They Haven't Called Me Chachi

by Chris Hansen

First let me explain that this is an overwhelming experience for me. The whole thing, not just this stadium. Perhaps the only letdown since I arrived in NY was the ride over here in the subway. I guess my visions of Tony Manero romantically riding the subway following the tragic death of Bobby C in "Saturday Night Fever" were a bit naive. The few people that rode along mostly had blank, sullen faces. No knife fights or anything.

But on to the spectacle that is the World Series and my definition of venerable.

Roaming around this place doesn't automatically give you visions of Ruth, Mantle and the like. You have to soak in the atmosphere. So I soaked like a giddy teen skipping the last three periods of school and laying half-naked on the beach.

A couple quick observations of things I saw around venerable Yankee Stadium. First of all, they have a great salsa band that plays in the food court. These guys rock. They had workers and fans alike dancing the mambo like a bad Vanessa Williams movie.

Monument Park. Man this place draws fans like ants around a smashed hotdog on Broadway. Luckily for me I got there when the crowd was minimal. Seemed to me like the most popular Yankee number had to be 23, that of Donnie Baseball. By the way, 30 minutes after my tour, the line to get in was around the corner and a good 300 strong. If you plan on coming out here, do the Monument Park tour early.

The first "Padres Suck" chant originated to the best of my knowledge from the left-centerfield bleachers. The first "Let's Go Yankees" chant came from the same locale minutes later.

The biggest pre-game cheers came after they replayed the last inning of David Wells' perfect game. The Yanks fans went nuts. Guess they like this Wells guy. They also like the Stones judging by the ruckus that went up after "Start Me Up" blared over the loudspeakers.

The Fox crew. Man, Psycho Lyons loves the people. Or they love him. Not sure which. By the way, a BP homer off one of the Padres' bats nearly took poor Steve's head off while he shot his promo stuff.

Two other quick notes: We had a moment of silence for Joe D, recovering from a fit of pneumonia. Get well soon, Clipper. And these fans still have quite a crush on Jim Leyritz. The serenade for him in the intros was as loud as any Yankee.

So what's so venerable about Yankee Stadium? Yeah, the history factors into that adjective. You can't ignore the fact that the Babe, the Mick, Whitey, Yogi, Goose and even Pascual Perez once played here.

But I think it's more than that. This place exudes baseball. Walking through the aisles, bumping elbows with psycho New Yawkas, feeling the energy and the love these fans have for the sport and their team. This place is baseball. Living, breathing, sweating, cussing baseball.

One downside to Yankee Stadium? I'm still hoping, before I leave, somebody, anybody will call me Chachi. I've seen 'em do it in the movies so it's got to happen sooner or later.