I left Philly pretty early in the morning. I planned on posting a blog but the Wi-Fi in
the hotel I was in went out and the guy said that they couldn’t get anybody out
to fix it. I started to head in the
direction of New York but stopped at a place with internet. I posted a blog and worked on my next
one. After spending some time I got back
on the road and made my way to NYC. I
had previously talked to Gary Herman of Royalty Tours and he advised me to get
there early and park on the street to avoid paying 30+ dollars for
parking. I found a spot a few block away
from Yankee Stadium and made the journey.
I tweeted about this and several people informed me that the Bronx was a
bad neighborhood. It was 2pm and the
game wasn’t until 8pm so I had some time on my hands. I walked over to Yankee stadium and walked
around the outside taking pictures. I
found the Yankees offices and tried to talk my way into getting in early. The man told me I could try again later when
more people there but I would probably get shot down because the Yankees were
playing the Angels.
I walked back to my car and charged my phone while I talked
to people. Everybody kept staring at me
like I didn’t belong. I was really
hoping my car would be safe for the duration of the game. After my phone was fully charged I went back
to Yankee Stadium. I went into the Hard
Rock Café and had a beer and looked over the menu. Nothing really jumped out at me that I just
had to try so I just decided to drink. I
hung out at the bar for a little bit but then decided to go on the patio. I sat on the patio for a while just people
watching. Like any good American I love
people watching. I was amazed that the
fans were at the park five hours before game time and they flooded the streets
two and a half hours before first pitch.
After I had a few beers I made my way over to the McDonalds on the
corner. I figured I’d be better off to
get something in my stomach now then pay insane prices inside the park. As I ate my food I sat in the courtyard and
watched the ticket scalpers try to work their magic. It was very entertaining to watch and see the
chain of command in their little world.
When I left McDonalds I decided to check out what appeared
to be a small bar called the dugout. I
walked in and it was flooded with people, which is expected before game
time. It didn’t take very long to get my
beer. The bar tenders were quick and
efficient. I walked towards the back of
the bar and there was another room to the right. A much bigger room with another bar and a lot
more people. They even had a little
concession area that sold ballpark foods for way cheaper than ballpark
prices. I’m glad I stepped in there it
was a pretty cool place.
I walked into Yankee Stadium and had to see the field. The Stadium is more of a coliseum or an
arena. I asked an employee the quickest
way to the field and they pointed me in the right direction. I did my normal ritual and started to explore
Yankee Stadium. I had been to Yankee
Stadium once before but it was a rather rushed experience so this time I was
trying to enjoy myself. I love seeing
the baseball greats at every turn. I
really loved how they had pictures from decades of baseball around the entire
park.
My last time in Yankee Stadium I purchased a ticket at the
ticket counter just before the game. It
was on the 500 level and cost me around $90.
It was an insane price and made me never want to sit in that area
again. This time around I got tickets
from stubhub.com for the bleachers. This
was an excellent decision on my part.
The bleachers are where the true Yankee fans sit in my opinion. They were so full of passion and it was truly
contagious.
Before the game even started they
had to play the National Anthem. As it
was playing and I was paying my respects I noticed that two gentleman who were
sitting next to me did not stand up. I
was offended by this so I said something trying to be respectful as well as not
disrespect the anthem. When it was all
said and done and people were sitting down I asked the guy why he didn’t stand
up. He then explained to me he is a Jehovah's Witness and that it was against their religion to
stand up for the flag but he meant no disrespect. I was perfectly fine with that answer. I believe that my generation is a generation
of tolerance. I’ve been around the world
a time or two and I understand that your beliefs are your beliefs and people
should respect that. It’s also something
I enjoy about this trip, I get to learn things like this regarding different
cultures in American society. I talked
to him a while longer and found out his name was David. He really didn’t want to offend me so he
explained in detail why he didn’t stand up.
I know Jehovah’s Witnesses have a reputation for being a little over
bearing but it wasn’t like that at all.
I gave David my contact information so he could read my blog at the end
of our conversation. The following day
he emailed me a more detailed explanation of his beliefs on this subject. I thought that was amazing and I will share
with you what he wrote. “Flagsalute. Jehovah’s
Witnesses believe that bowing down to a flag or saluting it, often in
conjunction with an anthem, is a religious act that ascribes salvation, not to God,
but to the State or to its leaders. (Isaiah 43:11; 1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 John
5:21) One such leader was King Nebuchadnezzar of ancient Babylon. To impress
the people with his majesty and religious ardor, this powerful monarch erected
a great image and compelled his subjects to bow down to it while music, like an
anthem, was being played. However, three Hebrews—Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego—refused to bow to the image, even on pain of death.—Daniel, chapter 3.
