The Detroit Tigers are in town to play the Yankees\u2026 and I am thinking of Shaina, and it makes me smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This should sound counterintuitive on several levels. You see\u2026 I was raised as a Brooklyn Dodger fan and as such, hated the NY Giants all summer & the NY Yankees come the World Series. So my interest in the Bronx Bombers is relatively new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it was Zachary<\/em> (not<\/em> Shaina) who first turned my attention to enjoying the Yankees. Buck Showalter coaching & Don Mattingly protecting first base. But I must admit, my first visit to the \u201cHouse that Ruth Built\u201d with Zack felt like stepping inside an alien church. So be it. I was there with Zack, who was loving<\/em> it\u2026 how could a Dad not be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And although Zack developed into a big Yankee fan, it was my Shaina who took it even further. She began following the games on TV and each time created scorecards to record by innings the hits & outs. Her favorite player then, if memory serves, was 1st<\/sup> Sacker Tino Martinez. Her love of baseball even influenced her choice in selecting a college major\u2026 she wanted to be an athletic trainer. Not just any<\/em> athletic trainer\u2026 she wanted to be the next Gene Monahan \u2013 trainer of the New York Yankees! The guy who runs out of the dugout to spray Novocain on a wrist after a batter takes a nasty one on a foul tip\u2026 or to remind a catcher in pain, \u201cdon\u2019t touch there, we\u2019re on national TV.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years I attended a couple of games with Zack, and loved them thoroughly. But my favorite game was going with Shaina after she won two tickets from Norwalk High\u2019s Graduation Night Celebration. I can\u2019t<\/em> tell you who the Yanks played. I can\u2019t <\/em>tell you the outcome of the game. I can<\/em> tell you we had primo<\/em> parking, I can<\/em> tell you that on a hot sticky night we got into the air conditioned Stadium Club before the game, and although I can\u2019t recall the location of the seats \u2013 I can<\/em> tell you they were very good\u2026 & I can<\/em> tell you that I was with Shaina, just the two of us \u2013 and I loved it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomorrow I will travel to the far side of the Hudson. I will visit with Suzy and Joe in San Jose \u2013 travel up to Napa, down to Monterey\u2026 perhaps have a swim in the Pacific. Then on to Los Angeles for a visit with Zack, Beth, Summer and new Granddaughter Lily with Disneyland on the itinerary for sure. Ten days\u2026 my longest vacation since 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, I am looking forward to it. But tonight I just saw the Pinstripes\u2019 2nd<\/sup> Baseman, Brendan Ryan, make an incredible circus snare of a line shot that had Derek Jeter smiling in disbelief. Tonight I am thinking of Shaina. And I\u2019m a lucky guy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Detroit Tigers are in town to play the Yankees\u2026 and I am thinking of Shaina, and it makes me smile. This should sound counterintuitive on several levels. You see\u2026 I was raised as a Brooklyn Dodger fan and as … Continue reading