A double-header like no other…

OK, any jackass that knows me knows that I’m a die-hard New York Yankee fan.  Today, George M. Steinbrenner, principal owner of the Yankees passed away at 80.  Two days prior, long time public address announcer of the Yanks and the New York football Giants, Bob Sheppard, also died at 99.  We all knew both were in poor health, but even still, it’s the unexpected announcement of hearing the news that can catch you off-guard.

Let’s go in sequential order. 

Bob Sheppard was known as the voice of God. Even as a little kid, listening to the Yanks on my Sony transistor radio under my pillow on WABC with Phil Rizzuto and Bill White doing the play-by-play, you could always hear the announcements at the home games. 

“Now batting…number 23…Don…Mattingly…number 23…” 

Bob Sheppard was as much a part of Yankee Stadium lore as the legends on the field, and the dead ones watching overhead.  Even as a kid, it sounded like my grandfather was making the announcements…a nice, soothing, voice.  Dignified and proper.  I never met Bob Sheppard, but I can tell that he stood and walked as straight as an arrow.

It’s absolutely amazing that Bob Sheppard was the public address anouncer for so long, that he announced Joe DiMaggio as a player.  There’s all those stats that real journalists will spout off…the number of games he worked, the number of post-season games and World Series games…a whole lot of victories, and a whole lot of history.  He saw the good times, and the bad.  And he was the one constant.

When I was a kid, my first favorite station was 66 WNNNBC.  And back in the 80s, they had a jingle package called Nothing But Class.  And I can’t think of a better term for Bob Sheppard.  

—–

George Steinbrenner bought the Yanks from CBS the year I was born.  The team was on hard times, and was run into the ground.  His number one priority was to restore the winning tradition to a once-great franchise, no matter the cost.  He didn’t do this for himself; he did it for the fans.  Because without the fans, there’s be nobody to watch his team.  But it’s not about profit, because Steinbrenner did something that most owners didn’t do: he put the money back into the team.  It’s not that he was living like a pauper.  He did extremely well, turning a $10 million investment into a billion-dollar empire. 

And who can criticize Steinbrenner for doing what he did?  His desire to amass rings wasn’t so he could brag to the other owners.  (OK, maybe a little bit.)  It wasn’t to see if he could get more than Yogi. (He didn’t).  But it was his generosity to give back to the fans, his fans, the greatest fans in the world.  Steinbrenner made moves and trades and deals to constantly improve his team.  Granted some worked and others didn’t.  And while no manager or team could ever win all 162 regular season games, they all had the same goal.  Win the last game of the World Series.  And that they did seven times during his tenure as owner. 

Now there are the anecdotes of hastily made decisions like the love-hate relationship with Billy Martin as manager.  Or one of the infamous Seinfeld quotes, “How do you trade Jay Buhner???”  But the further away we got from that 1978 champion season, and even more, that World Series loss in 1981 to the Dodgers, the more desperate Steinbrenner got to find that silver bullet…that proverbial home run, that could hit home runs.  He wasn’t soley responsible for building that dynasty in the late 1990’s; Stick Michael was perhpas the most influential.  But the journey from the slim times in the late 80’s/early 90’s (anybody remember the first game of the doble-header where 12 people showed up?) to the Torre era took a long time, but it happened.  Which is why I can’t stand how other teams criticize the Yankees for their success.  They were drawing twelve fucking people at a game, and built it slowly but surely.  Hell, if the Rays can do it, I don’t want to hear any shit from Pittsburgh or Kansas City. It should be every team’s goal to win the World Series.  But if you’re not going to realistically field a World Series-caliber team, then what’s you plan to improve???  And why do fans support teams that aren’t committed to winning?  Profit and championships are not directly related.  But winning teams will bring in more money than you and I will ever see, so isn’t that enough?

