Mark My Words…

Hello fan(s)!

You’ll have to forgive me. Since I continue to see Derek Jeter in my dreams every night, I completely forgot that baseball season has ended! But as the calendar has turned over into a new year, and now that Derek and I are fully recovered from our orthopedic injuries (file that one in the ‘Things Gina and Jeter have in common’ folder…..which hopefully one day willllll… include our last name *sigh*), it is time to recall one of the most amazing moments of last season… and of our lives: the day we met Mark Teixeira!

It was almost one year to the day prior to this that we featured Mark in our blog and even mentioned how we donated to his foundation in hopes of winning the contest where you get to spend a day at Yankee Stadium staring at his gorgeous face and eyes and butt and arms and freshly showered hair…. Oh my! (See: We Heart You, Mark Teixeira). But honestly, I never thought we would have a chance to actually win this thing… and guess what?? We did!

As I was finishing a long day at one of my mental health facility clients – a day so long that I was about to join one of their group therapy sessions across the hall – I got a call from the foundation saying that Mark selected ME to join HIM at the Stadium to get married…..I mean, for a game and dinner. Now, of course, I thought they were calling because my credit card got declined because, perhaps, Dana maxed it out on concert tickets or something, but it was actually good news! And to think… just a year before, while Dana and I were discussing ridiculous Yankees-related scenarios (which only happens on days that end in “y”), we promised each other that when this fateful day actually happened, we would take each other…obvi!

So, Dana and I arrived at the Stadium and were treated like royalty… except for when they couldn’t find a wheelchair for me in that whole giant place (If you remember, I broke my foot one week after getting the awesome news that I won…ugh!). Anyway, I was eventually wheeled onto the field where my name was called over the loud speaker and I got to meet Mark for the first time…a dream come true! Though in my dream, I was probably walking on both feet and making outttt----standing conversation with him… ahem. Swear to God though – so glad I had those crutches because my legs were like two sticks of melting butter when I saw his smiling face! And even though he doesn’t know this, Jeter was glad I couldn’t walk too because when I was down on the field, and he was just feet away from me in the dugout – on any other day, I would have run over to him and behaved in a way that would have most definitely qualified as sexual harassment… but no! The one day Jeter and I are walking on the same dirt, breathing the same air… I’m disabled!!

After that, we watched the game from Delta’s luxury box, ate like pigs, and Dana even won a free flight for winning a trivia game… we were winning like the ’98 Yanks… could this get any better, you ask?? Why yes! Long story short, we weren’t able to go on the tour since I couldn’t walk, so we waited in the restaurant for the group to come back, and who walks in but….Tex himself! Dana flagged him down like a crack-head on Chapel St. flagging down a bus, and before we knew it, we were chatting it up with the one and only, sickeningly beautiful Mark Teixeira! We chewed the fat for a few…over things like our injuries and living in Connecticut…it was magical, a religious experience, a blessing in disguise if you will… (Amen!) And the way we handled ourselves was so surprising to me…cool as ice. Usually the only thing cool about us in the presence of Yankees is the cold sweat dripping from our temples and palms!

The afternoon continued on with a romantic dinner where Dana, me, and Mark (and like 20 other people…but forget them for right now) ate steak and watched the sunset from inside Yankee Stadium. Mark was amazing – staring straight into our eyes as he listened to our stories and responses to his questions. And while I was telling him how awesome he is that he is such an inspiration to us, Dana was taking paparazzi photos/videos and yelling at him about how he has perfectly fit into her obsession with first basemen (#23 - Donnie...#24 - Tino….#25 - Tex…an OCD-ers dream!!). We all have our roles.

Our only disappointment is that we didn’t get to take a picture with him by ourselves…or maybe sneak in a little hug. Can you imagine being alone with him…pressed up against his warm body …AND all of that being consensual? I can…I do! How do we win THAT contest?

Love,
g

Dream Team 25!

Here's the video of Mark Teixeira's Harlem RBI event at Yankee Stadium...and we're in it! Enjoy..full story coming soon!

