Baseball Before T Ball

If you have a son or daughter in the Manalapan / Marlboro Area than CK's Baseball4U is the place to be. T-Ball in our town does not start until 6 years of age. And even when it does begin you can imagine how boring it will be.

I have been sending Max to CK's for about 18 months. This has been the perfect fit for him. Every class he learns something new. Each session is 6 or 8 weeks. The cost is $25 per hour. There are packages available as well. Private instruction is also available.

But as far as the instruction is concerned, it is the best. I could have only wished for a CK's type place for me when I was a kid. The coaches are great, knowledgeable and most importantly patient. The kids are split up based upon there skill level so each will receive proper coaching.

I myself have always wanted to be a coach and as my kids get older that is what I plan on doing. My point is that I am learning from CK's as well. I watch the interaction. I pay attention to the drills. By doing so it has allowed me to work with Max in between classes when he asks me to play.

If you have sons or daughters that want to start playing now, take a look at CK's Baseball4U.

http://cksbaseball4u.com

This is Very Cool...

Here are pictures from Yankee Stadium. They look blurry, but I can assure you that is me on the scoreboard!

1st Place Here We Come...

Only 1 game back. Still haven't beaten the Red Sox yet. They also have 2 more west coast trips. But the bats are back. A three game sweep of the Tigers to start the second half works for me. Derek Jeter is batting over .320 and Alex and Tex are hitting the long ball. 3 straight saves for future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera. Chills still run down my spine as his song "Enter Sandman" plays while he trots in from the bullpen.

On Saturday I had another wonderful experience and the newest cathedral in the Bronx. I was there part of our Yankees Fantasy Camp Reunion. They took perfect care of us. We were in the party suite in right field. 100% first class. It was great to see my teammates from the Sultans.

Prior to the game we got to hang out with David Cone and share cake with him celebrating the 10th anniversary of his perfect game. And then later on just walking around the suite level we just happen to run into Goose Gossage. He as well was very gracious and stopped to sign a few autographs for us.

Finally it was Old Timers Weekend. It marks the 30th year since Thurman Munson perished in a plane crash. The newest book "Munson" is a must read for all you Yankee Fans. If you want to read about it first, goto -- http://www.appelpr.com/munson.htm

Summer Fun for Dads...

School usually marks the beginning and end of summer for kids. But for Dads it is Fantasy Football. And with drafts set to begin in the next six weeks, this summer will be over before you know it. My suggestion for you Dads out there... A trip to the ballpark. If you have not taken your son or daughter to a game, do it. Try and think back if you can remember the first time you went to a baseball game with your dad. If they are still around ask them if they remember. So if you are thinking, the kid wont remember a thing you may be correct. But you no doubt will remember it.

Some tips before you go:

Major League Game -- Kids (unless you have them very trained) will not last 9 innings and the cost and hassle to get to and from might not be worth it for you. I do suggest taking a look at stub hub the day of the game. I have used them three times this year for Yankee games and all three I have paid less than face value.

I am thinking a Minor League or Independent League Game is the way to go. Here in the New Jersey area your options are the following:

1) The Lakewood BlueClaws -- This is the "A" affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies. I am a fan of this option because it is easy to get to (off the Garden State Parkway). It is also one of the most fan friendly stadiums I have ever been to. This team is setting attendance records every year. Kids eat free. In Left Field is an entire playground/bounce area for the kids.

2) The Trenton Thunder -- This is the "AA" affiliate for the New York Yankees. Again, another great option the baseball is a little bit better and the stadium us very friendly. Kids eat free here as well. Face paiting, contests and a mini park with bounce area.

3) The Newark Bears -- If you want to enjoy a ball game and then head to the Ironbound district for some good food, I suggest the Newark Bears. Independent League Baseball is NOT the Minor Leagues and teams are NOT associated with major League Teams. This league and teams are run on there own. If you go to
you can see some of the former Major League players on the current roster. In addition to the players, the Manager is former New York Yankee Tim Raines. And the pitching coach is also former New York Yankee Mike Torrez.

