The Yankees have won 27 Major League Baseball World Series Championships. Some of the most famous names in the game have played for the Bronx Bombers; Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Jeter, Clark. The long standing success of the team is either a source of pride for fans or abject jealousy by followers of other teams. Regardless of whether you are an avid fan or devout hater though it is impossible to dismiss the legacy of the New York Yankees. During our recent trip to Yankees stadium the full impact of the history of the Yankees was on display as we made the effort to visit Monument Park. This was something I had always wanted to do, but for whatever reason never got there. On display at this open air museum of Yankees history are plaques, monuments and retired numbers of Yankees. There are a lot of them. Monument Park is free, but it closes 45 minutes before first pitch and sometimes the lines get long. The first time we visited the new stadium we lingered too long at Stan's on River Street, the destination bar before the game and missed the time cut off. This day we made the effort to make it to this inner sanctum of the Yankees illustrious past.
Monument Park began when Yankees manager Miller Huggins, who guided the infamous "Murderer's Row" which won 3 World Series and 6 AL pennants during the 20's, died suddenly in 1929 and in his honor the Yankees placed a bronze plaque with his image on a red granite slab that resembled a headstone. This was then put in the field of play next to the flagpole in deep center field, which was very very deep...approx 450 ft. Later, monuments to Lou Gehrig and Base Ruth were similarly placed and they remained in the field of play until 1974 when the original Yankees stadium was renovated and the center field fence was shortened. Later DiMaggio and Mantle were similiarly honored by the organization after they died. The park finally became fan accessible in 1985, but I had never made it to this storied place in the original Yankees Stadium. When the new Yankees Stadium was erected a few years ago, Monument Park was recreated, and because of Janet's love of the game, the spirit was rekindled in me. We were disappointed we missed the opportunity the last time and resolved to make it to the museum. We got to the stadium early and were one of the first through the gates and hightailed it directly to Monument Park.
The entrance is narrow and tomb-like; you need to walk down stairs and make a couple of turns in the close confines before emerging into great expanse of the stadium. It is glorious, the sun-splashed center field is right there, with netting covering the Park to prevent an errant batting practice ball from clattering amongst the faithful. Monument Park is situated between the two bullpens and the all-time Yankees great closer, Mariano Rivera, asked when the new stadium was built to have a door from the bullpen that opened into the Park so he could walk through it to begin his day's chores.
Our seats for this game were near the upper edge of the stadium, so it was a thrill to be close to the field. I was just able to peak my head over the wall to see the players patrolling the grass. There are two rows of retired numbers, brilliant white baseballs marking each retireee, and along the recessed wall are plaques honoring notable Yankees as well as commemorative plaques marking Papal masses that have been held at Yankees Stadium. At the center are the original "headstone" plaques of Huggins, Gehrig and Ruth and the later additions of DiMaggio and Mantle.
They don't hurry you along at Monument Park and you are able to linger for a long time, but out of revered respect people shuffle through and pause when others take their photos. It is a unique experience. The long standing success of this team forces people to make a decision to either love the Yankees or root against them. Regardless of whether you are an avid fan or devout hater a visit to this Monument Park is a must.
The history of baseball is rich and lengthy and nearly every team has similar displays honoring their past, but none really comes close to Monument Park. Team VFH has been to several parks this season, including PNC Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Camden Yards with the Baltimore Orioles and Citizen's Bank Park with the Philadelphia Phillies. In Pittsburgh and Baltimore we did not have an opportunity to seek out similar homages to the past, but in Philadelphia they have Asburn Alley, named after the Phillies Hall of Fame centerfielder and longtime broadcaster Richie Ashburn. This monument park opens 2 1/2 hours before first pitch and one can soak in the Phillies history. On display are several plaques of the "Centennial Team" comprised of past Phillies players. It is worth a visit to Asburn Alley alone, but they offer so much more than Memorial Park. New York doesn't even come close. Readers of this blog know that Philadelphia is a great beer town. There are a lot of independent craft brewers in the area and a lot of them can be purchased at the CBP in Philly. One can saunter through Asburn's Alley with a Yards or Dogfish or Victory and revel in the Phillies history and then taunt the opposing team's pitchers warming up in the open bullpen. At Yankees Stadium there are no drinks allowed while in Monument Park and when the thirst hits you have to go to the kiosk called "Beers of the World". It is a sorry affair and they offer nothing really of worth. There are suspect beers like Hoegaarden, Heineken and Stella Artois, but we went with the staple, Yuengling. It's just not the same.
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| Stan's on River Street |
Monument Park began when Yankees manager Miller Huggins, who guided the infamous "Murderer's Row" which won 3 World Series and 6 AL pennants during the 20's, died suddenly in 1929 and in his honor the Yankees placed a bronze plaque with his image on a red granite slab that resembled a headstone. This was then put in the field of play next to the flagpole in deep center field, which was very very deep...approx 450 ft. Later, monuments to Lou Gehrig and Base Ruth were similarly placed and they remained in the field of play until 1974 when the original Yankees stadium was renovated and the center field fence was shortened. Later DiMaggio and Mantle were similiarly honored by the organization after they died. The park finally became fan accessible in 1985, but I had never made it to this storied place in the original Yankees Stadium. When the new Yankees Stadium was erected a few years ago, Monument Park was recreated, and because of Janet's love of the game, the spirit was rekindled in me. We were disappointed we missed the opportunity the last time and resolved to make it to the museum. We got to the stadium early and were one of the first through the gates and hightailed it directly to Monument Park.
The entrance is narrow and tomb-like; you need to walk down stairs and make a couple of turns in the close confines before emerging into great expanse of the stadium. It is glorious, the sun-splashed center field is right there, with netting covering the Park to prevent an errant batting practice ball from clattering amongst the faithful. Monument Park is situated between the two bullpens and the all-time Yankees great closer, Mariano Rivera, asked when the new stadium was built to have a door from the bullpen that opened into the Park so he could walk through it to begin his day's chores.
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| Me and Lou |
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| enjoying the view |
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| some of the numbers retired by the Yankees |
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| it's just not the same |
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