In our age,
“nationalism’s chief symbol of faith and central object of worship is the
flag,” wrote historian Carlton Hayes. “Men bare their heads when the flag
passes by; and in praise of the flag poets write odes and children sing hymns.”
Nationalism, he added, also has its “holy days,” such as the Fourth of July in
the United States, as well as its “saints and heroes” and its “temples,” or
shrines. In a public ceremony in Brazil, the minister general of the army
acknowledged: “The flag is venerated and worshiped . . . just as the Fatherland
is worshiped.” Yes, “the flag, like the cross, is sacred,” The Encyclopedia
Americana once observed.
The aforementioned
encyclopedia more recently noted that national anthems “are expressions of
patriotic feeling and often include an invocation for divine guidance and
protection of the people or their rulers.” Jehovah’s servants are not being
unreasonable, therefore, when they view patriotic ceremonies involving the flag
salute and national anthems as religious. In fact, when commenting on the
refusal of children of Jehovah’s Witnesses to give homage to the flag or to
swear the oath of allegiance in U.S. schools, the book The American
Character stated: “That these daily rituals are religious has been at
last affirmed by the Supreme Court in a series of cases.”
While not joining in
ceremonies that they view as unscriptural, Jehovah’s people certainly respect
the right of others to do so. They also respect national flags as emblems and
recognize duly constituted governments as “superior authorities” serving as “God’s
minister.” (Romans 13:1-4) Hence, Jehovah’s Witnesses heed the exhortation to
pray “concerning kings and all those who are in high station.” Our motive,
though, is “in order that we may go on leading a calm and quiet life with full
godly devotion and seriousness.”—1 Timothy 2:2.”
As I said before the bleacher section was a ton of
fun. At one point there was a Boston Red
Sox fan that was getting kind of rowdy.
There was a confrontation of some sort and the entire bleacher section
erupted on this guy. There were a few
people who took it kind of far by throwing their beers on him but other than
that it was kind of fun. Eventually
security came by and escorted the fan out as he flipped off the Yankee
fans. They ended up escorting out
several more people who were sitting in that general area as well. During the commotion the Yankees scored
several runs. The fans were amazing, and
on their feet every time something exciting happened. They showed Time Tebow on the giant screen
and everybody booed him. I got a good
laugh out of this. New York Sports fans
are intense.
I was set to meet Gary and pretty excited about
it. He’s a seasoned sports traveler and
has tons of knowledge to pass on to anybody who wants it. He goes to over 400 sporting events a year
and knows the east coast intimately. We
talked for a while and he gave me plenty of helpful tips. As we were talking Douglas “Chuck” Booth came
over to say hi as well. Chuck is the
world record holder for the fastest 30 ballgames. He had previously seen a game from start to
finish in all 30 MLB ballparks in just 24 days.
This season he was trying to do it in 20 days but after a few setbacks
he is on pace to do it in just 23 days.
Either way you look at it, it’s nothing short of amazing. We took our conversation down into the
concourse so we wouldn’t disturb the people around us. We sat there and exchanged stories and travel
tips. I gave chuck the information for
my contacts with the Cleveland Indians and the awesome people at www.didthetribewinlastnight.com
for his visit to Cleveland. After a
while we parted ways but I hope to see those guys again.
I am trying to collect an actual ticket from each
ballpark and not just one I download from stub hub. I was telling this to somebody when Dima
Raskolnikov overheard. He asked more
about my journey and then offered me his ticket. He introduced me to his group of
friends. They were nice people and I was
glad to have met them. I walked around
to get one last look at Yankee Stadium when I stopped on the 100 level to watch
the rest of the game. There was a young
boy who was trying to get pictures and I told him to sneak up into an area
where the ushers were trying to keep people out of. I told him that he was a kid and nobody was
going to stop him from trying to get a picture.
His father agreed with me and we started talking. I told him about my trip and an idea that I
had thought of earlier that day. I would
love to start a nonprofit group that helps soldiers returning home from tours
of duty to chase their dreams like I’m doing.
I think it would be an incredible adventure and I love helping soldiers. If anybody is reading this and can help
please contact me. The man I was talking
to explained to me that he creates TV shows including reality TV and I may have
a wonderful concept. We traded business
cards and said that we would be in touch with each other.
I enjoyed my visit to Yankee Stadium this time a lot
more than my previous visit. I met a lot
of great people which is what I enjoy most about this adventure. I was asked last night on a radio interview
that I did who had the nicest fans. Off
the top of my head I said Cincinnati but after some thought it was the Yankees
fans.
Keep On Smilin- It's Baseball Season!
Great stories! Have you been buying a souvenir from every park you visit, or just the tickets?
ReplyDeleteLove the interaction with the guy sitting during the anthem. It's an interesting way to learn about other's beliefs. Loving the blog so far. Can't wait for the next installment.
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