On the eve of September 28, 1941, Boston Red Sox great Ted Williams had a tough decision to make.  It was the night before the final day of the season...and one of the most memorable seasons ever in baseball.  A young Yankee star named Joe Dimaggio had gotten a hit in 56 straight games.  Dick Wakefield had received an unbelievable $52,000 to play for the Tigers.  Jimmie Foxx had driven in 100 runs...for the 13th consecutive year.  A pitcher named Feller won 25 games.  And batting helmets made their first appearance.

And then there was Williams, whose season was one for the ages.  Heading into the final day of play, Williams' average sat at .39955, which rounds to .400, quite possibly the most coveted number in all of baseball.  Two hits per five official at-bats.  An average not seen in more than a decade.  And here was Ted, right on the cusp.  His coach gave him the option to sit out the final day to protect .400, but that wasn't really Williams' style.

So Ted Williams took the risk and played on September 28th, which happened to be a double-header for the Red Sox.  And all he did was go 6-for-8, finishing the season with a .406 batting average.  And Ted did more than hit for average, he hit 37 homeruns, drove in 120 runs, and walked an astounding 147 times...at the tender age of 22.  But that year's MVP award went to Dimaggio, as his 56-game hitting streak won the day for the voters.

The magic plateau of .400 has been approached a handful of times since '41 (George Brett's .390 in 1980, Rod Carew's .388 in 1977, and, more recently, Tony Gwynn's .394 average in the strike-killing 1994 season), but it hasn't been eclipsed.  It's hard to say whether it will ever be reached again.  Baseball's expansion in the 90's has allowed gobs of mediocre pitching in both leagues to fatten averages and statistics of hitters who, 25 years ago, would not likely have been playing.  Still, "2 hits per 5 ab's" is (obviously) nearly impossible to maintain through a 162-game schedule.

Ted Williams said that he would like someone else to hit .400, just so people would stop bothering him about it.  But Ted's accomplishment on this day in 1941 is so special, and the game of baseball has changed so much in nearly 70 years.  I just can't see anyone duplicating Williams' feat any time soon.  And so Williams must remain alone on the batting-average pinnacle...for the time being.

Recommended Reading: The Science of Hitting - How to hit, from the man himself.

The 1927 New York Yankees

As Yankee Stadium closes its doors, this is the final of a three-part retrospective on the moments that shaped Yankee Stadium, New York and the world of sports.

Top 10 post-season baseball moments at Yankee Stadium (chronological order)

1. Babe Ruth homers and the Yankees score the winning run on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to sweep the Pirates to clinch their first World Series at Yankee Stadium, 1927

Other Yankee home clinchers at the Stadium: 1938, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1977, 1996 and 1999.

2. Tommy Henrich hits a ninth inning, walk-off home run against Don Newcombe as the Yankees beat the Dodgers, 1-0, in Game 1 of the World Series, 1949

Other Yankee World Series walk-offs: Mickey Mantle in 1964, Chad Curtis in 1999, Derek Jeter in 2001.

3. Billy Martin singles home Hank Bauer with the winning run in the ninth inning as the Yankees beat Brooklyn in six games and win their fifth straight World Series, 1953

4. Don Larsen, left, throws the only no-hitter in post-season baseball history, a perfect game, as the Yankees defeat the Dodgers, 2-0, in Game 5 of the World Series, 1956

5. Chris Chambliss hits a walk-off home run in the ninth inning as the Yankees beat Kansas City, 7-6, to win the American League pennant and head to the World Series, 1976

Other Yankee playoff walk-offs: Bernie Williams in 1996 and 1999, Alfonso Soriano in 2001,  Aaron Boone in 2003.

6. Reggie Jackson hits three home runs as the Yankees beat the Dodgers in six games to win the World Series for the first time in 15 years, 1977

7. Jim Leyrtiz hits a two-run homer in the 15th inning as the Yankees beat Seattle, 9-7, in Game 2 of the American League divisional series, 1995

8. Jeffrey Maier, right, a 12-year-old fan, interferes with Derek Jeter's fly ball home run as the Yankees beat  the Orioles in Game 1 of the ALCS, 1996.

9. Deja vu all over again: Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius hit game-tying, two-out, two-run homers on successive nights against Arizona in the World Series, 2001.

10. Aaron Boone completes a comeback with an 11th-inning home run as the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 6-5, in Game 7 of the ALCS, 2003

Almost....

Don Mattingly hits his only post-season home run against Seattle, 1995

Roger Clemens throws splintered bat at Mets' Mike Piazza, 2000

Yankee Sours

St. Louis pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander emerges from bullpen and shuts down the Yankees to give the Cardinals their first World Series, 1926.

Other opposing championships won at the Stadium: 1942 Cardinals,  1955 Dodgers, 1957 Braves, 1976 Reds, 1981 Dodgers, and 2003 Marlins

Brooklyn outfielder Al Glonfriddo robs Joe DiMaggio of a possible home run in Game 6 of the World Series. 1947

Southpaw Johnny Podres shuts out the Yankees, 2-0, to give Brooklyn its first and only championship, Game 7, 1955

Los Angeles left-hander Sandy Koufax, left, sets a World Series record by striking out 15 Yankees in Game 1, 1963

George Brett homers against Goose Gossage to give the Royals the 1980 American League pennant, 1980

The Red Sox become the first baseball team to overcome a 3-0 playoff deficit and  beat Yankees to win the ALCS, 2004

The SportLlifer Yankee Stadium retrospective series:

Part I :The Best: Everything but baseball

Part II: The Best: Baseball regular season

Who's on Third

The Last Time

Bidding Adieu

Empty Seats at Yankee Stadium

My first baseball game

Although I have never visited the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, it is on my bucket list.  In looking over the Hall’s website, I read the online display of the 3,000 hit club.  That many hits in a career is no mean feat.  For example, neither Joe DiMaggio nor Ted Williams belong to the club.  Of the 27 members, only 8 reached the milestone before 1970.  To me that is a surprising statistic, because so many games are played at night in the “modern” era of baseball, something batters suggest as giving pitchers an advantage.  Are pitchers simply not as good as in bygone days?  I wouldn’t think the 8 extra games per year that have been played since the 1960’s would have a big effect, but over a career, that could be an additional season. 

