Bronx, N.Y., April 4, 2009 — Well, the Yanks proved poor hosts to the Chicago Cubs and an impressive assemblage of Cubs fans for the second straight day Saturday afternoon. After early morning showers that dotted the New York area cleared there was no threat of rain, but the gusty, cold weather was anything but pleasant. Still, some face time with some old friends, combined with a visit from another, highlighted a very good day for this Yankee fan with decades of experience on the other side of 161st Street. Continue reading
Author Archives: Dan McCourt
grandFANNING
Bronx, N.Y., April 3, 2009 — Well, after witnessing the Yanks practice in their new Palace Thursday, baseball was unleashed on the Yankee fan public Friday night. Some fans are beside themselves waiting to partake in the multitude of ways to enjoy the new Stadium; others’ hearts quicken at the thought of the havoc the reconstructed 2009 Yankees will wreak upon all comers in their quest for Championship no. 27. Whatever the call that drove the sellout throng to the Bronx though, much was learned in the 7-4 exhibition win against the NL Central Chicago Cubs. Continue reading
A New Book on George
(John Wiley & Sons, 366 pages)
Bronx, N.Y., April 15, 2009 — You can almost sympathize with author Peter Golenbock when reading his just published biography of the Yankee owner titled George (John Wiley & Sons, 366 pages). In the preface, he shares with us that he was always a diehard Yankee fan, and that he was given access to the Yankee archives while doing research for his first book, Dynasty, a look at the Casey Stengel Yankees of the 1950s. One assumes the Yankees were not nearly as cooperative on this tome, given much of the criticism leveled at the Yankee owner in the books Mr. Golenbock coauthored with Yankee figures of the 1970s: Balls, with Graig Nettles; the self-titled Guidry; and more famously, Number 1, with Billy Martin; and The Bronx Zoo, with Sparky Lyle. Continue reading
Off Again Offense
Tampa, FL, March 7 — Chien-Ming Wang followed C.C. Sabathia’s strong Friday start with three solid innings Saturday afternoon as the Yanks work to get their starting five in order. Wang allowed a singleton home run among three hits, but he struck out two and looked like his old self while coaxing five ground ball outs in a 3-1 loss in a packed George M. Steinbrenner Field Continue reading
A Successful C.C. Debut
Tampa, FL, March 6 — Friday was the 110th anniversary of the day aspirin was patented, something C.C. Sabathia might have been interested in hearing once he witnessed the first inning his fielders handed him in his Yankee debut game vs. Detroit in George M. Steinbrenner Field. Ryan Raburn was overmatched on a four-pitch strike out and Placido Polano followed by lofting an opposite-field rainbow down the line in right. Continue reading
Barely a Peep
Tampa, FL, March 5 — Although they knew that Thursday’s game was off to a very bad start, Yankee fans didn’t realize that it was over after the ugly 24-minute top of the first. Making his first official 2009 start as the Yankees begin establishing their rotation this day, Joba Chamberlain could not harness any command of his powerful fastball, and missed the zone with 14 of his first 20 pitches. Continue reading
Seeing Red
Clearwater, FL, March 5 — As in life, so in baseball. There are myriad decisions to be made by a fan attending Spring Training, and this Yankee fan may have selected wisely Wednesday. We could have chosen to rise early and make the 90-minute-plus trip to Orlando to watch the Yankees/Braves. But there’s something about fleeing the frigid Northeast to fly to a peninsular state surrounded by shimmering water and bathed in dazzling sun, and then driving inland. Simply, we chose not to. Continue reading
Who’s on Short?
Tampa, FL, March 3 — There were quite a few startling differences between the two teams that assembled at George M. Steinbrenner Field to play a game Tuesday afernoon. But the most jarring thing is what the two had in common. Shortstop Derek Jeter. Continue reading
Our Season Plans
Box 601-603 gang
Our Sunday seats are right behind home plate, but we are in the absolute last row, much further from the action than we were in the old Stadium (left). In addition, they are 10 seats off the aisle, instead of the Box 603 seats we had across 161st Street, right on the aisle. As a matter of fact, there were no seats as far as 10 seats off the aisle in Box 603. Continue reading
Both Sides Now
Bronx, N.Y., November 26, 2008 — My better half and I were not enthusiastic when the Yankees shifted their Spring Training facility from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa on Florida’s West Coast in March 1996. We both had been attending this rite of March with separate sets of friends for years even before we met, and neither one of us was eager to give up our room right on the beach, the alligator-tail appetizers, or the aging stadium, buried as it was in an industrial park off route 95. Continue reading