The New York Yankees are coming to Sacramento — more specifically to West Sacramento. It's like saying Picasso is coming to your drawing class. I'm born of New York Yankee blood, so to think that the Babe Ruths, the DiMaggios, the Mickey Mantles and now Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees will be in town isn't a dream come true, it's the truth become a dream.
It’s all because the Oakland Athletics have no place to play, no new lease in Oakland and as of now, no new stadium for their eventual Las Vegas Athletics. So to fill the gap, the SF Giants' AAA team, the River Cats and their AAA stadium of a mere 14,000, will have to do for now. “Holy Cow!” as the famous Yankee announcer, Phil Rizzuto would say.
Tickets — big league prices: $89 to sit on the outfield green grass hill — perfect for a small stadium but gone in a hurry for a Friday night game. We have to go to $200 — not complaining, once in a lifetime. Only once before across the river to West Sacramento to the River Cats for a AAAgame. Good on all of them but AAA is the kind of “field of lost dreams.” End of the road for most and the games, for me, don't matter much, the stadium quaint and compact, casual, part of the expansion of West Sacramento from actually almost being a frontier west town compared to central, Capital Sacramento.
I'd been trying to find where the Yankees were staying in the city. I spun the hotel wheel and came up with the Sawyer Hotel: newer, swankier, somewhat closer to the ballpark. No one can confide in me as to where the Yankees will be. We'll see.
Game time. My friend, Javier, has his glove. We're sitting far down the left field line, far and away from the 6' 7" Aaron Judge in right field. About 5:30 p.m., game time at 7pm, crossing over the golden Tower Bridge, bundles of fans heading to the game, more Yankee gear than I've ever seen in town. The NY Royals have come for a visit. The loyals from all over have come to pay their respects. Me too, in my Yankee shirt, Javier in his A's cap.
$42 to park. No complaints. When in the big leagues… Fans lined up outside the compact River Cats ballpark. An army of Yankee fans, thinking I rnight be the only New Yorker blue blood in the crowd. We're in, crack of the bat in batting practice. We sit on the right field grass for a bit to take in the cozy big time. There’s Aaron Judge, now leading the league in all batting statistics. I've even forgiven him for a costly error in the last World Series. Easy to forgive not quite forget when Judge is hitting right around .400. An unheard of number. Our seats are around the other side of the ballpark, hot dogs and beers and the crowd ebbing and flowing along the concession causeway, Yankee fans galore, outnumbering the home-field A's.
Ah, man, bad news. Our seats aren't lousy but they sort of stink. Modern life where nothing is left to chance. All must be perfect. There's tall netting, a screen right in front of us. Lousy. Used to be you’d see a game at own risk, for years upon years. Now it’s protect the customer at all cost. Lousy. I don't come to a game in fear. I don't need protection. We feel like monkeys in a cage, seeing the game through a fish net at $200 per.
A's fans and Yankee fans gabbing and sharing, the outfield and infield being prepared, the A's left fielder right below us, through the netting. I don't know any of the A's. But here come the Yankees at bat. What a sight, “The” NY Yankees in West Sacamento.
The place is packed, carnival colors galore, the crowded outfield hill looking like a grand picnic. And up cornes Aaron Judge batting second, all 6'7" of him. He rips a monster double off the left field wall. We Yankee fans explode in appreciative applause. OK, we can go now.
Of course not. $42 for two beers and two hot dogs, as the Yankee lineup pounds the A's pitching. Familiar names of the familiar Yankees rounding the bases, home runs and extra bases, festive all around, except for the stinking netting distorting all of it.
So we decide after an inning or two to move onto the green grass hill without interference. Ah, there he is, all 6'7" of Aaron Judge, No. 99 in right field. 99, I think, to honor Yankee No. 9 Roger Maris who hit a record 61 home runs which Aaron Judge broke with 62 a few seasons ago. Everyone is yelling ‘”Hey Aaron!”
One more full inning and we get to see a Yankee launch a right field grand slam, slamming a 10-2 beating on the A's.
We hustle away to beat some of the exiting crowd, No. 99 on a lot of backs.
Back in town the next day, I'm staying a night at the somewhat swanky Sawyer Hotel in case the Yankees are staying there. Since I've mentioned prices, it’s around $340 for a night. I visited Linden, California, about an hour south of Sacramento, about 18,000 residents in a cherry orchards’ town — met his mother-in-law and lots of folks who know him. Wrote a nice piece for the AVA a couple of years ago. Sent it to Linden Chamber of Commerce. Got a nice response and will send it to family and Aaron.
I have it with me sitting in the Sawyer lobby about 4pm, the Yankees in another day game which should be just about winding up. Folks in Yankee gear with balls from the stands from our night game. Yes, the Yankees are staying here. “Yes!” And here comes their big bus, security guards at the ready in the lobby. Here come the Yankees, very casual, Aaron Judge head and shoulders above, a young fan with a ball shouting, “Aaron, Aaron!” but no luck, here and there, then gone, recognizing a lot of them. “Holy Cow!” them. I'll catch their exit for their Mother’s Day game in the morning.
“Go Yankees!”
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