Follow the link to watch at mlb.com:

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=24154035&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_24154035&v=3

--Dana

Derek’s Birthday: Yes, It’s a National Holiday

First, let me take a moment to wish us a Happy 1st Anniversary at Pinstripe Love…it was one year ago that Dana and I decided to put our crazy thoughts down on paper and start this blog! We’ve had such a blast over the last year sharing our special Yankee moments from Tino’s Old Timers’ Day home run to DJ3K to our Michael Kay encounter to another successful trip to Spring Training…so many memories! And we look forward to bringing you more good times throughout the rest of the summer…especially, when we MEET MARK TEIXEIRA! Okayyy, ok, ok… that’s all I’m going to say about it right now…

Now, let’s talk about the man that inspired us to start this blog. Our first reports last year were about Old Timers’ Day/Jeter’s birthday and Jeter’s rehab games in Trenton. We were, however, unfortunately not able to see Derek on his birthday last year since he was on the disabled list. So this year, even though I myself am now on the DL, we couldn’t miss out! Oh yeah…A couple weeks back, I broke my foot in a few places. And, uhh…the thought of potentially missing out on Yankees games made me cry more than the pain…No lie!

So, I hopped over to Dana’s house the night before the game to drink beer and watch her meticulously cut out pictures of Derek and strategically paste them on poster board to make what we thought would be our best sign yet… and our best chance of making it onto the broadcast that night! We even added reinforcements and busted out one of our oldie-but-goodie Jeter signs that never ended up seeing the light of day at a past Spring Training ‘cause they don’t allow signs. (Whatever, Florida… I’ve said it before…your state is shaped like a wee-wee, and you are no fun!! I don’t care if you have Disney World…I’d rather sit on Dana’s couch and eat a pizza than go to the swamps!)

Aaaanyway, Dana’s OCD-ish behavior really kicked into gear and was extremely helpful in setting up a fun night of wheelchairs and winning! She arranged for us to sit in the handicapped seats in the bleachers (next to a bunch of non-handicapped people, most notably a dude that looked like the guy who sings “Hot, Hot, Hot”…you KNOW I had to pull up the YouTube video for the gals in the car for a post-game laugh…) where we had backs on our seats (bonus!) and weren’t obstructing anyone’s view with our awesome signs… which we attempted to hold up as high as we could for the entire game….I repeat, ENTIRE game. We never leave early…even if one of us has a 20 lb. cast hanging off our leg! Oh, by the way… no love whatsoever from My9 on the Jeter birthday signs! At least we got a good arm workout…

So, with that, let us officially wish our manz a very happy birthday…We love you, Jeets! If we coulda partied together (like I had originally planned – uhh, 16 years ago), this is what I woulda said: Cheers to you, Derek! You are an amazing, ageless, awesome person…Forget the nonbelievers. They’ve always been wrong. I am still in awe of you and your talent every single day!

And then we would get bombed and do regrettable things…well, I wouldn’t regret it.

And while I secretly/not-so-secretly do miss his high-top fade and tight pants, I know some things that will never change are that infectious smile and willingness to always play hard. And that perfect, in-shape, backside (daaayaaaaamn…)… I will make sure I have a roll of quarters for the day we eventually meet! Ya know, to call home…

Now, I leave you with some lessons learned during this latest trip to Yankee Stadium:

-Wheelchairs are hard to come by during HOPE Week.

-Jeter montages set to the song “Forever Young” are an instant tearjerker.

-I truly do believe Jeter’s birthday should be a national holiday… or at least in the tri-state area.

- You don’t need to be able to walk to root for your hot Yankees…

- …but you do to stand in line to get french fries…yikes!

Love, G

Water Coolers Watch Out!

May 22, 2012--Happy Birthday to Meeeee! (Erica, guest blogger again, I volunteered this time). Actually, my real beez is on May 21st, but thanks to our season tickets, how lucky can a girl get with a game so close to her birthday? Too bad I couldn't afford to send myself a birthday message on the diamond vision...anywho...

