Complaining- Because that is what girls do best.

I think there is something wrong with me, something seriously wrong with me.

I just turned down a FREE ticket for the April 4th game against the Cubs. Not only was this ticket free, but it is 5 rows from the field, behind home plate. You know, the same seats that cost 2,625 for regular season. The same seats that give you all you can eat food.

And why did i turn these seats down? Because I am a freaking loser who has to teach a lesson for my Master's program. My professor has screwed us all over and we are way behind schedule so everything has to be pushed to the end, to which we are working nonstop.

I will never have the opportunity to afford these types of seats again. I know it is only a exhibition game, but just being able to sit that close for a game is great. I go to games by myself all the time, but the only thing I try to do is get decent seats so that I can actually see the game. I don't need people to talk to, fancy food, I just need a decent seat and a book to keep score.

That concludes my complaining. I guess my silent protest is still intact.

Is this Really a Baseball STADIUM???

The more I hear about the new Yankee Stadium, the more it makes me not want to see a baseball game in the Bronx. After reading several articles about the new stadium, including this specific article from the New York Times, I just can't figure out whether this place was built to watch a baseball game or to attend a business meeting at a 4 star restaurant.

First of all, I don't really see the full purpose of having a restaurant in a stadium in the first place. The Yankees always have to outdo everyone though. Toronto has a restaurant, so what do the Yankees do, well they add a Martini bar, and about 4 other restaurants.

Florance Fabricant of the New York Times states that there are a number of perks that are available to those who have seat located in the various club and suite areas. Which of course, I guess, if you are one of those individuals that are paying 2,500 to see a baseball game, you probably aren't there to see the game in the first place. So I guess to accommodate a person of that class, the Yankees needed to add in a few high class restaurants.

Fabricant states:

"A number of restaurants and dining areas will be for their exclusive enjoyment. And the food will be prepared at open cooking stations run, from time to time, by Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef fame, April Bloomfield of the Spotted Pig, chefs from Le Cirque, and cooks from Elaine's.

Some chefs will be at the stadium for one evening and others may make multiple appearances. "I'm tickled about it," Ms. Bloomfield said. "I love baseball and it sounds like fun."

Yeah lady, I am really tickled about it myself. If anything, "tickled" would be the last word I would use to describe this nonsense. I just don't understand why they added all of this unnecessary crap to a baseball stadium. Real fans do not go to a baseball game for all this stuff. The mastermind behind this project (we all know whom that is) is a real joke. I hope there is a big pole sitting in front of his seat at the new stadium.

Community Work

It's always good to see current and former baseball players taking the initiative to give back to the community around them. Recently, I was reading an article in the local paper about Billy Connors, a former player of the who briefly pitched for the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. While he is currently known for his work as a Vice President and player personnel of the New York Yankees, Connors also holds ties to the community in which I have grown up in for my entire life.

A Schenectady native, Connors is notably remembered in this area for his contribution as a player in the 1954 Little League World Series in which he defeated the Colton Lions of Colton, California and led Schenectady to the World Series title.

In 2004, Connors and his fellow teammates were honored for their work on the field, an accomplishment that seems hard for some to believe happened 50 years ago. He had stated that, "It’s a wonderful thing being honored by Little League. Little League has been a big part of my life and it’s a great thrill receiving an award that honors Bill Shea because I played for New York Mets and I know how important Mr. Shea was to Little League Baseball and Major League Baseball.”

While Connors currently resides in Tampa, Florida, he still finds time to give back to the community that served him when he was a child growing up. He has recently announced the formation of the Billy Connors Scholar-Athlete Award Fund which was created to benefit students within the Schenectady city schools. A baseball coach in the Schenectady area stated that, “The scholarship is aimed at acad­emics first, then leadership qualities and athletic skills. That’s the way Billy wanted it.”

As an individual working in the teaching field in this area, it is great to see individual step up and donate money that will directly help students financially be able to attend college so that their can fulfill their dreams. I hope that more athletes will follow the example that Connors and so many others have so graciously taken the time to do. In the end, it is the children that are the future and we are in a time right now where schools are unfortunately getting hit hard with the economic times and it is the children that are paying the price.

To raise money and honor Connors, a dinner has been planned for Friday, April 3rd, at the River Stone Manor in Glenville, New York. The proceeds from this event to go toward the scholarship that has been setup by Connors. Hopefully he will be able to see the impact that he will have on the lives of individuals within the community of Schenectady. We are all proud of his continuous accomplishments both within the field of baseball and also off the field as an individual.

Bummed to be home

I wish I was still in Tampa. I already miss being at the ballpark everyday, being out in the sun and watching batting practice. In looking back at the trip, I have to say this was the best spring training I have been to by far. A few notes about the trip:

** Swisher seems like a cool kid. Hes got some sweet blue kicks that he proudly showed us during batting practice. I think hes probably one of the happiest guys out there to be playing baseball. The man always has a smile on his face; its great to see.

** Tino Martinez is now on the "list". This is not a good list to be on either.

** Shelley Duncan seems like a nice kid. He really has the passion for the game and always hustles and puts in his all. I hope the best for him; you never know what can happen down the line.

**Some guy at Lakeland tried to tell me that CC is a terrible pitcher and only had 1 good year. I guess its important to mention he was a redsox fan who didn't even have a clue about his own team.

