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| Derek Jeter passed Cal Ripken for 13th place on hits list |
Before I went into the Stadium, I stopped off at Burger King for dinner. I ran into Ralph & Vincent Ascanio who were eating there as well.
I decided to try the new limited time Memphis pulled pork sandwich that they have for the summer. It came with barbecue sauce and raw onions. It was very good. It's too bad they're going to have it only for a short time. I'll have to come back more often than once in a long while so I can take advantage of the opportunity to have some Southern style food there.
After I ate, I walked over to the Stadium. I picked up a bottle of water from Jin Kim who was hawking it outside his store, KJY Fruit Market. You can't go wrong with drinking water. In that regard, you can never have enough especially when it's steaming hot out. Why would I pay five dollars inside when I can pay one dollar on my way in. Luckily on this night, the weather was tolerable.
When I finally made it up to my seat in section 420B row 7, I saw my pal Greg Venuto who was at the game with his daughter Julietta. It was great to see him again. We exchanged pleasantries and he introduced me to Julietta upon my arrival. When I came in I was lucky enough to get a Yankee hat that they were giving out to the first 18,000 fans. With that being said, Greg said he didn't get one. So I gave him mine. He gave it to his daughter Julietta. She was so happy. That alone made my night. She looked even cuter with it on her head.
I got to catch up with Greg who I last saw in early May at a Yankee game. I remember him telling me he was going to Northern Virginia in the middle of June to visit a friend of his. While he was there he wound up going to see the Yankees play the Nationals that Saturday afternoon. He really lucked out. He saw the Yankees win and the game went 14 innings so he really got his money's worth. He was so thrilled to tell me about the experience he had. I was happy for him. Since he's married and he has two young children, he doesn't have the time and money to run around like I do.
Furthermore, It should be noted the Yankees were celebrating Hope Week at that the New Stadium this particular week. It's a tradition that started in 2009 when the Stadium first opened. The Yankees have been notorious for being very charitable in the community over the years. This is a great example of that. For the last four seasons, they've set aside a week to recognize less fortunate people who get to meet and greet the team. They have them do different things to make these people feel really special. They give them the chance to have Hope in their lives. In other words, they're Helping Others Presevere and Excel. It's nice to hear and see these feel good stories for those who appear to be less fortunate in life.
As for the game we saw, the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-1. Hiroki Kuroda who started for the Yankees pitched well. He gave up one run over seven innings while he struck out seven to earn the victory.
Tuesday night after work I returned to the Bronx for the second game of the series against the Tribe.
This time I stopped off the 7 Fish Market for dinner with the King. I had some scallops and fries.
As for the game we saw, the Yankees took it the Indians again. This time Phil Hughes pitched. He threw eight shutout innings and he left the game winning 6-0. Cory Wade came in to pitch the ninth inning and he give up four runs including a three run home run to Jose Lopez who came in as a defensive replacement. They survived the scare as they held on to win, 6-4.
Wednesday night after work I took a long train ride to Coney Island to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Hudson Valley Renegades. Upon arrival, I had just enough time to honor the King by stopping off at Popeye's for dinner. I ordered a classic meal just like he would have. Three piece white mild chicken combo. It was nice and hot. Once I finished eating, I walked over to MCU Park. I barely made it in time for the first pitch. I want to personally thank our pal Vincent Ascanio aka the Kid for coming through with a free ticket for me. When I got inside I saw our friends Sam and Frances Pam who initially met at a Cyclone game a number of years ago. Now they're happily married with a set of twins I heard on the way. I want to personally congratulate them. In addition, Phil Butleman & David Sack who were there as well.
Furthermore, I got a text during the game from my pal Eddie Pelle who was there with his buddy Fredy Sanchez. They stopped by during the game which was really cool. We got to catch with them. They said since we met up in Rochester, Toronto and Buffalo they've been working non stop. It turned out to be a great night out.
As for the game we saw, the Cyclones won, 4-1. Their starting pitcher Hansel Robles pitched 5 and two thirds innings of shutout ball to earn the victory.
Thursday night after work I went back up to the Bronx to see the Yankees open a four game series with the Chicago White Sox. On the way to the Stadium, I went to the Court Deli Restaurant to pick up sandwiches for the King and I. He wanted Turkey and I had Corned Beef. As usual, Chris took good care of me there.