Early 20^th century 3,000 hit players include Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, and Nap Lajoie.  Players from my childhood days that hit safely at least 3,000 times include Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Al Kaline.  George Brett and Tony Gwynn are among the younger members of the club, and both flirted with a single season batting average of .400 during their careers.

Although Ted Williams is not among the members of the 3,000 hit club, he lost several seasons playing time due to World War II and the Korean War, serving as a Marine pilot during each of the conflicts.  I wonder if anyone has tried to extrapolate just what his career totals in hits, average, and home runs might have been if he had not lost playing time to the wars.  It would certainly be interesting reading.

Hopefully when the new Yankee Stadium officially opens on April 16, 2009, the ghosts from the old stadium will have already moved in and made themselves at home. They'll only need to pack their mystique and aura for the short trip across 161st Street in the Bronx.

Call it what you want - The House that Ruth Built, The Cathedral of Baseball even if you're not a Yankees fan or a baseball fan, you can probably still manage to muster up some admiration for one of this country's most historic monuments. Serious baseball fans considered a trip to the stadium a pilgrimage, and even players on visiting teams were in awe when they took the field for the first time. From Monument Park to the white frieze to the short porch in right field, the stadium was instantly recognizable as an icon of baseball and of our country.

Having been to a few of the new ballparks - such as Jacob's Field and PNC Park - I will admit that there's something nice about a shiny new park with all the amenities. As a lifelong fan of the Yankees and the stadium, I can honestly say I didn't care at all about what it was missing. I'd walk into the stadium and instantly feel mesmerized by the sights and sounds around me. I believed the place was pleasantly haunted - it was our Field of Dreams. So many men made this field their home, feeling incredibly fortunate at the opportunity to do for months or years what so many of us wished we could try just for one afternoon.

For years, players would touch a sign hung over the tunnel as they made their way to the dugout, bearing Joe DiMaggio's quote 'I want to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee'.

There are the most famous images - Lou Gehrig with his hands in his back pockets, giving one of the most heroic speeches of all time, Roger Maris' 61st home run into right field, fans rushing the field after Chris Chamblis' game-winning home run, Reggie Jackson's 3 home runs off 3 first pitches by 3 different pitchers in game 6 of the 1977 World Series, the emptiness of home plate after Thurman Munson's funeral, the team sprawled out over the mound and each other, celebrating their 1998 World Series 4-game sweep of the Padres after a record 114 regular season wins.

Then there were the images most of us never saw - the area under the stands where Lou Gehrig used to go to be by himself to hide the progression of the illness that would eventually take his young life, or Thurman Munson's locker that has remained untouched from his death in August 1979 until the stadium closes for good.

Many who were most familiar with the stadium claimed that during some of the stadium's biggest moments, the entire building shook from the noise.

The stadium had its own personality, it's own secrets, and undoubtedly it's own ghosts. I'm certain the stadium is haunted.

When I sat in the Yankees dugout back in 2001, I quietly took in the whole experience. Sure, my view was a bit different than theirs, but still...what an unforgettable moment. I still have the dirt I grabbed from the warning track in front of the dugout.

When I visited Monument Park, I noticed it was the only spot in the stadium that was much quieter. People mulled around and looked and took photos, but there was a noticeable hint of quiet dignified respect.

I've been to Yankee Stadium 4 times. The first was in 1999 when my first visit to NYC was initially planned around the baseball game. Walking into the stadium for the first time, setting my eyes on the field, I thought 'I'm in YAN-KEE STAD-IUM!' and was just in awe of the entire experience. My husband and I met up with my brother and father to see David Cone pitch a night game against the White Sox in late September. The Yankees won.

My second visit was in September 2001, just days before the terrorist attacks. My husband and I rode the subway to two games against the Red Sox. Again, the trip to NYC was planned specifically so we could see the Yankees play the Red Sox. The weather was perfect as the Yankees won both games - 7-2 and 9-2. I saw Tino Martinez hit 3 home runs over the course of those two games.

Another day during our visit we joined Tony Morante's tour of the ballpark. We visited the press box, dugouts, Monument Park, etc. I have pictures of me in the dugout and on the field. I'll never forget that day and how special it was to visit one of my all-time favorite places.

I'll truly miss the old stadium.

Either it's our own good fortune to be around at epoch-marking moments or else history is happening everywhere and at all times. Either way, we were in New York not only for the seventh anniversary of 9/11, but also for the final games at the Yankees' old stadium.

Ever since I saw Field of Dreams (old Kevin Costner movie where a guy builds his own baseball field after hearing voices in his head -- great film) it has been a dream to go see a game and we were lucky enough to arrive in New York at just the right moment: as we understood from the film, the magic that surrounds baseball has as much to do with the ground as what goes on inside of it.

Thanks to my friend Greg (lives in Connecticut, supports Yankees) we got tickets to see the game against the Chicago White Sox. We were in the bleachers (the "stands" in UK English) which made us part of the immortal, but oft-derided grouping, the Bleacher Creatures. Membership of this group meant we had to sing all the songs, rail against the decisions, and cheer and shout louder than anybody else -- and, naturally, we did our best (Bleacher Creatures are also the ones that get into fights, but luckily we didn't see any of that.)

For me it was a wonderful night. We had a hotdog, soaked up the atmosphere of the game, I learned how baseball works (it's simple, but complex at the same time), the Yankees won, we felt the roar and emotion of the crowds, we sang the 7th-innings song, and we drove like crazy New Yorkers through the Bronx. I couldn't have asked for more.

In Field of Dreams, James Earl Jones' character says at the end, "Baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again". Magic before our eyes.

A Field Of Dreams

We knew it was no ordinary ball game that we were watching that night -- this was something special. The reason why had to do with the stadium. Yesterday they played the final game inside so now the mourning officially begins. One doesn't need to be a baseball fan to be sorry about the Yankee Stadium's end; read through the following and see.

