Only 47 games left!

I was at the Yankee game last night for the fourth time this season - Giambi had two home runs and A-Rod had a home run and some amazing defensive plays - yay! My family and I had a great time and as usual, I enjoyed being at the stadium and taking in the game. However, I have to say that the MetLife countdown clock is starting to get on my nerves. At the end of every fifth inning, someone in a hidden booth somewhere in the stadium pulls a lever and the little electronic number display in the outfield moves down by one, signifying that there are only x number of official games left to be played at the current stadium. As Wade Boggs pulled the lever last night taking us from 48 to 47, I couldn't help but wonder what the countdown really signifies. With the Yankees middling behind the Red Sox and Devil Rays, are we just counting down to the first missed post-season appearance in a dozen years? Are we counting down to the moment when the old, cherished stadium becomes irrelevant and ignored? To the moment when the new stadium will not be able to accomodate thousands of fans who can't afford a $25,000 luxury box? Each player has a commemorative patch on their sleeve, the All-Star game is going to celebrate the stadium's demise in style but it's not as if the Yankees have to leave that stadium. If the stadium is so beloved and you want to celebrate it, why build the behemoth luxury box laden stone fortress across the street? I know that if you build it they will come but will it really be better? Aside from bettering the Steinbrenner's pockets that is.