REMEMBERING 9-11: WHY IT'S STILL FRESH

I still remember it, clear in my mind although some of the minor details have started to fade. It was a Tuesday. The weather was warm. The sky was a bright shade of blue with very sparse clouds. It was a gorgeous late summer day. I drove the hour-plus to my job at TV job in Connecticut, like I did every day. I arrived around 7am and was enjoying a quiet morning. I worked in Master Control, a room filled with lots of monitors and different television channels. I was sitting a desk off to the side, away from everything, sipping a cup of coffee, checking emails, and updating some log sheets. My coworker Anthony always liked to watch the last hour of Good Morning America, followed by Regis & Kathy Lee. Everything was normal....

At some point I remember him saying, “Hey come look at this”. I walked over and ABC had started talking about a small Cessna that had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York (We later learned it was a large 747). The only initial pictures were from a static camera on top of the Empire State Building. As the next 20 minutes progressed other camera angles had been established and our own channel had begun to cover the events in New York City. I remember a lot of speculation and confusion about what was transpiring. At some point I called my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) and tried to explain to her what was going on. She didn’t have a television at her job. I remember thinking I'd never seen anything like it before – nobody had.

As the time approached 9am, Tony & I were watching multiple monitors with different coverage, all with the same, tight, angled shot that had both towers in it, one with smoke billowing from it. Then Bam - a 747 flew right into the other tower in clear view; broadcast around the world on live television.

At some point later in the morning I decided to walk over to the newsroom to see if I could do anything to help out. I sat down on the corner of a desk and this guy Will came over, sat next to me and bluntly said, “Some shit, huh?” I looked at him, shook my head, looked back to monitors on the wall, just to see the first tower drop out of camera view, buckling under its own weight. Right then everything seemed to slow down for me. It was like one of those scenes from the movies where everything around the main character is swirling around them in a blur.

The day went on very solemnly. Everyone did their jobs, really only talking when necessary. It was very strange being as far away as we were (about 40 miles) yet it felt like it was my backyard. I remember driving home that day, listening to an afternoon talk show that was about as serious as it gets. People were calling in talking about what floor of the towers they worked on and how they escaped or why they weren’t at work that day.

During the day the FAA ground all commercial flights in the US and my house was near an airport. Later that night I remember standing outside taking in the cool night air, trying to come to grips with what had happened earlier in the day and realizing how eerie it was to not hear anything overhead. Its one of those noises you don’t even realize you hear until its not there anymore.

In the days following I remember feeling some anger, but mostly a sense of pride and patriotism as those little annoying things people do, didn’t really seem to matter. We were all Americans and we all were feeling the same way. People were more courteous, kinder, dare I say - less self-absorbed.

MLB and the NFL both took a week off and rightly so. With so much going on, it wasn’t a time for playing games. Although as the days passed, Baseball was something I looked for… a distraction; some normalcy. When it was time to return the Yanks were on the road. However, the Mets were home.I remember a very touching pre-game ceremony. A bunch of surviving first responders were on the field. The Mets also had a replica skyline above their scoreboard and it was lit up at night. On this night, everything was illuminated up except the Twin Towers. Touchingly a red, white, and blue ribbon had been placed over the darkened section of the skyline. Even today, that image still sticks with me.

The following Sunday, before the Yanks returned home, the Stadium hosted a memorial service for the souls lost on that fateful day. Watching the families of those who died, gathered in the Grand Cathedral of Baseball, surrounded by the ghosts of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Thurman Munson, celebrating life and the spirit and resolve of New Yorkers… I can’t think of a more fitting place.

-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer
bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com




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WHAT IS A YANKEE GROUPIE? PART 2

THE MALE FAN



Groupie: enthusiastic fan: an enthusiastic fan or supporter of something.