Back to the game and its happenings, cause lemme tell you this is a good one--are you comfortably ensconced in your computer chair at work?? (Michael Kaaaaay!) Ok, so being the hothead that I am, no exaggeration, just ask Dana--26 years of fights, arguments, temper tantrums, and the many occasions I pulled a Pauly O'Neill on her and threw my helmet after an unsuccessful at bat, you can only imagine how much will-power it takes for me to suppress my anger. And let's face it, the bleachers are the perfect place to let off some steam. In all my years of attending Yankee games, I have NEVER encountered a more annoying, borderline "you-could-be-a-Red-Sox-fan-with-that-mouth" Yankees fan...this night, I did.

From the first pitch, the two kids sitting behind us (roughly high schoolers, I only figured this because later on I saw them drinking Pepsi--I missed my opportunity to Glee-slushie them, buuuut, with cops around, I wasn't about to miss the last out of the game) were busting on my man Phil-Z Dawg, that's Phil Hughes for those of you not caught up on the lingo yet...jinxing his no-hitter/perfect game and being all around jackazzes with their chants...words were exchanged on our end, me and Gina both, but the fire didn't really come until later on in the game.

The taunting didn't end...Derek Jeter stepped up to the plate and the kids were shouting "C'mon, ground into a double play!" CLAP CLAP CLAP in my ear!! At this point I turned around and said "Why don't you go sit in Fenway Park?" Then, on top of it all, when I heard the father chime in, yes, the dad was just as annoying, I was in complete disbelief...is this really happening right now? One of the kids, when I turned around with a snarl on my face that Rocky Balboa would be jealous of, looked me in the eye as he clapped and said "I'm jinxing it on purpose, it's gonna work!" Now lemme axe ya...who the eff says that?? I couldn't help it, my head heated up from chin to hairline, just like Roger Rabbit. I shouted back at him, "I CAME HERE TO WATCH THE GAME, NOT LISTEN TO YOU YELL AND SCREAM, SHUT THE HELL UP MAN!" Umm, expletive, expletive. I didn't find out til later that other words were exchanged between Dana, Gina, and the dad...that's part of the story they can tell...

So, what? I yelled a little at a coupla teenagers who were clearly egging me on...sometimes ya just gotta say something. The irritating remarks went on until the last out and in between innings when Dana and Gina went traipsing around the stadium. As we exited the park and crossed the street back to the train, my Roger Rabbit syndrome came back (or never left). I mentioned to Dana and Gina that I would have rather sat next to a polite ginger-bearded Red Sox fan than next to those *@$!&@$%&! Fill in the blank...

All in all, if you haven't noticed, what they say about sports being cathartic is absolutely true. So much of the fan in you is invested in a bunch of guys out there on the field smacking a ball around for a living. If only that were real life for us normal folks...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my game recap. A little piece of advice if you find yourself sitting next to us girls in the bleachers--DON'T HATE! I can't guarantee I'll be as nice the next time.

-- Erica

Editor's Note: The Yankees won!

You're Italian, Do it Right...

Hello Pinstripers, Victoria here. Dana and Gina kindly agreed to let me be a guest blogger for this edition of Pinstripe Love.

On Friday, May 18th I ventured to the Bronx with my Dad to see some interleague baseball -- the Yankees versus the Cincinnati Reds.

Since the Yankee game was my graduation present, my Dad wined and dined me in style! We started our trip to the Bronx with a visit to Dominick’s on Arthur Avenue. For those of you who don’t know, Arthur Ave in the Bronx is the ULTIMATE Little Italy. Yes, better than the one in Manhattan. Unlike the Little Italy in Manhattan, Arthur Ave has stayed true to its Italian roots. There are so many different kinds of Italian cuisine to choose from that someone would probably laugh if I told them I only went to Dominick’s. The restaurant is set up in a communal fashion. We were seated between an older couple and a party of four. There are no menus, you simply tell them what you want and they make it for you. We ordered Veal Marsala, Spaghetti and Calamari, salad, and an order of Fried Calamari. The food was ridiculously good! The veal was tender and sweet, and the calamari was fresh and bottomless. My mouth is watering all over again just thinking about it! After dinner, we stopped and got cannolis and made our way to the Stadium. Okay, so if you didn’t already know it, we’re all Italian and proud of it!

