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YANKEE STADIUM, NEW YORK
I
F THEOLD
Yankee Stadium (established in
1923) was “The House that Ruth Built,” then
the new Yankee Stadium (2009) is “The
House that Championships Built.” Old or new,
YankeeStadium is synonymouswithhistoryand
success. It is literally a museumwhere games
are played and historic artifacts are displayed.
Call it a shrineof sacred relics—highlightedby
the Yankees’ record 27World Series trophies
and championship banners, which are photo-
graphed and ogled daily during the season by
the team’s adoring and sometimes loudly hy-
percritical fans.
The best thing about the $1.5 billion new sta-
dium is that, visuallyandstructurally, it looksvery
much like the iconicballparkwhere theBabe, Lou
Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle once
roamed. Same imposing edifice. Same stately
façadewith tall and narrow archesmade of the
same Indiana limestone. Same sight lines from
the standsandpressbox. Same lyrics fromFrank
Sinatra’s “NewYork, NewYork” blaring from the
sound systemafter awin.
Around the stadium neighborhood, there are
plenty of restaurants/bars catering to Yankees
fans.
TheYankeeTavern
, a family-ownedhangout
thatopened thesameyearas theoldstadium,has
notonlysurvivedbut thrived. It’s theoldestbar in
theBronx, and threegenerationsofYankees fans
haveenjoyed themselveshere. It’salsowhere the
Babehimself issaid tohavebought (onoccasion)
a round for the house. Walls are plasteredwith
Yankees photos and memorabilia (not recom-
mended for fanswearingnon-Yankees caps). Try
theBurnBernieBurn, named inhonorofYankees
greatBernieWilliams: asteakherowith jalapeños
andmozzarella.
Another popular haunt is
Stan’s Sports Bar
.
Ongamedays, it’salwayscrammedwithYankees
fanatics standing shoulder to shoulder around a
giant island bar. Beers and dogs are very afford-
ablehere, and
TheNewYorkTimes
suggests leav-
ingMets caps at home. The
YankeeBarandGrill
,
directly across the street from the old stadium’s
bleacher exit, has a sports bar in the basement
and is known for its inexpensive beer prices and
24-ounceBronxBomberBeers. And
TheDugout
is a two-room bar with great happy-hour deals,
while
Billy’sSportsBar andRestaurant
features
murals of Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio and, yes, even
MarilynMonroe.
RANDYYOUNGMAN
wroteaboutMajorLeagueBaseball
formore than30years fornewspapers inBaltimore,Dal-
las andOrangeCounty, Calif.
STARTSPREADINGTHENEWS:
Fans stream into
newYankeeStadium for the2012homeopener.
Outfielder IchiroSuzuki takes the field. Fans tour
theparkduring the2012AmericanLeagueCham-
pionshipSeries against theDetroit Tigers. Yankee
fansgather inStan’sSportsBar across the street
fromYankeeStadium.
60
APRIL 01, 2013
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