A lot of positive response from BYB fans and Yankee fans alike who got a kick out of Christy Lee’s piece titled WHAT IS A YANKEE GROUPIE? THE FEMALE FAN from last week. Many asked though, why is it only targeting the women? Let’s be honest, everything Christy laid out is true, many women fall into these 3 categories… The Diva, the Cougar, the SuperFan, but the reality is, men have their own titles and categories. Us Yankee fans are a large community with all different personalities and that’s what makes us great. We’re like the Smurfs, except there are a ton of Smurfettes that want Derek Jeter to themselves. So while there are a ton of Yankee women who fall into say the "Cougar" category at the stadium, men have titles too:

"The Frat Boy": This guy usually stays until the last inning but doesn’t watch a moment of the game. He’s usually starts off wearing his Giambi or Munson jersey, not buttoned, and by the end of the night, it's off. He usually has his hat on backwards and that's usually missing or in his back pocket late in the game too. He walks around the stadium all game razzing non-Yankee fans and getting true Yankee fans pumped. He’s the guy that shouts down attractive rival female fans, but the reality is, he wants to bang them and in his intoxicated mind, he thinks his shouting is flirting with those ladies. Fans with kids at the game usually want to hide their kids from this guy, but they end up letting them watch the comedy unfold. Cops will approach these characters at least once if not more, but because they're Yankee fans, they are usually just told to tone it down. The frat boy usually has a seat but never sits in it, he’s just constantly drinking his $10 beer, walking around and yelling “Let’s go Yankees!” They’re alittle embarrassing, yet a staple in the Stadium and it wouldn’t be the same if they weren’t there.

"The Possum": This is the fan that wants to be "The Frat Boy" so badly, but will instead wear his perfect Yankee cap and talk trash about the crappy opposing teams fans to his friends, but won't razz the same fans he's bitching about because he doesn't want any trouble. Quite simply, he's really there to enjoy the game, but is a wanna be tough guy. He also will have a collared shirt under his nicely pressed pinstriped jersey, usually wearing Mussina or Pettitte.

"The Sign Guy": This fan is always at the stadium and comes equipped with a sharpie and poster paper and always has the American Flag for the 7^th inning that he drapes over 15 fans and shares holding it with a Yankee fan he never met before in his life. It doesn’t matter, they’re both there for the same thing, they’re looking for a Yankee win. He’s the guy that comes up with creative ways to get on camera, making signs that say “I play the Michael Kay drinking game” or uses the Captain from Capt. Crunch cereal as the “K” for when CC pitches. He's the guy that would quickly make a sign that reads "Pedroia, say hello to your mother for me" if his original sign with Ortiz's name didn't apply because of a last minute scratch from the lineup. Bottom line, it's all about topical signage at the stadium for this guy, and he's great at it.

"The Nerd": Yeah, every game has one, the guy who has the radio earplug in his ear, his faded Yankee cap from the 70’s and a stat book keeping track of the game and listening to the radio play by play at a live sporting event. You really have to respect it because there have been times where if the crowd get’s too loud, he will literally turn to the crowd and "shhhhhh" them like they're in a library. It’s always a bizarre scene, but without these guys at the game, it isn’t really a game now, is it?

Let’s Go Yankees!



NOTE: The photos used in this post were not the actual Groupies described... just die hard Yankee fans.



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WHAT I'D DO WITH THE JETER BALL... I THINK

(Photo: New York Times)
2 of my friends asked me what I’d do with the Jeter baseball if I caught it. I looked at them and said I’d return it. Immediately, I was attacked with their own valid points, but the big point was money. For those few moments, I felt like an idiot. The more I thought about it, there would be nothing better than to make a few extra bucks for my kids college or hell, a really nice vacation. So, needless to say, I was confused. But then I thought about it more and I stuck with my gut; If I actually had the ball in my hands, it would be about the game, not greed.

I'm a baseball fanatic and you’ve heard me say that dozens of times on BYB. I love Cooperstown, the different ballparks, the players and the history. I love everything about it. Over the many years that I've been a fan, there is always something that has tarnished or stopped the game for fans for a short amount of time. Fans eventually come back, but then history repeats itself and it happens again.

