Yankee Stadium living up to the hype

The bar has been set high for the new Yankee Stadium to be a Mecca of sporting worship beyond the exalted and beloved cathedral that still sits across 161st street.

Ladies and gentlemen, after the inaugural exhibition on Friday night, I can tell you that this Roman coliseum with Park Avenue amenities can live up to that hype.

The imposing form of the marble, steel, granite and cement hits you as you approach with swarms of fans – grown adults and little kids all with a Christmas morning grin and awestruck anticipation.

Part museum to Yankee history, part cathedral to baseball worship, part coliseum for epic sporting battle, and part amenity-rich opulence come together for contagious giddiness even among fans most reticent to embrace change.

Concession workers in pinstriped jerseys, chefs in hats and coats with interlocking NY’s, and grinning staff all seem happy to greet each guest with a meaningful, “Welcome to Yankee Stadium.” 

Sushi stands, prime steak carving in observation windows, high-backed padded chairs in the expensive seats, and hotel-style bathroom attendants drive home luxury.

Of course there are kinks to be worked out – lost tickets at Will Call, credit card machines that don’t work, and beer stands with no change, but quality control personnel carrying clipboards promise this will be a smooth operation in no time.

The more expensive the seat, the more frequent the empty chairs – something that will likely continue throughout the season.

But talking to a new Yankee Store employee at one of the eight locations in the stadium he said, “It’s exciting.  I’m new, well we’re all new, but I love it.  You’re part of something special.”  

Being a part of it – being at the center of the universe in New York City is a feeling visitors and residents of the metropolis are familiar with, but being at the center of the baseball universe is exactly the feeling at the new stadium.  Being at the center of it all.

Tino Martinez said, “This is the greatest sports venue of all time.  People will come from around the world to see it.”  Yes, it sounds like the trailer for an epic film, but that’s what you feel like you are a part of.

Don’t think it’s all shine and fresh paint, it still has its New York character.  Overhearing an interview with a certain sports television giant and a fan on the street, the NYY-clad fan responded to a question about his thoughts on the stadium saying, “I don’t f*&@in’ know, I’m still outside.  You tell me.”  Ahh, home.

It’s a new building, but when spontaneous echoes of “Let’s go Yankees” fill the extra-wide concourse at 6pm on Friday and Robinson Cano ties the game with a homerun and the crowd erupts, it’s very easy to forget that you left something across the street.

We’ll go on about how the field plays, the incredible sight lines from the seats, and the ridiculous clarity of the humongous centerfield screen, but even sitting high in the upper decks you feel a part of the game and easily forget that this isn’t the same field you grew up with.

Lower Photo: Chien-Ming Wang delivers the first pitch against the Chicago Cubs at the new Yankee Stadium in New York. The game is the Yankees' inaugural game at the new stadium. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)