My top 10 Yankee Stadium Moments

Well it's Opening Day over at Yankee Stadium. As everyone knows, this Cathedral in the Bronx has been the back drop for some of the greatest moments in Baseball history. I've been fortunate enough to be there in person for some of these momentous events. So without out further adieu, here are my own personal top 10 Yankee Stadium moments that I was in attendance for.   

#10) 6/10/02 Shane Spencer hits go ahead Grand Slam to beat defending champion Arizona Diamondbacks:

Unfortunately, I couldn't find video for this one. Here's the set-up: Yanks lose the 01' World series game 7 to the D-backs on a super-rare Mariano blown save. Fast forward to June of 2002, the D-back are back at the Stadium for inter-league play and once again they're dominating the Yanks, Until Shane-o-mack steps up and knocks out a go ahead, game winning Grand Slam. I had amazing seats right behind Home Plate. I was sitting with the AZ wives who hated me by the end of the game. It was awesome.

#9) 7/22/10 Jeter's Inside the park HR.

OK OK, this was more of a sloppy play than an amazing feat, but seeing the Captain chug around the bags for his only inside-the-parker made an ordinary game a top 10 memory. Here's a crappy video:

8) 10/19/04 The Bloody Sock

To me, this game was a lock. Yanks were up 3-2 in the ALCS and the only reason the lost game 4 and 5 was because I wasn't there...Duh. Everyone remembers the "gritty" performance by Curt Shitling. My biggest memory was of that A-hole, A-rod. I was sitting on the 3rd base line, so when A-rod smacked the ball out of Arroyo's hand, I couldn't see it. Well I saw it later, a million times. Rough game to be at as a Yanks fan, great game to be at as a baseball fan!

7) 9/22/13 Mariano Rivera day

It was a beautiful afternoon, the stands were filled with passionate fans ready to give a legend the send-off he deserved. Early on the place was buzzing about a special guest. Little did we know, we were about to get our faces rocked off!

6) 2006 Opening Day

If you ever get an opportunity to go to opening day, for any team, at any Stadium...take it. There's nothing quite like seeing tens of thousands of  die-hard fans all under one roof with high hopes for the upcoming season. The place is clean, the food is fresh. You probably have heard of the person singing the National Anthem, and I promise you, you've never seen an American flag as big as the one they'll roll across the outfield. I was lucky enough to experience this a few times, but only once at the old house. It was 2006 and it was Johnny Damon's 1st game as a Yank, I couldn't find any supporting video, but here's a photo I took that day. By the way, it only took him 3 years. 

5) 9/11/09 Jeter passes Gehrig on Yankees all-time hit list.

This was a fun one. My wife and I earlier in the season decide to have a pre-anniversary. Meaning, we planned something special a year prior to our wedding. We got to the Stadium at 1 to take a tour, then we went drinking an bowling out on River ave, then a delicious meal at NYY Steak. We timed it out perfect for the 7 O'clock start. We just forgot to factor in the rain! It poured for almost 3 hours. I think the game started close to 10 pm. We were exhausted, and seriously debated going home. I'm glad we didn't.

4) 7/14/08 2008 All-Star game Workout day and Home Run Derby

When people think of Home Run Derby's, there's usually one that comes to mind, and I was there maaaaaannnnn! It was obvious early we were going to see something special, but we had no idea we'd see such dominance.

3) 7/11/87 My very first baseball game. 

The first ever baseball game I went to has a great story. My old man was never much of a baseball guy, but knowing I was he scored some tix to Yankees/White Sox in the Bronx. Oh yeah, and it was Old Timers Day. That's right folks, how many of you can say you saw Yankee legends including Mickey Mantle the 1st time you went to a game. The day was magic, the OTD game was 3 innings of fun. Then the pros came on and took a tie into the top of the 15th where the Chisox ended up winning. Unfortunately these are the only details I remember. I have not been able to find information on that game anywhere. I'm specifically looking to find out what other legends were there that day. Any help would be greatly appreciated and could warrant a prize! Instead of video, here's a pic of me and pops on that magical day. We probably should have switched hats. I Still have the stubs too!

2) 6/13/03 Roger Clemens 300th win/4000th K

OK this one was very much calculated. Roger Clemens sat on 299 for a while. If I remember correct he went out on a long road trip stuck at 299 so we we certain it wouldn't happen at home. Sure enough, when he couldn't get it done away, my friends and I knew we had to be there. I remember we had to meet some shady dude in  a parking lot for the tix, boy was it worth it. What a lot of people forget about that game was it was Tino Martinez's 1st game back at the Stadium after leaving for St. Louis. In his return he hit 2 bombs off of Clemens and almost wrecked the night for us (We whole-heartedly cheered him anyway). Finally Clemens got back on top, Mo saved it and we saw history. Say what you will about Clemens, the dude always appreciated his fans and constantly acknowledged the crowd. It's the little things. 

1) 10/16/03 Game 7 ALCS Aaron Fucking Boone

Next to my kid being born, this was the most exciting moment of my life. The Stadium shook. I shook. As you can tell from this list, I've been fortunate enough to see some amazing things at Yankee Stadium, but none will ever touch this amazing night. Even if you're familiar with how this game ended, I implore you to go back and watch the entire game again. It started with Clemens v. Pedro and ended with a walk-off. But it's the million story lines in-between that made this game so amazing. Boone gets a lot of credit, but without Mo going 3 (That's not a typo) perfect innings and Posada's double, Boone never even gets a chance. Sometimes if I think real hard put myself back in my seat (Section 320 by the way) and I shake all over again.