For me, it all started with the loss of Thurman Munson. His death was a shot in the heart of every baseball fan. Baseball stopped. Then, we all came together on the Nationally televised "Munson game" when Bobby Murcer won the game for Thurman and his family by hitting a home run.

In the 80's, I watched Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader beat Ty Cobb to become number 1. Then suddenly, we watched Rose be banned from the game for life because he bet on his own team. Baseball finally got back to normal and then came the 1994 baseball strike. All the fans walked away from the game this time and it took a while to get the fans back, but we came back only to be disappointed by the steroids scandal. Luckily, the true baseball fans stick around through the tragedies of the game, but that brings me back to today.

My knee jerk reaction would be to give Derek Jeter’s 3000^th hit ball back to Derek Jeter asking for nothing in return. I’d like to think I’d do that, only to be celebrated with gifts from the New York Yankees, Jeter himself, Steiner sports, thanks from the fans, hell, maybe the Mayor would give me the key to the city. Then, at least at that point I’d have my own piece of history in Yankeeland and my name would be Gold in the Bronx. Hell, with whatever memorabilia I received, I could probably make a profit on ebay any way, or just keep it for myself or for my sons. Believe me, I'd be OK.

Then again I thought to myself , "If I really had the ball, would I be that kind? Would greed take over? Would I negotiate a ridiculous price and act like a total prick only to be hated by fans and Major League baseball alike?" Think about it, I would in fact have the control. I could ask for a high price because I would be the only one with the ball. I could ask for enough money to put my kids through school or buy front row seats at the stadium for quite a while. But I would also be criticized, abused and probably be branded an A-hole by the game I love the most.

When push comes to shove, I believe in karma and I believe in Yankee history. Not that I would expect good things to follow, but I would hope that doing the right thing, returning the ball as to not tarnish baseball history, would eventually get me something in return, Thanks. Thanks from the fans for not blowing it like Pete Rose did or the Steroid offenders did, but rather keep the game entact and at the same time having my moment. I think that’s what I’d do, because I love the game, plain and simple.

Back in 1961 Roger Maris didn’t want his ball back from the guy who caught his 61^st home run. Instead, Maris told Sal Durante to try to get some money for it. Now, Jeter could have done that I guess, but he didn’t. You can’t blame Jeter or call him selfish though. You have to understand something; Roger Maris probably didn’t want that 1961 baseball. While it was a huge accomplishment, he was stressed to the max that year; his hair fell out, he was abused by the fans because they didn't want Babe Ruth's record broken. Even looking at that ball would probably have brought back memories of a grouling season. Derek Jeter accomplished something in Yankee history that no Yankee ever did ever, but it’s a different ball with different memories attached to it. To Derek, it's a career, not a stressful season. Put yourself in Jeet’s shoes, you’d want it too. Jeter did the right thing, he gave Christian Lopez memorabilia, jerseys, a photo op, a handshake and thanks. Plus, you have to realize in this day and age, baseball is a bigger business than ever. Every pebble of dirt, base, bat and God knows what else is about to be sliced up and sold as the "Official game" materials that were at the 3000^th hit game. This isn’t 1961, this is big business.

To me, at the end of the day, I think that baseball goes on Jeter’s shelf for a bit, then to Cooperstown and is displayed for the world to see whenever they want to see it and to me, if I was the one who caught it, I’d be thrilled by that. I could go up to Cooperstown, probably with a free pass, walk up to the display and look at the exhibit. In it would be a set of Jeter’s cleats, maybe his jersey, the baseball and a description that reads, "This ball was caught by Casey of BYB. He caught it and gave it back to Derek Jeter... not for greed, but to preserve the game of baseball.”

That’s how I see it anyway.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ROY WHITE

There are so many New York Yankees that are known to being exceptionally kind people. Roy White is one of them and with all the great stars in baseball, people tend to forget Mr. White, but I don't and I never have. He is known as one of the most motivated and friendly Yankees ever and he never turns down his fans. Luckily for us at Bleeding Yankee Blue, we were able to get an interview with him courtesy of Jason Zweig and Doug Drotman of Drotman Communications. Thanks guys.

