Yankees Lock up New Era Pinstripe Bowl

The New York Yankees not only will host the NHL's Winter Classic next year, but on Christmas Eve-Eve Yankee Stadium will be host to their very own NCAA bowl game. Yes, you heard right. The Yankees will be whoring themselves out yet again. This time for the college game. And too be honest I'm not sure how a sports fan should be feel about this. I mean, I know I really don't care what goes on in the House that C.C. built, but Yankee fans might.

I get why Randy Levine would want to do this--it makes perfect sense from a financial standpoint. "I think no matter what the sport, every kid who grows up wants to play at Yankee Stadium," the Yankee president said Tuesday. I just don't agree with that bullshit. The mystique that comes with playing in the stadium occurs because of the talented baseball players that played there. Not because Notre Dame may have played a game or two there before.

Or for that matter, the 6th-best team from the Big 12 because that's what it's going to be. Mmhm, that's right. The third best team from the Big East will meet the 6th-best school from the Big 12. Hardly the game that should be played on the oh-so-high stage that is Yankee Stadium. If a game is going to be held at one of the most historic stadiums in sports, then I want to see a better game than Baylor vs. UConn.

This is not the first time Yankee Stadium will be holding a post-season college football game. From 1961-1962, the Stadium played host to the Gotham Bowl. The game was not a success financially: the two games that were played both lost money as few fans were willing to sit through the cold December New York weather. Plus, as it was essentially a charity game, it had little financial capital on which it could survive. The first game, scheduled for December 1960, immediately ran into trouble when Oregon State was invited, but no opponent for the Beavers could be found. The game was canceled. The following year, the Gotham Bowl managed to find two teams to play, Baylor and Utah State, for the game at the Polo Grounds. Baylor won, 24-9, in front of a sparse crowd of some 15,000 fans.

I expect this bowl game would draw more than 15,000 fans, but I'm still skeptical. But from the looks of it, the rich are just trying to get richer. On top of selling outrageous ticket prices for their baseball team, to hosting the Winter Classic, to having Notre Dame play a regular season game, now to the Pinstripe Bowl.

I respect Levine's hustle, but I can't respect him whoring out the House that Ruth Built. Somewhere, the heroes like Ruth, Mantle, and Gehrig are turning over in their graves.