Kaybli's Best of 2007 - Photoshop/amusing pics edition

I have ADD. Seriously. Not like you do, who is just too lazy to their homework. I actually have diagnosed Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This makes it nearly impossible to sit through a baseball game pitch by slow pitch without doing something on the side such as posting on a forum, playing online poker, reading, etc. One of the things I've done in the past is make amusing little photo edits while watching Mike Mussina get shelled in the 4th or innning or watching Joba strike out the side. I noticed the folder of these edits had grown quite large so I decided to post a few. The bigger ones have been shrunk and can be clicked on for the full version.








































And now with sound:

http://syrianstrayrod.ytmnd.com/

http://igawa.ytmnd.com/

http://cashmanphantommenace.ytmnd.com/

http://kingofny2.ytmnd.com/ Read the full post, after the jump

Why choose the NYY Stadium Insider Forums?

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE MESSAGE BOARDS!

After debating long and hard, I decided to cease posting at the only Yankee message board I had ever known. The community had grown enormously and had some great posters, but certain things pushed me away. Personal differences aside, the technical specs of the message board were lacking. I decided to utilize a new message board system and attempt to build a Yankees message board from scratch. Obviously, the internet is full of Yankee message boards. At this point, NYY Stadium Insider and the NYY Stadium Insider forums are amongst the newest on the internet. Rome wasn't built in a day and we know it. That is why I am reaching out to you and asking you to come over to the new message board and do what you do best - talk about the Yankees. Even if you average 5-10 posts per day on the current board you post on and come over here and post 1-3 times per day, your contribution has been invaluable.

Here are some of the reasons you should check out the board:

Features
-Quick Reply box - Want to quickly reply to the last post? Do so with one click of the mouse
- Fully functioning search feature
- Block quote text as you are typing
- Fully customizable smilies

(Kaybli is always adding new, hilarious ones and they don't show up with the white outline on the board. You have to see them to believe them
- Built in image hosting - don't worry about having a place to upload your images to - you can do it right within the message board system.
- Link within the toolbar of the postbox to allow linking to your photobucket account. Sign in once and always have access to your photobucket images
- Large avatars (we suggest finding a scrubby OR obscure Yankee from the past and making it your avatar - it is kind of the board theme)
- No limit for PMs (you won't have a full inbox after a couple of arguments via PM)
- RELIABLE, FAST dedicated hosting. We are not housing the message board on our servers - we have gone with Yuku.com (brand new offshoot of EZ Board) to handle that to make sure we never have a message board crash or virus attack.
- Ticket exchange board for people to trade tickets and sell tickets at face value. Any tickets being sold above face will be removed immediately.

Community
- A hand-picked group of  early adopters to the board will make your transition to a new Yankees message board all the more enjoyable.
- The always hilarious Kaybli is one of the owners/administrators of the site. If for no other reason, join the board so you can read his outrageous middle of the night rants about Tony Womack.
- We have a great community of posters from around the globe. There is insight from Yankees fans who live on the doorstep of the stadium and from people in different countries. There will be no "East Coast bias" here.
- We don't have any heavy-handed moderators or control freaks. There is no minimum time you need to be registered in order to post. This is a community based on Yankees fans speaking their minds. Extreme vulgarities and personal insults will be handled promptly if that stuff ever happens at all.
- There are only two admins (Kaybli and myself) and no moderators. We are always checking the board to make sure things are working properly and adding features when possible. We are pretty much at your beckon call - this is our baby.

I can go all day with this stuff, but I don't want to waste any more of your time. At the very least give us a look and register your username. Right now there isn't too much to talk about, but things will start heating up in 47 days when pitchers and catchers report. If you are having trouble signing up your username, it is probably because you were signed up for EZBoard previously and you have a username in the system. The best thing to do is to go to EZBoard.com, log into your account, click on your profile and then click the "migrate my account to Yuku" banner at the top of the page. This will enable your username on the Yuku system which houses the NYYStadium Insider message boards.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this and have a happy and healthy new year.

Ross
NYYStadiumInsider.com
Read the full post, after the jump

2008 Yankee Ticket prices - Soon I won't be such a Stadium Insider

Well, the Yankees sent the packet of doom in the mail today - the invoice for 2008 season tickets.

I couldn't believe the raise in price.

They have now changed Tier Reserved, section 1 to the "Tier Reserved MVP" section. That is fancy talk for a huge price increase. Try $17 - $25 per ticket. That is a 47% increase.

Now, just imagine what the percent increase will be when the Yankees move into the NEW Yankee Stadium in 2009. It will probably be another 75-100% increase. It has gotten to the point where my family seriously cannot afford the season tickets anymore.

There is a trap here - the Yankees want me to say "hey, I have great upper deck seats, I need to keep them. This is the last season in the old stadium." So, I shell out the money for the huge increase. Then, next year, another insane ticket price increase comes in the mail right around Chrismastime and I say to myself: "hey, its the NEW Yankee Stadium. I have had these tickets for YEARS, I NEED to have season tickets in the new stadium". And the process repeats as I spiral into debt.

Well, this working man has seen his time as a season ticket holder come to an end. I was always a proponent of the Yankees spending ridiculous amounts of money to hold onto their players, but I am finally at wits end. The 3 year, $45 million contract the Yankees handed to Mariano was ridiculous. Jorge and A-Rod were ridiculous as well, but more justifiable.

The Yankees have somehow managed to ruin my holiday season. Now I need to figure out a way to get rid of my season ticket license and make some money on the deal. Anyone interested in buying my license off of me? The seats are in tier reserved, section 1, row M. You won't be able to get anything close to these seats if you sign up for season tickets this year.

Here are the brand new prices:



(click to see big) Read the full post, after the jump

What Would Happen if the Serious Yankee Fan Hibernated for Three Months Until Spring Training?

As January rolls along it is time for the serious baseball fan to take a three month nap. But what would one see upon waking up? My crystal ball knows.

-Johan Santana will be a Yankee. Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, and a prospect will not be a Yankee.

-Brian Cashman will look more pale, tired, and dejected than normal.

-Hank will ride Cashman to work every morning.

-Jamie Lyne Spears will be three months pregnant. She will already have lost custody of the child still growing in her womb. The real father will be revealed as R. Kelly.

-The two frontrunner’s of both political parties will be spewing pounds of bull out of their mouths like usual. Hillary will be attacked from the right for not serving in Vietnam even though she is a woman. It will be discovered that she is not a woman but in reality an unfeeling robot of doom. Bill will buy old magazines containing pictures of Jamie Lynne Spears.

-Curt Schilling will have made 40 more blog posts. Unbelievably and unconceivably to the human mind each one will be more pompous and self-righteous than the last. In his final post he will declare himself God and will claim to have cured ALS single-handedly.

-The Marlins will say the hell with it and have another fire sale. Of their top AAA players. They will have single-A teams with 70 man rosters all building up for 2035.

-All the midges in Cleveland that faithful night will have completed their short life cycle. Thank God.

