A Birthday Wish

This season I have partnered with TiqIQ to bring you '81 days in 203'. a series of articles breaking down the life of a super fan. '81 days in 203' articles will be featured on various Yankees blogs within the TiqIQ network of blogs and will be posted throughout the 2013 season. They now offer tickets directly from the Yankees ticket exchange, the official resale marketplace of the New York Yankees.




Let me start this post by saying that I'm not a fan of Birthdays.

Unless you are like, ten years old, you should not be making a big deal about the day you came into this world (notable exceptions for the 18th and 21st, but that's about it). 30 isn't really a milestone, and 40 is the new 30. If you clock in at 50, go ahead, you deserve to celebrate.

And don't get me started on the people who insist on having "birthday weeks" or taking the day off from work on their Birthday!

But I digress.....

The point is, I'm not really into making a big deal about Birthdays, especially my own. However this year, my birthday falls the day before the final Regular Season home game of the year (September 25th) and I think I have an opportunity to actually make myself happy on my birthday.....

Therefore, I am declaring the September 25th game against the Rays to be #BanTheWave Night at The Stadium

It's pretty well known how much I despise The Wave, so I thought that maybe for ONE DAY this year, The Stadium could go Wave Free. I know it's a tall task, but if I get the word out early enough, I think we could succeed!

Of course, you can't have a promotional night without some sort of promotion. So, I've ordered 500 #BanTheWave buttons that we'll be giving out all night long at Bald Vinny's House of Tees to help spread our message (there might be another huge surprise in store as well!)

This would also be the perfect time (hint, hint) to sport the brand new #BanTheWave tee and, if you order before September 15th, the shirt SHIPS FREE! (Happy Birthday to YOU!)

So, please spread the word to anyone you know going to the game on September 25th. I know Section 203 has The Wave shut-down, but we're going to need plenty of sleeper cells in the other sections to make sure The Wave STOPS Here!

Thank you in advance for helping stomp out this terrible epidemic. With your support, we can be sure The Wave ends once and for all!

If you need tickets to the 9/25 game, my buddies at TiqIq have you covered. Check out the available tickets here. 

Matt Fortese/Stand For the Silent

This season I have partnered with TiqIQ to bring you '81 days in 203'. a series of articles breaking down the life of a super fan. '81 days in 203' articles will be featured on various Yankees blogs within the TiqIQ network of blogs and will be posted throughout the 2013 season. TiqIQ now offers tickets directly from the Yankees ticket exchange, the official resale marketplace of the New York Yankees.



Not gonna lie to you guys.

I've been putting off the writing of this blog for the better part of a month now. I've constantly made excuses for myself and just plain ignored it at times, but I've finally carved time in my evening to sit down and get this epic blog out of my system.

As I mentioned, this all started about a month ago. I woke up one morning to a Tweet linking me to a news story out of Baltimore. It was about a Yankee fan, Matt Fortese, who had gone to an Orioles/Nationals game with his girlfriend. Like most Yankee fans, Matt wore his team colors in enemy territory. However, Matt paid a terrible price for doing so.

The article described how Matt and his girlfriend were taunted all game by two (presumably drunk) Baltimore fans. It escalated to the point of an altercation, which found Matt on the wrong side of angry punch. He went head over heels over a railing, cracking his skull rendering him unconscious. Additional reports include the two men spitting on Matt as he lay motionless on the floor.

The story immediately hit me hard. How many times have I been in almost that exact situation? Like most of you, I rep my Yankees gear home and away, in season or not. I have been to NUMEROUS ballparks where the taunting has gone just a bit too far and I have seen way too many fights over the game of baseball. Granted, these were in my more youthful days, but it seems that little has changed over the years.

So, I sat on this story for a few weeks. I didn't quite know what to say. I mean, was comment really necessary? Could anyone NOT see the absolutely abhorrent behavior of those two fans?  What was I goint to add to the story? I wasn't going to get on a moral soapbox. Lord knows I've done more than my fair share of taunting and teasing. It wasn't until just this past week, when I met Kirk Smalley during a HOPE Week event, that I knew how to bring it all together.

Kirk is the dad of an 11 year old boy, Ty. Ty was, by all accounts, a good kid that was fun to be around. Except for some reason, he was the subject of bullying at school. The bullying got so intense over a two year period that finally, one day, Ty fought back. As Kirk told the audience, "it's always the second guy who gets caught", and Ty was the one caught fighting. He got the punishment, and was sent home to a suspension. It was during this suspension, home and alone, that Ty took his own life.

