Couldn't Ask for More from The House that Ruth Built

I had waited for this All Star game since it was announced. But what happened in the last couple of days at The (baseball) Cathedra was way beyond my expectation. History was written another page, again, at The House That Ruth Built. For me, and many others, this Midsummer Classic was not about those shining stars, it was about The Stadium. People wanted to be there because it was Yankee Stadium. I could not be more delighted whenever I was reliving my moment there last year this time. Every time I watch a game on TV, I feel like I’m back there again. The last two nights were even more special…

What Josh Hamilton did in the home run derby was beyond imagination. Every one of his shot seemed to be going out of the ballpark, and there were plenty of them, more than enough to make him on the record book. He put on a show that made the 55,000 fans at Yankee Stadium chanting for his name, a player not from the Yankees. Was it only an honour to names like Babe, Reggie, Derek, and alike? What made the story even more impressive is the life of this young man in the last few years. From a top prospect, to a drug addict who was on the verge of ending his own life, to showing the dedication of pulling himself back by cleaning up body tattoos (or at least trying), to now – embracing one of the biggest ovation in this special place at this special occasion. It was this game of sports which made it happen.

That was Monday night, and we all knew it was only the start…

On Tuesday, the party reached its summit. The streets in Big Apple were covered by red carpet, for the baseball’s celebrity parade. The best of the best, Hall of Famers, gathered in the Stadium. The New Yorkers chanting their captain’s name during players introduction, while booing everything related to Boston. The fly-over at the end of The Star Spangled Banner was such a reflection of the place under it: that B2 Stealth Bomber looked so solitary from far away in the pale light after sunset across the beautiful NYC skyline, yet it was so loud and powerful within. The big surprise came when the Boss rode out on a cart and delivered the balls for ceremonial pitch. Then, what could have been more fitting than Derek Jeter having the first hit of the game. The game itself didn’t want to miss the spotlight either. So it almost had everything that a baseball game could offer: great pitching; comebacks; all-star errors; teaching the kid (Jonathan Papelbon) what it took to become a Hall of Famer (Mariao Rivera). Then, it needed more -- extra innings -- to decide, or almost didn’t decide, the winner. It even got better in the extra frames: leadoff runners were stranded again and again; bases loaded with nobody out couldn’t score the winning run; back-to-back errors by the same player, accompanied with 3 strikeout and rally-killing double play. In the end, it came to the fun (or not) part: “Is it going to end when the new Yankee Stadium opens?” Managers were facing the dilemma of using 2 pitchers who just threw 100+ pitches two days ago, not saying one is from the division rivals competing for the pennant. After two 7th inning stretch, 15 innings, and 4 hours 50 minutes, probably the longest box score ever, it finally ended, with a very close play which, if went the other way...

There was nothing more I could ask from this celebration. With more to come in its last days, History and the Stadium belong to each other.