Behind Enemy Lines: Visiting Yankee Stadium

I hate the Yankees. So it's hard to say anything positive about my first experience at Yankee stadium. I'm a realist though and try to see each situation for what it is, regardless of my own bias. So as I walked into Yankee stadium on Tuesday to watch a Sox-Yankees game, I tried to check my hatred at the door and take in the experience as a neutral observer.

When I say neutral, I mean almost neutral; I wore a bright red Red Sox t-shirt and cheered for the Sox the entire game. I was very happy the Sox won 6-4 in a game in which Jon Lester got the W and Papelbon got the save (both are on my fantasy team).

By the time I left, I still hated the Yankees, but left with mostly positive impressions from my three and a half hour experience. Here are those impressions, in no particular order…

-The Yankees brand their product better than any team I've ever seen. Every drink, fry and beer cup, hot dog wrapper, etc had a Yankees logo on it. The vendors wore pinstriped Yankee vendor jerseys. Everything was brand Yankee.

-Following the national anthem, the fans applauded more passionately than in most stadiums. The patriotism was appreciated by this sports writer.

-In the top half of the first, the left field fans chanted each starter's name until that starter acknowledged the cheering fans.

-The respect Derek Jeter gets every time he comes to bat is cool. It doesn't wane as the game goes on. He gets a loud ovation every at-bat.

-The fans were knowledgeable. They didn't constantly boo close calls or balls and strikes. They were fair as they cheered throughout the game.

-Given that I wore a bright red Red Sox t-shirt, the fans were far more amicable than I expected. I was slightly worried about the response I'd get wearing the t-shirt of a bitter rival, but I was treated very respectably.

- The "hip hip, Jor-ge!" cheer, is the worst and cheesiest I've ever heard!

-When Jeter is announced at the plate, the stadium uses a recorded version from long time PA announcer Bob Sheppard, who has since passed away.

-The ways the fans passionately booed their bitter rivals was excellent. I don't support booing the Red Sox, but I appreciate the passion. (Mariners' fans could learn a lesson here)

-The organization is extremely arrogant. You can't go anywhere without a sign, plaque, or banner reminding you how many titles they've won. I expected to see a few banners or signs, but not everywhere. It was hubris on steroids.

-Getting to the game, via subway, was extremely easy and hassle free.

-Jumbo tron highlight videos were excellently produced. Instead of simply cutting them together and setting it to music, they included high quality digital effects which made the videos more like a movie than a simple highlight reel.

-I am happy the Sox won!

The coolest part about my New York experience though, is writing this entire article from a bench in Central Park.