Yet, I digress.  By the time I got out of college and sstarted buying partial season ticket plans, tickets were still easy to come by.  And from my vantage point in the upper deck, you could see the wings get filled up year after year.  And even after winning four World Series in five years, and then a little lull of not winning it all, the fans still drew.  Over four million in the last four years at the old Stadium.  It was those fans, those patrons, those customers, and those watching on TV at home, or listening to the radio while painting the house, or streaming video online…it’s those fans that Steinbrenner was serving.  He wanted to put out the best experience for his customers.  It’s basic business.

They talked about replacing the old Yankee Stadium back in the 80’s.  I remember feeling distraught…how can I root for a team that plays in Jersey?  (Can you tell I didn’t follow football as a kid?)  And while I originally thought they could renovate the old Stadium and add all the luxuries and conveniences of a modern ballpark, I realize that it would have been damn near impossible.  But the monument that was built across the street, the Stadium that George Steinbrenner built for his fans, is how he has shown his gratitude.  And for that I thank him for the House that George Built.  How fitting that it replaced the House that (George Herman) Ruth built.

—–

I can’t recall a time where two Yankee greats fell so close to one another.  It’s a sad day in the Yankee Universe.  And I’m sure there’s going to be new monuments in Monument Park shortly.  Two of the greatest forces in Yankee history have been silenced, but their legacy will live on for generations to come.

The real food comparison for New York/Philly bragging rights

Now while I’m a born-and-bred New Yorker, I’ve been in and around Philly pretty much since 1997.  While I used to hate the place when I first got down here, and left twice only to be pulled back in (hell, you go to where the jobs are), I’ve gotten used to the place.  It has its quirks, and some good qualities about it, but it’s no New York.  It’s no comparison. 

There’s a whole lot of shtick in the newspapers on how New York can try to improve cheesesteaks (My answer: they can’t.  If you want one, hope in your car or take a train ride.), or how Philly can improve pizza (My answer: again, they can’t.  It’s the local water that makes the dough perfect.).  And still, there’s two things down here that don’t improve the two locality’s mainstays, just something different: (cheese)steak as a topping on pizza is one thing I haven’t seen in New York, and it’s pretty fucking good.  And I’ve once had (down here) a shop that made a reuben cheesesteak.  Yes, corned beef on the griddle, chopped, with Swiss.  It’s not a cheesesteak by any stretch, but a good gutbuster.

So there’s no point in putting pizza and cheesesteaks head-to-head.  New York makes the best pizza, and I wouldn’t dare buy a cheesesteak outside a 25-mile radius of the Liberty Bell.  It’s comparing apples to oranges.  There needs to be an apples-to-apples comparison.  Hoagies vs. heroes?  They’re both sandwiches, and it’s just semantics.  Philadelphia cream cheese is something you put on New York bagels, and goes into New York cheesecake. 

There is one thing that both cities love, and can brag about: soft pretzels.  They’re quintiessential New York, and quintiessential Philly.  They’re the same, but different.

philly.com

The shape of the Philly pretzel is what throws the out-of-towners for a loop.  They look like soft pretzels, but were squished together.  I joke that they look like they didn’t have enough baking pans and too much dough, so they squished them together.  What they really resemble are Philly row-homes.  What happens is when you break them apart, the long edges don’t get a full dousing with lye, and don’t get the crust.  It’s not quite like when you pull the knot apart, and it’s all soft inside; it’s somewhere in between.  They’re usually sold in multiples, or you can buy the whole office a box of them.  And now chains of pretzel bakeries are springing up all over Philly and the surrounding burbs.

Now the New York pretzel is very New York.  They have a traditional pretzel shape, and are BIG, just like everything in New York.  Where are they made?  It’s none of your business.  How long ago?  Why are you asking so many questions.  But what makes them good is them they’re heated on a street cart over charcoal.  They take on a little of that lighter fluid and Kingsford flavor…a little bit disgusting when you put it in black-and-white, but it’s that warmth that gives it that little extra umph.  You can find them at your favorite dirty-water-dog street vendor.  So, life’s full of risks, and who knows when’s the last time that guy washed his hands, but hey, it’s New York!