-Derek Jeter will have slept with more woman in those three months this entire site and forums have in their lifetimes.

-He also will have contracted all 174 varieties of herpes.

-Clay Buchholz will plan the Ocean’s Elevens’s style heist of Dell Computers Inc.

Read the full post, after the jump

NYY Stadium Insider RETURNS for the playoffs!

Well folks, this is the beginning of a great comeback for the Yanks. Nick and I were there last night and here is some fun proof.





Let me just tell you, the stadium was ROCKING more than EVER before last night and I get the feeling it will again tonight.

LETS GO YANKEES! Read the full post, after the jump

NYY Stadium Insider Visits Citizens Bank Park in Philly

Meant to get this up sooner, but I have been lazy.

On Saturday, July 28 the girlfriend and I took a one night trip down to Philly, centered around visiting the relatively new ballpark down there that the Phillies play in.

Although Nick seems to think he has heard that the stadium isn't very impressive, I beg to differ. Great concessions, huge, wide walkways, a festive atmosphere and great views from most of the seats that I passed by. The stadium also has a nice view of the Philadelphia skyline in the background.

Obviously, Philly fans of ANY sports team leave a LOT to be desired. I won't let that take away from the overall grade of the stadium. When it comes to facilities, it is the nicest stadium I have ever been to. I hope to get to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pac Bell or whatever the Giants stadium is called in SF, Petco in San Diego and whatever the Arizona field is called nowadays so I can compare them to the Philly facilities.

Oh yea, Pat Burrell is like Philly's very own A-Rod. The dude has like a .420 OBP and he is approaching 20 HRs, yet they boo his every move. Typical Philly.

Interesting fact: 7/28/07 will go down in history as the single most attended day in Major League Baseball history (there were a couple of day/night doubleheaders that day).

Here are some pictures:





Read the full post, after the jump

Oh yea, I meant to mention - I didn't catch A-Rod's 500th HR

It wasn't for lack of trying though!

Last week I went to the games on Tuesday and Friday. A-Rod had 5 ABs each game, never really coming close to the HR.

I even ditched my usual upper deck seats and sat down in the left field corner so I could have easy access to the left field HR territory. For once, the Yankee stadium security guards were cool and they let people convene in the left field corner to try to grasp a piece of history.

Here is where I was standing for all 10 of his ABs that I was in attendance for last week:



Why is that significant?

Well, I was standing there in his LAST AB on Friday night. Guess where he hit #500 in his FIRST AB on Saturday? Yup, you guessed it - right where I was standing on Friday night.



Thats my life story folks!

BTW - The Yankees romped as usual both games last week and there was a funny Asian woman sitting next to me on Tuesday night singing that "Bad Day" song from American Idol that was being played to accompany a bloopers video. She was so into the song. It was classic. On Friday night, I sat next to an Asian GUY (I am assuming he was from Taiwan). He was taking all sorts of pictures of Wang and was really having a good time. The Yankees have such an international fan base. Read the full post, after the jump

Ross and I attempt to witness history!

And we did really. Just not the history we hoped, and anticipated. A slickly dressed Ross and I spent all of A-Rod's at bats in the fracas down the left field line, where even those from other sections were allowed to dwell in hopes of catching A-Rod's milestone blast. The fans in that section may not have been rewarded with A-Rod's blast, but fireworks were certainly on display as the Yankees routed the ChiSox, hitting 8 dingers, tying a franchise record. See? History.

It really was a fun night. The camera flashes during A-Rod's AB's were blinding. The energy during his AB's, and during the whole game was electric. Ross commented that going to games would be so fun if A Rod was on the brink of a milestone every game. I couldn't agree more. I'm just hoping he gets this one out of the way soon, as the Yankees continue their march towards the playoffs.... 3 back, 2 months to go. Sweet! Read the full post, after the jump

Rainy trip to the stadium.

It's Nick checking in, on the way to the city. I am somewhat excited, but really how excited could I be? I'm leaving the beach to go see this mediocre team play in the rain! A Rod is out of the lineup. Bummer. Hopefully the rain holds off, but no matter what this game will happen Read the full post, after the jump

6/29 vs. The A's - back in the win column

First of all, I attended this game with my friend Bobby. Why is that significant? Well, he has been to around 6 games now this year. I have been to 10. Nick2Slick (co-contributor on this blog)? He has been to around 3 or 4. So, that begs the question - who is more of a Stadium Insider?

Well, truthfully, none of us are. The real Stadium Insider is that security guard who sits in the expensive Rudy Giulianni seats right outside of the Yankees dugout with the really tight curly hair. I swear he has been sitting there in every on-deck circle camera shot since the early 90's. And he never ages.

Anyway, on the to game. My friend Bobby and I had a scary realization around halfway through the game that it was hard to enjoy a game without alcohol. I tried to disagree because I tend to accuse him of being an alcoholic, and not myself, but I have to admit, it was kind of boring for most of the time. I think it had to do with the fact that it was a low-scoring game and that the Yankees haven't exactly been playing well as of late. The crowd seemed VERY hesitant to really get behind this team that continues to let us down.

The place went wild when Mo came in for the last out of the 8th inning and was pretty wild from then until the end. It is great to see Mo running in from the bullpen - so comforting. The interesting thing about Mo's entrance was that it was a home game and Mo was entering the game at 9:22 PM on a Friday night. I don't go to weekend games, so I'm not used to there being THAT many fans still left in the stadium when he comes into the game (there are a lot of beat-the-traffickers even in close games). Of course, it sounds like that at playoff home games when he comes in, but those, again, are rare. So, the place went wild.

The downfall of there being so many fans left at the end of the game was the long trek down from the Upper Deck. I have a system where I make my way down to the Tier Box seats and then cut across the aisles all the way to left field and then head into the tiny Yankee Stadium corridors to try to exit along with the thousands of other upper deck dwellers. Of course the crowd bottlenecks in the stinky, sticky, smelly Yankee Stadium corridors. People visiting Yankee stadium for the first time may call it charming and part of the experience. I call it the main reason why I can't wait until they knock that place down. It took around 20 minutes to get out of the stadium from the Upper Deck. It should take around 5.

There is onne item that I have been meaning to mention for a while, but always forget to when I am typing up my latest blog entry. There is a woman in the Upper Deck who sits a row in front of me who is probably in her 50's or 60's. She comes to EVERY game alone and keeps score of the game. She doesn't do it with the apparently lame scorecard that comes in the Yankee program (or she obviously doesn't want to buy the program every night), but she brings her own scorebook. She writes the lineups in green pen and then keeps score with an erasable black pen. It seems like she doesn't miss a thing.

I have nicknamed her Kate Smith. Sounds anonymous enough. Amazingly I wasn't drunk when I nicknamed her that, but it was right after the 7th inning stretch last night and God Bless America was played so you can figure out why scorekeeper woman got that nickname. There are so many questions I want to ask this hardcore Yankee scorekeeper woman. First of all, what is her reasoning behind it? Does it help her to enjoy the game? How long has she been doing it for? Does she keep detailed records of every game she has been to at home? For road games, does she score along with the game while watching it on TV? Is she the person Michael Kay is talking to when he goes over the in-game box score for "those of you scoring at home"? These are just SOME of the questions I want to ask her. I have been thinking about one day, before the game starts, "interviewing" her and putting it up on this blog. I'm sure it would be amusing in some ways without obviously making fun of this seemingly lonely lady.