I have always respected Roy White and I feel like he's always there to either guide the players as a coach, take pictures with the fans or even be a spokesperson for important causes. The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and the Runyon 5K Run are important causes to me because people very close to me have been affected by cancer. We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue found it super important to bring this cause to your attention and if you are interested, please click on Runyon 5k Run and register. The event takes place at Yankee Stadium on August 7th and Roy White is the official starter for the run. Be sure to check it out.

And now we bring you... Mr. Roy White.

BYB: You made your Yankees debut in 1965. Describe the feeling of your first at bat as a New York Yankee.

Roy White: It came in the first game of a double header against a guy named McNally. I was extremely nervous because there were 35,000 people watching me and we never had more than 4 or 5,000 in the minors. I remember I was just shaking in my uniform but I ended up hitting a line drive up the middle for a base hit.

BYB: You were part of 2 championship teams in 1977 and 1978, plus you won the AL pennant in 1976. Was it clear to you looking back that you had a team that could win it all and why?

Roy White: After 1976 it was clear to us. We weren’t prepared for that first series with the Reds; we ended up getting swept 4-0. We came into that series with only one days rest and mentally we weren’t ready. The next year we were all very anxious because we knew we had a very good team plus we added Reggie and Bucky.

BYB: If you only had to chose just 1 player, which New York Yankee player did you consider yourself closest to during your time on the Yankees in the 1970’s and why?

Roy White: I would have to divide that into two parts. First was a guy named Horace Clarke. We were roommates and we both played second base but he was traded in 1975. After that I would say it was Thurman Munson. His locker was next to mine and we talked a lot and shared a lot of dinners together.”

(In Photo: Horace Clarke)

BYB: You made the All-Star team in 1969 and 1970. Clearly that is a game the most talented get chosen to play. What was it like when you found out you had been chosen?

Roy White: It was unbelievable. I thought that I had no shot because fans didn’t vote back then it was up to the players and managers. Mayo Smith who was the manager of the Detroit Tigers at the time picked me. Being on the same field as guys like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Al Kaline, and Frank Robinson is a position I never thought that I would be in.

BYB: What was it like playing for Billy Martin?

Roy White: Very exciting. He was unpredictable so you always had to be on your toes. He let us play a very wide-open type of baseball. He let us steal a lot of bases and run a lot more so we had a lot of freedom.

BYB: What is your fondest memory as a New York Yankee?

Roy White: I would say getting to our first World Series. When Chris Chambliss hit that home run to put us on top against the Royals and into the World Series was something I will never forget.

BYB: You were the first base and outfield coach for Joe Torre’s 2004-2005 teams. What was it like to work with such a talented manager like Joe Torre?

Roy White: Great because he let you do your job. He let you be responsible and didn’t run the whole show and he would ask your input on certain things. There was no better manager to work for.

BYB: A lot of people don’t know that you played baseball in Japan. Describe going from an American Dynasty like the New York Yankees, to then playing for a Japanese Dynasty like the Yomiuri Giants?

Roy White: The whole experience was eye opening. The Tokyo Giants were bigger and the whole country loved them. Not everyone in America likes the Yankees. I couldn’t believe how many fans they had.

BYB: Tell me about the Roy White Foundation and the Roy White All-Stars?

Roy White: The Roy White Foundation was created to provide students with financial assistance for college. Books and baseball was kind of our slogan because I read a lot and reading was very important to me. We would pay the textbook cost for the first two semesters for students.

BYB: You will be serving as the Official Starter for the Runyon 5K Run at Yankee Stadium on August 7th. This cause is to raise money for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. How did you become apart of it and why is it important that people turnout to this event?

Roy White: It came through Marty Appel and he asked me to do it. It is a great cause because everyone has someone close to them who has been affected. It is a great event they put on at Yankee Stadium so it was a win, win and a no brainer. For more information, check out the website http://www.damonrunyon.org/yankeestadium.

