THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS: YANKEE STYLE

"Treat each day like it is a new at bat. Forget about the ground out, and pop ups in life and that will help you avoid slumps." Those genius words were given to me the other night and I think it is some of the greatest advice I have ever been given. Why? Well, partially because the friend who said it really doesn’t follow baseball. She sees my enthusiasm, remembers things I tell her about the games I watch or has seen me react to a game when she watches with me. Sometimes, the untrained eye really sheds light on something new. As good as that advice was, there was more to come.

The holidays are my absolute favorite time of the year. Once the supermarkets start advertising sales on Turkeys for Thanksgiving my “holiday cheer 24/7” mode usually kicks in. I start baking a lot more which I really don’t do much of and that radio station that plays the continuous Christmas music is constantly on in my house. I wonder if my neighbors notice this because if they do… I am sure they would have some funny stories to tell.  

My house also turns into a Christmas store with lights, garland, stockings, and peanuts stuff everywhere!  My friends usually tell me that it looks like the North Pole has created a second headquarters in Arizona. This year though, it’s not quite the same feeling.

Even though all of the decorations and traditions are still here, some of the people are not. Most of my family lives almost 3000 miles away in New York.  It’s not easy, but it becomes especially harder when your small circle becomes even smaller now that more of my family has moved back to New York. The holidays of course, will be a little different. It took some more wise words from a good friend to remind me that some of the people I admire most go through the same exact feeling year round.

As Thanksgiving approaches tomorrow, I really think about how grateful I am to have so much time with my friends and family. I think about our Yankees that spend so much time away from their loved ones all season. I think about how many of them are missing their kids birthdays. I remember this year seeing a tweet that Mark Teixeira made after a game. He hit a homerun and dedicated it to his son here: 

It makes you wonder how often they miss big moments or special occasions like this because they are on the field.

Then I think about how many of our Yankees struggle with a difficult decision, like retiring so they can be close to their family. One person I think about a lot would be Andy Pettitte. 

When he retired after the 2010 season I understood it, I am sure a lot of us did. I can’t even imagine how hard it is for him to not be around his family every day, especially as his kids are getting older and preparing for some life changing events, like college. As we wait to see if Andy will come back for 2013 there is a new Pettitte to watch, his son Josh.  Andrew Marchand reported earlier this week that his son will also be pitching read that HERE . Who knows... maybe we will be watching Josh take the mound at Yankee Stadium years from now.  These are just a few examples of big life moments that our Yankees have to balance and now that I think about it, I appreciate what they do for us now more than ever.

So, as I get ready to sit at the family dinner table this year with a few more empty chairs… I am going to think about the sacrifices so many have made for us over the years, and, for the sake of this being a Yankee website, I think about the sacrifices our Yankees have to make just like we do… everyday.  When spring finally arrives and those guys are back on the field, I will think about moments like the ones I wrote about, that we as fans don’t get to hear about.  It’s that time of year to reflect and be thankful for everything we have and I have a lot to give thanks for, including very wise friends.

What are YOU Thankful for? Comment and let us know.

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ



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