One funny story regarding scorekeeper woman. Last night in the 7th inning, there was a double play that ricohchetted off of Mike Mussina, right to Cano, who threw to Jeter and then on to Phillips for the highly uncommon 1-4-6-3 doubleplay. I leaned down into the row in front of me and attempted to playfully ask the woman if she had that scored correctly. No response whatsoever. It was as if I didn't exist. Maybe she is deaf and I don't even know it. Most likely she was in her scorekeeping zone that nobody can understand but her. There is so much mystery involving this scorekeeping woman. Usually she scores the game and is very intent and stoic while doing so. Last night she kicked back a bit and had one beer. Strangely, she was clapping when Mo had two strikes on Cust in the 8th inning. Amazingly in the 9th inning, when Mo had two strikes on the final batter. She stood up along with the rest of the crowd and clapped Mo on to victory. I guess at that point, she saw the finish line in sight for another successful Yankees game scored and she just wanted to enjoy the moment.

Who can blame her? Read the full post, after the jump

Exclusive Ticket offer from NYY Stadium Insider

Well, summer is fast approaching. That means Nick2Slick will be spending a month in Fire Island, and I will be working on weekdays, so there will be games that neither of us can make. Because of that, I am putting certain games for sale here.

Here are the dates available:

(ALL OF THESE TICKETS ARE RIGHT AROUND FACE VALUE OR SLIGHTLY BELOW WHEN FACTORING IN TICKETMASTER FEES)

Yankees vs. Twins
Tuesday, July 3rd
7:05 PM
Tier Reserved, Section 1, Row M
$20 each, $40 total

Yankees vs. Twins
Thursday, July 5th
1:05 PM
Tier Reserved, Section 1, Row M
$25 each $50 total

Yankees vs. Blue Jays
Thursday, July 19
1:05 PM
Tier Reserved, Section 1, Row M
$20 each, $40 total

Yankees vs. Devil Rays
Friday, July 20
7:05 PM
Tier Reserved, Section 1, Row M
$20 each, $40 total

Yankees vs. White Sox
Thursday, August 2
1:05 PM
Tier Reserved, Section 1, Row M
$20 each, $40 total

All tickets will be exchanged in person in NYC, and payment will be cash.

If you are an out of towner, please contact me and we can arrange other methods of payment. If you need to send me money via PayPal/get the tickets emailed to you, I will need to add applicable fees that those companies charge me.

Contact me through Craigs List (be sure to leave a contact phone number when emailing me)



Click here to contact me through Craigs List



These are my season tickets, but as I previously mentioned, can't make the games. Hopefully somebody who reads this can. Read the full post, after the jump

Vote Jorge Posada as the all-star catcher!!!!

I awake from my road trip slumber to present you with this. Jorge Posada is currently behind Pudge Rodriguez in the All-Star Voting


(as of 6/23/07 - click the image above to vote)

It is very easy to put in your 25 votes for a player on mlb.com

I just went over there and filled out the AL ballot. Then, when it got to the NL ballot, I just skipped over the voting and clicked submit ballot. It doesn't make you fill out the whole thing!

Then, when you submit it, it has a button that says "vote again" and your selections are already made so you don't have to click the radio buttons. I would say it would take 10-15 minutes for each of us to submit 25 ballots with Jorge on it.

I realize that the rest would do Jorge good, but we know he is going to be selected as a reserve even IF he doesn't get picked as the starter, so lets get him the honor he deserves as an all-star starter!!!!

Oh yea, here are the stats to back that up:

Player Compare Year to Date MLB Standard Stats (as of 6/23) Player AB R H 1B 2B HR RBI BB KO BA OBP SLG Posada, Jorge C NYY  239 40 81 49 23 9 43 23 45 0.3389 0.3970 0.5481 Rodriguez, Ivan C DET  249 31 72 45 19 7 40 4 36 0.2892 0.3004 0.4578

Read the full post, after the jump

6-15-07 - Subway Series fun

I remember this much from last night - it was fun. However, I don't remember many details because I was pretty hammered. Snuck in some Rum and coke and then drank a couple of big 24 ounce beers.

The Jose Jose Jose Jose chant/ song that the Mets fans do to the tune of 'ole is so annoying. It really ranks up there among the most annoying things that any fans do at games.

Thats all I've got today. Read the full post, after the jump

Rocket circa 2057

This is too funny not to post. Who knows, it may end up this way



I especially loved the Golden Girls comment. Comic gold. Read the full post, after the jump

Special Friday night Subway Series commentary

I will be at the first game of the Yankee Stadium portion of the 2007 Subway Series. Here is a quick rundown of the Rocket's last two starts against the Mets (both while with the Astros):

In his career vs. the Mets, he has very pedestrian #'s:

10 games, 3-5 record, 63.2 innings, 66 hits, 5.09 ERA, 9 HRA, 63 Ks, 15 BBs.

However, when he went to the NL with the Astros, he was lights out against the Mets. Lets take a look in reverse chronological order:
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
The date was April 13, 2005.

Here is the game log:

April 13, 2005

Rocket struck out 9 and walked 1. He struck out Reyes twice, Beltran once and David Wright three times. Of course, all of these guys are better now. The Astros ended up losing that game 1-0 as Kaz Ishii traded zeros with the Rocket.

Previously in 2004 he also did well...

For example, check out

May 16, 2004

Struck out 10, walked 1 in 7 2-hit innings. Again he got no run support and his team lost in extras.

Unfortunately, none of the current Mets were victims that day, but it seems Rocket kicks it up a notch against the Mets (since he left the Bronx).

Obviously we are dealing with a miniscule sample size, and this is most likely meaningless data. However, it is something fun to rub in the faces of Mets fans and get them all riled up about.

One thing I know, it should be fun at the Stadium tomorrow night! Read the full post, after the jump

Hasidic Jew day at Yankee Stadium (6-14-07)

Nothing against our friends in the old-school garb, but there was a ton of 'em at the Stadium today. Not sure if it had to do with it being a Thursday or a day game or what. All I know is that everywhere I looked there were whole families of Hasidic Jews. Very strange as there usually aren't very many at the games.

There were also a ton of elementary school class trips to the game, meaning the wave was inevitably started multiple times. It is so pointless that I don't even have anything remotely funny to say about it.

The crowd was so incredibly lame the entire game. The crowd didn't stand and cheer once and there wasn't one Lets Go Yankees chant. LAME.

I went to the game alone today since Nick is in the Bahamas and everyone else I know had work. It was pretty lame going to a baseball game by yourself - don't try it if you don't have to.

