OT: Yankees with three consecutive walk-off wins

[calvindog]

First time they've done this since 1972; first time the Twins have coughed up three in a row like this since 1973. Making it more incredible is that they initially tied two of the games in the seventh and eighth innings and overcame a two run deficit to win in the ninth inning of another game.

[Al C.risafulli]

I was at Saturday's game; it was my first trip to the new park.

The park itself is absolutely incredible. I wondered how they were going to drag the history of the old park across the street and make it work - they managed to do it. Everywhere you look, there are reminders of Yankee history. I didn't get to the museum or Monument Park; Monument Park looks a little sterile but I've seen pictures of the museum that look awesome. You can see the game from anywhere, and you're welcome to wander around the stadium during the game and watch from behind the railings all around the park.

Saturday's game was perfect; it seemed like rain, then the sun came out. It was a pitcher's duel with a great offensive performance from Teixera, a few nice plays in the field, a controversial call, some power, a couple innings of free baseball, and then a bomb in the 11th to put it away.

Excellent game, beautiful place to see a ballgame.

Here's a cellphone shot of the "black and white" side of the Great Hall; each of these 40-foot banners has another image of a Yankee great. The opposite sides of the banners are newer shots of guys like Munson and Nettles.

Sorry for the hijack, but it was marginally on topic, I guess.



-Al

[calvindog]

Al, that looks nice; kind of a stunning change from old Yankees Stadium. Can you imagine that sort of concourse in the old place?

[Al C.risafulli]

I really can't. I had a partial season ticket package in 2001; if you got up out of your seat and tried to move around, security shuttled you right back to your seat.

Here, they actually encourage you to walk around; what used to be tunnels at the old park is now wide open. You can go grab a beer or a hot dog (or sushi or steak sandwiches or nachos or Italian sausage or just about anything else), and while you're waiting on line you can see the game. Then you can just stand there and watch.

Here are some images from me just wandering around the park. My buddies and I didn't even go to our seats until the bottom of the fifth; I think it would be really easy to spend $12 on a bleacher seat and watch the game from all around the park.

From the food court in left:



From the bleachers in right center. Obstructed view seats are $5 on a first come, first-served basis. You could buy those seats and there's absolutely no reason you would ever have to sit in them.



Along the third base line. These photos were shot with my iPhone, which has no zoom lens. In person, you're much closer than these photos would indicate.

[Al C.risafulli]

Another point to make: A lot of people are making a big deal about the empty seats.

If all the people wandering around the Stadium, looking at things, watching the game from a million different vantage points, shopping, eating, etc., actually sat down in their seats, I think the stadium would look a lot more full.

The only place that looked conspicuously empty was the expensive, cushy seats behind the netting around the plate. By the end of the game, everything had filled up nicely.

-Al

[doug.goodman]

I was at the game today, also. As much as I hate the Yankees, I must admit that if for no other reason than all the customer service people, they did a decent good job with the new stadium. It's my 47th regular season ballpark.

But.

I really question what they were thinking when they designed the Cafe and Sports Bar in center in such a way that part of section 239 can't see first base. It's bad enough that there are obstructed view seats in a new stadium, but seats that can't see first base?

Doug

[DangerJim]

I had always wanted to visit the old Yankee stadium to soak in the history and almost did it last year on a whim as I had tickets offered to me. Unfortunately, I just couldn't quite justify the expense of flying to New York for a day to see a baseball game.

It is nice to know that when I do make it to New York some day I can still soak in some Yankee history.

In the mean time, I quite enjoy our wonderful Miller Park. It takes a little getting used to having a roof over a baseball game and it never feels quite right watching a baseball game indoors. However, during the early sping cold of Wisconsin or torrential downpours during the All Star game's home run derby you come to appreciate having a roof.

By the way... our Brew Crew is the hottest team in baseball right now and I am praying they can deliver the first World Series victory to Milwaukee in 50 years.

sorry for getting off topic, had to brag about my team

[Potomac Yank]

Al, thank you for sharing those great shots of the new stadium.
This geezer, just a stone throw from the Potomac River, lived 60 years in Yankee land.

My very first game was at the Polo Grounds in 1944, I couldn't help that, cause my dad was a Giant's fan, and a friend of Dolf Luque, then a coach.
However, I was a Yank fan, and me and my school friends would be bleacherites at the old Yankees Stadium in 1944.
The war time years of my hero, Snuffy Sternweiss and Nick Etten, Crossetti, Tucker Stainbach, Bud Metheney, Hank Borowy etc.

