sports folklore—not by prankster poltergeists Yogi Berra or Phil Rizzuto, but by a Paranormal Activity-type demon like Joe DiMaggio or Lou Gehrig, clunking folks over the noggin with a swing for the fences.
I'll say this, though: the tradition of navigating the absolute post-game gridlock of the South Bronx to get to the George Washington bridge, which I believe inspired the game of "Operation," is still firmly intact. In a twisted way, that warmed my heart.
• The new Meadowlands, set to open this coming NFL season, will host the 2014 Super Bowl. Seems like a roll of the dice for a league that's always demanded premium climate control for its biggest game of the season. Actually, it's no roll of the dice at all—it's going to be cold, gray, and possibly snowy in February in New Jersey. Part of me wants to hope that with this precedent, perhaps Ralph Wilson Stadium might get consideration for future Super Bowls. But the cold, backhand slap of reality then admonishes me with the knowledge that compared to new-wave NFL stadiums, the Ralph might as well be the Rockpile.
Now for my offering of childish sarcasm: Kudos to the NFL for providing the NYC market a badly needed economic shot in the arm, though. It will be wonderful to see a small, obscure, struggling city like New York get an influx of money and, at long last, some global recognition and publicity. Gee-whiz, the Big Apple needed that kind of break.
• Bash the Sabres all you want for re-signing Mike Grier, but I love the move. Everyone upset over it needs to understand that the team needs guys like Grier, one of the few bright spots of the first-round embarrassment against Boston, to grow. If "core" guys like Tim Connolly, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, and Paul Gaustad had played with half the fire and gusto Grier did against the Bs, we might be sizing up Buffalo's chances against Chicago in the Cup Final.
• Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman are unrestricted free agents on July 1. It says here to let 'em walk, thereby sweeping their salaries off the books and opening room to sign a tougher defender who can make opposing forwards pay the price down low. With all due respect, Craig Rivet and Steve Montador don't cut it. Besides, if AHL cubs like Mike Weber and Marc-Andre Gragnani are as "ready" as we're told they are, it makes letting Tallinder and Lydman go that much more sensible and pallatable.
• You might want to check out the annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 hoops tourney later next month when it comes to Buffalo. I've always thought about registering to play, but two things have stopped me: 1. I suck at basketball, and 2. I really suck at basketball.
