Bronx, N.Y., June 16, 2002 — Don’t get me wrong. I never seriously considered attending the Mets Yankees game in Shea tonight. Sportscasters, and most Yankee fans, can tell you that when we have interleague series against the Mets, it’s more often than not a happy experience for a Yankee fan. And had I known way back when I could have purchased tickets for this game that David Wells would take the mound for us, I might have reconsidered, but don’t bet on it. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 12, 2002 — We’ve all lived through steamy days like this one. I built up a good sweat walking to the car. No matter how much ice I had the helpful local concession person cram in with my $4.00 diet coke, it was all gone by the third inning. Sue and I were smearing on spf300 sunscreen during the first inning, but covering valuables from the ever-growing drops in the eighth. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 11, 2002 — So starts a traditional Zen Buddhist tale, where the Zen Master confesses that once he has had that experience, he finds himself unable ever again to ascertain whether he is now a man who has had that dream, or if he is a butterfly now dreaming that he is a man? Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 10, 2002 — It was the early nineties, on Old Timer’s Day. I was delirious (as I always am that day), sad (once again a given; so many have come, wowed us, and gone), but this time a bit apprehensive too, and not just about the score of the actual game after the Classic, though that’s always there too. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 9, 2002 — The Scoreboard really set the theme for the day when they played that Paul McCartney-penned anthem to sun and happy times. Delighted that we had such a gorgeous afternoon for the day that we had my partner’s brother, nephew and her brother’s friend as Yankee game guests, we were surprised when early in the festivities her brother and his friend went looking for a shady spot. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 6, 2002 — What follows is a tale of one of my many favorite days at the Ballpark, one I’ll share with you in the absence of the scheduled Yankee game tonight. First however, even though I believe I have a true tale to tell regarding this tale’s title, I in no way mean to belittle the very serious discussions on both sides about that practice. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 5, 2002 — It’s critical if you’re going to score games, count pitches, record first-pitch strikes, differentiate between called, struck (foul) and swinging strikes, and try to notice little numerical anomalies that pop up during the games, that you learn not to be obsessed about it. They’re just numbers. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 4, 2002 — Sometimes you get the bear. Sometimes the bear gets you. A not so witty cliche for the transitory nature of good and bad fortune. But it became painfully obvious both that I’ve been looking at the baseball world through Yankees-tinted glasses, and the rest of the world sees what it wants to see. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., June 3, 2002 — And I wouldn’t characterize the Cathedral in the South Bronx as a place without joy either, but 114 years to the day since “Casey at the Bat” was first published, the mighty were vanquished tonight in the Bronx, and I tip my hat to Sidney Ponson (no matter how trying it is to be hat-tipping two consecutive days to the opposing team’s starting pitcher). Continue reading →

“They say it’s alright
Say it’s alright
It’s alright, have a good time
Cause it’s alright, whoa it’s alright”

Bronx, N.Y., June 2, 2002 — Curtis Mayfield would have been 60 years old today, and his anthem to keeping on and looking up was a fine song to think of and hum during a beautiful, if disappointing (and eerie, but more on that later) day in the Bronx. Continue reading →