Yankees, Yankees stadium and Yankees Pitchers Information

Reflections on America's pasttime: The summers that were

Barry Bonds I come from a baseball family. My dad played in college as well as my brother. My mom is an athletic director at a high school in Minnesota and is a dedicated sports fan. They have raised me on sports, and baseball definitely is one of the sports that is always running through my veins.

are available now for sale or purchase. Yankee Stadium has been home to some of the greatest teams and players in baseball history, so tickets to see the Yankees are always in high demand. No matter what year it is you can be sure that the Yankees are in a position to make it to the World Series. Whether you love 'em, or love to hate 'em, the Yankees always bring plenty of entertainment to lucky ticket holders.

Pete Rose As I grew up, I was fortunate enough to take a baseball trip every summer. My family would compare schedules together and decide on a trip that we could go on that would take us to as many as four different baseball parks. Throughout those trips, I got to take in the atmosphere at different stadiums, taste the food they had to offer and see a lot of baseball. I have found that, as young as I may have been for some of those trips, I find that there are still things that stand out in my mind as great things from those trips, but I also remember my worst experiences.

To a European or Asian, a Yankee is an American; to a southern American, a Yankee is a Northerner; to a Northerner, a Yankee is a New Englander; to a New Englander, a Yankee is a Vermonter; to a Vermonter, a Yankee is a person who eats apple pie for breakfast; to a Vermont person who eats apple pie for breakfast, a Yankee is someone who eats it with a knife.

Jeter The best hot dog I ever had was at Dodger Stadium. At the time, I was a strictly ketchup on my hot dogs man. No mustard could come near a hot dog for me to eat it. The Dodger dogs were fairly big for the price and were very good. Royal's Stadium in Kansas City came in a close second. I cannot remember a hot dog being particularly bad, but I was informed by my father that the old Tiger Stadium had awful hot dogs. Apparently they were just trying to match the taste of their food with the quality of team that they had.

With such a crippling start of the season, it must have become routine for Yankee fans to sit on the edge of their seats mumbling prayers under their breath for a miracle. On Sunday afternoon, their prayers were answered. During the 7th inning stretch in the game between the Yankees and Mariners, pitcher Roger Clemens announced to the thousands in Yankee Stadium and the millions watching at home, that he was coming back to the Bronx; making it the second time that Clemens wears the famous pinstripes. People in the stadium, along with everyone else watching on the YES network, must have been absolutely flabbergasted when the announcement was made. With Joe Torre on the hot seat and George Steinbrenner sweating bullets during each game, million team would pull something big to save themselves and their image. This miracle cost them a mere $28 million.

Mickey Mantle Many fields have exotic creations that they offer. I can only remember one stadium that does that and that is Coors Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies. In left center field, they have a very large grill, kind of like what you would imagine in the old stories about Paul Bunyan and the cooks skating around the grill making pancakes. You could step up to this grill and order Rocky Mountain Oysters (that's right, bull's nuts) to your heart's content.

Yankees Baby Blanket Reg. $25.99 $21. $4.04 Yankees Baby Blanket. The perfect baby gift for the Yankees Lover. The most adorable Yankees "Snuggleball" is perfect for your Yankee fan. Your little one will love snuggling up with this baseball of their favorite team.

Roger Maris The worst stadium I have been to is a toss up between County Stadium in Cleveland and Veteran's Field in Philadelphia. At County Stadium, my family had front row seats. Sounds good, huh? They were so low that you actually couldn't see anything on the field, so we were forced to move back to be able to watch the game and know what was happening. Veteran's Field is also horrible. It is concrete, uncomfortable and extremely hot. The turf was in awful shape and the stadium itself was not enjoyable. There really aren't words that describe it.

Quantity must be between 1 and 32000 A Must Own for a true Yankees collector! Babe Ruth Photomint. %íhe Sultan of Swat% and the original %Úron Man, % two of the greatest Yankees, these legendary ball players are captured on this limited edition collectible. A unique 8x10 photo of both legends standing side by side in the dugout. 24KT Gold Yankees coin features the team logo and established date. 24KT Gold Yankee Stadium Coin has the Sculpted image of the stadium. The Certificate Of Authenticity is individually numbered and mounted between the gold coins listing the seasons they played together as well as the championships they won together. This is officially licensed by MLB and is limited to 1000 pieces.

Roger Clemens Now it is time for the best stadium that I have been to. Really, I can't even break it down and give you one. There are so many. The settings and histories of parks are so different that it just adds to the whole experience of the game. First, there is Wrigley Field. The Friendly Confines are just that. The Ivy that graces the outfield walls, the balls that are hit onto Waveland avenue and the resonating voice of Ernie Banks saying, "Let's play two." It is a purely awesome park.

Jason Giambi Up there with Wrigley is Yankee Stadium. Again, it is based more on the history than the stadium itself. The stadium isn't unbelievable, but it is quite large. From the moment you step to your seats and can see the field, all you can think is that you are actually at Yankee Stadium. If you look out into left-center, you see the monuments to great Yankees such as Maris, Mantle and Ruth. I got chills the first time I stepped into Yankee Stadium and will always remember the experience.

Pitcher Possibly the most aesthetically pleasing park was Coors Field in Colorado. From the inside and out, Coors is a very enjoyable site and, if it ever gets done in Minnesota, an exact replica of what I would want to see in downtown Minneapolis for the Twins. Not to mention that the setting in downtown Denver adds to the park.

Lakers But my favorite park overall has got to be Camden Yards in Baltimore. It is set in an old warehouse district against the harbor in downtown. There really isn't a bad seat in the park, and it is an event to go, not just a leisure activity. Out beyond right field, set against the warehouse, lies a party atmosphere with lots of grills, shops and good food. You can come to the game and enjoy the pre-game festivities and not even have to go in to the park. I have yet to find something that matches Camden Yards. It has everything that a baseball fan could ask a park to have.

Jorge Posada It has been a few years since my family has had the time to escape during the summer, but I look forward to the next time we do. It will give us a chance to see the sport that is so common in our family. We will get a chance to see some of the new parks that we haven't seen, and we might even get to visit some old friends.

Don Mattingly --

Knicks Andy Haugen
Sports Editor

[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]