1) The Greats Were Here

The Yankee Stadium was built in 1923, and in its 85 year history its walls have held the Yankees, John Philip Sousa, Joe Louis, Muhammed Ali, Pink Floyd, Nelson Mandela and JFK to name a few.

2) The Babe

George Herman Ruth Junior has been voted the greatest ball player of all time in more surveys than anyone can remember. He played for the Yankees from 1920 til 1935, during which time he reached his lifetime total of 714 home runs, a record that was not to be broken for 39 years, and he set various batting records that still have not been broken. On the day of its inauguration the Babe declared, "I'd give a year of my life if I can hit a home run in this first game in this new ball park". And he did just that. After he hit that home run the stadium was known ever after as "the house that Ruth built".

On August 16th, 1948 Babe Ruth died. He was 53 years old. His body was lain in the Yankee Stadium and in two days over 200,000 people had filed by to pay him their respects.

3) A Catalogue Of Firsts

In October 1965, Pope Paul VI said the first mass on US soil at the Yankee Stadium; it was the first three-tier stadium in the baseball league; it was the first stadium to use an electronic scoreboard; when the New York Giants American football team borrowed it in 1958 it was the first time ever that an NFL game went into sudden-death overtime -- the match became known as "the greatest game ever"; in its construction it was the first time that a special cement (invented partly by Thomas Edison) was used. It was the scene of many a groundbreaking moment.

4) The Sam Rice Mystery

He didn't play for the Yankees, but he often played in their stadium. In 1925, when playing against the Pittsburgh Pirates he jumped over a wall to make a catch. He disappeared and so did the ball, and then, after a couple of moments had passed, up he popped with the ball in his hand. No one could tell if he had actually caught the ball or not, but the catch was allowed to stand and the batter was out.

For the rest of his life Sam Rice wouldn't tell anybody, not even his family, whether or not he had actually caught the ball. All he did was put the truth in a letter, to be opened upon his death. After 49 years, Rice died and the wait for the truth was over. In his letter he explained that he had caught the ball.

5) Mickey Mantle

He was no good boy, but Mickey Mantle, who still holds the record for longest ever home run (575 feet) was a hero. He played all his career in a Yankees shirt and during the various World Series tournaments he played in, he set six records which still stand today. The old stadium will remember him well.

An alcoholic and local boy from Oklahoma, he was given a rough ride by the press during his initial Yankees years; he was never consistent, and at one point was the highest-paid active player in the league. However, when he died in 1995, the Yankees played the rest of the season wearing black armbands and his number (seven) embossed on their shirt-sleeves. A hell of a turnaround by the man who said, "Am I a role-model? Sure: don't be like me."

6) The Fans

They've seen good times and bad times, but they always came. This stadium saw over four million fans a year enter its doors. Not all of them were bleacher creatures.... Ozzy Osbourne, Jack Nicholson, Meatloaf, Henry Kissinger, Bob Dylan and Denzel Washington are among the more famous of the Yankees fans.

7) Thurman Munsen's Locker

He played with the Yankees for ten years and while doing so became the only Yankees player ever to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. He rose to be one of the most famous captains of the club. He famously sported the handlebar moustache which is actually at the limits of what Yankees players are allowed to wear (the Yankees are one of the only clubs that still enforce the decades-old "no long hair or beards" rules that all baseball clubs once subscribed to).

He was originally from Ohio and learned to pilot his own plane so he could return home to visit his family when not playing. Then, in 1979 when he was only 32 years old, his personal plane crashed during test flights and he was killed. His locker remains in the old stadium with just his number 15 shirt hanging inside. The number will never be worn by another Yankees player.

8) Joltin' Joe

Joe DiMaggio played his whole career for the Yankees and became one of the world's most famous sportsmen. He was selected for baseball's All-Star game every season he played, and achieved a legendary 56-game hitting streak (where a player has to make a hit in every game he plays in). The boy who only started playing baseball to get out of poverty, and only stopped when injuries meant he couldn't take a step without pain, was voted baseballs greatest living player in 1969.

He married Marilyn Monroe in 1954, but divorce came only 274 days later. Sombody said at the time, "a man can't be a success in two pastimes". But DiMaggio was never to remarry, and after Marilyn's death he had red roses delivered to her grave, three times a week for twenty years.

After he died in 1999 the Yankee Stadium had a monument dedicated to him and the team wore little number fives, Joltin' Joe's number, on their uniforms for the rest of the season.

A Word Of Thanks

I could say so many thanks to so many people on this trip, and most of them I'll make personally. But there is one I'd like to make: we had to leave so quickly the next day that I never really got the chance to do it before now. To Greg, my buddy who took us to the game and explained how it all worked, and his family who had us stay in there house and did a thousand small things to make us feel like kings, thank you very, very much.

MLB Vintage World Series Films - New York Yankees: 17 Championship Seasons 1943-2000 is available at Amazon for $29.99. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

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Other Products of Interest

• Legends in Pinstripes (Babe Ruth The Life Behind the Legend / Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio / The Definitive Story of Mickey Mantle)
• Yankeeography Mega-Set 1-4 (12pc)
• The New York Yankees Fall Classic Collector's Edition 1996-2001
• New York Yankees 1977 World Series Collector's Edition
• The Bronx is Burning

Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio? is available at Amazon for $10.99. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

Want to get some other Format / Binding / Version? You can search for them from here

Other Products of Interest

• Babe Ruth - The Life Behind the Legend
• Mantle - The Definitive Story of Mickey Mantle
• The Pride of the Yankees
• 61*
• When It Was a Game - Triple Play Collection

Mantle - The Definitive Story of Mickey Mantle is available at Amazon for $14.99. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

Want to get some other Format / Binding / Version? You can search for them from here

Other Products of Interest

• Mickey Mantle: Stories and Memorabilia from a Lifetime with The Mick
• Babe Ruth - The Life Behind the Legend
• 61*
• MLB Vintage World Series Films - New York Yankees: 17 Championship Seasons 1943-2000
• When It Was a Game - Triple Play Collection

So, he's been the ace for the second-half of the season. That makes this harder. But Brett Myers, you can't give up 10 runs in 4 innings of work against the Marlins. I know, the Marlins have been hot, and you were due to get hit hard one of these games, but this is a bit much. Everyone has off days, I am privy to that; but you can't be this off, especially when every game is so valuable. The offense scored 8 runs, which should almost always be enough to win. Hopefully, Brett will take it for what it was - one bad start - and focus on the next one. I truly believe that, if Brett maintains his dominance, Cole Hamels keeps finding ways to win, and Jamie Moyer continues to be the ageless blessing he's been all season, this team could legitimately make a run to the Series.