Again, you can register or even donate, but make sure you check it out. Mr. White, you are a stand up guy and we appreciate you so much here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. Much respect sir, Thank you.

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WHY CONSTANTINO WAS CONSISTENT

One of the saddest days, (Thurman Munson’s death will always be the saddest), for me as a Yankee fan took place after the 1995 season. My childhood hero, Donald Arthur Mattingly decided that the back pain was never going to get better and his family was calling him to come home. When Mattingly retired I couldn’t imagine the Yankees without him.

I couldn’t imagine how they could ever replace his Gold Glove at 1^st base and his leadership both on and off the field. The man was a true hero to me and millions of Yankee fans around the world. In fact, I loved Donnie Baseball so much I remember actually being angry thinking that the Yankees were even going to try and replace him. I already had anger toward the guy taking over first and I didn’t even know who it was going to be!

And then it happened! In a trade with the Seattle Mariners after the 1995 season, the Yankees traded Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock for Jeff Nelson, Jim Mecir and, of course, Constantino “Tino” Martinez. Now, this was the same Mariners team who broke my heart just months before in the 1995 ALDS. The ALDS that ended Mattingly’s career. Man I was pissed! Why him? Anyone but him! No one could replace the great Yankee Captain!

But then something happened. Tino was cool! Tino was humble! And Tino could really hit and drive in runs! You could just tell he was a special player and was going to be a very special Yankee! Tino did not make me forget about Donnie Baseball by any means, but what he did do for Mattingly fans like myself is handle the transition with grace and humility. Tino knew he was filling big shoes but he didn’t try and duplicate Mattingly, he just played hard and let his numbers do the talking. He won my respect and I was rooting for him every step of the way.

So let’s take a look at Tino’s career in pinstripes. In the seven regular seasons that Tino played for the Yankees he had… .276 AVG. / 192 HR’s / 739 RBI’s. Those RBI numbers are amazing! Think about this…Tino played 16 season in MLB, 7 of those years with the Yankees. In his 7 years with the Yankees he had 739 RBI, in his 9 non-Yankee years he had a total of 532 RBI’s. And of his 339 care home runs, 192 were hit in those 7 seasons in pinstripes, meaning in 9 non-Yankee seasons he hit 147 HR’s. Talking about making the most of your time wearing the pinstripes!!!



Now postseason. Just another Yankee player who was part of that incredible run between 1996-2001. Tino’s postseason numbers don’t jump off the page when you look at them, but they certainly aren’t numbers he should be ashamed of. Here are his numbers in 99 postseason games: 9 HR’s and 38 RBI -- with only a .233 AVG. You know, I really don’t believe that low batting average fairly reflects the clutch hits he often got. Two of those, hits/hr’s/rbi’s are two of the most memorable in recent Yankee history, both of which were in the World Series:



#2 -- Game 1 of the 1998 World Series. Tino takes Mark Langston deep for an amazing grand slam! Remember, Mark Langston was one of the toughest lefties in all of MLB. Even though it was just the first game of the World Series against the Padres, I really think Tino’s grand slam took the heart out of the Padres and it was game, set match!



#1 -- Game 4 of the 2001 World Series -- Martinez HR in the 9th sets the stage for Jeter's "Mr. November" game-winner. With two outs in the 9th inning and the Yankees trailing by two runs, Martinez came to the plate with a runner on and hit one of the most dramatic World Series home runs. The stadium was ROCKING!!!

So Tino, thank you for all you did for the Yankees and their fans. It was so great seeing you again on Old Timer’s Day. It was even btter seeing that sweet home run stroke! You belong on that field. You are a true Yankee and deserve the ovation you got. Welcome home!



Some cool facts about Tino:

• Tino was a 2x All-Star selection (1995, 1997)

• Was part of all 4 of the Yankees WS Titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000

• He won the Silver Slugger Award in 1997

• Was the 1997 Home Run Derby champion

• Was a member of the 1988 U.S. Team that won the Gold in Seoul

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer

Twitter:@MikeyBlu23







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