DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST?

There are many "firsts" in life. When we are little we lose our first tooth and get a visit from the tooth fairy. In grade school we have that first boy / girl dance. When we hit our teenage years we have that first significant other and eventually we fall in love for the first time. Speaking of falling in love for the first time....I still remember the first time I was able to see Yankee stadium in person, and I will never forget it.

It is hard to live so far away from what I call "The happiest place on Earth." Kids have Disneyland....I have Yankee Stadium. For those who don't know, I am a New York transplant. It's definitely not by choice, but I am here. They say home is where your heart is. I have a roof over my head in Arizona....but it is not home. You can take the girl out of New York, but you can't take New York out of the girl. I get to enjoy year round baseball here, and I have been to Chase Field more times than I can count. I love baseball, but I don't know that I would call my visits there "exciting." My first trip to Yankee stadium though was just that....and then some.

I go home to New York every year. Two years ago I had two firsts in my life. It was my first trip to the stadium, and my first time meeting one of the most beautiful people I have ever met both inside and out, one of our own "family" members here at BYB, Erica Morales.

I am from Long Island, and compared to where I live now....it is a whole other world. It's like a whole different planet, actually. One of the things I love to do when I go home is take trips into the city. I can't get enough of it. In fact, I think it is intoxicating. I love to sit on the train and watch how the cities change the closer you get into the city. I love walking up the steps from Penn station and just getting on the subway and people watch. It's so different I can't find the words to describe it.

In 2011 I finally got to meet Erica face to face after "meeting" on Facebook through our common love of the Yankees. I remember meeting her a the big clock in Penn Station and taking the 2 to the 4 train until we were dumped off right in front of gate 6 at Yankee stadium. I remember being in awe of it. Just the view from the platform made my heart skip a beat. It sounds cheesy and cliche....but if you watched as many games as I have on a TV for all of these years you would understand my crazy explanation.

The stadium itself is impressive, but the game was the best part and sadly it flew by. Sitting as close to the action is enticing. You can see everything as it happens, and you feel like you are a part of the action. I agree with that, but there is still something about sitting in the bleachers. Sure, the name "bleachers" has a negative association to it but we met some die hard, crazy fans. I remember watching CC Sabathia pitch an impressive seven innings until he loaded the bases. I'm not gonna lie, I was biting my nails a little. I was able to relax when David Robertson got a double play ball and got out of the inning. The crowd was pumped.

The best moment of the game for me was watching Jorge Posada come in to pinch-hit in the 8th inning with two outs. As much as I remember his at-bat I wish I would have savored that moment a little bit more. If I would have just let the realization sink in that he wouldn't be back again I would have taken more mental pictures. As we watched Jorge settle into the batters box, just one crack of the bat broke a 2-2 tie against the Rays. The crowd erupted, and soon construction paper confetti was flying everywhere. The cries of "Hip-Hip JORGE!" were roaring through the stadium. The celebration on the field and in the stands were moments that you don't easily forget. It was a long journey to get here, and when I finally did it ended with a big win and the Yankees clinching the AL East and the best record in the American League. It's nice to feel like you are a part of something big. I wish I could relive that moment.

There have been many games since this one. Some were equally as amazing, but as the cliche goes, you never forget your first. I had great memories, and great company. Do you remember your first? Tell us about it. We love the feel good moments here.





--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ

  

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