DanMargarita.com

This past Sunday night, the Yankees played their final game at Yankee Stadium, also known as “The House That Ruth Built.” There won’t be anymore games there this season because as has been much noted here in the Boston area, THE YANKEES WON’T BE IN THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1993…but again, I don’t hate the Yankees.

As a baseball fan I’m always happy to travel to ballparks other than Fenway Park (yes, there are ballparks other than Fenway) to see a game. Thus, I felt the urge to see storied Yankee Stadium one last time before it becomes yet another piece of rubble in the Bronx.

There are numerous ways to get to the ballpark, located in the South Bronx, from downtown. One is by car. The last person I know who did that, had his car broken into and several things stolen, including his tax returns.

The most common method of travel is by subway, on the D line which takes you to 161st Street. If you’re unsure as to which train to get on, just follow the mass of people wearing Yankees gear.

My ticket was for Row B, Seat 13 in the upper deck. One might reasonably assume that Row B would be the second row, but instead I found that much to my confusion, not only was the first row, Row “A” but that the second row was also Row “A”. The third row was Row B, as was the fourth row, and so on and so on.

I was able to figure out which Row “B” I was supposed to be in because I assumed the person sitting in the other Row B, seat 13, knew where he or she was supposed to be.

Having left an unseasonably chilly Boston, I dressed for the same weather in NYC but instead found my seats to be in the sun on a very hot and humid day. Being in seat thirteen meant that to get up and leave to go for a beverage, food or a men’s room break, I would have to inconvenience at least twelve people in either direction.

For a Red Sox fan, going into Yankee Stadium makes you feel like a cat trying to sneak into a dog pound. However, I’m not one of those fans who will wear Sox clothing into Yankee Stadium looking for a fight. I’m crazy, not stupid. In fact, since the Yankees were facing the Tampa Bay Rays, who are ahead of the Red Sox in the standings, I found myself in the unusual position of rooting for the Yankees. Sure, that may sound like General Custer’s wife rooting for the Sioux Indians, but if Mrs. Custer had a big bet on the Indians and knew her husband would still come home safe, she might make the wager.

As columnist and friend Bob Ryan recently noted in the Boston Globe, the current Yankee Stadium is NOT the same one that Babe Ruth played in. Okay, I’ve never actually met Bob Ryan, but I saw him at Doyle’s Pub once.

The current ballpark was constructed on the grounds of the original and opened in time for the 1976 season, and saw the Yankees win their first pennant since 1964. Not having currently won a pennant since 2001, that could be the reason why Yankee owner George Steinbrenner decided to open a new ballpark next door. If they win next season, he may construct yet another ballpark for the 2010 season.

Yes, I contemplated just what I might be able to take home as a souvenir, such as “Row B” but I settled for a couple of souvenir soda cups instead. That wasn’t enough for some fans though, as several news outlets reported that fans were trying to take seat number plates, a floor drain and even one guy who tried to steal a toilet seat. I can only assume that he figured that someone in the memorabilia market would pay big money for some remnants of The Babe’s e-coli bacteria.

Oh yeah, I forgot…The Babe didn’t do that in the current Stadium, either.