Kirk's message was emotional, to say the least. As a parent, some of the stories he was telling of other children who had been bullied was just heart wrenching. He told of a six year old girl who was so afraid to go to school for fear of a bully that not only did she tell her mother that she wanted to take her own life, she had a plan in her mind on how to do so. SIX years old....

My daughter is five.

Needless to say, I was moved.

Kirk, and his group Stand For The Silent, travel all around the world hosting assemblies for hundreds of schoolchildren to educate them about the terrible, real-life consequences of bullying. As I stood in The Great Hall, looking at the faces of not only kids, but many adults, fighting back tears, I somehow thought of Matt Fortese.

In a very real way, Matt was the subject of bullying in the same way Kirk's son Ty was. Instead of daily torment at school over a two year span, this happened in less time than it takes to play a baseball game. A lot of things became very clear to me at that moment, and I hope it's doing the same for you right about now.

We've all been a part of some intense baseball rivalries, and nothing that I say here is going to influence you one way or another the next time Boston comes to town. But I really do encourage you to check out Kirk's message and perhaps he'll change your perspective a little bit, just as he's changed mine.

When I first heard Matt's story, I reached out to a few of his friends in Baltimore to see how I could help. I never met the kid, probably never will, but just felt the need to stand behind another Yankee fan during a difficult time. The guy was in bad shape, he'd spent a few weeks in a hospital, but thankfully is now home beginning the long recovery process.

His family is left with a ton of hospital bills, so to help raise some money, I'm hosting a few eBay auctions that I hope you'll take a look at (and bid excessively on!)

First up is my token donation for any fundraiser: An evening for two in Section 203 of the Right Field Bleachers at Yankee Stadium. Winner will hang out with me during Roll Call and each guest will get their choice of shirt from Bald Vinny's House of tees. To make this one even better, our good friends at the Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium have donated a gift voucher for dinner and non alcoholic drinks for two (for up to $150).

The next item has been donated by my good friend "Yankee Vic" and comes from his extensive personal collection. It is a very rare 2000 Subway Series/World Series commemorative envelope signed by Mariano Rivera (included is a Steiner Certificate of Authenticity). The envelope is in pristine condition AND is stamped by the Subway Series Station in the Bronx Dated October 21, 2000.

Next up is a Tino Martinez signed baseball, courtesy of my good friend and right hand man, George Brew. Also culled from his personal collection, this Tino autograph is housed in a great display case ready for any collection.

Finally, the big one. The show stopper. Pretty much the coolest thing I ever laid eyes on, is a hand painted original Mariano Rivera painting by Internationally known artist Craig Mahoney. If you don't know Craig's talent, you are missing out (and can catch up here). Craig gained recent fame for his "Grown Up Calvin And Hobbes" and his art/comedy can be found all over New Jersey. Craig was awesome enough to donate this 36"x24" acrylic on canvas masterpiece (additional "in progress" photos can be seen in the listing)

You can see any of the auctions here, or by clicking the links above.

Thanks, and be kind to each other :-)


lmL

New Contest: Win $100 in Ticket Credit

BOOM!

Been gone from the blog scene for a week or so, but I'm back with a SWEET contest from our pals over at TiqIQ.

This is a super simple contest to enter. Just head over to the contest page and enter your name, email address and mention your favorite 2013 Yankee moment to date to be entered

SO simple, right?

There are no wrong answers, so be creative!

And be sure to pass the contest link to your friends!

One winner will be chosen among entries to win $100 worth of ticket credit to ANY upcoming Yankee game!




Don't forget, TiqIQ is your BEST source for all events! Click here for New York Yankees tickets.

Be Prepared

This season I have partnered with TiqIQ to bring you '81 days in 203'. a series of articles breaking down the life of a super fan. '81 days in 203' articles will be featured on various Yankees blogs within the TiqIQ network of blogs and will be posted throughout the 2013 season. TiqIQ now offers tickets directly from the Yankees ticket exchange, the official resale marketplace of the New York Yankees.



You never know when opportunity arises, so it's always best to be prepared.

As I'm sure most of you know I operate a small t-shirt company with a retail location outside of Billy's Sports Bar on River Ave across from the old stadium. On Thursday and Friday of this week, our good friend Michael Kay was broadcasting his show from the newly renovated VIP area inside Billy's.

