Boys of Summer book Entry #60

July 8, 2004 - Dad
Bronx, NY

Today is a very exciting day. We are due to hook up with Paulette and Annamaria. We decide to purchase a car top carrier to make more room inside a very crowded Explorer. We are packed and on the road by 10:30 after a very delicious breakfast at our hotel (the Penn's View Inn). This is my first experience driving in New York City. I have to say we have noticed a steady deterioration in the condition of the roads as we travel north and east. The combination of pot holes, narrow streets, fast traffic and my lack of local experience add up to an exciting ride.

We eventually find our way to Yankee Stadium and find a parking place on the street. Soon Paulette and Annamaria arrive via subway. It’s great to see them. We have lunch at a local pizza place and find out that there is a parking lot right next to Yankee Stadium for $10. One of the best values we have found.

A bottle of water inside Yankee Stadium is $4.50. Bob has arranged a tour of the park.  We met our guide, Matt Marino, (a cousin of quarterback, Dan Marino), at 4:30 and got an hour-long tour of the park, including Monument Park in center field and close up front row view of batting practice.

There is a huge press turnout with a majority of Japanese among them. They are there to cover Hedeki Matsui, (dubbed by some: “Godzilla”). We were about to shoot video of the tour but were reminded at least six times that video cameras are not allowed in the park. All the other parks to date have allowed cameras. The Yankees gave us the best tickets to date, right behind home plate in the top of the first section.  What a view! 

Bob:

Dad and I talked about the difference between feeling one is owed something versus graciously accepting that which comes forth naturally. Today was a long, yet wonderful day. We have seen and felt much.

The Blur of the day:

Traveling up New Jersey (after leaving a beautiful place in Philly) going by Princeton, getting to New York and having dad describe a scene on the Bronx streets as a “goat...” (propagation).

Seeing the beauty of Yankee Stadium. Standing on the street to hold a prime parking spot and getting it. Reuniting with Bella and mom. Going to the Yankee game. Calling and being disappointed by Stephen King’s departure from Boston just a day before we are going to be there! 

Getting the tour -- THE tour -- of Yankee Stadium. Watching BP. Having a beer amongst the masses at Stan’s Bar and Grill across the street from Yankee. Going to the game and sitting right behind home plate. Almost falling asleep during the game -- not because it was boring, but because I was wiped out. The game was great.

Mom:

Yankee Stadium was thrilling. It was like going someplace you’ve heard about all your life -- you see it on TV, you know it’s there, but it’s not the same as being there. Baseball history has been made there!

We got a very nice young man named Mike Marino (Dan Marino’s cousin) to be our ambassador at the park. We saw so much. It was fun listening to the Yankee fans. They are so diehard. It was great listening to the accents and the people talk to the guys. We had one of our former A’s players out there -- Jason Giambi. It was kind of interesting to watch him.

Dad:

We are finally back on the road to Boston at 11:30. Some friends of Bob’s friend, Brian Safine, have invited us to stay in their second home in Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, for the next two nights. The Bartons are out of town and will return on Friday afternoon.

Bob:

We got a great video of a guy playing “Take me out to the ball game” on the sax outside the park -- beautiful. The drive out of New York was dark, late night, with us jammed in the car with additional luggage, stressful, traffic-laden roads and our long trip to Boston.

We stopped at Kinko’s in Providence, Rhode Island at 2:30 AM to make sure we knew where we were going. We made our way to Newton, slowly but surely. We found the beauty of this home which is actually part of a converted elementary school. And now it is 5:?? AM and I am going to bed. Good morning.

Park Number Nine (of 30) Yankee Stadium

New York Yankees 7, Tampa Bay 1
 WP: J. Contreras (6-3)   LP: V. Zambrano (9-5) 

A’s lose AGAIN to Red Sox - *@&%! - 8-7