I got to the game early for batting practice by accident (the trains are much faster and less crowded for early day games than during rush hour - go figure) and went to my usual location in left field. During the entire BP, Juan Cruz of the Diamond Backs and some other DBack were throwing balls that went into left field up into the Upper Deck to the masses of screaming children. Everyone was loving it. I was indifferent to it until Juan Cruz threw a ball that was intended for the Upper Deck. Unfortunately, it hit the facing of the upper deck and came plummeting back down right to where I was standing. Out of instinct, I reached out my bare left hand to catch the ball. Long story short - I didn't catch the ball, the ball caught me - right on the tip of the left ring finger. It cracked my nail and bent my finger back. I didn't get the ball. Since I didn't want to look like a pussy, I just put my hand in my pocket for a couple of minutes hoping the pain would cease. It didn't, and all I accomplished was getting the pocket of my Yankees sweatshirt all bloody. I finally dropped the tough guy act and headed over to the nearest orange jacketed medic. I found a cute Latino girl medic who was glad to clean up my finger and wrap it up for me. At the end, she kindly told me "bring your glove next time". Great advice. Short, simple and to the point.

I think I am gonna take a break from heading to BP for a while. I have already gotten enough of those $8 balls and they really don't do anything for me anymore. Its not worth risking injury to stand out in left field with a bunch of yelping children begging for balls.

BTW - the Yankees won 7-1, the outcome was never in doubt. The Yankees have now won 9 straight and are only 7.5 games out of first place. I swear to you, I never gave up on the season. Wait, yes I did. Read the full post, after the jump

"you pitch worse than Jimmy Key" and some theories on Kyle Farnsworthless and why he still pitches in the 8th inning for the Yankees

Before I get into the game experience portion of this post, I guess I should explain the first part of the title.

There was a drunk, attention seeking guy sitting in the row in front of me and Nick last night. I can't remember all of the asinine things he was yelling FROM THE UPPER DECK for the players NOT to hear, but one thing really stuck out to me. He yelled at Brandon Webb "you suck worse than Jimmy Key". What does that even mean??? Last time I checked he had a pretty nice career. Thats like yelling at Derek Jeter "you suck worse than Wade Boggs". Maybe this drunk retarded guy has some relation to Wallace Matthews

Anyway, on to the game. The start of the game was delayed exactly an hour due to the aforementioned thunder storm activity. Since I am so weather-conscious, Nick and I knew not to leave the apartment until around 7:15. We got there right in time for the National Anthem.

The crowd was juiced up (am I still allowed to use that phrase?) - possibly because the alcohol had been flowing out of the stadium taps since 5 PM. It was almost a playoff type of atmosphere, which was only a fraction of what it was like when "Badass" Bobby Abreuseful (the alter-ego of "Broken" Bobby Abreuseless) went yard to give the Yankees an early 3-0 lead.

The rest of the game was pretty tame to be completely honest. I'm pretty sure A-Rod doesn't get booed anymore, even when he has a mediocre game and had an ugly caught stealing.

Kyle Farnsworthless on the other hand, does get booed. Even when he pitched a scoreless inning, it is mostly luck. I can't believe how many balls got SCORCHED off of him. Why Torre continues to go to the well with him in the 8th inning is beyond me. One train of thought is that Farnsworthless has pictures of Torre "doing stuff" with Derek Jeter in the clubhouse * , another is that Cashman has ordered Torre to keep Farnsworthless in his 8th inning role to "showcase" him for a possible trade. Finally, there is the theory that Torre just falls asleep on the bench by that point in the game and nobody has the heart (or the testicular fortitude) to stop Farnsworthless from running through the bullpen doors.

By the way, is it just me or does Farnsworthless kind of look like this former WWF (I'm totally gonna get sued for typing that) wrestler with the new "four-eyed" look:



Anyway, Mo came in to a sparse crowd of the die-hards who stuck around for the blow-out extremely close, well-played 3-run game and were treated to a rather Mo-riffic 1-2-3 inning. The trip down the ramp and out of the stadium didn't take as long as usual, probably because of the "beat the traffickers"

A couple of notes:

- The new Diamondbacks uniforms say D-Backs on the front of them. I swear the first time I saw them I was offended because I thought they said D-Bags. I know, I know, that joke is probably already played out... Well, this is the first time they played the Yankees this year.

- Speaking of the new Diamondbacks uniforms, why did they ditch the purple? I think the D-Rays used to have some purple in their uniform and they too ditched it. Are these teams trying to tell me that men ages 18-34 DON'T like wearing purple? Damn, I better run to the store. Good thing I kept the receipt...

- This one is for "BlueCountry" on the Pinstripes Plus message board... I only saw 1 Diamondback fan (less than 1 % of the paid attendance of 51,577) and she was a HUGE fat woman in one of the new Diamondbacks t-shirts. She was scary to look at. Don't know how that fits into your book, or analysis, or website or whatever the hell you are compiling all of that information for.


* I can neither confirm or deny that Read the full post, after the jump

6/12/07 - t-storms in the vicinity

I am fairly certain that this game will be played, barring the grounds crew being retarded* because the T-Storms seem to be clearing out of the area. There is one more severe T-Storm cluster in CT heading down into the metropolitan NYC area, but I think once that goes through, we are in the clear.


(click on that to see it in motion - but it is not a static, live image. Click on the link at the right side of the page to see the UPDATED image).

I'm going to venture a guess and say the game starts at around 7:45 PM.

I will be attending the game today. I wasn't originally planning to go but my softball game was rained out. I'll be a better stadium insider than Nick and actually post a recap after the game tonight.

* Has happpened before (game 2 of the ALDS) Read the full post, after the jump

Stadium Insider (Ross) visits Mexico!

While the Yankees keep on teasing us with one day of impressive play but then letting us down the next, I am in sunny (well, it was rainy today) Cancun - Mexico.

Blogger.com somehow knows I am in Mexico so when I am finished with this entry I have to click the "publicar entrada" button. Anyway, here is a nice picture of the view from one of the restaurants at my hotel (Me by Melia, Cancun).



Nick will be holding down the fort for Pettitte's start on Friday (hopefully the back spasms are better), so there should be a stadium entry after that one.

One funny note. The past two nights, the Yanks were on ESPN. Sunday night I had ESPN Sunday night baseball but there were Spanish graphics and some weird American guy giving intros and analysis each inning coming out of commercial. He would then "throw it back" to Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. Of course, this Spanish version of ESPN showed completely different replays and showed completely different graphics. Most of the time when Joe Morgan and Jon Miller talk over graphics, I just tune them out and analyze the information myself (those guys are idiots to be kind). Unfortunately, they would be talking about a stat, and I would be seeing a promo on my screen for the futbol game between Denmark and Sweden on ESPN deportes the following day. Pretty furstrating, but beggars can't be choosy - I was watching the game while on vacation in Cancun.

Tonight, the game was TOTALLY in Spanish. Even though I didn't understand a word they were saying, they were still better to listen to than Joe Morgan. I learned for from them as well.

Ok, I have to get to sleep now. Long day of tanning ahead of me tomorrow! Read the full post, after the jump

Friday nights game was interesting...