Found on Dreamer7112's flickr

Oh, I’m really scared! Your hurt my feelings! As IF!!!

Well, in case you’ve been living under a rock (and according to a former classmate on facebook, she has been), the New York Yankees are playing the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.  Now if anybody knows me, I’m a die-hard Yankees fan.  I’ve been through the good and the bad.  I’ve been to probably 100 games at the old Stadium.  I watch just about every game on TV, or catch it on the radio.  When it comes to baseball, I’m no bandwagon fan.  I can’t say the same about hockey or football, but that’s not the point here. 

Anybody who knows me knows there’s hardly a time I don’t wear a ball cap.  More often than not, it a Yankee cap.  Each year, because I’m a superstitious asshole, I buy a new one and wear it the entire season.  This year it’s a white one commemorating the inaugural season in the new Stadium.  I got it in April, and have worn it every day since.  Pay attention…this is important. 

In addition to the hats, I have a pile of Yankee t-shirts.  I own a couple jerseys.  Oh, and the pictures on the wall.  And the flag outside.  And a couple of jackets.   My wife got me a real nice Yankee jacket.  It’s the same one the team wears in the dugout.  And now that fall has finally come around, and it’s a little chilly in the morning, I’ve been wearing it for about three weeks now.  In addition to the same hat I’ve been wearing since April. 

Picture this with a Philadelphia background, and you get my drift.

Now I take the train in every day from the suburbs into Center City Philadelphia.  As I strive to be on time to work, and as a creature of habit, I take the same trains, sit in the same cars, and essentially run into the same people.  But now that the Yanks are playing the Phils in the World Series, they’re approaching me, and telling me how brave I am for wearing a Yankee jacket in Philadelphia.  Brave?  BRAVE???  Brave is running into a burning building.  Brave fighting in Iraq.  Brave would be wearing a klan robe in North Philly.  But I’m wearing a fucking Yankee jacket!!! Do these people really think that there’s a 90% chance that the crowd would beat the shit out of me if I actually went to Citizens Bank Park?  Are Philly fans really that dumb?

Do you really want me to answer that question?

 I’ve spent over five years in Boston back before they broke the so-called Curse of the Bambino, and in all that time, I’ve taken my fair share of heckling both inside and out of Fenway Park.  I’ve gotten in heated exchanges, but it’s never gotten into fisticuffs.  Good for me for knowing where to draw the line.  But I’ve been in situations, seen the line drawn, and know where to zip it if necessary.  Again, I still have a pretty face. 

Bottom line, the Philly fans still don’t know how to heckle.  While Sox fans will yell at you from across the street that “Yankees suck”, the only thing Phillies fans know how to do is mutter “Phil-ees!”  This is also the same crowd where the largest word they know how to spell is Eagles, but again, another topic for another time. I guess all these years playing in the National League with the Mets hasn’t prepared Phillies fans for a good verbal heckle.  (Damn, I never did write about my trip to Shitty Field!  I should get on that in the next couple of months!) 

Bottom line, Sox fans will tell you to your face that you suck, while Phils fans will just be obnoxious, but without the personal attack.  I guess there is some truth to the slogan “City of Brotherly Love”.

Reason 8,475,232,997 to hate Walmart

I don’t shop at Walmart.  My number one reason has nothing to do with how they treat labor, how they ruin small towns, or anything like that.  It’s rather quite simple: there is no Walmart near me.  In the vast suburbs of northern tax-free Delaware, Walmart is nowhere near where I live or where I shop. 

Walmart has a culture of low-prices, but they’re only pennies less than Target for any item.  It’s not worth the extra gas I’d spend to schlep all the way there.  But the other reason is that even if it’s the nicest Walmart in the country, it’s still a Walmart.  I don’t know how things are in other parts of the country (if I’m traveling from state to state, it’s to visit ballparks, not Walmarts), but Walmarts up here are cluttered and unorganized, have long checkout lines, and have a certain skeevy factor about them.  I’m sure I’m just stating the obvious, as there are countless blogs that go into this ad nauseum. 

