PRIDE IN PINSTRIPES: PASSING IT ON

Sunday, May 20th's game against the Reds was a good game- a pitcher’s duel until the 7th inning, when CC Sabathia blew a 2-0 lead. Despite the outcome of the game (Reds 5 - Yankees 2), it was clear at Yankee Stadium that Pride in Pinstripes is alive and well.

It was “bat day”, and kids under the age of 12 received a bat upon entering the Stadium. Oddly enough, 12 year olds are looking older and older these days, as it seems that a few “kids at heart” were lucky enough to collect the souvenir as well. Kids were walking around the Stadium practicing their swings and batting stances, and although a few grown-ups ended up with accidental blows to the knees, it was great to see the next generation of Yankee fans in their full glory.

Sitting behind me at the game was a grandfather with his 4 year old grandson. A thick New York accent spent the majority of the day explaining the game to the youngster, who was bright-eyed and amazed at everything about the game.

He was excited about every pitch, hit, and when Raul Ibanez hit a homerun, it sounded as if Santa Claus himself had come to visit this starry-eyed child. It was amazing to hear, and as the grandfather taught his little fan about the game and the history of the Cathedral in the Bronx, I learned a few things too.

The sheer wonder and joy of being at Yankee Stadium is something that we all take for granted at some point.  Sure, it was sweltering hot in the sun, and water was more expensive than beer. (Pleading the fifth on which I chose to purchase; let’s just say that I can’t resist a bargain.) These young kids were on Cloud Nine, and not even the fact that the Yankees were losing was enough to take the wonderment and pride away.

We forget that every time we see Derek Jeter play, we are watching history in action. Like the Babe, Mick, and Joe D. before him, we will be telling our grandchildren about how lucky and proud we were to witness such a legend play. We get so caught up in stats and box scores that we forget that this guy can literally rebuild the Hall of Fame and name it after himself. We lose track, sometimes, and it’s the kids like little Jimmy behind me that set us straight from time to time.

Yankee Stadium does bring out the kid in everyone, though, at some point, whether we are reliving our own childhood memories and passing it on to the next generation, or attending a game for the first time ever, there’s something about Yankees baseball that brings out the kid in all of us.  I’m grateful for the good fortune to have sat down in front of Jimmy and his grandfather, but most importantly, for the opportunity to see the game through Jimmy’s eyes. With a beer or two (oops…busted!) that’s a pretty great feeling. 



--Christy Lee, BYB Features Writer

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