So I went to the game way early for batting practice on Friday. It was a reaaaally steamy night. The Yankees bullpen sucked, and Ty Clip wasn't too good. But whatever. DeSalvo was booed loudly when he came off the mound. That's a real nice gesture by the fans. The guys first relief appearance of his career, he gets booed out of the place.

For some reason, the crowd was REALLY rowdy. I saw about 6 people ejected in my section alone, 5 of whome were in one party who got in an argument with some ladies. The argument was loud, and certainly wasn't appropriate for kids. That lasted about 20 minutes. IT was an annoyance and a distraction.

Then one drunk guy stood up and started declaring the Yankees were "a disappointment". He was extremely drunk. He started muttering obsceneties, and then started a fight with a fan who told him to quiet down.

I left early. I was in a bad mood, my girlfriend didn't feel well, and I was tired. I/ hate the Angels. THATS ALL.

This team needs to wake up before it's too late... And NO... It ISN'T too late. Maybe I'll post some pictures I took on Friday. Rocket goes again tonight. 5 PM EST on ESPNnews. Read the full post, after the jump

When is it time to start putting bags on our heads at the games?

Is it time to be this guy:



Just wondering...

If anyone wants to see MY idea on rebuilding the Yankees, please go here:

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=303#S=303&F=1637&T=561576 Read the full post, after the jump

Hot Night in The Bronx!

Tonight I'll be heading to the stadium with my girlfriend as a replacement for the absent Ross. She's bringing her camera, and we're going to batting practice, so expect some good shots. Another big series, hopefully the crowd will be as rowdy as they were the other night! Hopefully I'll have an update during the game. Read the full post, after the jump

Wow... 5/23 BP update and 5/23 game experience update

Wily Mo Pena of the Red Sox just hit one half-way up in the left field upper deck during BP. UNBELIEVABLE! Ross also got a ball thrown into the stands (see pic below). Good times.





Added later (by ross):

This game was definitely the best game so far of 2007 for me. The crowd was into it from the get-go, the Yankees did their job and then Mo came in with a lights out, strike out the side inning. There were a good number of fights in the stands which is always fun to gawk at. I'll never understand how someone gets into a physical fight over what team someone else roots for, but to each their own. I'd estimate that around 25-30% of the crowd was Red Sox fans. Sounds high, but tickets are easy to get for Yankee stadium because it is a big place.

Now, to post a question to anyone who reads this blog - what is up with girls in their 20's gravitating to baseball as RED SOX fans??? Was in the World series in '04 when all these chicks hopped on the bandwagon? Most of the girls that I would consider my age (in their 20's) at the game were Red Sox fans. How does this come about? If I was a die-hard Red Sox fan, I would be sickened by it. Do they adopt the New England accent and call then the "Sawx" as well? It really grinds my gears.

Sorry for the late update on this. I forgot about it until just now. Read the full post, after the jump

Nick2Slick makes his return!

On Wednesday, I will make my long awaited return to the stadium to see the Yankees play a big game, in a big series, with the division leading Red Sox.

Things haven't looked pretty thus far, but unlike Ross, I haven't quit. I don't think a team is suddenly less worthy of my support because they aren't playing as well. That isn't what fandom is about. Whats gonna be wonderful is our climb back to the top this season. Look out!

Hopefully, the Yankees will have won 2 games at the Stadium by Wednesday, and I will get to attend the game we throw our hts back in the race, with a sweep. The season starts tonight. Any other Yankees fans on board? Read the full post, after the jump

My own form of a protest - taking a step away from the Yankees

I have decided that I have allowed the Yankees to consume my life far too much, and it is ridiculous for such a misguided, mediocre team to do this to one's life.

So, for the foreseeable future, I will only be attending/ watching games that Phil Hughes or Tyler Clippard pitch in. Those guys are the future and I am ready for a new guard. Unfortunately, there are no positional prospects coming up that I can watch and root for. I am sick of Melky, I am sick of Cano. I want to see guys playing hard every day, every at bat. I don't see that with them.

I have spent countless minutes of my life defending A-Rod, but I can't even root for him anymore. Something rubs me wrong about the entire team. It is time to step back and reclaim my life from this Yankees hell. I spend too much time on message boards, on this blog, in Yankees stadium and I can't do it anymore. It is sad, because I love watching Jeter and Mo and even Jorge (who I doubted in the past without merit) but this is a broken team as a whole. Don't get it twisted, I'm not "giving up on the season." The Yankees very well may make a run at the Wild Card. Good for them.

Until this team is overhauled and there is a totally new makeup, I'm not taking them seriously. Maybe I'll go to a playoff game if Hughes pitches. Read the full post, after the jump

My prediction: no rainouts this weekend (Subway Series weather preview)

Unfortunately for the reeling Yankees, it looks like the heaviest, steadiest precip is staying over Eastern areas such as Long Island and Connecticut.

Here is what the National Weather service has to say about it:

"Focus of heavy rain will extend across east CT and
Long Island...with precipitation spreading west towards NYC. Latest WRF
and GFS guidance both indicate a sharp cutoff for precipitation that would
end just east of NYC. Latest radar img shows area of precipitation over S New Jersey
which could clip NYC...but overall...feel precipitation west of a line from
Fairfield County Nassau County can be covered with chance probability of precipitation.
Strongest Omega and deformation zone lies over eastern New England...so
will keep categorical probability of precipitation there...mentioning heavy rain at times."

It is gonna be cold tonight, but the game will be played. There may be some scattered showers, however. So, bring your warm clothes and hope the Yankees can pull some sort of miracle this weekend and get back into things.

Saturday will probably be the WETTER of the two games, believe it or not, but the rain will be more showery in nature and shouldn't threaten weather or not the game is played.

Be sure to check out the radars on the right side of this page to check the latest conditions before heading out.

UPDATE (4:42 PM): Radar indicates that all of the precip is off sure and over Eastern Long Island. Once again, the conditions won't even be CLOSE to ideal, but there will be baseball in Flushing tonight! Read the full post, after the jump

Bad weather for the Subway series

For all of you Yankees fans venturing out to the WORST ball park in major league baseball (or at least ONE of the worst) this weekend for the Subway Series, expect BAD weather.

The game should be played on Friday night, but it will be in conditions much like that of the early April games - mid 40's, cold and damp.

Saturday looks like a washout.

Sunday could also end up being a washout, but since the game is the ESPN game, I think it will get in.

Definitely stay tuned to the weather forecasts if you are planning on heading out to the games this weekend. Read the full post, after the jump

Game 5 of 2007 for Ross (vs. Rangers 5/9) - some fans are real idiots

So, it was a pretty normal Yankee victory tonight until the 9th inning when Mo was getting some work in. After getting two impressive strikes on Sammy Sosa, some idiot fan decided to run onto the field.