4) The Somerset Patriots -- I have driven by the stadium (off 287) plenty of times, but never been. The manager of the team is former New York Yankee Sparky Lyle.

I would suggest checking out each website for promotional events (hat day, bobbl eheads, fireworks, etc...). There is no guarantee, but every game I have been to at least one of my kids has gotten a ball from a player or coach. Tickets to all 4 are very reasonable. he most expensive ticket might be $12 if you want to sit right behind the dugout, but it can be very cost effective day with the kids.

Enjoy!

Thurman Munson - The Yankee Captain

Wow!!! It gets released on July 7th, but I had the fortunate experience of receiving an advanced copy of Marty Appel's masterpiece "Munson - The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain". Marty does an excellent job of bringing Thurman back to life. I was 5 years old when this tragedy occurred. My knowledge and memory of Thurman Munson is thru video and accounts of Thurman by teammates who have written books.

This book puts you in the living room the day he signed his Yankee contract. It puts you with Thurman when he meets Mickey Mantle for the first time. You can go behind the plate during the glory years of 76-78. And finally it tearfully brings you right to the airport and in the cockpit as Thurman left us for good in August of 1979. As well as in depth events with his teammates and friends the week following the loss of the first captain since Lou Gehrig. That is correct. No Mantle. No DiMaggio. Thurman Munson was the leader of team that desperately needed it. Not making the postseason since 1964, George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin bestowed this title to a well deserved man.

I grew up with Mattingly. My son is growing up with Jeter. I am jealous of anyone who grew up with Munson. He was true to himself, his teammates and his family. There is no doubt that Thurman was an exceptional husband and a father we all dream to be like.

Thank you Marty for the ability to read this book. I do not want to give too much away. This book is for fathers and grandfathers. This is a book the average baseball fan should pick up. And of course for you Yankee fans, you will never get any closer to Thurman Munson.

http://amazon.com (Keyword - "Munson")

The things we do for kids...

Here is a link to Max's old bedroom before we moved:

http://www.artisticalternatives.com/yankees_mural.htm

I hope they like the Yankees!!!

Btw -- The last photo was 100% my idea.

The "NEW" Yankee Stadium...

The "New" Yankee Stadium has been open since April 2nd. So far so good! The Yankees were very generous by hosting fans on April 2nd (before any games were played) to an open practice in the afternoon. This was the perfect opportunity to take a tour of the stadium, see my seats for the season and enjoy a beautiful day in the Bronx. I took Max out of school for the day and we headed in. WOW!!! The stadium, from a structural standpoint, was magnificent. Brand new and empty. It was a chance to just roam around and take everything in, without the pressures of watching a game.

1st stop... Section 331, Row 1, Seats 1,2,3,4... For $40 a pop, perfect! No one in front of me and unlike the old stadium these seats actually faced home plate. The scoreboard is enormous and in HD. You could actually see the players coming out one by one in awe of how the stadium looked.

Max and I took in the sights from our seats, ate our hot dogs, chicken and fries and then moved onto walk around. Like I mentioned earlier, structurally this place is great. Watching a game though is a little different (will talk about that later).

We went down to the lower level and got seats in the 1st row in left field ready for batting practice. Max, with glove in hand was ready to go. After about 5-10 minutes of baking in the sun and yelling to Reggie Jackson (he decided to roam the outfield) a ball sailed right in our direction. I stood up, reached up and watched the ball go over my hand. it must of hit off someone behind us because it landed right at Max's feet. I grabbed the ball, put it in his glove and said "Max, way to go. You just caught a home run." I now had the happiest 4 1/2 year old in America. And to see his face was priceless and made me so happy. Obviously one day he will be able to read this and realize he didn't actually catch the ball, but I am going to run with it as long as I can.

