BYB, OUR BASEBALL LIFE & THANKSGIVING

Like you, we love our baseball here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. We love the game, we love the dramatic twists and watching our favorite players. I have always wondered about the behind the scenes details and lives that we, as fans never get to see. Our favorite players are just like us. They have families, hectic schedules, and their lives are very focused around baseball on and off the field.

(In Photo: Lory Ankiel)
Lory Ankiel is wife to Rick Ankiel who retired earlier this season from the great game of baseball. He started off his career as a major league pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals.

Overtime, he converted to an outfielder. Like many professional baseball players, he has had to move his family around and dealt with last minute trades and picking up and moving in no time flat. It can be a strain on the family when that happens...

Today, on Thanksgiving, we want to expand from the BYB family a bit....even the Yankee family... we're expanding to the baseball family today.  After all, Thanksgiving is about being with family, isn't it? We want you all to get to know the Ankiel family and specifically, Lory Ankiel and her incredible venture.

Last week, an organization called Our Baseball Life did their first Twitter chat with the fans! It was there that we were introduced. Brandon McCarthy's wife Amanda McCarthy was also a co-host of the chat and we here at BYB were lucky enough to share some of their time. I had the pleasure of chatting with Lory Ankiel this week, the founder of Our Baseball Life, and she gave BYB a new perspective on all of these things, namely family... and baseball.

I hope you enjoy this interview on Thanksgiving.  Enjoy... and thanks Lory for the time to chat with us!

BYB: What is Our Baseball Life? What families work on this with you?

Lory Ankiel: Our Baseball Life is an online resource website for professional baseball families. When players are traded or sign with a new team, they can log on to the site and find all the info they need for their new city. Ive been working on it solo since 2010. I am now expanding to other sports with wives of other professional athletes as the directors of their respective sports.

BYB: How did you come up with the idea for Our Baseball Life and what kinds of resources do you provide?

Lory Ankiel: My husband, Rick was traded at the deadline in 2010. He left the next morning and I was left behind pregnant, with our 2 big dogs to pack up and get all our stuff to Atlanta without any idea about where to live, how to get around the city or stadium. It was then I knew their had to be a better way, so the idea was born.

BYB: My dad is a big Mets fan and when Rick played for the Mets back in 2013, he was pretty excited. Before he landed in New York, your family lived in some other big cities. Obviously you know what it's like to move. What was your most challenging move and how did your family manage to transition?

Lory Ankiel: Being traded at the deadline with no idea it was coming was definitely hard, but the move to NY was also difficult as I then had 2 little guys and the subway stairs and strollers don’t mix.

So when Rick was gone I had to drive everywhere and you know how driving around NY can be!

Luckily, we landed in a great location in Long Island City and we settled right in.

BYB: Family is very important to us at BYB and now the holidays are here. What do the Ankiels do on Thanksgiving? If you cook, what is on the menu?

Lory Ankiel: We eat! I love watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every morning while we get all the food prepared.  We usually eat pretty early, usually around 2pm and football is always on of course. We have traditional menu items, turkey, potatoes, ham. Rick’s mom makes the best cheesecake you’ve ever tasted so I'm excited to dive into that!

BYB: You have two sons. What kind of family activities do you like to do with the boys?

Lory Ankiel: They LOVE baseball, so we are constantly playing in the living room. They also love to be outside so anything that involves the sunshine is usually where you’ll find us.

BYB: Finally Lory, have you ever read Bleeding Yankee Blue? If so, what do you think?

Lory Ankiel:  I really like it! It really seems like you are pretty positive and have a lot to offer Yankee fans who want to keep up with their team year round!  Keep up the great work!

Thank you Lory for taking the time to give us an inside look at your life and give us a better understanding of what it's like to transition in the constantly changing world of baseball.

Your family is now a part of our BYB family! Call us anytime! We appreciate the Ankiels!

Oh, and for our BYB Audience, be sure to follow Our Baseball Life on Twitter: @ourbaseballlife.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


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

 


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