Back in the Bronx
By Jim Driscoll, My9 News Director
When you grow up in the Bronx, being a Yankee fan just goes with the territory.
I know it's a cliché, but you bleed pinstripes. Going to Yankee Stadium was priceless. When I was 12 years old my buddies and I would hop on the #12 bus across Fordham Road, and then switch at the Concourse and head to 161st Street. You could do that back then without an adult. Times change.
Bobby Murcer and Thurman Munson were my M&M's. Maybe they weren't Mantle and Maris, but for me they were part of my childhood.
The early 70's. It wasn't easy rooting for those teams. They didn't win much. Anyone remember Celerino Sanchez? I remember bat-day against the Twins. Bob Sheppard announcing the lineups. "Now batting, Cesar Tovar" That name was made for Bob Sheppard to announce!
It was like yesterday. You didn't mind sitting behind the pillars. You were at "The Stadium". How many places can you say "The Stadium" and everyone knows what you are talking about? This year I wanted to make sure I brought my children to "The Stadium" one last time before they tear it down. You can't put a price on memories. Now they can tell their kids someday that they were in the old stadium before they tore it down.
My advice to every Yankee fan is- GO! Go one last time. Find a way. Yeah, it's expensive. But what isn't expensive today? You can't put a price on it. It's part of history. I'm going to try to go again this year. I want to soak it in.
My 9 is the Broadcast home of the Yankees. I'm proud of that. As the News Director of My 9 News, I feel like the Yankees are our team! You know how great that is for a kid from the Bronx? We just produced a great half-hour special on Yankee Stadium. Russ, Scott and our whole sports team did an awesome job. I watched it with pride. My Station! My Team! My Stadium!
I had the same feeling this week. I had the honor to attend the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. Honestly, the game didn't mean anything to me. It was just about being there. Being on the field with all the stars of today. The stars of yesterday! I walked around the field in awe. I've been on the field before. But not like this. There was something different that night. I think everyone there sensed it.
It was like going to an Irish wake. Sad, but a celebration. There were stars everywhere. Baseball stars. TV Stars. Music Stars. Movie Stars. But nobody was above the place- "The Stadium." The real star was the field, the monuments, the façade, the dugout. Everyone was there to pay homage to "The Stadium."
What a honor to be there. A kid from the Bronx who used to take two buses with his buddies to get there. Later I sat in the upper deck. Probably the same spot I sat when I was 12 years old. I really wish Bob Sheppard was able to announce the game. He wasn't. But I was glad they mentioned him in the pre-game ceremony. And I'm glad they paid tribute to Bobby Murcer too. One of my M&M's.
They also honored Tim Russert. A news guy. A baseball fan. Like me. I never had the honor of meeting Tim, but I miss him. I miss Murcer too. Two good guys who died too young being honored in a place they loved. I'm sure they both had front row seats at the Stadium that night- sitting next to Munson.
I'm glad George Steinbrenner made it to the Bronx that night. He deserved to be there on this special evening. He deserved to show off his team, his organization. George brought the Yankees back to respectability. He gave us 1976, and the Chambliss homerun. I'm glad Yogi got the biggest cheers. Nobody deserves that more.
As I sat there in the upper deck, watching this amazing pre game event- I thought - wow Major League Baseball did this right. It gave me chills. What an honor to be there. To be a part of this. It was a night to pay tribute to not only a place, but to an organization and all who were ever a part of it. Even Celerino Sanchez.