Let's Go, Yankees!

Our family are big-time Yankees fans. We're not having the best season this year, but we're having a lot of fun, and it's amazing how much revolves around the Yankees in our household.

I've been meaning to write this for the past two weeks, but two weeks ago, Josh and I went to a game at Yankees Stadium on an absolutely beautiful Saturday afternoon.

I've gone to many Yankees games since moving to NYC and I always love them. But I never really converted to being a Yankees fan until early last year. I think it's my tendency to root for the underdog and hope for a "good story"....along with liking to swim against the current and not appear to be a bandwagon jumper-on-er. After all, I cheered for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for years as a kid when they literally couldn't win a game or two a season. (And I still have what some have called that hideous orange Tampa Bay jersey from high school....which I wear on occasion).

Secretly, I was kind of happy when the Yankees blew a 3-0 lead in the best of 7 with Boston a couple of years ago and Boston went on to win the World Series. It just seemed like such a great story. And did the Yankees really need another championship?

I tried to be a Mets fan...because that's kind of different and they aren't traditionally all that great (though this year they are). But they're just so flippin' boring! Their games -- even when they win -- are just ho hum. Win, lose or called on account of rain, Yankees games are the greatest.

Josh and I's game together was against Seattle. The game started at 3:55 p.m., and we left home at 3:10 p.m. because he had a baseball game earlier in the afternoon. That's what's great...even on a weekend game, you don't have to leave too early to make it to the game. We just cruise down the Bronx River Parkway, take Exit 6, and there's a lot right there waiting for us. Boom!

Parking is now up to $14, but we still think that's a bargain as parking in Manhattan is easily $25 or more. (Even our cheapo lot we used for the temple has tacked on a $5 surcharge for minivans making that around $13...guess they see an opportunity to "tax" just the Mormons by going after mini vans).

I was the second to last car to get into the lot before it was full. They made me park in a very odd little diagonal spot that required tricky backing in (good thing Kathryn encourages that on our home driveway).

Then it's a short walk through an overpass that has a homeless guy playing tunes on a piccolo or flute or something like that. Josh asked if we could toss in some coins on the way home. Sure, why not?

We found a mostly overlooked entrance, which was great because they still had caps to give away, even though it was now 3:45 p.m. Yea! Free Yankees cap (with a Hess gas company logo on the back).

We ran and made it through the worn down and crumbling stadium and got to our seats before the first pitch. These tickets are courtesy of work, so they're better than what I pay for....which means they are lower, but we're in the right field outfield.

Josh and I of course wore our Yankees jerseys...I have one for Marino Rivera and Josh wore A-Rod. The stands are filled with people wearing their favorite jerseys, including legends like Thurman Munson. When you arrive, you're with family.

Wang was pitching and he's one of Josh's favorite pitchers. He pitched a PERFECT game into the 8th inning (that means no hits, errors or walks) which is super rare. Had he made it a perfect game, it would have been like only the 4th or 5th in the 100 plus year history of the Yankees. So every pitch from the 5th inning on was exciting. Everyone applauded every strike. We all knew we could possibly be viewing history.

Alas, Wang gave up a home run in the 8th. But the Yankees won 8 to 1 so it didn't matter.

Josh was the expert of our area. When fans around us would ask questions to themselves about things they had missed, Josh would turn around and explain why so-and-so was in, or what had led to the person getting on base, etc.

What makes the atmosphere so great?

• they have a "subway race" on the video scoreboard between one of the innings which is worth the price of admission, in my book. Though it's gotten less cool and now Dunkin Donuts sponsors it and it's cheesy. The race has gone commercial. Bah!

• 7th Inning Stretch: They sing God Bless America before Take Me Out to the Ballpark.

• The announcer. Can't remember his name, but his voice is legendary. He feels like Baseball.

• YMCA! When the grounds crew comes out to rake the field in the 6th inning or so, they do it to the tune of the Village People's YMCA. You don't expect that at something as large as the Yankees. But it's tradition! And the grounds crew drop their ranks at the YMCA part to lead the crowd through that. Everyone dances. It's so hokey yet because it's the Yankees, it's not hokey, and it, too, is worth the price of the ticket. Even during the sacred World Series, they still do YMCA.

• Best tradition? When the Yankees win, they cue up "New York New York" by Frank Sinatra. The first few notes chime in about 3 seconds after the final out or game winning run. It's the sound of victory and accompanies you all the way back out to the car. (When they lose, they play "New York New York" by Liza Minelli.) I rank hearing Frank Sinatra at Yankee Stadium as one of the top 10 best things in New York City. It really almost brings tears to the eyes.

Let's hope the Yankees can turn this season around. At 10 games out, they now are underdogs, which makes me even a bigger fan than before! I hope the new stadium -- opening in 2009 -- will keep the same feeling and traditions.