Like www.peopleofwalmart.com.  This blog is hilarious.  It chronicles the “characters” that shop at Walmarts across the country.  Do a google search, and there isn’t a people-of-target dot-com.  And I don’t know what it is about Walmart, but it just attracts people like this, even up here.  You can imply some of these people live in trailers, or as we like to say in Delaware “manufactured housing”, but I’m sure some like in shacks, hobbles, caves, etc.  OK, but for a gem like this one, there’s always a story like this one to counter it.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/arizona-couple-suing-bathtime-photos-prompt-wal-mart/Story?id=8624533&page=3

So this couple has some pictures they want to develop.  OK, probably digital images, but who’s arguing semantics here?  Oh, that’s right, me.  So they have the obligatory pictures of their cute kids in the bathtub, you know, the ones all junior-high kids fear their parents will blow up to poster-sized and put on display at a school assembly, or simply whip them out when they meet the boyfriend/girlfriend before the first date.  Yes kids, we really do this for this sole purpose.  But it’s NOT to swap them creepy people on the internet who have to register with the local governments and are not allowed to give out candy at Halloween. 

Now I could insert a punchline about living in Arizona, or how Conservatives are ruining the country, or even how hippies are letting their kids run around the house nekkid.  But I think that in today’s society that awards fifth-place trophies and is hyper-letigious (I still think they should sue the BALLS off Walmart), I think the lesson learned here is to invest the money in a photo printer.

Hi, my name is Chris, and apparently, I’m a child pornographer…

Is it the mid-life crisis?

Ever since the days of  forced phys. ed. classes back in high school, I’ve slowly gained weight.  Lots of beer in college put on a few pounds, as did a long career as a desk jockey.  I’m not sure what finally was the kick in the ass, but I decided to finally get off mine and do something about it.  Nothing too drastic.  No fad diets.  Just cutting down on the junk, eating smaller portions, etc.  But what really got the pounds to drop was actual physical exertion.  Go figure. 

Instead of making the most of my Septa trailpass (taking the bus or subway the last few blocks to work), I decided to walk from Market East Station.  A few weeks later, I started walking from Suburban Station.  Now 30th Street.  It’s a nice 25-block, two-mile walk in the morning.  It’s a habit now. 

Then I started jogging in the morning when I have time.  A mile or two in the neighborhood, around the blocks, up and down the hills.  And by jog I mean run.  8 minute miles.  I don’t know how to relax. 

Needless to say, I’m down about 20-25 pounds.  And my pants are loose.  My belts on the last hole don’t do much to keep them up. Worse yet, my cargo shorts are loose.  Really loose.  I was pushing my daughter on the swings the other day, and my shorts were so low, my boxers were hanging out a couple of inches.  I’m not trying to dress like a teenager.  Really, I’m not. 

Back in March, I wore a different Yankee cap every day without repeating, and chronicled it on facebook.  Anybody who knows me knows I wear one all the time.  People may think I’m balding, since I wear one all the time, but I’m not.  As one could assume, I have “good” ones and “bad” ones.  Some have been relegated to yard work, and now, my morning runs. 

My go-to is a faded and paint-splattered Twins Enterprises fitted slouch cap, size medium.  It’s probably more than 10 years old, and has countless road-trip miles.  The great thing about it is that I can sweat in it like an animal, and then throw it in the wash.  It comes out clean and smelling great, ready for more abuse.  But now that it’s nice and broken in, it’s starting to show it’s age…the fabric on the edge of the brim is starting to go.  Oh, the horror.  And it’s in my line of vision, and driving me nuts.