The weather could not have been more perfect. 70 degrees with the sun shining bright and a cool breeze that carried the smell of hot dogs and French fries through the air. Ahh yes, a Friday night at Yankee Stadium. To a Yankee fan, it does not get much better than this. Our seats were on the right field side, just past first base in section 227. Unfortunately, due to a bronchial infection, Mark Teixeira was given a complete day off. However, the real story here is Andrew Eugene Pettitte.

The veteran started for the second time on Friday night, he approached the mound with a look of determination in his eyes. There has been a lot of talk surrounding Andy’s return to the game after a retirement hiatus (especially from Dana and Gina, who pretty much called his triumphant return way back at the beginning of last season). In a pre-game interview, Manager Joe Girardi was asked what he wished for out of the game, “Can I be greedy? 8 shutout innings from Andy.” Pettitte permitted only four singles to the Reds lineup, striking out nine, and walking only one. After 115 pitches and 8 shutout innings, Joe got his wish and Andy got his first win since the 2010 playoffs! A few key players in the lineup provided Andy with enough support to secure the win, Granderson scored in the 4th inning on a groundout from A-Rod. Breathing room was added in the 8th by Robinson Cano and Raul Ibanez who both blasted homers to make the final score 4-0.

Thanks to my Dad for the best present a college grad could ask for! Now if only Nick Swisher would marry me and take care of that pesky college debt…

-- Vicky

Party Like It’s 1999…

It’s a warm, sunny afternoon in the Bronx. My ma, my brother, and I drive down to the city to observe Mothers’ Day at the Stadium. We grab some hotdogs and a Pettitte t-shirt and make our way to the bleachers just in time to join in on the roll call and see Andy give Kevin Millwood a run for his money.

Though the previous passage may have also been found in the pages of my 9th grade journal, what I’m describing had actually only taken place a mere two weeks ago! Sure, the stadium is across the street, Jeter has a different haircut and A-Rod’s on our team now, but other than that, it sounds like a scene from Yankee Stadium ca. 1999, right??

So, I feel like we’re always on the verge of tears when we go to the games – for various reasons such as: slow motion shots of Tex wiping the sweat off of his face, Jeter bending down to pray after the National Anthem, or the overly sexual stares of A-Rod in his at-bat pics on the big screen (they’ll burn a hole through your head – I swear!)…but this day was slightly different. All of the usual suspects that make us cry on cue were in the house, but as previously mentioned, so was our old friend Andy Pettitte!

We have literally begged for the return of Andy…even put it in writing (see: Where Have You Gone, Andy Pettitte?). And after 19 long months of waiting, our prayers have finally been answered! I didn’t even have to buy cowboy boots and a flight to Texas to beseech him in person! Thank gawd because I mean, I don’t have that kind of money… I have to save up for Backstreet Boys concerts! You, uhhh, sure it ain’t 1999?, you ask. I’m sure.

Aaanyway, the day started out with Nick Swisher honoring a wounded vet and her adopted German shepherd in true Yankees fashion by giving her a jersey autographed by the entire team…so cute! This love-fest was followed up by A-Rod presenting her with a Tiffany & Co. bracelet, which he basically threw at her like he was throwing across the diamond to Mark Teixeira because he was deathly afraid of her dog. Who was wearing a full muzzle. If my love for Alex wasn’t unconditional, I might call him a p-- …eh, you get it. Love ya, A…ya look greeeat!

Back to the guest of honor… Andy looked awesome! The cutter, the pick off attempts (not to mention a rump that looked juicer than a Lobel’s sandwich)…it was all there for us fans to feast on…and that, we did. When he came out of the bullpen to throw in center field, you would think it was a postseason game the way everyone was cheering. It was an amazing thing to see…I was keeping my eye on the chicks in the front row, too, because they looked like they were gonna hop the fence and claw right through the #46 on his back! (I secretly wanted to join them.) Then, when the lineups were called, you could tell that everyone was anxiously waiting for Andy’s name to be announced, as evidenced by the subpar ovation for Jeter, who usually gets the people going even when the stadium is almost empty. (Don’t you worry, Derek. I was still screaming to the point where a large number of people were staring at me. Loyalty, baby.) And sure enough, as we saw the 100-foot image of our beloved Andrew Eugene enthusiastically turning around and smiling on the big screen, the place went nuts! I was even lucky enough to join Bald Vinny and the Bleacher Creatures for the roll call, where they do not traditionally include the pitcher’s name. But there we were… calling out “An-dyyy Pett-itte” in unison for at least a full minute! Even though he wasn’t able to acknowledge the crowd, I was proud to be a part of that moment…

All in all, the day was great. Andy’s already picked up a couple of wins since he’s been back, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’re super excited to see him back on the mound for the Yanks. I certainly look forward to seeing him in tight pants…I meannn, win games for us for the rest of the year!