They were the best of times, they were the worse of times, but anyway you cut it ..... I miss the island of Manhattan, and I miss some of those times.

Al, again I thank you for sharing your pictures.
Come to think of it, I use to play some semi pro football where that new stadium is currently built.

Stay well,
Joe

[Ladder7]

Looks very nice. But be very careful at the Harlem River Sushi stand.

Thanks for posting these.

[FrankWakefield]

3rd place, 3 games over .500 ....

Keep your celebration powder dry for later on, if they make it to first place. Golly, at least the remnants of that invincible bunch of Tigers assembled last year are 1st in their division. (And I'm not a Tigers fan, I just recall all of the hoopla over the team about a year ago.)

[tbob]

What a horrible weekend for a Twins fan You expect misfits like Breslow and Crain to gack it up and surrender game winning homers as the Twins pen under GM Bill Smith has gone from one of the best to the worst, but Joe Nathan imploding on Friday night was a stunner.
If Bill Smith (trading Santana for a bag of rocks and Bartlett (.373) and Garza (AL Championship MVP) for Duncemon Young and all those great free agent pickups like Lamb, Monroe, Everett, Guardado, Livan Hernandez, Ayala etc. which were horrible) has a job come October 1st I am reconsidering my 48 year loyalty to this team

[calvindog]

Bob, comeon, trading the best pitcher in baseball for a fourth outfielder who can't hit (Gomez) and a pitcher who can't pitch (Humber) wasn't so bad, right?

[drc]

The perception of a walk off win as having more importance than other types of wins is known as a cognitive bias.

[nolemmings]

this has happened and will happen again--in May (maybe even June). The Twins will finish in the thick of it as usual and Santana will never see playing time in a World Series, much less win one. Since I like the Yankees MUCHO I don't see the despair you do, although the bullpen is a huge concern. Watch as the Twins take off the second half and check back here. Around the All-Star break tell me how Bartlett and Garza are doing. The starters are coming around--although our #5 got lit tonight-- and if Mauer stays healthy we are going to be fine--except for that bullpen. We'll only go as far as they take us.

[Orioles1954]

Say what you want about my Orioles, but compare what the Twins got for Santana to what we got for Bedard.

Adam Jones (one of the best young five-tool players in baseball)
Chris Tillman (2 ERA in Triple A at age 20, considered future ace)
George Sherrill (All-Star closer last year)
Tony Butler (Rotator Cuff surgery, but considered a possible closer)
Kam Mickolio (Scrub throw-In)

That trade alone got Bavasi fired in Seattle. The future is looking bright in Birdland.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

Say what you want about my Orioles, but compare what the Twins got for Santana to what we got for Bedard.

The Twins got a bag of rocks in exchange for Santana -- and Santana is better than Bedard.

[tbob]

Todd:
Tori Hunter- Twins got nothing, let him walk.
Johann Santana- Twins got Gomez and his . 178 BA who now plays defensively in the 9th inning, Mulvey and Humber, both pitchers in the minors and both very mediocre AAA players
Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza- Garza is one of the rising stars among young pitchers and was the MVP of the AL championship series, Bartlett was the Rays MVP last year, is hitting over .350 and is the glue in the Rays defense. We got Delmon Young who is a defensive liability, has little or no power and Brendan Harris who Gardenhire hates and will not play.
Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, Senor No-Smoke Guardado, Craig Monroe, Livan Hernandez, all busts and out of the organization after 1 year.
"Arm pit" Ayala, a free agent acquistion from the Nats who was the worst pitcher on the worst team in the majors last year and has stunk it up.
Now, please tell me how in 2 years GM Bill Smith still has a job. He is a joke and the worst GM in baseball. I truly expect him to use Joe Maurer through the 2010 season and then trade him as free agency nears for another bag of rocks. Look for Maurer in pinstripes in 2011. I despise Smith as do most Twins fans for doing absolutely nothing to help the Twins win a very winnable AL Central.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by tbob

Todd:
Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza- Garza is one of the rising stars among young pitchers and was the MVP of the AL championship series, Bartlett was the Rays MVP last year, is hitting over .350 and is the glue in the Rays defense.

Bartlett is actually hitting .384 and while he was Tampa Bay's MVP last season he's playing much better this season. And Garza is only one of the top pitchers in baseball and was, as you pointed out, the MVP of the ALCS last year.

But wait until the All-star break: surely they'll be back in the minors -- with Carlos Gomez and Phil Humber.

