MY YANKEES STADIUM MEMORIES. ( What are your's ?)

[Kevin Fulton]

WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
( across 161st street ).

Unlike most kids that have memories of " AMERICA'S FAVORITE BASEBALL STADIUM ", i have memories of the things we did outside the neighborhood ball park. Here's my story.

The " LEGENDARY NEW YORK YANKEES " have played its last game in the 85 1/2 years old stadium. The hype is all about the games, the fans, memories of ball games with dad, moms, family and friends. That is well respected and accepted. However, there is another group of fans that are often left out of the stories, memories, and real life experiences that this huge ball park brought to the communiity. They are the many families that lived in the, " YANKEE STADIUM COMMUNITY ". We are Yankee Fans too !!!

In the celebration of events, i can remember when i lived in this neighborhood, how happy we wouild be to " HEAR ", the crowds, as the Yankees would be winning, or to see from the outside, the " FIRE WORKS ". For some of us there was the seasonal opportunities to make extra money during the events held at the stadium. Most of all, we shared the grounds of the facility from the outside being able to go to the " HANDBALL COURTS, BASKETBALL COURTS, BASEBALL FIELD, TRACKFIELD, AND LET'S NOT FORGET THE FAMOUS HALF COURTS, WHERE MY FRIENDS AND I PLAYED BASKETBALL UNDER THE LIGHTS AT TIMES WATCHING THE SUN COME UP ".

I would like to thank " THE YANKEE STADIUM ", for the memories of my teenage to adult life years when i was a resident of that community. For those that actually know me, wow, we got some good laughs too. From selling Yankee products, to working parking garages, it was a great experience. My most memoriable moment was during a Playoff or World Series Game, we was hanging on the corner of our building ( Gerard Ave. & 157th Street ), when a Limo pulled up and these guys got out to walk down the block to the stadium. We was playing the who that is game. One of us turned out to have the correct persons name, ( IT WAS PAUL SIMON ). After acknowledging our question about who he was, he turned back around and continued his walk towards the stadium. Within a few steps, he turned around and said, " hey guys want some tickets to the game ". It was my brother that leaped forward like a track star, and swiftly got a hold of those four tickets spreaded out in Paul Simons hand. I would love to tell the rest of that story, however, i'll leave it to be, " MY YANKEE STADIUM MEMORIES ", an exclusive. What are yours ?

[oronde ash]

youth baseball players in the NYC Police Athletic League would get free tickets to sit in the left field bleachers. i remember buying a half gallon of juice, making bologna sandwiches, spending $1 to ride from brooklyn to 161 St, the hustle under the train tracks with all those stores selling yankee merchandise, wondering if i would ever have the money to buy a jacket. i remember standing outside the player's entrance getting autographs from tony kubiak, hensley "bam bam" muelens, walt weiss (oakland a's).

i remember a game in high school. me and my buddy sitting in right field watching a double header with the mariners. watched four drunk guys guys stand up and try to start a wave around the stadium. a few folks along the right field line obliged. the wave would make it up the right side towards first base then die out. my buddy and i eventually joined them in egging the crowd on. 10 minutes later the whole of yankee stadium was doing wave. four drunk guys... i left that day thinking anything is possible.