MY NEW LIFESTYLE

Last November I decided to take a new approach to dieting. I heard about a lot of fad diets, cleansings and other ways to lose weight fast. I did some extensive research and I ended up with ISAGENIX. Yes it is a cleanse, but not one that should scare you away. It is a "Nutritional Cleanse". I gave it a shot. I gave it a 11 days. I am happy to say it worked. But it worked in ways that I never imagined. Not only did I lose 8lbs in 11 days. I lost 1 1/2 inches around my neck and I lost 2 belt loops. More importantly I felt great. My energy level was high. My attitude towards the little things was positive and I was making healthier choices of what went into my body. Do I still eat out and get a burger and fries? Yes. Do I still eat steak? Yes. Do I still have dessert? Yes. But I can only do this because of the smarter choices I make. Since November, I have had no soda, no fast food, no beer. I eat a lot more fish, salad and I don't usually snack on crap. Water and wine consume 90+ percent of my fluid intake. Overall, I feel great.

I want to share with everyone how my 1st 11 days went. I think this can be great start for people who want a change (how they feel) as the weather changes. It is called a 9 day cleanse, but to prepare myself I stretched it to 11 days. My plan is to do the 11 day program 2-3 times a year. And in between just maintain myself with smart eating decisions and exercise. So here is how the 11 day deal will look like.

Day 1 and Day 2: Isagenix Shake for Breakfast. A sensible meal for lunch (salad w/ grilled chicken, fish or lean meat). Isagenix Shake for dinner. In between meals I would snack on almonds and chocolate wafers (they supply the wafers). And finally the hydration part. Take your body weight, cut it in half, and drink that amount in ounces of water daily.

Day 3 and Day 4: These are the hardest 2 days. You drink 4 Liquid Cleanse For Life Drinks. It is not your normal cleanse drink because it has flavor, it has calories, it has vitamins, it has sugar and it has carbs. So for those of you thinking you are carb starving yourself, you are not. Again, in between the drinks you will snack on almonds, wafers and drink water.

Day 5, 6, 7, 8, 9: Same as Day 1 and 2. To be honest, I had days where I had to have dinner for work. What to do? Drink the shake for breakfast and lunch. And have the sensible meal for dinner. It was no problem. Were there days I was hungry? Yes. What to do? celery, cucumbers, half an apple, half a banana. Not often. Maybe once a day. Only if I needed it. On days 7 and 9 I had the shake for breakfast and lunch with salad and lean meats for dinner.

Day 10 and Day 11: Same as Day 3 and 4. To be honest again, by the 11 day I forgo the 4th cleanse drink and went right for a nice healthy meal.

Final Results: 8 lbs, 1 1/2 inches on neck and 2 belt loops. It has been 4 months and the results remain the same! But I am feeling that a cleanse is necessary because the last 4-6 weeks my eating habits and choices have not been same.

As far as maintenance after, everyone has there own approach. My was in the last 4 months with the exception of about 10-15 days I have nothing for breakfast except an isagenix shake. Now I add fruit to them. Sometimes for dessert I will add peanut butter or ice cream.

Of course everyone wants to know the price. For this 9/11 Day Cleanse it will cost $130. Remember that $130 includes everything you will need except for the sensible meals. Afterwards you can decide what other products you need to purchase. It is worth every penny. If not for the weight loss, but for the feeling of your body changing and feeling good about that change.

Please email me at bgraime@yahoo.com and I will get you started. I will coach you. I will help you feel better about yourself! And if my words are not good enough, go to ISAGENIX.COM. On the website you can read FAQ's, see other testimonials and see the nutritional value of what you are putting in your body. And if it is not for you, forward this to someone who might want to hear about it.

Good Luck to all and let me know how I can help...

I AM A YANKEE ...

