Tour of Yankees Stadium

As part of my company's effort to recognize its employees who participate in community service, we were treated to a private tour of the Yankees Stadium!! I confess to being neither a Yankees (or Mets fan) but rather a New York fan. However, it was an absolute treat to be walking around the empty stadium and getting the inside access to all the private areas of the stadium. Here's a detailed recap of our adventures in Yankees Stadium.

We waited in the hot sun for about half a hour outside the stadium. It was the perfect opportunity to take pictures of the stadium before it was going to be torn down. The facade still looked pretty good to me - in fact, when I look over to the new stadium, it looks exactly the same! Same tan color and architectural style except for a few more elaborate columns on the top. It was a sight to behold considering the history of the stadium.

We were divided into three teams. My team's itinerary consisted of a tour of the stadium and Monument Park first, followed by an autographed session with Bucky Dent and lastly a buffet dinner and meeting with Roy White. But first, our tour of the stadium and Monument Park. We entered into the lower level sections and were greeted by empty blue chairs, green fields and a welcome sign on the scoreboard. Wow. It was a really calming but exciting feeling. Almost as nice as a thousand people cheering for me, but I wouldn't really know how that feels.

For those that have been to the stadium already, we walked to the Monuments section that honored the Hall of Famers. It was a beautiful tribute to the greats - Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson to name a few. I was also touched by their tribute to the 9/11 victims.

Afterwards, we walked on the fields and towards the dugout. The sprinklers were on (that's the secret to keeping the grass green!) so we had to be careful with our shoes when walking on the dirt. The bleachers were cushioned and soft. The three steps that framed the dugout where actually vented with either A/C or heat depending on the weather. I guess that's the secret for staying cool in the summer or warm in the fall! Some of us on the tour were very giddy and tried to soak up as much dirt as they could from the dugout! Next we headed towards the locker rooms, where unfortunately we could not take any pictures. Cameras and cellphones had to be tucked away in our bags.

The locker room was everything I imagined it to be - it was a large rectangular room with nooks on the walls for each of the players. Each player gets three home uniforms and three away uniforms. There's also a white Yankees chair in front of each locker which I thought was cute looking. All Yankees gear has to be returned at the end of the season. In the middle of the room, were two large black leather couches for the players to sit and relax in. Upstairs is the weight room and off to the left were the bathrooms. The senior players actually get two lockers - that's for someone like Jeter. I wasn't sure if some of the lockers were more special than the others but Riveria (the pitcher) had the coveted locker position which used to belong to the great players like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio. That locker is in the right hand corner of the locker room, right off the entrance. There were two locker space which were empty and those belong to two players that passed away while in Yankees uniform.

When exiting the locker room, I noticed a sign hanging from the ceiling that the players can see right before entering the field. I thought it was quite funny. It read "I thank God everyday for making me a Yankees player." =) I felt very special walking through the clubhouse and stadium because there were pictures of the greatest moments in Yankees history. Of course, I didn't understand any of it but it was still a humbling feeling. Our next stop was towards the Acela Club Room, one of the luxury suites in the stadium where we were going to meet Bucky Dent. Of course I had NO idea who he is, but upon speaking to any baseball fan...he's obviously popular. So as we stood in line and waited for his autograph, we were treated to candy, drinks and face-painting. My friend Yani got her face painted and it was beautiful! It turned out great and perfect for all the pictures. I was impressed with the hospitality of the entire event - how often do I get to sit inside the lux suites?? We were able to relax in the chairs while waiting for our photos with Bucky Dent to get printed out from tiny printers. Oh and if you're wondering what I said to Bucky....it went something like this:

Me: Hi Bucky, nice to meet me.

Bucky: ........ (memory lapse here)

Me: How are you doing?

Bucky: Good, how are you girls doing?

And then we proceeded to hand him our baseballs for his signature. Next, the camera went clicking and that was it! What else can one say to a baseball legend....

Our third and final stop of the evening was at the dining hall where we were offered bbq chicken, hot dogs, corn on the cob, beans and potato salad. The chicken was a little dry. There was no way they could have messed up the other food. So it was alright. We also had an opportunity to take a picture with Roy White, another Yankees player. He autographed our photos and our baseballs as well! Neat-o....it was a wonderful way to end our evening at Yankees Stadium.

For more information on the Yankees stadium, click here: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/index.jsp

(More pictures of the event to be added).