This is when the fun began. I wish I had thought fast enough to take out my cell phone and take a video, because this was classic, albeit idiotic. The "fan" ran out in left field, and right up to Matsui. Hideki stood there doing nothing until the guy almost touched him. Then, he fended him off with his glove. I'm pretty sure if it was Gary Sheffield out there, the guy would have been cold-cocked and the fun would have ended. Unfortunately, Gary is at some abandoned car factory in Detroit buying his next shipment of designer steroids. Anyway, I digress.

So, after Matsui shunned this dude, he started off towards center field. That is when all of the poorly paid, mediocre at best "security guards" started closing in from all angles. Between innings there are cops everywhere guarding the field, but at this moment there were none to be found. I'm guessing they were trying to take advantage of last call on the hot dogs. Anyway, so there are about 12 of these guards running from all angles of the field towards center where this guy is running around. One of the guards catches him in center field and the guy throws a stiff arm that Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs would be proud of. That security guard was done. Next, the guy made a mad dash towards the infield with security guards in tow. As he ran by second base, he reached down and touched it. I'm assuming that didn't count against Wil Nieves' throwing out attempted runners stats, but with his bad luck so far this season, I wouldn't be surprised if it did. At this point, all of the guards were about to catch the guy. Shockingly, he had one last juke and stiff arm to fend off another would be capturer. At this point, the crowd was going crazy.

Finally, one stud security guard (more on him later) made an impressive open field tackle and ended the madness. This is when the cops came off of their apparent hot dog break and wrestled the handcuffs onto the guy in what looked to be a rather painful way.

All of this took about 3 minutes. I've gotta believe thats the most fun the Yankee stadium security guards will have all season long.

Two batters later, there was the inevitable copy-cat fan who tried to get his 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately, he ran onto the field closer to the dugouts and didn't have nearly the pizazz of the first field stormer. For some reason this guy gave himself up right away and was held down by the same hero security guard who had saved the day just minutes before by making the open field tackle on my new fantasy football sleeper for 2007. Unlike the huge standing ovation the first guy received when he was wrestled off the field, this guy went off with a whimper and a chorus of boos.

I hate to give these idiots all of this attention by writing about them, but thats what this blog is all about and I find it pretty amusing to write about. On a serious note, fans running onto the playing field/ court at sporting events is just asking for trouble. I think the only way to fix the problem is to give these idiots more than one night in jail. If you are drunk enough and feel tough enough to spend a night in jail, that joyous run around the most famous baseball stadium ever may actually be worth it. I don't see it, but with enough $10 beers in you, who knows where your mind is.

Oh yea, the Yankees won 6-2 and have won 7 of 9 games. Just a sidebar. Read the full post, after the jump

Yankee Stadium Insider visits Wrigley Field

On Saturday, May 5, 2007 Ross from Stadium Insider visited another stadium - the historic Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL.

For being the 2nd oldest stadium in ALL of baseball, it is surprisingly convenient and enjoyable. All of the corridors are wide and walkable (or at least wider than Yankee Stadium) and the concessions are pretty good. Bathroom lines seemed like they might have been bad.

The Wrigley faithful sure do love their 7th inning stretch. You can see that below:



Rich Hill continued his string of impressive starts and the Cubs held on to win 5-3. Unfortunately the wind was coming off the lake, so the ball wasn't traveling well and it was pretty cold. Below are some pictures:













Overall a great time. I hope Wrigley Field is there forever. Read the full post, after the jump

Here is a day where is sucks to have a weekday plan (Rocket is returning)

As much as this guy is ALLLLL about the money and ALLLLL about the attention, it is going to be awesome to have him back. To have the Rocket man there to mentor Phil Hughes and possibly get him some of his 'roids (errrr I mean get him on his training regime) will be great.

I just hope he makes his return at Yankee stadium. Depending on how things fall, I think June 8th at home vs. The Pirates seems like a good date. I HIGHLY doubt they will try to rush him back for the June 1 game against the Red Sox but in his YES interview, Roger was indicating he would be ready for the end of May.

I'm also pissed off that I missed the dugouts and bullpens empty. I like the fire of Phelps and Proctor. As mediocre as I think Scott Proctor is, I like him as a 7th inning guy, especially with the fire and emotion he shows out there. Lets just hope his K/BB can get in the 1 + territory sometime soon. As for Phelps, he is a clear upgrade offensively over Minky, but the defense probably doesn't make him worth playing. At least Phelps looks like he wants to play unlike Craig Wilson (yea he was a Yankee) last year.

Well, I am still in Chicago, so I am going to miss tomorrow's game. Then on Tuesday, I have softball so I will miss that one. I am a pretty lame "Stadium Insider." Sorry about that.

I'll post some pictures from my Wrigley field experience sometime this week. Read the full post, after the jump

NYYStadiumInsider.com EXCLUSIVE - STAY-Rod???

I just received VERY good info that Alex Rodriguez is close to purchasing a BRAND NEW 5500 square foot apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (exact location withheld to protect his privacy). The construction of the building is NEARLY complete, so this isn't a long-term investment, this is for right now.

Obviously, this doesn't mean he is staying for sure, but why would someone buy BRAND new digs and then decide to leave the city? He clearly loves New York, his family loves New York and the fans are growing to love him in New York. If he decides not to opt out, people will realize just how much playing for the Yankees means to him and they will never boo him again. I think he realizes this.

In other news, he was seen having a couple of drinks at Back Page sports bar on 3rd Ave and 83rd Street yesterday after the Red Sox game. We all needed to drink after the last 10 games.

If I get any more info on this, I will make sure to post it. Read the full post, after the jump

Curious question...

This one is gonna be short...

As I was watching the telecast of the game on Thursday, something crossed my mind as they showed an advertisement to a giveaway day. My question is directed at non season ticket holders. How important are giveaways too you, and would you plan your trip to the Stadium around them? Is any giveaway fine or are there specific ones you always go to yearly? If anyone actually reads this and has any answers, leave comments with your responses! Read the full post, after the jump

Game 4 of 2007 for Ross (vs. Red Sox 4/27)

Well, that game was a bummer.

The crowd was DEFINITELY rocking when the Yankees had their 4 run rally. It seems like the fans were just waiting to explode all night. Unfortunately Pettitte didn't keep the momentum and he lost them the game an inning later.

How about this little nugget via - The Yankees haven't had an extra base hit in 20 innings! I know pitching is the problem on this team CLEARLY, but now the hitting is starting to fail them a bit as well.

I actually left the game early last night. I couldn't take it once Mariano couldn't even get through an inning of garbage time. It was a depressing walk out of the stadium and really left me reflecting on whether this will be the year that the Yankees run of post-season appearances ends. Its still early, but it is just about time to really get concerned. As much as I dislike Torre's moves most of the time, I don't think firing him is going to do anything. The Yankees need Pettitte to pitch like he did his first couple of outings, Wang to pitch like last year, Moose to come back and be Moose, Hughes to give them 6 solid innings each time out and whoever the 5th starter is has to give them a representative 5th starter effort. If those things fall into place, the bullpen won't be as overworked and they will become more effective as well. Lets just hope all of those things happen soon.