Stud/s of the Week

The entire Eagles defense and Jim Johnson. 9 sacks, a safety and 3 turnovers against the Steelers will get you Stud recognition every week. We'll just ignore the fact that technically Monday night's game against the Cowboys falls within the dates I listed in the title; they more than made up for it this week. The front four generated a rush on its own; Big Ben never knew where the blitz was coming from; Dawkins was soaring through the air and causing mayhem; Asante Samuel made a beautiful interception; Willie Parker had 20 rushing yards. 20! And they didn't allow a touchdown. As dominating a performance, against a good team, as I have seen from this unit in a while. They were solid across the board, and will need to be again next week, as a game against the Bears, potentially without Brian Westbrook, will probably be another defensive struggle.

My All-Encompassing Thought of the Week

This isn't about Philly, but bears mentioning - last night was the last game ever played at Yankee Stadium. Now, you may not like the Yankees; God knows I don't. But it is still sad for me to think that a place that fielded the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, and yes, we'll someday say Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, will no longer be hosting MLB games. Yankee Stadium is our Colosseum, though it wasn't a place where warriors were beloved for defying death and committing acts of violence. (Editor's note: That sounds more like a description of the Vet and its fans). No, Yankee Stadium was a place where perhaps otherwise ordinary men captured the imaginations of people everywhere while playing a child's game. Where Babe Ruth, a man who looked more akin to the chubby guy on the corner playing cards than a great athlete, represented an American love of excess and just having a good time. For every home run, there was a beer, a woman, and a hot dog to go along with it. Yet the measure of his power, especially when compared to his peers, will likely never be duplicated. Babe Ruth often hit more homers in a season than some teams did, and did so without ever missing a good time. A deity amongst mere mortals. Contrast him to Lou Gehrig, who's work ethic and consistency perfectly mirrored the blue-collar lifestyle of so many Americans. Fittingly, Gehrig was vastly underrated, and remains so, though I believe him to be one of the five greatest hitters ever. Than there was the tragic figure of Mickey Mantle, whose Herculean abilities were only stymied by his constant injuries and habits. Yet, if you ask anybody who ever saw him play to describe the experience, they will remember it with a certain degree of awe and reverence that is rarely reserved for athletes. Certainly, we all admire the athletic prowess of our favorite sports figures, but to hear someone talk of Mantle is to hear them describe something more than simply a ball player; he was Superman, a man lacking weakness on the diamond. And yet, he was also the protagonist in his own tale of Greek mythology, befallen by tragic flaws but an important reminder that even the most spectacular of us is simply human. Joltin' Joe dated Marilyn Monroe and hit in 56 straight game; Yogi Berra was always a quip away from profundity.

The Yankees, and how they're received outside of New York, are strangely representative of America itself. Many people don't like them, but they win more than they lose, and many of the most important accomplishments in baseball history have come from their players. They're the big spenders, the guys with money, the team that's got it made. And yet, much as they are despised, they have traditionally set the bar for success in baseball. The best players in baseball want to play for them. Any true fan of a team from another city will tell you that they despise the Yankees; what they won't mention is how much they respect them, at least their legacy. Farewell to Yankee Stadium; you may now take your place next to all of the greats you hosted, firmly entrenched in both baseball and American history, and perhaps more fittingly, forever etched in our imaginations.

My Painfully Specific Thought of the Week

It doesn't bother me one bit that the Yankees will miss the playoffs this year.

Moment of the Week

Yesterday was awesome, and frightening, but mostly awesome. The Eagles D looked great, but seeing both Westbrook and McNabb leave the field with potential injuries was horrifying. The Phillies won, but Lidge sure made it more exciting than it needed to be. So, after three games, the Eagles look like, if they stay healthy, one of the NFC's top teams, and the Phillies, with 6 games left and leads of 1 1/2 in the division and 3 over the Brewers for the wildcard, look as though they're headed to the postseason (Editor's note: Somebody knock on some frickin' wood, for God's sake!). I mean, the following things happened yesterday: Big Ben was hit so many times by Eagles defenders, he had to leave the game; we beat the pesky Marlins and don't have to play them again until next year; the Mets' bullpen blew another game. A beautiful Sunday, and though it most certainly is not always sunny in Philadelphia, it sure as hell is today.

Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Maris, Yogi, DiMaggio, Whitey, Rizzuto, Larsen, Reggie, Munson...they paved the way before I was around to see it.

Randolph. Nettles. Winfield. Righetti.
Don Mattingly.
Tino, Bernie, O'Neill, Brosius, Girardi, Wetteland, Rivera.
Derek Jeter.
Matsui, Giambi, Clemens, Pettitte, Mussina.

They were my Yankee Stadium!

The house that Ruth built became a home to so many. So many great memories. The book is closed but never forgotten. Thank you, thank you for the memories.

Next year the new era starts and the new book opens.

What I will say is this...  I have never been to Yankee Stadium.  But, when my father was a kid he was there often.  Stories have passed down from him to me about sneaking into the ballpark as a child, leaving school early to go to the ballgame, etc, etc...  Knowing that my dad was able to see some of the immortal Yankee legends like Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and so many more makes me too feel a little nostalgic that Yankee Stadium is no longer open for business.

Yankee Stadium has been the home to 26 World Series trophies.  Nothing more needs to be said.  There will never be another stadium to contain as much history as this old ballpark. 

