July 10, 2008

Randy Wright Sr. doesn’t get much time off. He runs Goldie’s Restaurant and as part of that has a successful catering business. His son, Randy, works at the restaurant and coaches Porters Chapel Academy’s baseball and football teams. Vacation is not in their vernacular.

But this one they couldn’t pass up.

Randy Jr. snagged two tickets to next week’s Major League Baseball All-Star festivities at Yankee Stadium in New York, the final All-Star game to be played at the House that Ruth Built and Steinbrenner overhauled. Next season, the Yankees are moving across the parking lot to a sparkling new stadium that mirrors the original baseball mecca – at least from the outside.

The last All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium came in 1977, the first year I saw a game at the ballyard in the Bronx. Being only a train ride and a subway transfer from the stadium growing up, I made many pilgrimages to The Stadium, sometimes foregoing school to watch the Yanks play. It is a unique experience and especially for someone like Randy Jr., who admittedly has never been farther north than Tennessee.

First, take the subway to the game. Catch the No. 4 train – it’s a green circle with a white 4 in the center – uptown to the Bronx. It’s the cheapest, easiest way to get there and not a second will be spent trying to find a place to park. A close friend nearly ripped the roof off his van trying to squeeze into a parking spot under a highway overpass.

The 4 train will stay underground most of the way. Make sure to stand looking out the left side of the train. As soon as the train exits the tunnel and becomes elevated, Yankee Stadium will be sitting right outside the window.

Walk around the exterior, soaking up the sights and sounds. A giant mockup of Babe Ruth’s bat sits outside The Stadium near the home plate entrance and can’t be missed. Beyond the outfield, under the massive steel structure that is the elevated train, visit the shops and bars across the street from the bleachers. Make a stop at Stan’s Sports Bar, but be prepared.

On my most recent trip, I ordered two cheap domestics made in St. Louis, handed Stan a $10 and he laughed. “It’s 12, buddy,” he growled. Not in Mississippi anymore, I thought.

The prices of everything are inflated in New York, so be prepared and don’t worry. The fact is that when you buy two hot dogs and two drinks the price will be somewhere near $57. Just pay it and stop thinking about how much it costs. This is the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. It’s the last one ever, but there will always be more money.

Eat a street vendor pretzel. It will smell like burning manila envelopes, but, boy, are they tasty with a nice slab of spicy mustard.

Once inside, visit Monument Park – the ode to the greatest players on the greatest franchise in baseball history. It’s awe-inspiring.

Listen to the man playing the drums on the metal railing in the right field bleachers with a mini baseball bat, you will hear it often. And listen closely when a Red Sox player is announced. Doesn’t matter that the Sox and Yankees players, at least for this night, are teammates, they will get booed.

Be careful of the bleachers in right field. The left-field bleachers are for church groups and children, the right field bleachers are for those who rarely go to church and only act like children. In a game against the Red Sox, a fan was wearing a Sox hat. He was told, in no uncertain terms, that either the hat goes over the railing or he and the hat go over.

So one last piece of advice for the Wrights: Pass on buying a Boston cap.

Sean P. Murphy is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post.E-mail him at smurphy@vicksburgpost.com