I was a Yankee Game virgin. That is until yesterday. And while we’re all being honest here, I have to say that I haven’t been to a baseball game (of any league) in at least ten years. It has been far too long. My good friend Erica (what a fabulous name!) decided to deflower me by taking me to my first game ever at Yankee Stadium to celebrate my birthday. Boy, was it an awesome present!

We both were a bit worried as we seemed to be in the midst of a heat wave over the weekend, with highs expected to be in the mid-90s. For fear that I might pass out due to the heat, I stocked up on water and sun block, and headed to Grand Central to catch the 4 train. As the subway approached Yankee Stadium and the gray concrete mecca came into view, I could just feel the energy rise among the Yankee fans. After a quick glimpse inside the stadium (blink and you miss it) through the subway window, I knew I was in love.

I donned my pink Yankee hat (that’s right), and we headed up to our seats “close to God” as Erica put it. With my foot-long hot dog, cheese fries, and Yankee-cup Diet Coke in hand, we found our seats, which were actually quite amazing. They were right over first base at the front of one of the upper tiers. And you know what was great for us? We were at the cut-off point for the shade for the majority of the game. We were darn lucky.

From the get-go, I was enthralled in the game. If you’ve ever been to a Yankee game, you know that “bleacher creatures” as true Yankee regulars call them, take roll call at each game by calling out each player’s name until the player acknowledges them in some way, either with a wave or an entertaining point (that means you, Johnny Damon!). From there, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were up to bat. The first two innings were scoreless, but the Yanks took the lead with 2 runs in the third inning after Derek Jeter hit a double, allowing Johnny Damon and Miguel Cairo to take it home. The Devil Rays responded with 2 runs in the fourth inning. The pressure was on! The heat became a bit too much for us, so we decided to skip out and buy some Dippin’ Dots (I’m obsessed). Just as we were returning to our seats, the Yanks were up to bat again. Johnny Damon, who is quickly becoming one of my favorites, belted a homerun into one of the upper tiers on the right side. Amazing! And as if that wasn’t enough, Damon hit a homerun AGAIN that followed the same exact path in the seventh inning, ensuring the game for the Yanks. Because I think they are sometimes overlooked (including by myself), I also want to mention the Bomber pitchers who did an amazing job: Mike “Moose” Mussina pitched seven innings, followed by Kyle Farnsworth who pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and easily closed with a scoreless ninth inning by Mariano Rivera. The final score: 4-2, Yanks. Go Yanks!

As the crowd filed (well, more like clumped in massive mobs) out of the stadium, I was already planning my next trip out to the mecca to pay homage to my boys. That’s right—MY boys. My first time with the Yanks was quick, painless, and quite incredible. My only complaint: why are there no frozen margaritas?

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 31st, 2006 at 10:56 pm and is filed under Sports, New York City. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.