The Baseball Lover's Guide to New York

I used to see a small sliver of the field every morning on my way to work in the Bronx and was still in awe each time that “this is where the Yankees play.” Not impressed, just starstruck in that way you are when you see a celebrity walking down the street—OMG it’s real!

Yankee Stadium will face the wrecking ball at the end of the 2008 season and a nearby stadium of the same name will take over in 2009. It’s a little too poignant that a baseball franchise in one of the poorest areas in the entire country has the biggest budget and can build a new 1.3 billion stadium, just because.

Following suit, the Mets’ home will also be demolished at the end of the season, to be replaced by Citi Stadium. Nope, that’s not a typo, “Citi” as in the company. Ah corporate sponsorship.

Shea has been criticized almost from the beginning for its odd design features: no permanent bleachers until recently, huge amount of foul territory and lack of intimacy among others. Well, critics, you got your way then!

What doesn’t Chelsea Piers have??? Well, no baseball diamond, but it does have batting cages and hitting clinics. Again, the baseball programs are more geared towards kids, even the birthday party rental. How come adults always have go to bars to celebrate everything?

Baseball fields are everywhere in Central Park, but more specifically: around 60th Street, 83rd Street and 100th Street, but most of these are reserved during prime time, which in NYC means “always” in the summer. Prepare to be booted out if you don’t have a permit!