Tonight, as the final baseball game is being played in "The House That Ruth Built", I want to pay tribute to the hallowed grounds that is baseball's equivalent of Soldier Field or Lambeau Field in the NFL, or the Boston Garden in the NBA. Yankee Stadium. Where, since it's opening game in April of 1923, the Yankees have won 26 World Series, hosted 4 All-Star Games including this year's game.

Though most of the stadium was renovated in the mid-seventies, and many considered it to be, for all intents and purposes a new stadium at that time, it still sits on the same site where Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra, Ford, Maris, and Jackson worked their magic and became legends.

Of course during the seventh inning stretch of the final game, Ronan Tynan delivered a stunning rendition of "God Bless America."

Further, I would like to pay tribute to the man who many consider to be the greatest Yankee of them all: Lou Gehrig, who from 1925-1939 played in 2,130 Yankees games in a row. He never missed a day. He never called in sick. Lou Gehrig, who stood in front of a packed house on July 4, 1939 to say goodbye, knowing he would one day be disabled by and die from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, the disorder that had begun to attack his body the previous year.

Not much of Gehrig's farewell speech survives on film, but what remains is a testament to a universal truth in life, no matter what your disability is:

"I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for."

This year, while my 5-9 record won't indicate it, I saw some great games.  A personal high, 14 games seen in person this summer.  Two against Boston, two against the Mets in the final year of Yankee Stadium.

I've watched hundreds of games on tv.  I saw all four clinching outs of the 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 World Series' and can still hear Joe Buck say "The Yankees are champions of baseball!" when Charlie Hayes caught the last out at Yankee Stadium in 1996.  I can still see Wade Boggs riding the horse and him being given a helmet at the parade down the canyon of heroes.  I saw Jim Abbott's no-hitter at my cousin's house on Long Island.  I watched the games after 9/11 and Aaron Boone's home run against Tim Wakefield in 2003.

I don't remember exactly, but I think my first game was against Texas sometime in the very late 1980s or the early 1990s.  I've been to games in rain, snow, and sun.  I've been there for bat day, days celebrating the lives of Phil Rizzuto and Joe DiMaggio, and for Old Timers' Day.  I've been to monument park at least a dozen times.  I've taken my friends on tours of the park, pointing out all the retired numbers and where I sat for some of my most memorable games.  I've sat in every section you could possible sit in: field level, main box, loge, both upper deck sections, and the bleachers.  I've chanted "Boston Sucks," worn the shirt and been told to cover it up.  I've been to opening days, the last game of the regular season, and a ton of games in between.  I almost caught a foul ball last year, but I misplayed it and the ball hit me in the arm and bounced back a row. I've taken the Stadium tour, sat on the the dugout bench, and been in the clubhouse.  I saw the black square hanging from one locker with the white "15" on it, and i hit the sign from the clubhouse to the dugout with the immortal words of Joe DiMaggio: "I want to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee."

While I don't remember the first time I was at the Stadium, I will remember the last, Thursday night, a win over the Chicago White Sox.  Since I got back home after that game, I have compiled a list of the top ten games I have been to in my life at Yankee Stadium, evoking my favorite memories of baseball, Yankee Stadium, and the summer.  If you had asked me two weeks ago, I would have said I haven't really been to many special occasions at Yankee Stadium in my life, missing some milestones by one day (A-Rod's 500th home run, Derek Jeter passing Lou Gehrig for the all-time hits record at Yankee Stadium). When I made this list, though, I realized that I have been to a lot of special occasions at the Stadium.  I had a terrible time ranking these, because they are each special memories to me, so let me share them with you:

(10)  Yankees vs. Mets (June 27, 2008) - This was the last Subway Series game to ever be played at Yankee Stadium and it was also part one of a subway doubleheader, where the Yankees hosted game one and the Mets hosted game two.  The Yanks got clobbered behind Carlos Delgado's nine RBIs, but it was cool to be there for that.  Box Score.

(9) Yankees vs. Twins (July 2, 2007) - In this game, on his third or fourth attempt, Roger Clemens secured career win number 350, a number I thought would never be reached ever again (Greg Maddux did it this year). Box Score.

(8) Yankees vs. Blue Jays (June 3, 2008) - Joba Chamberlain's first start.  I've never seen so much excitement leading up to a game than Joba's first start.  The Yanks lost and Chamberlain left in the third inning, but this was a dawning of a new era to many Yankee fans and people were screaming and taking pictures the whole pre-game.  Box Score.

(7) Yankees vs. Cubs (June 18, 2005) - Not only was this the first regular season series between two of baseball's most historic teams, but after a little over nine years in the big leagues, Derek Jeter hit his first career grand slam.  Box Score.

(6) Yankees vs. Red Sox (May 7, 1994) - I think this was my first Yankee-Red Sox game and it featured Clemens and Melido Perez.  Somehow the Bronx Bombers won this one, but what I remember the most about this game was that it is my earliest memory of monument park.  I remember being in monument park and we walked right next to the visitor's bullpen where Clemens was preparing for the start.  I could barely see over the wall there, but my Dad lifted me up and showed me Clemens throwing, not five feet from me.  Box Score.

(5) Yankees vs. Devil Rays (September 27, 1998) - Last day of the regular season.  We sat on the main level of the left field outfield.  Shane Spencer, the September hero of 1998, hit a grand slam and Bernie Williams won the batting title that day.  Williams had gone back into the locker room and when people were standing, screaming for him, someone had to go get him and Bernie came out with his pants on, a t-shirt, sandals and his glasses for the curtain call.  Box Score.

(4) Yankees vs. Royals (April 9, 1996) - Opening Day, 1996, in the snow.  Fresh off their first postseason appearance since the 1980s, Don Mattingly and Buck Showalter were gone and this was the beginning of the Joe Torre/Derek Jeter era.  We were sitting in right field in the last occupied section of the loge (amazing how the place wasn't always sold out until they started winning championships again).  I was at the end and I kept complaining to my Dad about how cold I was.  He was about ready to smack me when he got up and noticed that my whole right side was covered in snow.  I think we lasted four to five innings of the Yankee win.  Box Score.

