Times Rips Yankees Finale

I thought the finale was great – but the Times had an article yesterday with some interesting perspectives.  I saved it for today because I had a ton of posts yesterday that I wanted to give daylight.

This lazy “Field of Dreams” derivative starred team workers dressed in retro uniforms pretending to be the Yankees’ starting lineup on April 18, 1923, the day the Stadium opened, and assorted other greats. A security guard played Babe Ruth. A former batting-practice catcher played Casey Stengel. A tour guide played Allie Reynolds.

What’s next, Ronan Tynan played by me?

On ESPN and on the YES Network, which each broadcast the ceremony, the directors never chose close-ups, as if long shots with camera flashes bestowed majesty. The reaction shots of some current Yankees, save for an entranced Mariano Rivera, seemed to say, When I’m dead, which concession worker or usher will play me?  

I disagree with the criticism.  No matter who you get, someone is going to say “that doesn’t look like Babe Ruth” – so you hook someone up, and keep the cameras back.  I was in the upper deck and it looked “babe Ruth enough” for me.  People said it was lame on TV.  Everyone at the stadium said it was amazing andI got many text messages during the ceremony.

You can read the rest for yourself here:


Published: September 23, 2008
Sixty years after “The Babe Ruth Story,” with its misguided casting of the Babe, the Yankees proved that their casting skills were worse than the studio’s.

One Reply to “Times Rips Yankees Finale”

  1. I like Oppie and Anthony’s comment when they said “they should have brought out coffins and lined them up on the outfield wall”

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