It has been 2 days so far. 2 of the most amazing days of my life. Let me go thru this with you. The bus picks us up at 7:15am Tuesday. We head over to Legends Field. Upon our arrival we are treated and act like the Yankees. Get off the bus. grab your bag and head up the runway tunnel to the clubhouse. What an amazing feeling. So amazing that tears were ready to fall from my eyes. Entering the clubhouse for the first time is unbelievable. You freeze at the doorway just to look around. This is the actual locker room that the Yankees use during Spring Training. Once you find your locker, you are in aw again. Not only is there a name plate at the top, but your Yankee Uniform hanging right there in front of you. For me the experience was a little numbing. I am a huge Reggie Jackson fan. Reggie is number 44. In my locker everything was number 34. I was crushed, ready to explode or cry. I didn't know what to do. Long story short it was an administrative error and everything has since been corrected. I am now wearing number 44. But for day 1 I was 34. Like I said they treat you like a Yankee every part of the day. The clubhouse attendants and trainers are the same folks that work with the real Yankees. Don't hold back. Everything goes. From doing our laundry each day, to taking care of the pulls, bumps and bruises we are the Yankees for the week. Everything in your locker is yours. You get a full home uniform, batting practice jersey (we use as away jersey), t-shirt, satin jacket, a duffel bag filled with flip flops, sneakers, wind shirt, wind pants and golf shirt.

There are 9 teams of about 11-13 people to start. Those numbers dwindle down fast as people get hurt and cannot play anymore. There are 4 games going on at once. The odd team out spends time in the batting cages beneath the stadium. Oh yeah, we get a Yankee ID for the week which basically allows you to go everywhere except for Mr. Steinbrenner's Office. I just open doors up to see where the lead. Very fun indeed. 2 games are played at Legends Field (one on the field and one on a satellite field). And 2 are played at the development center which is about a 5 minute bus ride away. Each team is guaranteed 1 game on Legends Field. In addition to that each team plays 2-3 innings against the Legends on Saturday there as well. Some of these repeat campers come as teams. My team not the case. All but 1 of us is brand new to the camp. Some of these teams actually come down the week prior and practice to prepare.

We play full nine inning games or 2 hours. The first 3 innings the campers pitch. After which the coaches pitch batting practice ball to keep the games moving. Also there is no walking. My team, The Sultans is not very good. We are 0-4 after 2 days of games. My first at bat was a strikeout. I will use the excuse of nerves. Ever since I have been en fuego. I finished the 1st game 3-5 with 2 doubles. In game 2 I was 3-4. This morning we got to play on Legends Field. I had my least productive game going 1-4, but I had a double that sailed over the left fielder. This afternoon I had my best game going 4-5 with a bases loaded triple. And then in the bottom of the ninth down by 1 run I hit a single up the middle to send the game to extra innings. So I am 11-18 after 2 days. Unfortunately they do not keep stats. This is my own personal satisfaction.

All the players are approachable and like to have a good time. Every time the ball is hit to his team Oscar Gamble says "we have someone there". I caught Strawberry smoking a cigarette today in between innings. Mike Torrez (my coach) just wants us to win. Every morning in the clubhouse the old timers come in an hold "court". Here players are assessed fines for various thing from forgetting to put on a helmet to not hustling to doing something wrong. All the money for these fines go to the Catfish Hunter foundation not Mickey Rivers gambling habit. Fines range from $5 to $1000. Yes $1000.

From the moment we get here we are promised a "special guest" will come for 2 hours on Tuesday to sign autographs. Rumors had been running around camp that it would be Reggie Jackson. Others said that some of the old timers called Derek Jeter and told him to get is $100 million ass down here and meet the campers. The "special guest" was Tino Martinez. He spent about 2 hours with us signed anything. He was great. He posed for pictures with everybody. He even got on the phone with my mother to say Hi for a few minutes. A very classy guy and a true Yankee who won 4 rings with the team. There is still a rumor floating that another guest will be joining us before the end of the week.

So far so good. A few cramps (a nice 55 degree bath helps). A lot of fun ..............