Andy – we’re sending lots of pinstripe love your way and wishing you the best of luck this season! We’ll be cheering you on every single game...’til the very last out. And I promise not to jump on your float at the World Series parade like a crazy person… I’ll be on Jeter’s.

Love,

g

Ps – Dana and I will be in the Big Apple celebrating Jeter’s birthday for a couple of days at the end of next month. After we comb the city for Derek’s big apple…and do some other touristy things, we’ll be sure to report back!

Hey Guys, I'm Nick Swisher!

Hello Pinstripe Lovers!

It's officially baseball season now that the Yanks are playing back at home and me and the gals have made our way to the Bronx for our first game, and boy does it feel good! We (us and the team) are feeling fresh from Spring Training and ready to go. Now that we've seen a full game in person, I can officially say that the boys are looking sooo good and I think we're going to win it all this year! They are also playing well...

So, despite the fact that the Stadium was lacking popcorn, peanuts, and PETTITTE shirts (!!!) on Thursday night, it was an overall great trip. Our seats out in section 237 (DJ3K territory) are great, and I only spilled one beer on someone...success! (Now that we're season ticket holders, I'd better not piss off too many people though, as there is a good chance we might see them again out there...) Oh, and get this: Curtis Granderson went 5-for-5 and hit 3 home runs...wait for it - that's not the shocking part. Picture it: The Stadium is on its feet waiting for Grandy to come out for a curtain call, and the usually overly observant Dana thought it was only two HRs. Even I KNEW what was going on! Wow... must have been because I was down a beer.

Also part of the highlight reel was our tweets from Flash himself... Mr. John Flaherty! He tweeted a pic of his healthy dinner to which I replied that Dana and I would be sticking with "a dog and a beer" at the game that night. See below for his response. Dana jumped in on the convo. and promptly invited him to the bleachers for a hotdog. We know he would've come on down if he could, but he needed to be fulfilling his duties in the press box...probably handing out some pre-game sedatives to Coney or something. Maybe if Erica flashes her turkey sandwich on Twitter next time, he'll come visit!

And of course, the marketing geniuses of the Yankees have, yet again, cooked up some amazing between-inning fillers to put on the giant screen in center field. Over the years, we've seen the oldies but goodies: the cap game, the bloopers, Baby Bombers, and various montages of the Yanks kicking a$$... But just as we're sitting there waiting for them to come back out - and probably contemplating our next hundred-dollar, thousand-calorie snack - this awesome display of Yankees doing impressions of Nick Swisher come onto the screen. So funny! One after another - Gardner, Chavez, Nunez, etc. give it their best shot. And then comes Jeter. For a second, it looked like he wasn't going to do it, but then he busted out (hand movements and all) with "Hey guuuuys, I'm Nick Swisher!" The place went wild like Curtis just hit another 3 bombs! Men, women, old, young...everyone! Geez, as if we needed more reasons to love Derek - we are perfectly content loving him and knowing we're barely going to get a smile out of him in an interview, but when he does things like this - we melt into little puddles in our seats... right next to the spilt beer.

Ya know, I have always said I only had three things I wanted to say to / ask Derek Jeter if I had ever met him (that will only be disclosed in the blog when that day actually arrives). But I think I've got a fourth... how does this dude have us all wrapped so tightly around his finger?? He does normal things, and we fall out of our seats thinking it's so hilarious! Gosh, I wanna be him when I grow up...Oh, and you think he has a Jeter Meter in his giant apartment? Ok, I guess that's five things. Will you marry me wasn't on the list either. Six. I'll stop!

Love, g

ps - Check us out again next week - We'll be back in the bleachers at the end of the month where we will continue our quest for #28.... AND #46!