His guest for Friday's show was long time friend of The Creatures (and pretty much one of my most favorite people of all time) David Cone. Once we finished setting up my shirt stand, I went to park my van, and flipped on ESPN Radio to check out Coney's interview.

After a few minutes of banter, Cone commented on how enormous the inside of Billy's is, claiming that they could have a whiffle ball game right there by the bar. Cone's request went something like this:

"If you are at the stadium and could bring a whiffle ball and bat to Billy's Sports Bar RIGHT NOW, I want to face off against Don (LaGreca, Michael's co-host on the show)"

Now, I'm not sure how many people were listening, or were by the stadium, OR had a wiffle ball and bat to lend.....but I did!

I practically live out of my van in the summer, and it just so happened that I had a bat and ball buried under boxes of tees (the bat was easy to find, the ball a little tougher).

I hustled down to the bar, passed off the items, and had a front row view as Coney warmed up to face Don (sorry the pictures kinda suck):

discussing grip selection with The Twins

He's still got it

I tried to get some video of the actual at-bat, but it came out pretty crappy so I'll spare you guys. But it was a ton of fun. And, in the end, I scored one of the most unique autographs to add to my collection:

Whiffle Ball Bat signed by Michael Kay, Don LaGreca and David Cone

What A Long Week!

This season I have partnered with TiqIQ to bring you '81 days in 203'. a series of articles breaking down the life of a super fan. '81 days in 203' articles will be featured on various Yankees blogs within the TiqIQ network of blogs and will be posted throughout the 2013 season. TiqIQ now offers tickets directly from the Yankees ticket exchange, the official resale marketplace of the New York Yankees.


I've been really slacking on my writing duties this week, and I apologize for it. I've been running around like mad, and kept putting off the blog in favor of other priorities. But fear not, loyal reader, for I have returned to re-cap some events from last week (it'll be like two blogs in one!).

The first blog worthy event happened on Wednesday when we welcomed not one or two but THREE members of the NY Football Giants out to 203 to join us for Roll Call. By my count, this would make the 4th, 5th and 6th member of the Giants to join us in the bleachers (David Baas, Chris Snee and  Justin Tuck were the first three).

Tight End Bear Pascoe, Running Back David Wilson and Wide Receiver Rueben Randle take in Roll Call

Before I get to the video link, I'd like to call attention to something in the photo above. Take a look, if you will, at the background of that photo. See the guy standing between David and Rueben, talking on the phone? He's not really talking on the phone. And that guy on the right in the away jersey taking a picture? Yeah, he's not really taking a picture either.

Those two guys would be Jersey Steve and Mike Donahue, long time Bleacher Regulars. They are partaking one of the newest trends to make it's way out to the 203, photobombing Bald Vinny pics. It happens quite a bit (and I mean a LOT!). So much so, that I've created an entire Tumblr dedicated to my photobombs.

Anyway, back to the Roll Call video, you can check it out here.

Fast forward to Saturday, and I can take you through one of the most epic (in length, and awesomeness) day  of the very young season. My day started at 5:15am (after getting to bed around 1:30a from the game the night before) in order to take my wife Rose to run her second half marathon, the Brooklyn Half (she kicked major ass, shattering her personal record by SIX minutes!). From Brooklyn, I made my way straight to the Bronx in no time (no traffic at 6:30am, go figure) and hopped out of my van at exactly 7:04am to snap this shot:

Of course, there was a really good reason as to why I would head to the stadium a good 3 hours before I would normally arrive for a weekend game, and that was to attend the second annual Yankee Stadium Photo Day (for season ticket holders). The Yankees have recently begun a few efforts to "connect" with their fans, and photo day is by far one of the best.

Fans line up around the warning track, and players (as well as some of the broadcast team) walk the warning track, shaking hands and taking pictures. I won't make you all incredibly jealous with all of the amazing pictures we got that day, but I will share a few of my favorites (you can check out the whole gallery here).

With the man in charge (and my friends Lauren and Tommy)

My new BFF, Vernon Wells

Posing for a shot with the G.O.A.T. 

Very funny, Cash

The Bleacher Crew poses for a shot

As if this day wasn't awesome enough, it continued in its awesomeness well into the night. After the game, I headed in to Manhattan to lend support at a fundraiser held at my favorite bar in the city, Foley's. The event was for the YAI Network (an excellent organization dedicated to creating hope and opportunity for people with learning and developmental disabilities) and featured our old friend, David Cone, as a guest bartender.