You can tell the generational difference that I’m 35 and still bend my rims, and the young kids keep them flat.  But what drives me insane are the hats that you can buy stained, faded, and frayed – RIGHT OFF THE FUCKING SHELF!!!  This hat took YEARS of hard work to look this way.  Those whippersnappers don’t appreciate an honest day’s work…

Who’s going to build excitement now?

So General Motors in their never-ending quest to run their company into the ground, has decided to kill off Pontiac.  Yeah, kill off the brand that’s supposed to be exciting and fun and youthful and performance-driven.  I can understand that Olds was boring, but Pontiac? 

Granted like all brands, there were some models that puzzled me.  Why does one brand have to be one thing for everybody?  The Trans Sprot mini-van.  There’s nothing sporty or performance about one.  The Torrent.  It’s the same thing as the Equinox, and while that’s a peppy vehicle, it’s a truck. 

GM is hanging their hat on the new Camaro.  So kill off Pontiac and any chances of bringing back the Firebird or Trans AM?

Pontiac finally dropped the plastic glue-on pieces and started designing clean models.  But what is a G4, G5, or G6.  Dont’ bullshit a bullshit artist.  It’s not a ‘69 GTO.  Can somebody please explain to me what the hell an Aztec is?  And they were able to correct one of the biggest mockeries of the auto industry, the Fiero.  That Solstice roadster is one cute little vehicle. 

And in this economy, why is going to buy a two-seat roadster?  Even though they’re not that expensive, it’s not something you pile the family into.  So basically it’s a luxury, and it’s no surprise that sales have plumeted.  And that’s no good news for the workers that build them at the GM plant in Wilmington, DE.  They’ve been put on notice that there is no model that plant after 2010. 

And while politicians are clammoring to keep the good-paying, blue-collar jobs here in Delaware, the writing has been on the walls for quite some time.  Forget that the domestic auto industry is shrinking, it’s been leaving the east coast in droves in order to tighten up their supply chain.  They want to be closer to their suppliers, and there is an extra cost in moving parts (and finished cars) over a greater distance.  GM in Wilmington is the only auto plant left on the East Coast.  GM closed in Linden, NJ where they built SUV’s.  Ford closed in Edision, NJ, where I used to see the Ranger pickups roll off the line as I drove past the place to and from work.  GM closed the Trenton, NJ Delphi parts plant over a decade ago.  GM in Baltimore?  Gone.  And most recently, Chrysler shuttered their Newark, DE plant. 

So why are the employees shocked at GM Wilmington that they’re on borrowed time?  I don’t want to see prople lose their jobs, and the assorted shit that follows, but if the writing is on the wall, and you can see the hammer coming down, wouldn’t you be doing something about it other than sit there and hope for a miracle?  I think the new symbol of the UAW is an ostrich with its head in the sand, becuase clearly that’s what they are.

This is why people don’t take you seriously.

One of my guilty pleasures is listening to the synth-pop dulce tones of the Pet Shop Boys on my ipod.  Their tenth studio album, Yes, is being released in the US today.  Most people don’t realize that they did much after their 80’s hits heyday.  They were nominated for a Best Dance Recording Grammy in 2007 for “I’m With Stupid.”  (They lost to Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack”.)  So while they’re not in the forefront of US pop culture, they’re still popular on the dance scene and overseas. 

While they may never be as popular here in the US as they were in their “West End Girls” days, I’d say it’s safe to say they’re making a decent living.  So when PETA came in and asked them to change their name of over 25 years from Pet Shop Boys to Rescue Shelter Boys, they lost all credibility with me.  If this was such an important issue for them, they would have spoken up sooner, say at the height of the Pet Shop Boys’ popularity?  It only further enhances PETA’s image as a fringe group desperate for attention that people just don’t take seriously.  Now I don’t advocate beating your dog like Michael Vick, but PETA coming in now is only a desperate cry for attention.  At this point, the band’s name is a household name, even if most know of them as a one-hit-wonder of sorts. 

