It’s Time I See the Yankees in Person

By Derek McAdam

I am not one who usually posts fun articles, but I figured this week would be a good time to switch things up. It’s time that I see the Yankees in person for the very first time.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. How could I say I’m a Yankee fan and never have seen them in person? Let me explain.

I was born and raised in central Virginia just outside of Lynchburg. The nearest Major League stadium near my house is Nationals Park, which I’ve been to twice (once for a baseball game, the other a Paul McCartney concert). It’s also notable to point out the stadium is four hours away from my home, so that can be a challenge to plan.

I have family in northern New Jersey and have had opportunities to see both the Mets and Yankees at home, but the plans fell through and I never got to go.

When I was 18, I moved to Richmond to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. This put me in a prime position on I-95 to make day trips up to Washington, Baltimore or Philadelphia to see sporting events. The only problem was I could not have a car until my second year of college, the 2019-20 school year.

My second year comes and I am allowed to bring my car to campus. The 2019 season was nearing the end by the time I got settled in, which is why I did not make a trip to Camden Yards or Nationals Park, so I did not get a chance to see the Yankees.

While I did end up seeing several hockey games in Philadelphia and Raleigh, COVID-19 came around last March before the baseball season began. Not only was the season shortened to only 60 games, but fans could not be in attendance until the postseason.

This was heartbreaking. I knew that it would be a while before fans could be allowed back into stadiums and arenas, but I knew there were other priorities.

Fast forward to this year. I attended my first sporting event in over a year on March 6 in Pittsburgh to see the Flyers take on the Penguins (I am a Rangers fan, not a Flyers fan). I knew things were beginning to take shape in getting back to normal.

Just three days later, Bob Nightengale reported that Camden Yards would allow 50% capacity for Orioles games to begin the season. My heart about jumped through my chest. It does not mean the organization will allow 50%, but they can have up to 50%.

My first instinct was to see who the Orioles were going to play in April and early May. Sadly, I do have to move out as I graduate in May, so I’m trying to take advantage of the early home games.

Luckily, the Yankees play the Orioles in a four-game set in late April. I knew this was my best opportunity to get to see the Yankees before I make my career plans for the future.

The games may not be at Yankee Stadium, but I just need to see the Yankees in some way to consider myself a true fan. My goal is to get to at least one of these games and finally be able to say I’ve seen my favorite baseball team in action.

Photo Credit: Mary DeCicco/Getty Images

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