So Long 161st Street & River Avenue

Until I read about it in Monday's New York Times, I had completely forgotten that this was the last season for storied Yankee Stadium.


Reading the article rekindled dormant memories of the stadium where, while living in New York during the eighties, I spent many nights and afternoons drinking warm-ish and semi-flat beer from cardboard cups and eating dirty-water dogs.

I vividly recall seeing Dave Righetti pitch the first Yankee no-hitter in 27 years against the Red Sox on July 4, 1983.

During those years, I also enjoyed the lightning fastball of Ron Guidry and revelled in the circus surrounding Billy Martin's repeated comings and goings as Manager.

Although the Yankees of those years played great baseball and won a lot of games, they failed to win a World Series title. Fortunately, this did not diminish the experience at the ballpark.

Thinking about those days makes me wish I had made one last trip to see a game this year. Unfortunately, I didn't think about it. Living 3,500 miles away in another country has allowed my interest in the Yankees to drift away.

The new Yankee Stadium will undoubtedly provide a great venue for a ball game, and while I am sure I will like it, it will never replace the original.

Someone commented that the "the ghosts will simply walk across the street" to the new stadium. Maybe, but somehow I don't think so.