The Many Wonders Of Yankee Stadium

Sure, if you're a baseball fan you're likely heading to Yankee Stadium to watch the best team on Earth play ball (the Yankees, of course -- accept no substitutes). But if you're a true Yankee fan, you know that there's more to love about the stadium apart from the fact that it's Yankee headquarters. Need convincing? Try these reasons on for size:

SOURCE: wikipedia.org

i) There are some excellent eats at the stadium - Crackerjacks and hotdogs are all fine and dandy but there's nothing quite like Parm's delectable and filling chicken parm, Brother Jimmy's BBQ's truly wonderful pulled pork sandwiches, or the dry-aged steaks of NYY Steak.

ii) You can hope to be the next Freddy Schuman - Until he passed in 2010, fan and legend Freddy "Freddy Sez" Schuman was the Yankees' unofficial promoter. He was known for banging on a frying pan with a shamrock on it to bring the team luck and for encouraging the team and fellow fans with handpainted signs.

SOURCE: esquire.com

iii) Yankee Stadium was pretty innovative - The old stadium was the first ever three-tiered sports stadium in the country. It was also the first to take advantage of an electronic scoreboard and instant replay monitor (the latter came much later).

iv) Sinatra's "New York, New York" is a bit of an anthem in the stadium - It used to be that Frank Sinatra's iconic song was played over the speakers whenever the home team won and Liza Minnelli's when they lost. Naturally, Minnelli took umbrage and told them to play hers after the Yankees won or not at all. These days Sinatra's version is played, win or lose.

v) It's a gorgeous example of architecture. - The original was an icon of post-modern construction. After its redesign by architectural firm, Populous, the new Yankee stadium pays tribute to the original with a beautiful limestone and granite façade and by retaining the old stadium's recognizable frieze, while being outfitted with the most modern amenities.

These are just some reasons why Yankee Stadium is one of the most amazing places in the planet but perhaps you should really just check it out for yourself to confirm!

Retired photographer Judd Bergman divvies up his time between photography and baseball, specifically New York Yankees baseball. If that's also up your alley, follow this Twitter account to get quick updates on his interests.