LET'S GET "REAL" BETWEEN PLAYERS & FANS AGAIN

(In Photo: Lou Gehrig playing baseball with kids)

Back when I was a kid, it was a big deal to get an autograph, but nearly impossible because around that time, the 1980’s, something was starting to happen between the players and the fans, a separation.  Now, in this day and age, there is a significant divide, almost like we’re looking at players through cages longing for a moment or signature with them.  Only a few get it and the ones that do today sell them on eBay.  None of this makes sense to me, what the hell happened?

Suzie Pinstripe wrote a brilliant piece titled CONNECTION ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE and it opened my eyes and many others to something I’ve started to notice over the years.  Sure, we’re still fans and sure, we still root for our guys like crazy, but if you truly want a piece of signed memorabilia and you’d like to personally witness the event happen, you need to go to a card signing and stand in line for hours and hope you meet the player before being whisked away by his “people” so they can keep the line moving.  I’ve been there, I get it, but there are too many cooks in the kitchen these days. There are too many layers and much less interaction with the players. I long for the "old days."

I love watching the video of the Yankee championships when we’d lock up a World Series of playoff series and the fans would dart onto the field.  Sure it was dangerous as hell, but it was real.  Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record and I specifically remember seeing a guy run out on the field to pat Hank on the back. Remember, that was at the height of Aaron getting threatened because he was black and about to break a white man’s record.   

In the end, he was embraced by that white fan who patted him on the back. I always found that moment to be ironic.  Again, that was real.

It changed though and fans can’t run on the field anymore. Fans can't walk on the field of Yankee stadium out to the monuments to exit the park after the game.  All that is gone.  But what about when Babe Ruth used to just sit with kids and chat it up?  Sure, it was as photo op, but it was still real.  What about my friend Bonnie who used to babysit for Mickey Mantle’s kids when he lived in the suburbs of New Jersey.  And what about when you could just sit there and wait for players to sign a card for you before a game, and the players stuck around and did it... maybe even interacted with you. Remember that?  I told you once before in WHAT YANKEE BASEBALL MEANS TO ME, about when I was a kid and Gary Ward, a new Yankee in 1987 walked up and signed a baseball card for me. 

I became an instant fan, not because he was the next Mickey Mantle, but because he took a moment to interact with the fans.  Gary Ward of all people, and I still cherish that baseball card all these years later.

Times have changed haven’t they? Everyone’s getting a piece, except for the fan.  Am I faulting anyone? No.  It’s big business now, bigger than ever and these are big athletes, but so were Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle.  Hey, you know what I’d like to see happen and maybe even start a trend? I’d like players to just “show up.” Let's get back to these players being real again.   We just saw it with CC Sabathia and his wife Amber were in Hoboken to help rebuild for people who lost everything in Hurricane Sandy.   

You may have heard of the story of Brandon Phillips just showing up at a little league game because one of the players asked him to on Twitter, read HERE.  It’s real…  and our kids will never see this unless the players break away from the structure and big business and just do it because they want to thank the fans.  

So I say, I hope more of these players follow in those footsteps and give it a shot!

Look, we're going to keep banging this drum.  It’s important to the fans and it’s something that’s important to us here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.  Maybe we can open the eyes of some of these players, for the better of the game, after all, it could be fun...it could be real again.

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WHAT YANKEE BASEBALL MEANS TO ME

I have always been a Yankee fan. Most of us have been. There are some that came out of the woodwork around 1996 and stayed with us and I get that, everyone wants to latch onto a winner. But I’m a die-hard and I’m proud of it. No, I don’t go to may games any more, but on that rare occasion that I can bring the kids, we go. They do more eating than watching, but it’s about family at that point. I’m just happy to be there, eating ice cream after ice cream with my kids, but the point is, it’s Yankee Stadium, the greatest place on earth.

Look, I lived through some pretty good teams and pretty bad players. My Yankees were always my Yankees no matter what, but some of the players we collected over the years were just downright not good, others I loved, but through it all and even to this day, if I’m ever on Ebay or at a card show and I see a lot of Yankee cards for sale, I buy the lot. It doesn’t matter that there are a dozen of Bobby Meacham or Eric Plunk or how about Frank Tanana or Spike Owen. I love my New York Yankees and believe me, there’s always a story behind a name.

I was once at a game with my buddy and we had just finished talking about how we never caught a foul ball. I quickly ran off to the bathroom. When I came back he was holding a foul ball off the bat of Mike Gallego. I bought him a beer... What else do you do for a guy who has that kind of luck?

How about when I was a kid, I reached over the wall during batting practice to give Gary Ward his baseball card to sign. He just came over from the Texas Rangers. I remember Ward took the card, signed it and he never even smiled. It didn't matter, for the time frame Ward was with the Yankees, I rooted for him like he was Mickey Mantle. Kids do that when it comes to athletes, it doesn't matter who they are, if an athlete does something like that, they're Gods to all of us. Ward signing that card was just a moment, but for me, him signing my card felt like a lifetime... “A Yankee is taking the time to sign my baseball card? WOW!” Here it is, I still have it, and guess what, I always will because it’s a great memory:

I remember banging the pan of Freddy Sez, sometimes we’d even see him on the subway after the game and do it, God rest his soul. Or what about the game I was on television when I was lucky enough to buy 2 nice seats from my pal’s dad at the last minute. I still have that on VHS somewhere. I taped it just in case, and guess what, I was pathetic enough to come home and look for myself… and I found me. That’s right, I was part of baseball history and it was documented!

I even cherish the Yankee game that never happened for me, on September 11, 2001. After that tragedy, I realized that I needed to not go to the game after that, I needed to hold onto that ticket forever.

I could go on and on and you know what? I will again, but for now, I’m gearing up. My New York Yankees start up officially tomorrow. One of the greatest days in baseball. Derek Jeter will no doubt lead the charge even though we play the Rays in Tampa Bay... it doesn’t matter. Opening Day is when baseball counts again. We’ve been patient and we’ve seen some good spring ball so far, but now… now it counts and the numbers get tallied, the wins will pile up and hopefully more records will be broken. There is no doubt though, I like what I see from my team this season. It’s about to get really exciting.

Baseball’s here Ladies and Gentlemen…. How sweet it is!

By the way, look for our very special Opening Day post tomorrow morning on BYB early! And be sure to share it with everyone who loves the Yankees. It's some special to get you pumped created exclusively by Bleeding Yankee Blue...why? Because we love our readers, that's why.

By the way, check out Bronx Goblin for more great stuff HERE.

ORDER A BYB SHIRT NOW, DROB WEARS ONE! Also, Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.