Welcome to my Fantasy ...

I am finally here. Tampa, Florida. New York Yankees Fantasy Camp. I have been waiting to do this for years. It is finally time. Most people think of this Seinfeld clip when they think of Yankees Fantasy Camp. Quality is not good, but it is a funny 2 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z2ZPD-3i2s. This is the camp that is run by the Yankees and is held at the minor league complex in Tampa. I believe there is another camp call Heroes in Pinstripes which used to be a camp that Mickey Mantle was in charge of. I have no idea what to expect. I am here to have fun and take it all in. As I look at the roster there is 8 or 9 teams of 11-12 players. I am on the Sultans (Minor League team the Yankees represent in Mexico). My Legends are Phil Linz and Mike Torrez.

Who is Phil Linz? Phil was a back up infielder and played with Mets, Phillies and of course the Yankees in the early 60's. The story about Phil is that he was once playing a harmonica on the team bus after a loss and Yogi Berra (manager) told him to quite down. Phil did not hear him and when he asked Mickey Mantle what was said, Mickey said "play louder". Yogi ran to the back of the bus and knocked it out of his hands.

Who is Mike Torrez? I hope most of you know this, but in case you do not Mike is memorable in Yankee history for 2 very distinct reasons. Mike played ball for 18 years. As a Yankee he was the winning pitcher 2 times in the 1977 World Series. He was on the mound for the final out of the series. This was the Yankees first championship since 1962. The second reason Mike Torrez is a Yankee fixture is because of 1978. Not because he played for the Yankees, but he signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox. It was Mike who gave up the infamous Bucky Dent Home Run during the 1 game playoff to decide the AL East Winner.

I have not met them yet, but they are listed as the Legends for my team. I actually met Bucky earlier this year at a softball game at Yankee Stadium. I doubt he will remember me, but who knows. Stranger things have happened. Looks like I have 11 players on my team. We have a welcome reception tonight at the hotel where we will have a chance to mingle and ask for autographs. The players are very approachable. In the lobby during check in I saw Homer Bush, Tommy John, Bucky Dent and Jesse Barfield. I brought with me 24 baseballs and a replica Yankees home jersey to get signed. There is also a "special guest" that has not been announced yet. He ia scheduled to be at the stadium Tuesday at 4pm.

Tonight was great. Every player was respectful and willing to share stories, sign autographs and just hang. We ae dinner as teams. I was seated with Mike Torrez. Great guy. Lives outside Chicago and is actually happy in a way he gave up the home run to Bucky. Why? It has made him a lot of money. The only person not here on the list was Ken Griffey. And yes, Mick the Quick is here and looks great in his red sweat suit that I am sure someone is paying him to wear. Before coming upstairs I watched Oscar Gamble, Mickey Rivers +1 and Darryl Strawberry leave. I can only imagine where they are headed. As for me on Night 1, I am going up early. Watch some TV and get ready for the camp to begin. I can't wait.

Tomorrow begins the instensity of the camp. Shuttles leave at 7:15am. Tomorrow AM we have individual and team pictures in our home uniforms. Looks like there are 2 games a day as well as instruction, meals, silent auctions and time to spend with the players. I can't wait to find out what we get as gifts to take with us. Uniforms, bags, chotkies, etc ...

The Cathedral ... My Memories ... Dedicated To My Dad...

I am writing this as the final game at Yankee Stadium approaches. I had the opportunity to go today (with Mom) and enjoy a classic (yet boring) 1-0 game where the Yanks pulled it off with 2 out in the 9th and Mo entered the game to "Enter Sandman" in the 9th for the win.

It has been a pretty cool week listening to the radio, reading the paper and seeing old videos of what has been become the most famous sporting venue in the world. And I would be happy to debate that with anyone on this planet. Driving in today and walking around the grounds today you could just sense a different feel in the air. Yes, they blew it this year and their will not be October baseball in the "Boogie Down" since 1995. But this structure, which some (including myself) consider a museum will field just one more regular season baseball game. I can't wait. I have chills just thinking about it. It has the making of a very emotional night. But tonight, just a mere 24 hours before the anticipated first pitch, I want to reflect. I want to reflect on my memories of Yankee Stadium. I will try and keep this in chronological order ...

