A beautiful day in the Bronx - Random Ramblings

I had the privilege of seeing one of Cal Ripken's last games this weekend at Yankee Stadium in New York. It was supposed to be Ripken's second to last game, but due to the terrorists attacks, the importance and nature of the game was altered.

I consider myself to be a casual Yankee fan and a hardcore Mets fan. But how can one like both the Yankees and the Mets? Well, before the concept of interleague play, both teams had never played each other in a regular season or playoff match-up. So I really had no reason to hate the Yankees.

I admit, when I was young and naive, I wore Yankee t-shirts and had a Yankee hat along with all of my Mets attire. However, since the Subway Series, I find it harder and harder to root for the team that I suddenly despised so much. Even though I currently do not consider myself a Yankee fan, I still wore a Yankee sweatshirt to the game. The same sweatshirt that I refuse to wear while on campus.

This past Saturday, I was in New York. When my friend, Dave, and I stepped out of the subway car, the atmosphere was strangely different from the mad house that used to be the stadium exterior.

Even the scalpers seemed subdued. Police officers patrolled the perimeter of the stadium and some sections were off-limits to public.

At every stadium entrance, a man using a megaphone warned all fans that cameras and bags were not permitted inside.

While the Yankee stadium personnel had changed their tone, the Yankee patrons were exactly as I had remembered them. Staggering drunks littered the premises; the smell of alcohol lingered in the air.

Ah, Yankee stadium, the world's largest bar. It is a place where one can not only enjoy a good baseball game, but also a good fight.

When the Orioles were announced, for some reason, the loudspeakers played "The Imperial March" from The Empire Strikes Back. I never really thought of the Orioles as an evil empire. Well maybe Peter Angelos. Now I know they usually do this, but aren't the Yankees the evil empire?

In the second inning, Cal Ripken came to bat. He received a standing ovation from the crowd. Of all the bad things one can say about Yankee fans, the are still among the most knowledgeable and respectful fans in the nation.

Cal finished the game without any hits in four at bats. He received a standing ovation during every at bat. The man deserves it. I constantly rib on athletes for not being role models, but Cal Ripken is a hero.

Ripken did not miss a day of work for a record 2,632 games. His body is not made of steel; he did not have to play in all of those games. He could have rested for the post season or taken family leave, but he never did. That is commitment. Do you think Barry "Me" Bonds would ever do that?

However, there were two men who received louder ovations than Ripken - the fire fighters sitting in my Upper Deck Row. When these two men took their seats, the crowd went bananas. I have to admit, it was the best feeling that I have ever had during any sporting event. Finally, the real heroes were getting the recognition they deserved. These men do more for mankind in one hour than Barry Bonds' will do in his entire life. The game itself was decided in the second inning when the O's ran amuck and managed to score six runs.

The game did not have playoff implications and Ripken played for another week. Extra security was merely a precaution. The fans applauded all who were deserving, jeered all others, and, like any Yankee game, they were drunk. Sporting events are probably altered forever, but I don't think fans will ever change.