Once I rounded up all the goodies I needed, I made my way into the Stadium. When I got up to my seating area, I got to see my pal Steve Tepperman and fellow Yankee season ticket holder Rich Zimmerman who was at the game with his wife. They've been going to the Court Deli for many years they said. It was nice to see them again.
As for the game we saw, the Yankees had a 3-1 lead thanks to an insurance run in the 8th inning as Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run. In the 9th inning, Dayan Viciedo hit a three run homer off David Robertson which turned out to be the difference as the White Sox came back to beat the Yankees, 4-3.
Despite the loss, Derek Jeter picked his 3,184th hit in the seventh inning which tied him for 13th place on the all time list with Cal Ripken Jr.
It should be noted that the NBA Draft was held at the Prudential Center in Newark. Stay tuned for a special post that will do about the players who I saw play this past season that got drafted to potentially play in the NBA.
Friday night after work I went back up to the Bronx for game two of the four game series between the Yankees and the White Sox.
I went back to Burger King for dinner so I could enjoy another Memphis pulled pork sandwich. The Kid Vincent Ascanio decided to join me.
After we ate, we went to the KJY Fruit Market to get bottles of water to stay hydrated on this brutally hot summer night. It was great watching Jin Kim in action. He puts on quite a show when he 's pushing the water.
We proceeded to go into the Stadium and up to our seats in the grandstand in section 420B row 7.
As for the game we saw, Adam Warren who was called up from the minors was making his major league debut. He struck out the first batter he faced but it went down hill from there. He walked a few but luckily he got out of the first inning without giving up a run.
The Yankees wound up scoring four runs in their half of the first inning. Derek Jeter lead off with a double which moved him into sole possession of the 13th place on the all time hit list with 3,185 passing Cal Ripken Jr.
Adam Warren gave it right back as the White Sox tied the score. In the third inning, he allowed two more runs before he departed after just two and a third innings of work. He gave up six runs on eight hits. As the game wore on it felt like the Pinstripe Bowl came six months early. The Yankees tied the game again at 6 then the White Sox added the extra point to make it 7-6. When it was all said and done, the White Sox pounded the Yankees, 14-7. It got so bad in the ninth inning that Dewayne Wise wounded up pitching to two batters and he got them both out. A.J. Pierzynski hit two homers for the visiting Chisox. Needless to say, Adam Warrens' stay in the major leagues was short lived. He was returned to the minors after the game.
Saturday afternoon I braved the 95 degree heat as I went back to Yankee Stadium for game three of the four game set with the Chisox.
After losing the first two games, the Yankees came to life as Hiroki Kuroda pitched well again. He threw seven shutout innings and he struck out eleven batters as he out pitched Jake Peavy who pitched a complete game despite taking the loss as the Yankees beat the White Sox, 4-0.
The Yankee offense was supplied by Curtis Granderson who homered. In addition, Dewayne Wise who has bounced around the major leagues for 10 years which has included a stint with the White Sox, followed up his pitching debut with a three for three game which included a single, a double and a home run. With that being said, I heard a few Yankee fans who were sitting behind me say and I quote "he's living the dream." I got the impression these people thought he was a young player with a bright future. They sounded like typical Yankee fans who have no baseball knowledge unless they're wearing a Yankee uniform.
After the Yankee game, our friend Bryan Gilligan who was at the game said you would drive the King and I to Coney Island where we saw the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Aberdeen Ironbirds. I want to thank Bryan for being so kind and good to us.
As for the game we saw there, the game was tied at two. In the seventh inning, Brandon Nimmo who the Mets drafted in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft, 13th pick overall hit a grand slam to put the game away as the Cyclones went on to beat the Ironbirds, 6-2.
Sunday afternoon the King and I had to deal with the brutal 95 degree heat again on Oldtimer's Day at Yankee Stadium. Since we played softball in the morning we were forced to miss the ceremonies that took place prior to the regularly scheduled game.
As for the game we saw, the White Sox took a 2-0 lead after the first inning. After that, the Yankees went to work behind Phil Hughes who settled down and pitched well for eight innings. He earned the victory as Robinson Cano and Eric Chavez hit two run homers to give the Yankees a 4-2 decision and it gave them a split in the four game series.
With that being said, another week of stadium travel is in the books.
Thank you for reading and following along.
Yours truly,
Gary Herman
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