All Things to All ... Yankees Fans?

Back in the day, I claimed I would never support the Yankees. But last night, I took one for the team. I decided to follow in the footsteps of Paul and be all things to all people. That is, last night, I was a Yankees fan.

A few of us interns ended up having the night off. We had work plans, but they fell through, so we decided to go out for dinner. We didn't know where we wanted to go, though, so we just hopped on the train at the nearest stop and rode until we felt like getting off. We just went down a few stops, two stops before we hit Manhattan.

We eventually ended up at a pizzeria which was only a few blocks from Yankee Stadium. After we ate, we had some time to kill, so we took a walk over to the stadium. We had no idea if there was a game last night or not, but we thought it would at least be cool to see the stadium. This is the last year the Yankees will be playing in their historic home; it is being torn down after this season. This means that the tickets to this season's games are expensive, and selling out quickly. We've been worried that we would never be able to get tickets for a game this summer.

But last night, we did. It turns out that there was a home game , against the Toronto Blue Jays, and we were able to get $10 bleacher seats! They weren't the greatest seats - we were at the back of the field - but they were cheap and they weren't nosebleeds. And wow! It was so much fun.

I've been to plenty of Astros games, which I love, but there was something different about a New York Yankees game. The fans, especially in the bleachers, are so much more dedicated and boisterous, which makes for a great atmosphere. There was one guy a few rows behind us wearing a Blue Jays t-shirt AND a Boston Red Sox hat. I guess he was hoping to get harassed. For example, when the song "YMCA" was played, the crowd surrounding him for at least 20 feet in every direction chanted at him, "Y R U gay?!" He took it like a man. You go, cuz!

I know I used to say I could never be a Yankees fan, and I still don't think I ever will be, but now I've decided that I could never be totally against them. And wow, it was really cool to be in the same stadium where guys like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played, especially considering that this is the last season it will be standing. What a good night. The Yankees won, by the way.