I love Foley's, I love Cone, and I love being able to help out ( I donated "The Ultimate Bleacher Creature Package" as a raffle prize) so going to the event was a no-brainer. To top it off, we were able to drop the kids off at my parent's house, and Rose and I had a chance for a rare date night.

Needless to say, Sunday was pretty rough. Waking up to rainy skies (and then, standing in said rain for 5 hours) didn't make it any easier. Thankfully, we were (slightly) spared and the afternoon game was a wash out.

But, in the end, I wouldn't trade a minute of it. As I used to say (in my much younger days) "You can sleep when you die".

An Important Date in Bleacher History

This season I have partnered with TiqIQ to bring you '81 days in 203'. a series of articles breaking down the life of a super fan. '81 days in 203' articles will be featured on various Yankees blogs within the TiqIQ network of blogs and will be posted throughout the 2013 season. TiqIQ now offers tickets directly from the Yankees ticket exchange, the official resale marketplace of the New York Yankees.


I usually don't write a blog before any home games have taken place, but I'll make an exception this week in order to give you a brief history lesson (trust me, this one is important). 

On this date in 1996, prior to the game, a special service was held in Section 39 of the Right Field Bleachers at the old Yankee Stadium. It was a somber night, as one of the leaders of the group that sat out there had passed away just a week earlier. His name was Ali Ramirez, and without him, I wouldn't be writing these words to you today. 

Ali Ramirez and his Cowbell

Ali is credited within our group as being the "original" Bleacher Creature, as his presence pre-dated all of the Bleacher Regulars (that was what the group was called before we were dubbed The Creatures). Ali attended his first game in the Bleachers in 1959 and was proud to call Section 39 home for the better part of 37(!) years. He is most known for bringing a cow-bell to the section to help rally the fans and cheer on the Yankees (a tradition we are proud to carry on to this very day). It was the rhythm of the bell and the raucous cheering from the crowd that attracted fans from all over the ball park into the bleachers. 

For several years in Section 39, there was a brass plaque dedicated to Ali that adorned the seat he called home. We were touched and honored when the Yankee Organization moved the plaque to our new house, cementing the tradition that Ali's seat always remained "reserved". 

Prior to the "dynasty" run of the late 1990's, the bleachers were General Admission, meaning you could buy a ticket and sit anywhere you wanted. Except on this night in 1996, the confines of Section 39 were off limits unless you were a family member or part of the Section 39 crew. It was blocked off by Yankee Security as well as many Bleacher Creatures. The flags at the stadium flew at half-staff, and there was a banner hanging in the back of Section 39 dedicated to Ramirez.

A small private ceremony was held pre-game, and as the sun set and night descended on the Bronx, a lone star twinkled in the sky. As the innings ticked away, the impending feeling of "Yankee Magic" filled the stands and concourses of The Stadium. For, it was this night, that Doc Gooden would toss a no-hitter and etch his own name into the Yankee history books.

Tonight, some 17 years later, the Yankees will once again be facing off against the Seattle Mariners (the team against whom Gooden tossed his no-no) but this time within the confines of the new Stadium. Lots of things have changed since that date in 1996 (new stadium, new players, new fans and new staff), but one thing will always remain: the everlasting memory of the man who started it all for us so many years ago.

Rest In Peace, Brother Ali. Keep ringing that bell up there in Heaven and cheering on our Yanks.







(Below is a reprint of the original article in the Daily News about Ali's passing)

click to enlarge

New Contest From TiqIq

Got a great contest from our friends at TiqIq that can enter you for a chance to win a $100 ticket credit AND 50% off for your choice of ANY Yankee game from CrowdSeats!

It's super simple to enter. Just head over to the contest page , enter your name and email address, and answer a simple question about the Yankees Skipper:

Is Joe Girardi the Manager of The Year (so far) and why/why not? 

Obviously, it's very early in the year, but Joe has been responsible for a few bold moves (Playing Wells at third base, batting a pitcher in the 8 spot) and he's got the Yankees into first place while most of our stars rehab in Tampa.

Let us know your opinion and you could have a chance to win $100 in ticket credit AND 50% off for your choice of Yankee game. So Simple. 

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