** I sat next to an interesting character who was wearing a real peanut shell as an earring. It was quite the sight and he was quite the drunk. Reggie Jackson had to hear an earful of this guy.

**Lastly, I have become fixated on the fact that Al Leiter thinks i am insane. It may be true but I wish that notion wasn't based the title of my blog

Last day in Tampa: :(

Well I guess the end of this trip had to eventually come. I am off to Lakeland in a few minutes for my last spring training game. I have had such an amazing time this year and have been fortunte to meet so many amazing people. If I had more money I would to have stayed much longer but coming down here is pretty expensive.

It stinks the Yankees only played 2 road trips since i've been here- both being in Lakeland. Joker Marchant Stadium is beautiful but I would have loved to visit Clearwater again (their ballpark is amazing) and also check out Dunedin where the Blue Jays play. I guess there is always next year right?

Its always cool when you run into people that are from your area. I ran into 2 really sweet people that were ushers that happened to live about 2 minutes from my house and also ran into a couple at the game who have a son that went to school with my brother. Not only did I run into people I knew but I met some nice fans from all over the US and was talking baseball nonstop for basically the whole trip, something I unfortunately am not able to really do at home. I ran into the same people just about everyday and it was cool to see some familiar faces. One lady was a teacher from CT and was jut as big of a baseball fan as I am. I also ran into a bunch of guys that were great and kind of enough to introduce me to this really sweet guy who sold me some tickets and had so many cool stories to tell. Hopefully I will be able to meet these guys again next year during spring training.

Autograph wise- i made out really well. I got Sabathia, Matsui, Teixiera, Swisher, Coney, and Singleton. Swisher was great with the fans and signed for just about everyone on any given day. Him and Damon are awesome with the fans which is something I love to see. David Cone signed two of my balls which was great, he was a really nice guy also (despite what he says) and took a lot of time to sign for the fans. Kim Jones also seems like a really nice lady and she also stopped to sign autographs for people which was nice.

All in all, this was a great trip, probably the best spring training by far. I was given a great opportunity to see parts of Legends Field which was really amazing and is something I owe to one really nice guy. It is great that people finally can take me serious and given me a chance even though I am a girl. It is possible for females to love the game of baseball and not be into it just because Derek Jeter is "hot".

Time to head to Lakeland, the end of a vacation always sucks.

Pictures from Friday's game

Before the game started

Exchanging of the lineup card

C.C warming up

Tino :)

(I know the pictures are kinda small on here, but if you click on them, they appear much larger)

First day in Tampa!

After a long day of getting lost (sadly I have a GPS and still managed to get lost), I ended up getting to the stadium around 3:30. When i arrived, I approached the ticket office to find some seats for the game. Now understand, I have been going to games for at least 6 years and I have never had a problem buying tickets. When i got there, the lady told me that all of the tickets were sold out and that they had only the standing room tickets that are in the outfield. I decided to pass on that and hope that more tickets were released.

Well anyhow, I lucked out and ran into a nice man that sold me his tickets for a little bit under face value. He was just looking to get rid of them since he already had tickets. These seats ended up being right behind home plate, i guess in the players family section.

Some interesting notes:

1. I ended up sitting behind John Sterling. He was busy reading printouts of the NY Post and Daily News that were about A-Rod. The best part is that he was apparently sitting in someone elses seat and was asked to move, or in this case leave I suppose as I did not see him sitting in the other rows in the area that were open.

2. I am really starting to get annoyed with the Yankees. Every single year they end up adding another element to the stadium that makes it more unfriendly to the fan. First it was raising the fence around the side field. Then it was not allowing the fans to stand near the railing to take pictures. Then the following year they told the fans they couldn't stand to take pictures around where the pitchers warm up. Now get this. You are NOT allowed to take pictures unless you are in your seat or are outside the stadium. A guy was threatened right in front of me by the cop to obey him or he would be kicked out. This place is a real joke.

3. Reggie Jackson is a real piece of work, aka a real jerk. He actually started yelling at the fans today because they were interrupting his conversation with another person by yelling his name. Apparently when Reggie is on the field, none of the fans are supposed to call out his name. he then proceeded to tell us all that hes great with us and always signs and that we shouldn't be bothering him. Its funny because in the 5 or 6 years I have been going to Spring Training, I have never seen him sign for anyone, instead he mocks people pretending he is going to sign and then spits in their face and walks away.

4. I met some of the nicest people today. Yankees fans in Tampa are great and are one of the main reasons I love coming down here so much. They know so much about baseball and there are so many people with such great stories to tell

5. Damon is great with the fans, as is Swisher. he was hilarious today. Damon was signing and in the background we hear Swisher yelling "Johnny Johnny, can I have your autograph." Sure he was mocking us but it was still funny.

6. I was sitting next to the scouts, and saw Gene Michael and a bunch of the medical people for the Yankees. Was quite fun.

Ill try to post pics later

It Never Ends

Reports are indicating that Alex Rodriguez with need surgery to remove a cyst from his right hip and will be out for a good 10 weeks. If true, this will be a huge blow for the Yankees, and also for Alex. Who do the Yankees use to replace him? Would you stay within the system and go with a guy like Cody Ransom or do you look elsewhere?

I leave for Tampa tomorrow; this should be interesting. I plan on updating with pics and news when I am at a computer. It should be plenty busy down there i bet.