A little more on my experience last night... I actually waited on line for 2 beers for 20 minutes. The whole time there were 4 people ahead of me in line. Apparently the stadium workers are told not to take people's money until their order is completed and in their hands. So, if one person orders 3 orders of cheese fries, and they aren't ready, the worker doesn't take their money in the 10 minutes of waiting time. Instead, they stand around with a dumb look on their face while I am missing 2 innings of the sold-out Yankees/Red Sox game. Once I got to the front of the line, I asked why they don't just take the money while they are waiting for the food to be ready and the girl said their supervisor tells them not to because "people change their mind." Huh?! I just can't wait until the new stadium is open. Read the full post, after the jump

NYYStadiumInsider? More like National Weather Service!

Ross has officially turned this into the Bronx, NY National Wather Service page.

BronxWeatherInsider is more like it! Read the full post, after the jump

Quick Radar update (4/27)

Right now, the NYC area is experiencing a lull in the rain. This seems to be a good sign, but we aren't out of the woods yet. Check out the following radars (as of 1:15 PM - please click on them for the up to the minute version:

First, you can see the current lull in the precip:






Next, you can see what is coming from our south. It looks like most of these showers and T-Storms will miss the Bronx to the South and East






And just to be safe we will look even FURTHER south to see what will be heading towards the area at around game time. This concerns me a little more, but the storm tracks still indicate that the heaviest precip will miss the Bronx to the South and East again. Lets hold our fingers with this batch of precip:




Read the full post, after the jump

More weather boringness... (Friday 4/27 vs. Boston)

I really am sick of having to give weather updates. This is the worst season for weather that I can remember for a WHILE.

There is moderate to heavy rain moving through the tri-state area at the current time. The forecast is for the heaviest and steady rain to be gone by around 6 PM, giving way to more showery conditions.

Once again, I can't predict what the often times unpredictable Yankee Stadium grounds crew is going to do. A lot of times it doesn't even seem like they consult with local meteorologists before making their game-canceling decisions.

My gut feeling is that the game will get in tonight based on the looks of the radar and by reading what the scientific weather discussion has to say. In addition, the official forecast only has a 50% chance of rain for tonight. Hopefully the grounds crew will look into that information as well.








Radars as of 9:45 AM - click each radar to get the UP TO DATE image

Back later with an update if it is warranted. Read the full post, after the jump

Traffic delays heading to Yankees Stadium.

Just wanted to note that there apparently are going to be traffic delays due to the contruction of the new stadium, so use mass transportation. I would suggest that anyway since getting into and leaving the stadium on foot is hard enough -- I can only imagine having to use a car. This is a snippet from the New York Times:

"The Yankees are encouraging fans to use mass transportation to this weekend’s series with the Red Sox. The team said that the new ballpark was in a construction phase, which is causing traffic problems."

Have fun. I agree with Ross. Can't feel too optimistic about the team, but the matchups this weekend seem pretty solid for us. Keep cheering Yankees fans, sunny skies are ahead. I don't just mean that in the metaphoric sense... Spring/summer has to come eventually, right? Read the full post, after the jump

Phil Hughes' debut (Game 3 of 2007 for me)

I'd be lying if I said I felt good about the Yankees right about now. I do, however, feel optimistic about Hughes. I'll chalk up the first inning runs to nerves and the 5th inning runs to Cairo's suckiness. I'm proud of how much the stadium crowd backed up Hughes. Too bad the batters and bullpen didn't.

Nothing really of note from a stadium insider standpoint. The closest thing would be that I tried to get hot chocolate from almost every refreshment stand in the tier and all of the hot chocolate machines were broken. I asked if the new stadium would have working hot chocolate machines and the stadium worker enthusiastically said 'we better have new every damn thing in the new stadium'. Couldn't have said it better myself. Read the full post, after the jump

ANOTHER weather update (Thursday - OK, Friday - UH-OH)

So, after the plug was pulled on Wednesday night's game early, we move onto the weather situation for the rest of the week. Luckily today (Thursday) seems to be a lull in the unsettled weather that is due to impact our region through Saturday. Temps tonight for Phil Hughes' debut will be in the upper 40's under mostly cloudy skies. Showers are due to head in after midnight, so the game should be long over.

Overnight into midday Friday is when the HEAVY rain will move in (over an inch possible in some spots).

By tomorrow night, the heaviest rain will be over, but there will be scattered showers/ T-Storms at night. Basically it all depends how the weather sets up - when there will be drier periods and breaks in the rain or if the storm moves out quicker than prognosticated. The only positive is that the definite heavy rain will be occurring on Friday morning and will be over by early afternoon.

I have seen the Yankees cancel a lot of games before just because it has been raining all day, so that is a possibility as well.

Friday is going to have to be a wait and see at this point. Under normal circumstances I would say there is a greater than 50% chance of a rain-out but it is a Friday night game, it is a Friday night game against Boston, and it is a Friday night game against Boston two days after a rain-out.

I'll give updates as I see appropriate. Read the full post, after the jump

VERY questionable Rainout (but a good decision for the Yankees pitching)

Looks like tonight's game got the QUICK call mostly because of the Yankees pitching woes.

Take a loot at this radar:






They DEFINITELY could have gotten the game in if they wanted to. However, they clearly didn't want to! Now they can have Pettite pitch against Boston again. Hughes will still go tomorrow.

This can backfire on the Yankees if Friday's game also gets rained out (which has a legitimate chance of happening) Read the full post, after the jump

Weather for Tonight (4/25) - Showers and cool

Bring your umbrella if you are going to the game tonight.

The radar currently looks much worse than it actually is:






There is still a bunch of dry air in the lower levels of the atmosphere that will prevent the rain from reaching the ground initially. Eventually it will break through, but it will be more showery in nature, with the occasional heavy burst. Conditions will not be enjoyable tonight as temperatures will be in the mid-upper 40's along with the rain. Read the full post, after the jump

Very quick update (weather)

There will be a chance of rain the rest of the week. It looks as though the best chance for a rainout is Friday night for the beginning of the Boston series. However, my gut tells me that the worst of the rain will be over by Friday night and they will get the game in. Its gonna be a tough call. Let's just hope the heavy rain on Thursday night holds off long enough so Phil's ML debut isn't affected. Read the full post, after the jump

Weather for April 25-29 and phenom Phil makes his debut!!!

Although Spring has sprung in NYC, the upcoming homestand isn't going to reap the benefits.

Wednesday night - Rain likely (mainly showers) lows in the mid 40's - not pleasant

Thursday night (Phil Hughes debut) - Rain likely (mainly showers, possibly more steady) lows in the upper 40's - not pleasant.

Friday night (1st game of Boston series - Rain likely (supposedly more showery than steady rain, but that is still to be seen, lower 50's.

I have tickets to Wednesday and Thursday night's games. My father is taking a friend to the Red Sox game, so I unfortunately won't be attending that.