(3) Yankees vs. Blue Jays (April 25, 1999) - Joe DiMaggio Day.  The Yankee Clipper had passed away a few months earlier and this was George Steinbrenner's tribute to him.  Paul Simon came out and sang Mrs. Robinson in centerfield.  Although I never saw DiMaggio play, I was smart enough to realize that he was one of the best and most revered Yankees of all-time and it was an emotional day.  Box Score.  Video.

(2) Yankees vs. Rangers (April 26, 1995) - Opening Day after the strike.  My father pulled me out of school for this and that alone is worth being in the top five memories.  Fathers and sons at baseball game, passing the love of the game on, is really what baseball is all about.  One of my favorites of this era, Jimmy Key, made the start for the Yanks.  I remember that my father and I went down early to see the players and Reggie Jackson was there, signing autographs and some of the other players signed too.  My other favorite, Paul O'Neill, walked into the ballpark and didn't wave or anything. I love the guy for the way he played the game, but when baseball was trying to earn fans' respect back, that wasn't the way to do it.

(1) Yankees vs. Red Sox (July 1, 2004) - Derek Jeter diving into the stands.  Yankee-Boston games are always special, but this game had the feel of a World Series game.  In the top of the 12th, Trot Nixon popped a ball up near the stands on the third base side of the field, a ball that, from our seats in the first row of the upper deck on the foul side of the right field foul pole, was clearly going into the stands was snagged by Jeter as he dove into the stands.  Wow.  That's what everyone in the place said.  He was banged up and needed help being brought back to the dugout, but that was a baseball player.  This also marked the only time that A-Rod played shortstop with the Yankees, replacing Jeter in the field in the top of the 13th with Gary Sheffield moving to third base.  The Yanks won in the bottom of the 13th when John Flaherty pinch hit for Tanyon Sturtze (with all the defensive changes, the Yanks needed starting DH Bernie Williams in the field, so they sacrificed the DH) and hit a double down the left field line, scoring Miguel Cairo. I've seen two Stanley Cup final games in my life and they don't come close to the energy in Yankee Stadium after the win that night.  There was constant screaming and excitement on the way down the ramps and you couldn't hear anything.  That memory represents how special the Yankees and Yankee Stadium are.

Honorable Mentions: Derk Jeter going for Gehrig's record against he White Sox on September 15, 2008 with a ton of camera flashes; seeing Joba Chamberlain's father Harlan on April 3, 2008 and everyone stopping and chanting Joba's name; the day the Yankees were given their 1996 World Series rings in 1997 (don't remember the date and would appreciate help!).

We all have our special memories of Yankee Stadium.  I don't agree with them tearing it down and I will miss it.  The Stadium was like my second home in the summer, especially since I've gotten older and bought my own ticket packs.  I will cherish the memories of the games I have been to, many I can't remember right now, and allow the Stadium to live on through those memories.

As we approach 8:00 and the first pitch of the last game of the Stadium, I warn that next year will not be the same and the new Yankee Stadium won't replace the old, but I guess that's what my father would say about this stadium.  I have taken a ton of pictures and will always remember Yankee Stadium as an important part of my summers.  The players changed, the teams changed, but Yankee Stadium was always a constant.

For now though, the only thing left to say is Goodbye.

I believe the Baseball Gods will make their feelings about the ending of Yankee Stadium known this autumn by sending the Red Sox and the Cubs to the World Series.

That would mean that this year, the World Series would be played in the only two parks in baseball that are older than Yankee Stadium, and the only other parks built before 1961.  These three are the only remaining parks to have seen the likes of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio and Ted Williams.

There is a place for these older parks in this game.  They are our most tangible connection to the years gone by when the game of baseball was made great.  The Baseball Gods will want us to know that a move to the newer is not necessarily a move to the better.

Just after I decided to post this, I had a thought. Why are we so enthralled by tragedy? Is it just us as Americans or is this common in other countries and cultures as well? Kennedy, Elvis, Lennon, Kurt Cobain, and of course... Marilyn. Are they remembered for who they were or what they signified? Are they remembered for what they contributed to our culture or for their symbolism of an era? In fact, maybe it was all of those things.

Vanity Fair has put together a compilation of milestones, interviews, letters, and of course... photos. Enjoy.

The Marilyn Files: VanityFair.com

Joe DiMaggio, technically not involved in the World Series at all so far as I know, but an icon of Bay Area baseball, waits in line in the Marina District with his neighbors to sort out the post-Loma Prieta processes.

Overall, there will be three categories — anything but baseball, baseball regular season, and baseball post-season.

This is the regular season baseball category….we’ll follow up soon with a top 10 devoted to World Series and post-season play at the Stadium.

Remember you read it first in the SportsLifer.

Top 10 regular season baseball moments at Yankee Stadium (chronological order)

Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, April 18, 1923

1. The Stadium opens with pomp and circumstance and Babe Ruth's home run beats Boston, 4-1. 1923

2. Babe Ruth hits one over the right-field fence and becomes the first player to hit 60 home runs in a season, 1927

3. Dying Yankee captain Lou Gehrig, at left, being hugged by Babe Ruth, tells a crowd of more than 60,000 “Today I consider myself the "luckiest man on the face of the earth," 1939

4. Joe DiMaggio begins his immortal 56-game hitting streak by going 1-for-4 against the White Sox, 1941

5. The Yankees edge the Red Sox in the final two games of the season to win the pennant by a game, 1949

6. Roger Maris breaks Babe Ruth's record with his 61st home run on the final day of the season, 1961

7. Mickey Mantle just misses hitting a ball out of the Stadium when he homers off the right field facade, 1963

8. Ron Guidry strikes out 18 batters to silence the Angels in a team record-setting performance, 1978

9. On the day they buried their captain, Thurman Munson, Bobby Murcer's 5 RBIs give the Yankees a dramatic win, 1979

10. Double Perfect: David Wells, right, and David Cone pitch perfect games a year apart, 1998 and 1999

Almost...

