The Home that Ruth Built

There is a big difference between a house and a home. A home is a comforting place filled with memories (both good and bad), a place that may be a little raggy around the edges (and not have too many corporate boxes) but is still a place that you love. You can build a big, shiny new building with imposing stone walls and glittering gold letters but for now it is only a new house. So it was with love and a bit of sadness that I went last night to say goodbye to the home of the Yankees, the original Yankee Stadium.

It is self-evident that many amazing things have taken place at Yankee Stadium and I need not recount them all. There are also many personal memories Yankee fans will cherish from Yankee Stadium. For me, I will always remember the 2000 AL Championship game where the Yankees won the championship knowing they would face the Mets in the World Series. David Justice hit a home run into the right field upper deck just rows in front of where I sat - I screamed so long and so loud that I lost my voice for days. Unfortunately, I will also always remember the fateful Game 7 of the 2004 AL Championship where the Red Sox managed to take the championship crown - the crowd was so sad that we all started comforting each other - one big, supportive family.

There are also little anecdotes - ask my Uncle Stevie to tell you about my demand that the NYPD be summoned to deal with a pigeon stuck between two seats. I'm always happy to tell you about the time some friends and I watched the Yankees play for 16 innings until 1am on a Wednesday only to lose in the end. These anecdotes, and many others, made Yankee Stadium a place where I felt at home with the team and with my fellow fans.

Most importantly, Yankee Stadium is a place where I could feel at home with my family. My dad was a Yankee fan my whole life but when my sister and I were girls he never took us to Yankee games, never talked to us about the games he watched on TV. In law school and college, my sister and I began to get swept up with the Yankees on our own and slowly, my dad and uncle who had been attending games together finally merged with my sister and me until we began to go to the games at the stadium all together. My family has no problem finding things to talk about but now the Yankees is just one more thing we all have in common and can enjoy together. So it was only appropriate that we came together to say goodbye to the home of the Yankees. Thank you Yankee Stadium for creating this picture and I look forward to pitching in to make your new house a home.