I am REALLY looking forward to Thursday. It is finally time to see phenom Phil make his major league debut. I am a little concerned that it is a bit of a panic move, but I like Phil's chances. There will be some ups and downs initially, I am sure of it. I just hope the stadium crowd sticks with Phil and doesn't get discouraged if he struggles a bit initially. For you fantasy leaguers out there, Thursday is a bit of a tough matchup because Toronto has a good offense. However, they have been struggling and Phil is gonna be amped so who knows! I'll definitely report back after the game.

On another note, A-Rod continues to be scorching hot. He should be the most beloved figured in NY right now. Read the full post, after the jump

Game 2 (for me) of 2007 - memorable, to say the LEAST - I think it is safe to say he is a "true Yankee" now!

click above to see the game-winning HR (Quicktime will be needed)

Well, I have to start this out by saying that I CANNOT believe what I witnessed in the bottom of the 9th. I am glad to say, however, that I DID IN FACT stick around for the bottom of the 9th. Nick didn't have any confidence in me, but I was there to witness some sort of history.

I betrayed Section 1 today. After the 2nd inning I moved over to the 3rd base side in the 2nd row of the tier box seats. I attended the game with a co-worker and we wanted to try to catch a foul ball. One of the joys attending a baseball game can provide that no other sport can - the constant anticipation of that ball coming flying at you and your chance for a souvenier. Unfortunately, one didn't even come close to us.

The crowd was sparse (by Yankee stadium standards - only 40,872 fans in attendance). I think it was some combination of:

1) A "blah" opponent in the Indians (to the masses not realizing that they have one of the most exciting young offenses in baseball)

2) A day game in the middle of the work-week while school is still in session.

3) Lingering bad weather from the Nor'Easter that struck the East coast last weekend

*weather note and other random digressions - by the middle innings, the WARM sun had burned its way through the clouds, setting up some beautiful weather for A-Rod's 8th defining moment in pinstripes that will make him a true Yankee (by the way, I think he will be a true Yankee with one more... or maybe 2... or maybe when he hits a grand slam to win the World Series... No seriously, I swear some Yankee fans think this way)

My adopted section for the day (I didn't take note but I think it was section 12, Tier Box) somehow was inhabited by an abnormal number of Cleveland Indians fans. They weren't obnoxious by any stretch of the imagination, but it is never fun to be a home-town fan when your team is losing and a bunch of the opposing team's fans are all raucous and giddy about their team winning.

Speaking of obnoxious - that was the d-bag "business" men in suits in front of me. I can't make this stuff up. They actually yelled "juice" at Giambi before his HR. Then they cheered when he hit it. These guys were also some of the few fans who actually booed A-Rod in his 3rd and 4th at bats giving him an oh-fer for the day (up to that point). Those same fraudulent fans left after the bottom of the 8th inning (hopefully to never return) and missed the heroics that would ensue in the bottom of the 9th. This type of "fan" annoys me to no end, but I would like to thank them, because without their inspiration, this blog wouldn't have come in to existence.

So, I'm not here to talk baseball strategy, or numbers, or to second guess managers (I will leave that to one of the other zillion Yankee blogs out there), but why is Joe Borowski the Indians closer? Both Betancourt AND Fultz had MUCH better stuff and had the Yankees flailing about. Then came Borowski with his 5+ ERA, 6/3 K/BB ratio and intimidating 87 MPH fastball (along with 5 saves - further proving how meaningless THAT stat is). The Yankees used him as batting practice to get ready for this weekend's big series in Boston.

The bottom of the 9th was somewhat of a blur. Once the first two outs were made, I was preparing for the long, slow, walk out of the stadium with Liza Minelli (instead of Frank Sinatra) singing the losing version of "New York, New York". Some time after the start of the inning, one of the Indians fans in my section noticed Mariano warming up in the bullpen (in case the Yankees tied the game). He asked aloud "do they know something we don't know?" As we all know, Mariano wasn't needed.

You should have seen the expression on the Indian fan's faces change as the inning went on - from cocky exuberance, to utter elation, gradual change to mild concern, and finally PANIC when Jeter came up as the tying run. They seemed a little relieved when Jeter "only" hit a single to left, bring up Abreu, and eventually the MVP A-Rod. Seriously, I take no joy in these fan's misfortune - I'm not that guy. However, I had to relate my entire experience here, and they were part of it.

From the time Damon got the single, I had a feeling it was going to come down to A-Rod because it always does. To be honest, I was begging for Abreu to end the game one way or another, because I felt like A-Rod was starting to cool off a bit. I guess I was DEAD wrong about that.

As mentioned previously on this blog, every time A-Rod steps up to the plate, he gets a louder ovation than ANY other player. At first I thought it was somewhat of a justification to boo him when he failed - "hey, we cheered him loudest, so now we have the right to boo him". Nowadays, I think the fans are FINALLY realizing what the smart people knew all along - we get to watch one of the greatest players in baseball history play EVERY SINGLE DAY. We will all be able to tell out children and grandchildren that we got to see Alex Rodriguez play baseball for the New York Yankees.

The loud roar from the crowd was understandable today - A-Rod ONCE again was up with a chance to prove once and for all that he is a "TRUE YANKEE" (I'm still trying to figure out what that means, but I hear people babbling about it all the time).

To FINALLY cut to the chase, the ball was gone off the crack of the bat and I went insane. Jumping up and down, screaming, high-fiving people, everything. I jumped down to the first row of the tier box and started pounding on the facing of the upper deck like a monkey. I think I was repeatedly bellowing: "I love you A-Rod I f*^cking love you". At this moment, my voice hurts from screaming so much and my hands hurt from clapping and high-fiving.

For those wondering, A-Rod did give a curtain call, as the fans who had stayed until the end simply refused to leave. He got cheered for the curtain call, he got cheered when he came BACK out again for the interview with Kim Jones, and he got ONE FINAL huge cheer when he went back to the dugout after the interview.

Just think, its only April 19th and there is a whole season of baseball to be played.

This is what being a Yankee fan with season tickets is all about.

edit: Thanks to MrG777 of the PinstripesPlus message board for pointing out that it is Liza Minelli and not Nancy Sinatra who sings the losing version of New York, New York.

edit #2: Fixed image at the top of the blog entry to properly link to a video of the HR. Read the full post, after the jump

A little off topic - ProjectA13.com T-shirts now available!!!

Just wanted to pass this along to those interested... The first generation ProjectA13 T-shirts are now available... This is what they look like:

front:



back:



They are green so they will stand out in the crowd. Just click on the pictures to go to the store to buy them. Currently, the price with shipping is around $20. Joe, the owner of ProjectA13.com isn't happy about the price, and is working on getting a contract to sell cheaper, but that is what cafe press is charging.

If you want to stand out in the crowd and show support for A-Rod no matter WHAT, definitely buy one!

To read more about ProjectA13, click below:



and be sure to visit the ProjectA13.com blog:

http://projecta13.wordpress.com/



Heading off to the game now. Expecting temps in the low 50's and mostly cloudy skies. Unfortunately, this is going to be the best weather of this mini home-stand. The warm-up is coming folks, I can just feel it. Read the full post, after the jump