MY LUNCH WITH ROY WHITE

As a native New Yorker (shout out to my Long Island peeps!!), I was able to bask in the glow of Yankees baseball constantly. Even though the team wasn’t so hot after ’81, I stayed ever faithful. Fast forward to 1990 and my family & I relocated to sunny Central Florida. I still shout my Yankees love from the rooftops, and even though there are a lot of fans down here, it does not compare to NY.

My bride & I made a pilgrimage to the NYC last September and did the usual tourist thing. My wife located some great Stadium tour tickets for the day that we were going to the game. The tour was to be given by a “Yankee Legend” and it included lunch at the stadium’s Hard Rock Café.
September 23, 2011 was a very rainy day and from the beginning, I could tell that there was serious doubt as to whether I would get to see my mighty Yankees wallop the dreaded Red Sox that evening. It did not matter at the moment, because a quick ride on the 4 train brought us to the 161st Street, Yankee Stadium station. It was my first visit to the hallowed ground of YS3 and it was very impressive. It was love at first sight.We got there very early, many places weren't opened up yet. After walking around in the drizzle and buying some souvenirs, it was time to go to the tour. My wife was curious who the Yankee legend could be and after standing around a little bit I saw a lean figure in blue jeans & a dark jacket and realized…. HOLY CRAP, that’s Roy White!!!

For those of you that haven’t read it, Bleeding Yankee Blue posted an interview with Roy White last year, conviniently titled EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ROY WHITE and it was a fine piece. It talked about his experiences and talked about what a nice man he was. Roy White had a 15 year MLB career, all with the New York Yankees. From Mickey Mantle to Thurman Munson, his list of teammates is wide & varied. One of my favorite Roy White pieces of trivia is that he was on base along with Chris Chambliss when Bucky Dent hit his one game playoff home run in 1978. A day in Yankees history none of us will ever forget.I can assure you with the utmost certainty that you would be hard pressed to find a more pleasant former player. Roy walked and talked with the group, signed many autographs and took many pictures.

When it was time to eat lunch, Roy took the time to sit with each group. I actually got to talk with him for a good 15 minutes about baseball and other things. He asked about our trip and when asked, gave strong opinions about the many topics in baseball that fans constantly discuss. I was like a kid in a candy store.The game was eventually rained out and rescheduled for after we returned to Florida. However it still was an unforgettable day. If you ever get the chance to take this tour, I am sure the “Yankee Legend” chosen will be great, but it would be difficult to imagine a better tour than the one given by Yankee Legend, #6, Mr. Roy White.



--Joseph Saucedo, BYB Guest Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @JD_Sauce70

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