[Kehfee]

So with the Yanks sweeping the Twins. How many games did they pick up on the Jays?

[Orioles1954]

I think the Blue Jays have officially joined the AL Central without telling anybody. Once they play some AL East teams, they will fall off a bit.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Who knew the highlight of the Yankees season and new stadium would be an exciting sweep of the Twins. The worst was Aroid hitting the walkoff, if it was Jeter it would be much easier to cope with. We lost every game but it sure was exciting to watch and pulled the Yanks out the mud, for the moment.....

[chris6net]

As a diehard NY baseball fan it is sad what the Yankees have been doing. Fans have seen their season tickets for decent seats gone up at least 5 times from last years prices(many being season ticket holders for 20+ years) and charging $32 for parking. This is not to mention the $2600 per game ticket fiasco. The Yankees have become very arrogant to the average fan not letting down to the field level without a proper ticket during batting practice(this might change slightly because of public outcry). The latest disgrace as reported in todays Daily News is that Monday after the Twins game they refused to let John Gordon the longtime Twins anouncer on the team bus even though he had the proper credentials and he was escorted away by security and had to wait an hour to get on the bus. This is just one of the horror stories coming out of the new Yankee Stadium. Attendance is down almost 7 thousand a game. As nice as the new stadium is the refurbished original was just fine as the fans were right on top of the action and they drew over 4 million every season since Alex Rodriguez joined the Yankees. It is sad but it seems like the new ballpark was built to such ecess to cater to the wealthy at a cost of 1.3 Billion dollars. In this economy the Yankees excesses are backfiring. Arrogance will cost the Yankees in the long run as they drive the average fan away.

[ChiefBenderForever]

George Will just wrote a great article on how Greed in a free market society eventually comes back to bite the Greedy, the whole time reading it I was thinking about the new Yankee stadium and BIN Ebay sellers. I really think the Red Sox are watching this and thinking very seriously about never tearing down Fenway. I still can't believe they tore down the house that Ruth built, that would be like Rome taking down the Colosseum it is just plain wrong. And for the new prices, it is shameful and a slap in the face to the average Yankee fan, and all baseball fans.

[yanks12025]

Where do you pay $32 for parking, the yankee garages are only $19 which is the same at most stadiums i think.

[chris6net]

My mistake according to the $237 million bond to build Parking Lots by the Industrial Development Agency approximately 9000 spots will be built on what was neighborhood parkland and in the fine print in the contract the Yankees signed with the city the spots will be ready by 2010 and have to be priced at $29 not $32 and Valet parking will only be $40. The prices are fixed until 2014 when a regular spot will be a minimum of $35 and possibly more. I am sorry for the erroneous information as this year the price is only $19. I guess if you are paying $2600 a seat you can afford the valet parking.

[Jay Wolt]

Ya keep hearing about the $2600 seat as if every seat will cost this amount.
This is just for the select seats by homeplate & the dugouts. Just like floor
seats for the NBA games. I doub't its all that cheap to sit on the floor at a
Lakers game next to Jack, yet no one complains about it.
The Yankees have already sold 3.4 million seats at the new stadium, and will have
to have near sellouts to draw the 4 million.
Also the new stadium has less seats then the old one. So on some games like all against
Boston they could easily sell more tix if they had the space.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Stadium as Al pointed out and I'll
see for myself when I go in a week & change w/ M. Sarno.
We have great seats, and the cost was $50 per. Just a little shy of the $2600 that people love to refer to.

By the way I've been to over 150 Yankee games from the original stadium to the refurbished one.
And I've never sat by the dugout or directly behind home plate.
So it doesn't matter to me if they are $500 or $10K a pop, It won't affect me at all.

[yanks12025]

Yanks have another walk off.

[barrysloate]

What a great bottom of the ninth.

[Jay Wolt]

Arod's 2 run HR in the 9th tied it
He has just 10 hits this season, 7 for home Runs!!!

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

What a great bottom of the ninth.

It's days like this that I wished I lived in NYC. I get to watch the Rangers v. Astros on FOX and my DirectTV MLB package blocks out the Yankees!

[calvindog]

Jim, the end of the Mets-Sox game might have been the most exciting finish of a regular season game in years. Absolutely incredible.

[Jim VB]

Yep. Got to see that one. Nothing better than a day when the Yanks win and the Red Sox lose.

[yanks12025]

We almost(i know only horseshoes and hand grenades) had another walk-off win but Joe lost it for us.