1981 (7 years old). My 1st game. Lipton Ice Tea Visor Day. Toronto Blue Jays. Guess what? I never saw the game. I got hit in the face with a ball during batting practice. Got swept away by security. The only visual I remember is that one of the Yankees (Oscar Gamble I think) saw it happen and I was escorted down near the dugout, but nothing happened. And of course, no ball. Yup. Didn't get. What do you expect from Yankee Fans in 1981. So we get a letter in the mail from George Steinbrenner (Meryl claims she still has it) letting us know we can have 4 tickets to a remaining home game in 1981. Whoops. Players strike and the rest of the season is cancelled. Oh well.

1982. I did not get to go to this game, but I want to share it because it has to do with my parents. They had the luxury of sitting in a suite with Richard Nixon. I couldn't imagine being that close to the former President (or any President). My father got his scorecard autographed and personalized to my brother and I. It is still part of my collection today.

The next vivid recollection I have at Yankee Stadium comes on June 22, 1989. Yankees vs White Sox. With the Yankees down 7-6 in bottom of 7th I planted myself in the right field stands on the off chance Don Mattingly would hit is 2nd Home Run of the game. Keep in mind the Yankees were terrible. Finished in 5th place that year. Well he did it. Don Mattingly hit a Home Run and I caught it (video tape to prove it). It was his 151st of his career. On a quick side note, I met Don Mattingly 2 years later and had him sign and inscribe it "151". It was stolen back in 2000 from our apartment in Hoboken.

Donnie Baseball was one of my favorite players of all time and I will never forget that homer in the '95 postseason (watched that on TV). But R-E-G-G-I-E was my man and I was there in 1993 when his number 44 was retired. I was also their in 1999 when the Yankees honored the Joe Dimaggio who had just past away.

Not sure of the year, but Big Mac still had the Camero. Lerve and Fat Lou rounded out the part of four. We sat in the bleachers. It was my 1st time out there. Not sure if we were in high school or home from college during the summer. The played the Angels. They were down 8 or 9 runs after a few innings. We stayed to the end. Yankees came back and won it in the ninth 11-10 I believe. It was my first bottom of the ninth experience in the Bronx. I remember sprinting to the car thereafter to beat the traffic.

Speaking of the infamous bleachers, out of the hundreds of games I have been to I have only sat there 3 times. The first is mentioned above. The second was an Orioles game where I witnessed fans brawl and get bloody. The third was Game 3 of the 1999 World Series against the Braves. Danielle and I sat / stood against the back wall in the Left Field Bleachers. Chad Curtis hit a walk off Home Run in the 10th Inning.

My first Opening Day. 1997 vs The Oakland A's. Yanks lost that game 3-1. Mariano actually gave up a bomb to the black to Mark McGwire in the 9th. Very interesting since 1997 ended with Mariano giving up a Home Run in Cleveland in the playoffs. The 1997 Postseason was also another first for me. 1981 I was too young and 1996 I was living in College Park still and only went to the post season road games (THE INFAMOUS SPITTING GAME/THROWN OUT OF STADIUM). So '97 was my first. The Divisional Series vs the Indians. Game 2 we sat / stood last row upper deck behind home plate. As high as you can go. I think it was Jeremy, Stacey and Stefanie. We stood on the seats the entire game. Big Mac and I were pushing 200 bones each. We were jumping up and down so much that the seat broke. The bolts popped off. You got it. I was not leaving without that seat. I stuffed it under my jacket, put my back pack on and now it sits on display with the ticket stub attached in Jordyn's room. 1997 was the year for inter league play. Yes, I was there for the first game with the Mets that summer.

