My First Visit to the New Yankee Stadium

After months of waiting and hearing everyone else's tales of the new stadium, I finally made my way through the new gates of Yankee Stadium on May 19, 2009.

I regret to say that I don't have any pictures of myself at the game, and I think that's because my dad and I were too busy taking everything in that we forgot about including ourselves in the pictures.

From start to finish it was an AMAZING night. I thought it would only be fair to share my experience with the rest of the Bleacher Community.

The Great Hall

I was pretty eager to see the Great Hall because the old stadium had such a tunnel feeling to it. It was nice to walk around in a big, bright space and the banners of the Yankee greats was a nice touch.

On one side of the banners in black and white (as is in this picture) were the old time Yankees e.g. Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, etc.

The Great Hall Take Two

This shot is a little bit closer on the banners. I wanted to get the other side of them with the color pictures of the more current Yankee greats, but it didn't happen this time.

View From the Concourse

I think what I loved most about the stadium is how open the entire stadium is. You could stand almost anywhere around the stadium and watch the players warm up without being in anyone's way.

In the old stadium, if you wanted to watch batting practice you had to stand behind the cement walls of the second section of seats to not block the walkway. This is MUCH better.

The Field

The field looks exactly the same. It's almost like they removed it from the old stadium and just placed it on the new grounds.

That was probably the only thing that made it feel like the new stadium had a little touch of the old place.

Tommy Bahama Bar

One of the best spots that my dad and I visited was the Tommy Bahama Bar. It's right on the first level, is very spacious, and a good place to stop for a cocktail.

No one was standing on top of each other, and you couldn't ask for more variety than they had in drinks.

The Captain Takes His Warm Ups

Derek Jeter warms up with long toss during pre-game warm ups.

A-Rod Stretching

It was good to see A-Rod out there. He's so meticulous about his stretching and probably even more now after the hip operation.

The Big Man

I couldn't believe Sabathia was pitching my first time at the stadium. He's been so good lately I was hoping he'd deliver a great game, and the Big Man didn't disappoint.

The Yankee Bullpen

The bullpens are definitely an upgrade from the old stadium. I liked being able to clearly see out into the bullpen and it looked like there was a lot more space out there than there was in the old one.

Big Tex

Besides CC I was probably most excited to see Teixeira in person. I was ecstatic when the Yankees signed him in the off season and getting to see a REAL first baseman was a welcomed change.

Monument Park

Unfortunately, the line was too long to get into Monument Park this time around. I have to say this is the one thing about the new stadium that I'm not in love with.

Monument Park used to be out in left center field and it's now in straight away center. It was completely open space so you could see into it from anywhere in the park—now you can't do that.

I'll have to wait til I get out there to see the whole thing, but I don't like that it's hidden like that.

The Bleacher Creatures

It was good to see the Bleacher Creatures in their familiar spot out in the right field bleachers. They kept with their traditions like role call, the cowbell, and holding the American flag during "God Bless America". I wonder how they feel about their new home?

The Line Up

The new screens the Yankees put all around the stadium were so clear it didn't even look like you were looking at a monitor. This is the starting line up from last night.

Retired Numbers

I guess to compensate for not being able to see the retired numbers in Monument Park, the Yankees decided to display them on the wall behind a section of seats in the outfield. I still like seeing them out in Monument Park, but it's still a good look.

Freddy

There are so few things that remain the same in life, but as long as there is a Yankee game in the Bronx, you will hear Freddy walking around with his sign and his metal pot to bang on to rally support for the team. I was so happy to see him in my section last night I couldn't resist taking his picture.

The Grounds Crew Does the YMCA

The Yankee ground crew coming out to do the YMCA in the sixth inning is a time honored tradition that I'm glad the Yankees kept. They never disappoint as they sweep the dirt, fist pump, and spell out the letters of the YMCA.

The Home Runs

Everyone has been talking about how the balls are flying out of Yankee Stadium, and I got to see two monster home runs last night; one by A-Rod, and one by Mark Teixeira which was really exciting. I couldn't have asked for a better game.

Yankees Win!

The first trip to the new stadium was AMAZING. Next time I plan on visiting the Museum and Monument Park so hopefully they'll be more pictures to come.