Other Yankee No-Hitters: Monte Pearson (1938), Allie Reynolds (1951), Dave Righetti (1983), Jim Abbott (1993) and Doc Gooden (1996).

Opposing No-Hitters: Bob Feller (1946), Virgil Trucks (1952) and an army Houston Astros pitchers (2003).

Babe Ruth's final appearance in The House That Ruth Built, 1948

Umps over-rule George Brett's homer in the "Pine Tar" game, 1983

Tom Seaver gets 300th win as White Sox beat Yankees on Phil Rizzuto Day, 1985

Roger Clemens wins 300th game; reaches 4,000 K's, 2003

Derek Jeter dives into the stands against the Red Sox, 2004

Part I: The Best of Yankee Stadium: Everything But Baseball

This milestone was just another record set in the 80's that baseball fans and card collectors saw as untouchable along with DiMaggio's streak of 56 consecutive games with a hit, Cy Young's 511 career pitching wins, and Roger Maris' 61 home runs... oh well, I tried...

5,000 strikeouts is an incredible feat that should stand for some time.  This kind of record illustrates the domniance and determination that Ryan had to always perform as best he could.

Congratulations again Nolan!!

You may have seen comments on River Ave. Blues under the name of "Joltin' Joe". Yeah, that's me. Anyway, the Yankee Clipper's fabled number five is also the number of games separating the Red Sox and Yankees in the American League East. Boston leads the Wild Card, and the last two days (and 2.0 game leap in the standings) has been a breath of fresh air for New York fans.

Paul Byrd lost to the Doc in his Sox debut, and Toronto beat Boston again on Sunday. The New York Yankees Bretts pulled out a much-needed victory on Saturday and promptly thumped the Royals on Sunday afternoon to finish up a three-game set. The desolate seven-game lead for Boston is now a less comfortable five.

Does this mean the Yankees can just waltz their way into the postseason? Absolutely not. Tampa Bay is ailing and the Sox are choking a bit, but we cannot determine anything by guessing. The Bombers simply need to play their games - maybe the return of Joba, Phil Hughes or, ahem, Carl "Overflown Lootbag" Pavano can boost the rotation. The offense is, well, still eratic and only the stellar play of Xavier and the usuals has kept it alive. Brett Gardner is looking like he can handle the stick a little bit, and all for the better, seeing as how he is likely the team's centerfielder from here on out. Sid the Kid is giving us his all. Mussina is determined to hit the 20-game marker for the first and, perhaps final time. We do have a lot to play for, that's for sure. There's also a cool 16 games left at Stadium. Make 'em count.

Conspiracy theories, There are a lot of good ones out there and no matter how crazy, stupid or obviously fake they are - such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion or the people that claim the Earth is really flat and we faked the Moon Landing to "prove" it wasn't - people want to believe them. Hell in much of the Middle East the Protocols of the Elders of Zion is now an addendum to the Qur'an. Like I said people are stupid. Just remember that 99% of all conspiracy theories are fake and that 75% of all statistics on the internets are made up on the spot. Another thing about these conspiracy theories is they all involve "The Jews" or "The Government" and are so complicated that William of Ockham is undoubtedly spinning in his grave fast enough to power Austria for a hundred years if the energy could be properly harnessed.

Sometimes however we do get into that 1% such as when the Venona Project was de-classified and proved that most of the insane theories about the actions of the Soviet Union in relation to espionage where found to be true. Interestingly enough even with the final decrypts of the Venona project some people still try to defend the Rosenbergs or Alger Hiss. Joseph McCarthy was considered the evil and insane conspiracy theorist when he spoke of the large amount of Soviet spies in sensitive positions of the government and was lambasted by much the public for it. He was however correct, there where and had been long before he showed up on the scene. However before I get angry calls from people over my defense of the evil McCarthy and how he and HUAC had poor actors and writers blacklisted in Hollywood remember that he had nothing to do with that. One McCarthy was in the Senate not the House, HUAC being a House sub-comity and not a Senate one. Two McCarthy was going after spies in the government such as in the Pentagons code room, why anyone thinks he gave a shit about some asshole actor in Hollywood is a moron and it is just the inane rantings of the idiots who actually think they matter.

Any hoo since I have begun to write like a paranoid with Attention Deficit Disorder I will try to get back on to the point of this rant. Conspiracy theories most people have them About the Kennedy assassination well I am here to give you the truth of what happened on November 22, 1963. I'm sure you have all heard a few interesting theories about what people think "Really" happened that day and I am here to tell you, you are wrong. Sure they might sound nice but lets go over a couple of them.

The Mob did it: No they didn't. Yes JFK was in bed with the Mob to help himself get elected. It's true we all know this. Hell you can't get even one vote in Chicago without the Mobs help and yes Kennedy did overwhelmingly win Cook County, but really why does anyone think that the Mob would be stupid enough to bring that much bad attention to their activities. Their whole point is to stay as hidden as possible so they can keep their illicit business going. Anyway why would they kill the kid of one of their own. They all had money from when they had been bootlegging hooch so did the Kennedy's. It would have been easier to just blackmail him then kill him and they could get more out of it. So give that one up.

The CIA: Not likely the CIA while not having a good relationship with Kennedy and supposedly Kennedy wanted to get rid of the CIA it wouldn't have been the best move. Why wouldn't they have killed him? Well they could have easily destroyed his reputation without killing him an thus saving their jobs without the fear of incarceration. Furthermore Lyndon Johnson is also brought into this argument. Yes Johnson and Kennedy didn't have the best relationship and the idea that Johnson used the CIA to get rid of Kennedy to become president himself does sound nice but it's a little silly. Johnson could have easily used the CIA to ruin Kennedy's reputation so badly he would be forced to resign and thus giving Johnson the presidency. So murder would have been an unnecessary step if not the worst way to go about taking the presidency. So why don't we just forget about this one too.

