Observations from the Basement #1

I have great honor and respect for the game of baseball, but I shamefully admit to only half-assedly pay attention to it until it gets much closer to the World Series. Of the teams I do like (Braves. Reds. Cubs.), I'm certainly not a rabid fan and don't have any stakes in or ties to any rivalries or curses. To sum up, I am no expert on baseball.

But this I know:

You don't tear down Babe Ruth's and Lou Gehrig's stadium.

And I'm not exactly sure why this bothers me so much. Maybe it's because in this time where our country's greed and laziness and shortsightedness has gotten us into yet another big pile o' trouble, this just seems like a giant, ugly metaphor for it all.

I am glad I had the chance to go to a game in Yankee Stadium though. Don't have a clue who they played. We were so far up in the stands that I couldn't really even tell who was who. But it was fun. I enjoy seeing the enthusiasm and dedication of fans regardless (in most cases) of what team it is, and the Yankees are no exception.

It was a warm, early summer's night, a total blow-out, and to keep us entertained I think every Yankee broke some sort of random record - like Most Number of Base Hits in a Home Game in a Month not Ending in the Letter R - and that sort of thing.

There were also a great number of hot dogs and beers enjoyed in our section and my friend's boyfriend, being drunk, from New Jersey, and a bit of a tool, started loudly joking with me about being from Tennessee / the South. Others around us, being bored with the game, and what with not being able to actually see the game and all, started to good-naturedly chime in. They all took a liking to me and we spent most of the rest of the game with them telling me stories about coming to games and living in New York and we each practiced saying different words and phrases with each other's accents. I loved every minute of it.

Eventually they decided that with all of the random records being broken that night we each deserved a record of our very own. And they started with me. So you will be proud to know that I am The Tennessean to Consume the Most Number of Beers in Section 31 / Row ZZ / Seat 9 of Yankee Stadium. Ever. Take that Derek Jeter. I may be a bit fuzzy on the actual location of my seat and would need to dig out my ticket stub from a box in a closet somewhere if someone needs official verification. But that's pretty close and it's still a title I wear proudly.

So I am sad for those guys today. I know that if Neyland Stadium were ever torn down I would be devastated. And even though I would never consider myself a Yankees fan - and, truth be told, if I lived in New York City I would probably be a Mets fan - I will always have a tiny spot in my heart for the Yankees.

A tiny spot in my heart for Yankees???

That's quite something coming from this Southern girl.