Every time PETA does one of these publicity stunts, they only further their image as a bunch of screwballs.  While most people in the US don’t necessarily agree with its Vegan position, PETA doesn’t help their cause when they make stupid statements like this.  And they won’t be taken seriously if they continue to do so.

The House that Steinbrenner Built

The one thing about being a Yankee fan is that there is never a lack of drama.  There’s always stories in the tabloids about some off-field antics.  Some years, it’s better to follow them than to follow the team.  I lived through the 80s.  And during the lean times, George Steinbrenner wanted to get out of the Bronx in the worst way.  He threatened to move the team to Jersey.  NEW FUCKING JERSEY???  I figured I’d have to pick some other team to follow than to root for a team that played in Jersey. 

Then came the 90s, they win a few World Series, and now that they’re the hot team in town, they wanted to leave the Bronx.  This time for midtown Manhattan…the cursed West Side Yards.  I call it a cursed site, since they’ve been talking about building anything and everything on that site, and nothing has been built.  Back in the 70s, Sears wanted to build their tower there rather than Chicago.  The Jets were promised it a few years ago, but were cock-blocked by Cablevision, which will try to build a new Madision Square Garden on the site.  We’ll see…

Bottom line, the Yanks have been talking about leaving the Bronx for over 20 years now by my count.  Then they said they would build a new stadium across the street.  Again, I said I’d believe it when I see it.  Boy, did I see it. 

I was able to get tickets to the first exhibition game at the new Yankee Stadium against the Cubs on April 3.  I’m still walking on air.  The place has by and far exceeded all fan’s expectations.  It is a combination of the old (pre-70s-renovation) Yankee Stadium, and a brand new futuristic ballpark.  I think the Yanks started to get the itch when they built their Legends Field spring training facility in Tampa.  They brought back the frieze along the top of the stadium there, and being flush with cash coming off a few World Series and record-breaking attendance, they couldn’t have picked a better time to do so.

The subway is the only way to get to Yankee Stadium, as driving and parking there is an absolute nightmare.  We took the 4 train, which is my preferred subway to get there.  It pops above ground just before the old Stadium, and the small gap in the old stadium gave you a glimpse inside.  The field is gone, and it’s just dirt in there.  Weird.

But right across the street where McComb’s Dam Park used to sit, now stands a new Stadium so big, so new, so over-the-top amazing, you almost feel bad that you turn your back, literally, to enter the new Stadium.  You get the feeling how people felt back in 1923 when the showed up to the old Stadium and found a brand new imposing venue, the first to be worthy of the designation “Stadium.” 

When Derek Jeter gave his speech after the last game at the old Stadium, he said we should bring the old memories across the street, where we’ll have new memories.  While the game itself wasn’t all that memorable, walking into the new Stadium sure was.  Not only is everying shiny and new, it seems that architects finally combined the retro concept and the modern concept.  From the friese along the roof to the Monument Park in centerfield, there is no doubt you’re in Yankee Stadium.  And with a nod to all the history and the pictures and banners in the Great Hall and the concourses, there is a modern feel to the venue, as the place is dripping with technology, be it HD televisions (all 1100+ of them), or the ribbon boars, or the largest true HD jumbotron in the world. 

When you enter the Stadium, you quickly find yourself in the Great Hall, the outer ground-level mezzanine.  The lights and banners and animation and inside jumbotron are so overwhelming, you feel like you’re a kid again, in a giddy haze wandering about, not paying attention, walking into other people’s pictures.

Great Hall

Reggie Jackson talks to Lou Pinella prior to the game.

Can you tell the difference between the old and new Stadiums?

Here’s the bottom line.  While it’s a completely new place, sitting at my seat, I got this eerie familiar feeling that I’ve been here before, even though it was the every first game played there.  It’s no doubt Yankee Stadium.  But even though it’s a brand new place, it has a very familiar feel about it.  And while I was glad to be able to drag my infant daughter to the old Stadium, I can’t wait to bring her to the new one.  And like Jeter said, create new memories…