Comments on: Lasting Yankee Stadium Memory #53

By: Evil Empire

Evil Empire — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:00:18 +0000

Rest in Peace, Todd….I’ll keep score and think of you at the Rickwood Classic this Summer and I’ll eat some ribs for you.

Godspeed.

By: Evil Empire

Evil Empire — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:19:39 +0000

[18] Excellent, let me know and we’ll get some ribs from Dreamland!

By: Todd Drew

Todd Drew — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:47:51 +0000

Evil Empire,
That’s a very nice Web site. I’m going to plan on making it down for the Rickwood Classic one of these years.

By: Evil Empire

Evil Empire — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:59:34 +0000

Todd they have a slick website at http://www.rickwood.com

You might want to check out the rickwood classic some summer. AND talk about a neighborhood to get some stories from!

By: Todd Drew

Todd Drew — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:49:02 +0000

Evil Empire,
That will be an honor. I haven’t seen Rickwood Field, but it’s on my list.

By: Evil Empire

Evil Empire — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:26:30 +0000

[13] okay I was just curious about that because I have long heard the statement that no one had and this was underscored by the Yankees tour.

Its funny, I really didn’t want Josh Hamilton to hit one out BEFORE the homerun derby but once the moment came I really was sad that he didn’t.

By the way, are their African-American newspaper clippings (or microfiche) at the library where the truth of Gibson’s feat might be recorded? You have to think that if he did hit one out that the answer is there.

Todd – if you ever make it to Birmingham, Alabama, you’ll be my guest for some BBQ and an outing to Rickwood Field, which has more history than any other southern ballpark.

By: Todd Drew

Todd Drew — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:14:47 +0000

Raf,
I’m glad you enjoyed the memories. That’s a great story about how your grandfather learned English.

By: Todd Drew

Todd Drew — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:07:45 +0000

Evil Empire,
I’m not submitting any evidence here. This is just about memories. Gibson’s homer may have gone out of the Stadium or maybe it didn’t. I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure, but I like to think it was hit clear to East 161st Street.

By: Raf

Raf — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:55:44 +0000

Great piece of writing, I really enjoyed the interaction with the young boy and his grandfather. My aternal grandfather moved to Hilton Head, SC from the Bx when I was young, and my maternal grandfather stayed in Honduras, so I never really got to know either. Both are gone now.

What I do remember about my paternal grandfather was that he sounded like the Duke (wrt pacing and cadence) when he talked, a byproduct of learning his english by watching movies.

By: Evil Empire

Evil Empire — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:53:26 +0000

Todd,

Did Josh Gibson really hit one out of the stadium? I thought he, like mantle, only came close. If so, is there any evidence like contemporaneous newspaper articles or is it individual rememberances? Thanks.

By: Todd Drew

Todd Drew — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:29:02 +0000

Thanks, Cliff.

thelarmis,
Thank you for sharing that story about the visit with your grandfather. I’ll be thinking about you two today. I can’t wait to hear his reaction to your songs.

By: thelarmis

thelarmis — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:58:53 +0000

todd, this was awesome, thanks a lot, man! i was at my grandpa’s side just this afternoon, at the hospital. we were reminiscing about how he taught me to swim and how to ride a bike and play cards and enjoy sports. i’m so happy you have such a great memory of yours in relation to yankee stadium. thanks again for sharing…

i’m hoping to create more memories with him again tomorrow. i’m bringing a portable cd player with me to play to him some pieces from my upcoming solo album. i can’t be assured he’ll be around when the record is finally released, so i’m looking forward to his reaction tomorrow…

By: Cliff Corcoran

Cliff Corcoran — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:24:34 +0000

Excellent point, Joe L. That went missing entirely in the coverage of the Stadium’s closing, including my own.

Todd, another great piece . . .

By: Joe L.

Joe L. — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:45:11 +0000

Wow, GREAT story! I like that you paid tribute to some of the stadium’s great Negro League history.

By: Todd Drew

Todd Drew — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:39:42 +0000

That’s a nice story, upper deck view. I’m glad you will always have that connection with your grandfather.

By: upper deck view

upper deck view — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:07:14 +0000

Todd, great stories…my first game at Yankee Stadium was a Boston game July 2000. I still remember gasping when I saw the emerald green grass for the first time. My fondest memory of the Stadium is not even my own but one of my grandfather’s. He lived his whole life down in North Carolina so he only saw a few Yankee games but he was sitting somewhere down the third base line when Don Larsen threw the final pitch of the Perfect Game. I probably would not have believed my grandfather’s story about buying a standing room only ticket and then giving one of the ushers a couple of dollars to squeeze into a seat – but he was most honest, unpretentious person I have ever known. So, not only do I believe the story, it was this memory that brought tears to my eyes that final game at The Stadium, Sunday September 21, 2008.

By: Todd Drew

Todd Drew — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:58:58 +0000

Thanks, bronxborn. But the credit belongs to everyone. I just write what I see and hear.

By: bronxborn

bronxborn — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:17:50 +0000

Todd, you really know how to fill the world with strong emotion. Great piece.

By: Todd Drew

Todd Drew — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:05:28 +0000

Thanks, Alex. And thanks for number 53. I’m wearing my Bobby Abreu T-shirt today.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:17:15 +0000

Great, great stuff, Todd. Thanks so much. This was just wonderful.