The Soviets did it: Not really after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis it sounds like good old Cold War Conspiracy fun. However the truth is that Khrushchev thought that Kennedy was young, inexperienced and naive, hardly a threat worthy of causing an international incident. Plus Khrushchev had pissed off the high ranking party members in the politburo and the KGB and was about to get removed shortly anyway. So why would the KGB help him with something as silly as killing the leader of the other worlds superpower who currently had thousands of nukes pointed at their asses right before they removed him from power? I'll give you a hint they wouldn't.

Israel: Since "The Jews" are always part of these conspiracy theories you know it was going to come up. So Israel planned to kill an American president because of supposed sympathy with the Arabs and over a nuclear reactor. Um right, so Israel is going to kill the leader of one of the only countries in the world that supports their right to exist over vague ideas about how Kennedy might have felt about Arabs and the usual diplomatic problems associated with nuclear technology? Why does this sound like the rantings of a guy pissed off with Israel and trying to get back at them for arresting him for disclosing state secrets? Oh wait I know why because thats what is really going on. So shut up and go back to claiming "The Jews" eat Palestinian babies and use the Illuminati to control the world.

There was a second shooter on the grassy knoll: This might be true but Lee Harvey Oswald was still there to kill Kennedy but why?

So on to the payoff the real person behind the assassination of Kennedy. It was Joe DiMaggio. Why you ask would I accuse Joltin' Joe of conspiring to kill JFK? Simply pure hatred for the man who was nailing his ex wife whom he was still very much in love with was trying to get back together with her. Who is this woman but the one and only Marilyn Monroe who may or may not have been off'd by the Kennedy's on August 5, 1962 right before Joe was planning on asking her to remarry him. Think about it of all the crazy conspiracies out there over the death of JFK what makes the most sense. It's one man angry over the treatment of the woman he loved killing another man that he believed was responsible for her dishonor and death. It's not really hard to believe that DiMaggio angry and depressed over the death of his love - remember he sent roses to her grave several times a week for twenty years - would find some loose cannon with whom he could convince to murder a president for his hero the old The Yankee Clipper. Sounds crazy right? Not really if you think about it John Hinckley Jr. shot Reagan to impress Jodi Foster so it's not like this kind of thing doesn't happen. In fact Hinckley was originally planning on killing Jimmy Carter but after Reagan took office he switched targets.

DiMaggio was obsessed with Monroe and would do anything for her even kill and he had the least insane motive for the murder of JFK. So here is how it went down Setting aside the "Second Shooter" for a moment we will get on with how this happened. DiMaggio finds a mentally unstable guy and convinces him to kill Kennedy for him and boom Oswald in in the book depository on the morning of November 22 a little over a year after Monroe's death. It's all so simple right? Well not really we have a couple other loose ends we need tie up here. Was there a second shooter and why did Jack Ruby kill Oswald? Well lets take them together. If there was a second shooter this person might not have been to happy about Oswald getting caught by the police and wanted to get rid of him before he spilled the beans about DiMaggio's involvement if not his own in the murder of the President. Oswald had to go. So we have Jack Ruby enter into this to take him out. There are different theories here if Jack Ruby was the second shooter he might think it is easier to use the some "I did it for JFK's widow" excuse to get leniency in the murder of Oswald while hiding anything that would trace him to Kennedy's murder since Oswald had less to loose by talking then say DiMaggio. Therefore the Second shooter is either DiMaggio with Ruby used as a pawn to get rid of Oswald before he talked or Ruby who wanted to get rid of Oswald before he implicated Ruby in the assassination. The Second one seems more likely since DiMaggio probably wanted to stay out of Dallas on the day he was getting people to murder his enemy and would have been too easy to recognize in a place swarming with the press and the police and FBI. It would have been better to have Ruby as the second shooter and not himself. Plus Ruby would have had less incentive to kill Oswald if he didn't have some connection to the original assassination however he might have been another useful idiot willing to take a hit for his hero. Now if there was no second shooter it went down very much the same but then you have Oswald kills Kennedy for DiMaggio and Ruby kills Oswald to protect DiMaggio. It's that simple.

Whether or not the Kennedy's Killed Monroe is of no matter and I am not here to debate that theory. As long as DiMaggio was enraged over his love's death and even suspected involvement of the Kennedy's he had the motive for revenge. Plus even without him thinking that Monroe was murdered he still had motive. DiMaggio was obsessed with Monroe angry over her deteriorating mental state, her drug abuse and eventual death and angry with himself because he couldn't save her. It is very easy for a man this distraught to find something to blame her death on. JFK turns into the best scapegoat for his anger and rage. The idea that this man the most prominent figure in the country was using the love of DiMaggio's life as a toy for him, his brother and friends would be too much to take. The rage needs an outlet. Kennedy was that outlet, his death catharsis. Monroe's honor restored by this one act. It's simple psychology.

Now if we decide who had the best motive to kill Kennedy you only have two answers DiMaggio or of course Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis*. So lets go over why she is the only other aside from DiMaggio that has the best motive. Jackie O' s motive is anger for Kennedy's constant cheating on her simple as that. A woman's scorn. Take out DiMaggio and Put in Jackie O' in his place and you have it. Remember Ruby claimed to have killed Oswald to protect her. He Shot Oswald who in this scenario was obsessed with Onassis to keep him for spilling the beans on the Princess of Camelot. I doubt this scenario though because Onassis knew what she was getting into when she married Kennedy and while she might grow to resent him I don't think it ever spilled over into hatred enough to murder her philandering husband. Plus on top of that it's hard to believe that she would want to be sitting next to him while it happened, even if that is the perfect alibi it's not likely that she would take that big a risk, or that if her conspirators are doing it out of obsession over her they would be able to pull the trigger when the potential to harm her as well was so high. Remember Hinckley shot Reagan not Foster.

In conclusion that leaves only DiMaggio as the most likely suspect. Now I know people are just going to say that this is another baseless conspiracy theory but it's not. I have simply shown that it is the most likely theory in this case unless Oswald was really just some lunatic acting alone.

* I use Onassis here because although it wasn't her last name until 1968 it is easier to use it when only referring to people by their last names.
** I use Wikipedia here as a quick reference so you have a starting point to do your own research not because they have all the correct information.