The Yankee Stadium

Alex Belth goes mainstream in the digital pages of SI to describe what The Stadium was like back in the badass ol' days of the 70s and 80s.

The Stadium was an instant success because the '76 Yankees won the pennant, and winning is the only measure of success in the Bronx. One of the defining moments in the team's history came when Chris Chambliss hit a home run against the Kansas City Royals to win the pennant and was mobbed while trying to circle the bases. The scene reflected the atmosphere of the city. In the late '70s games there had an apocalyptic feel. The atmosphere was lawless, like something out of The Warriors and, later, Fort Apache, the Bronx. It was Pacino screaming "Attica!" in Dog Day Afternoon. The fans took charge.

Observed Roger Angell: "It is a new game -- one for which we have no name yet, and no rules. Chambliss makes it at last to the dugout, without touching third or home (third base had disappeared), and vanished under the lip of the dugout, with his uniform shirt half torn away and the look on his face now is not one of joy or fear or relief but just the closed, expressionless, neutral subway look that we all see and wear when abroad in the enormous and inexplicable city."

I'll miss the place, even if the food sucks, the beer is weak, the bathrooms are disgusting, the seats too small, and the passageways and aisles enough to make anyone agoraphobic.

Meanwhile...

Will the Yankees win 47 more games for a possible playoff spot? Going 47-20 over their final 67 games is really asking a lot. The more prominent question is will they score 47 more runs this season?