I have been to Opening Day every year since except for 2 (2005 and 2006). In '05 I screwed over by the guy I was sharing tickets with because it was the Red Sox and in 2006 I was in another state for work. For some reason though I remember 1998 Opening Day. They played the A's again. I was with Stacker and it was back and forth all game until the Yankees pulled away 17-13 to win the slug fest. I do not remember the year, but one year George Steinbrenner decided to go for a stroll around the stadium and I had the privilege of shaking his had and thanking him for giving us a winner.

In a 3 day stretch in 1998 I saw 2 amazing games for different reasons. On May 17th I was with my mother when David Wells pitched a perfect game. We had great seats right behind the 1st base dugout. Not a bad Mothers Day present. 2 days later in the upper deck I watched Bernie Williams nail an Armando Benetiz pitch that pissed off Benetiz so bad that he pegged Tino in the back with the first pitch. The players went nuts. Starwberry ran into the Orioles dugout and started swinging. Btw - the next pitch to Tim Raines was another Home Run.

1998 was my first world series game. Game 2 vs San Diego. Jeremy and I moved down the left field line for the end of the game. Ken Camaneti hit a foul ball right to us. Jeremy hit the ground like he was going for the last slice of pizza on earth. He came up with a scratched face and the ball of course.

It was not until 1999 for a Red Sox memory for me. It was a great one. The ALCS. Game 1. Bernie hits a walk off homer in the 10th off Rod Beck.

Unfortunately I missed out on 2000, so I have no Subway Series memories. We were living in CA at the time.

2001 was an interesting year for sure. And when it came to me visiting Yankee Stadium, there were plenty of lasting and magical images. Before I get to the games that were played, I want to mention the game that was not played. Monday, September 10, 2001. It was the last game of the year at the stadium vs the Red Sox. It was also opening night for the football Giants (at Denver). I debated going to the game to stay home and watch MNF. I chose the game. It got rained out. And we all know what happened about 8 hours later. The drama surrounding 9/11 made for great baseball comebacks at Yankee Stadium. After losing games 1 and 2 at home to the A's, the Yankees won 3 and 4 in Oakland leading to a my first game 5 or game 7 at the stadium.

The 2001 World Series was AMAZING. Again down 2-0 coming home from Arizona, Game 3 was the game where President Bush threw out the first pitch and the flag from Grand Zero flew from the flag pole. I was back two days later for Game 5 (with Joey T) and Scott Brosious hitting a game tying, 2 run home run in the 9th. For the first time ever I felt the stadium shake. It was swaying back and forth.

I felt that same feeling 2 years later. The "Aaron Boone Game". Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. The Yankees ghosts were present once again. Rally after rally. Starting pitchers as relievers. I was sitting in the the upper deck in left field (with Danielle). The ball flew by us in slow motion. And than the stadium rocked. Maybe not the best game ever, but no doubt the most satisfying game I was ever at.

The Yankees have not won anything since. But my memories have continued to grow. I have wasted no time in experiencing this place with my kids. Jordyn's first game was May 5, 2002. Max's first game was April 9, 2004. I made sure they got to at least one game this final year. We took the tour last December with the kids. Looking back at the pictures of the kids at the stadium over the past few years give me tears. I have been so blessed to be able to enjoy the stadium to the fullest. They do not even know it, but each them has had different players hand them baseballs before games. I can't wait until they are older and can appreciate the history. I can't wait to share these and many other stories about my time spent here. The All-Star Game, the 2 balls I caught (Mattingly HR and Jeter foul ball), the last ever game and my own day playing softball on the field at Yankee Stadium.

Even though he is no longer with me, my father will be with me for that last game. The following is a note I got from a friend of mine. It says it best and I will end this entry with it. "Your dad doesn't need a ticket to the game for you to know he will be there with you on Sunday night. Yankee Stadium is a cathedral where legends were born and dreams come true."