Daily Archives: November 3, 2008

Brace yourself, this may come as a shock, but…

Future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter isn’t a very good fielder. 

Oh, well.  See ya in Cooperstown, Jetes.

Studs Turkel, the great man of American letters, passed away last Friday. 

If you are not familiar with his work, check out his wonderful site, sponsored by the Chicago Historical Society.  It has audio clips from many of his books.  Studs was an activist, a writer, a radio personality, and one of the best listeners this country has ever produced. 

It’s hard for me to imagine Chicago without him.

He lived a long, rich life and will be missed.

[Editor’s Note: The Lasting Yankee Stadium Memory series will continue tomorrow.  But first, enjoy this special treat…]

By Ed Alstrom

Ed Alstrom playing the organ on the final day of Yankee Stadium behind a framed picture of Eddie Layton

There’s always something about the ‘last time’ you do something, especially when you know for sure it’s going to be the last time. Preparing for the last game at the existing Yankee Stadium was was a little easier than it might have been, because by that time we all knew it would be the last time. I was able to walk around and soak it all in with a sense of closure, and smile and say my silent farewells to this and that (jeez, it even extended to the bathroom and the elevator), without any nagging doubts that maybe we’d be back yet again.

I arrived early, as I customarily do, at noon, about an hour before the gates opened. There is always a sense of calm at that time at the Grand Dame, but especially so on this day. The place looked stunning, as it always does. The red-white-and-blue bunting always comes out for the special occasions, and the place seemed to have an extra halo around it just for the day.

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Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx doesn’t have a baseball field, but that didn’t stop the kids. They got a game going with four pieces of cardboard, a plastic jug, an old aluminum bat and a rubber ball.

Maria came out to enjoy the afternoon with her children – a seven-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy – and they jumped right in the game.

Maria watched from a bench and waved when her daughter bounced a hit into centerfield.

“It’s a nice day for the kids,” she said. “They love to play out here.”

Maria kept talking about the baseball game and her daughter’s art project at school and her son’s basketball team. She even asked if CC Sabathia was really coming to the Yankees. It was easier than talking about what’s really on her mind these days.

“I’m scared,” she finally admitted. “People are losing their jobs everywhere and I’m afraid I’ll be next.”

She is most concerned about her full-time job as an office manager, but she’s also worried about her summer job at Yankee Stadium.

“I use the baseball money to payoff winter bills from Con Ed and Christmas for the kids and a lot of other stuff,” Maria explained. “The Yankees are doing something new with the concessions and I haven’t heard anything about my job. I’m behind the Union because they make sure we’re treated right, but I really need that job.”

Maria needs both of her jobs. She needs fair pay and health insurance. Her kids need all that, too.

“I don’t want any of this to hurt them,” Maria said. “They should just go to school and play ball and have fun.”

Maria is stuck worrying.

“I keep thinking about what I’ll do if I lose one of my jobs,” Maria said. “There’s no good answer so I try to put it out of my mind, but it won’t go away and that’s the worst part.”

Fear even ruins the good days.

You many not know who to vote for, but you KNOW you should read the latest news:

• John Perrotto of BP.COM has some analysis of the Yankees off-season needs, and thinks the pressing issue is starting pitching, particularly with Mike Mussina leaning toward retirement.  He notes there is some sentiment towards acquiring a center fielder, though many in the organization believe rookie Brett Gardner can ably fill that position. Ian Kennedy, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are listed as top trade bait.
• SI.COM’s Jon Heyman has some educated guesses regarding the landing spots for various free agents.  He thinks C.C. will end up with the Yanks (7 years, $160 million), as well as A.J. Burnett (5 years, $80 million).
• At FOXSports.COM, Joel Sherman noted this amazing comment by one agent, made without any hint of a joke …  “(he) would not be surprised if the Yanks signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez. Beyond having a conscious, there is no reason the Yanks cannot take their payroll to $250 million or more.”
• Over at the LoHud Yankees Blog, our buddy Peter Abraham thinks Pat Gillick might be useful in a consultant function for the Yankees.
• Ken Davidoff of Newsday suggests the Yanks hire Mick Kelleher for their coaching staff. Kelleher has “a long-standing relationship with Robinson Cano, and his easygoing demeanor would be a boon to a team that takes itself too seriously too often”.
• According to Boston.com, the Bombers have already tried to initiate trade talks with a few teams, such as Houston.  The Astros said that Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman were not available.
• Happy 36th birthday to one of 51 players to have pitched for both the Mets (333 games) and Yankees (9 games) … Armando Benitez.  The big 4-0 for a guy who gave up 172 hits in only 127.7 innings over two seasons with the Bombers, Paul Quantrill.  Happy 63rd to a pitcher acquired in a 9-player trade with the Orioles in 1976, Ken Holtzman.
• On this date in 1934, Lou Gehrig clinched the A.L. Triple Crown after hitting  .363 with 49 homers and 165 RBI.