Damn Yankees

I spent the weekend in NYC. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how awesome the city is...everyone knows. The main purpose of my trip was to see a game at Yankee Stadium before they tear it down for the new and improved stadium they are building across the street. My cousin Stephanie and I watched the Yankees take on the Seattle Mariners Tuesday night. Good times, my friends, good times.

First off, Yankee Stadium is kinda a let down. Obviously, it's old and dirty, but so is Wrigley Field (which is an awesome stadium). Yankee Stadium feels HUGE (and I guess it is), has a crappy sound system, an old announcer who sounds like he may die at any minute and pretty lame Jumbotron. The game, however, was everything I expected. The Yankees had lost a few games to Tampa Bay (hahahahahaha) and Seattle in the days leading up to my visit and they were ready for a big win...which they got. A 7 run 6th inning lead to a 12-3 Yankees victory. It was fun, as games always are when the home team is winning.

The real story of the night was the squirrel who climbed to the top of the right field pole about 10 minutes before the start of the game and just hung out. Our seats where almost directly in line with the Yankee Squirrel (who made an appearance a few weeks ago, from what I understand) and most people noticed him by the end of the 2nd inning (Steph was convinced he was a hired squirrel). At the top of the 6th inning, YS decided he needed to get out of the wind (or something) and started to climb down the foul pole. People started cheering the little guy on until some idiot threw some food at him. He got scared and made his way back up the pole...everyone booed and Steph said, "Whoever threw that is going to hell." YS then begin climbing up and down the foul pole...especially during A-Rod's at bat...and our section cheered whenever YS would head down the pole and became discouraged when he turned to head back up. People started chanting "Let's Go Squir-rel!" until finally, YS made his way to the bottom of the section and out of sight. The crowed erupted like the Yankees just hit another home run. Ichiro even looked up at us from center field probably thinking "What the hell are those people cheering about?" but he talks to animals, so I'm sure he would understand. YS returned later, to much fanfare, and even ran through the stands at one point. He ended up on the Jumbotron and finished the game high atop the foul pole again. He probably had the best seat in the place.

I recommend a trip to Yankee Stadium before the Yankees move next door in '09. Sit up high and enjoy the game...and the squirrel.

Best Cheer: Hip Hip Jorge
Best Jumbotron Game: Guess the Yankee (given his number)
Stay For: Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York" at the end of the game
Price of a Pink Hat: $20