Now that we’re done making fun of you for making the ra-tarded mistake of choosing a quote from the wrong movie, let us move on to an actual blog. We swear it’s real this week! It’s not about mini giraffes on a treadmill! We actually went to a baseball game this week. First, don’t forget to check out Lisa’s post about Mets’ Opening Day.
We took the train to the game again because it’s way cheaper than driving in and parking in the expensive parking garages. At the stadium, we bumped into several “celebrities.” First, we saw a man dressed in dirty and ragged clothing who looked exactly like Dave Grohl from the Foofighters. In all honesty, it really could’ve been Dave Grohl because if memory serves us (and it often doesn’t), we believe he dressed that way back in the day when he was Nirvana’s drummer. We rode the escalator with Eric Byrnes, who wore a navy blue Yankees hat. At least we think it was Eric Byrnes. He sure did look like Byrnesie. In our section, we spotted a redheaded man with a Magnum PI moustache who looked exactly like Jeff Foxworthy. Finally, on the jumbotron, we spotted a woman who we swear looked like P!nk drinking a beer. Anyone know if P!nk is a baseball fan? And if she drinks beer while pregnant? Cos’ then it really might’ve been P!nk.
We got to the stadium around 6:10, so we figured we’d try to visit Monument Park again. Needless to say, it was yet another TBB Fail.
After stuffing our faces, Lisa rolled Serena’s fat ass up a few ramps (it’s always good to get some cardio in) to the upper deck where our seats were located. Before reaching our destination, we bumped into our ex-boyfriend.
The good news is that Serena was reunited with her future husband, Justin Morneau…even if it was from a slight distance.
The game went by rather quickly. After the Yankees scored 4 runs in the 1st and 2nd, the Yankees’ offense was relatively quiet. The Twins made a few mock attempts at rallying without success.
We made it onto the D train easily, barely having to wait in the station. Unfortunately, when we got off at the 7th Avenue station to transfer to the E, we discovered that the E train temporarily wouldn’t be running on that track for maintenance reasons. Thankfully, we knew where the nearest F train station was (and by nearest, we mean four blocks over and two blocks down), so we just walked over (look at us exercising!). Just a slight detour. No biggie.
Only a few baseball notes this week:
As many of you probably heard by now, Manny Ramirez has officially retired from baseball…because he didn’t feel like serving his 100-day suspension for testing positive for steroids…again. Wow, Manny. You never cease to amaze us. You’re truly a special breed of animal. Congratulations. A$$ clown.
Has anyone seen the Head & Shoulders commercial where Joe Mauer makes fun of Troy Polamalu? It’s hilarious. By the way, we just Googled. It appears that Troy Polamalu is Greek Orthodox. In case you were interested…
We’re watching Sunday night baseball and prior to the game, an ESPN interviewer spoke to Clay Buchholz. We don’t like spreading rumors, but we strongly feel that he is malnourished. He might be anorexic. Someone should call a medical professional. It could be an emergency.
We’re happy to report that tonight’s blog only took us three hours as opposed to last week’s ridiculous marathon. We think we might be getting better at this. More focused…
Ooooh, JD Drew just hit a single. Serena picked him up for Tigers Love Pepper yesterday! Score!
Along with the hush puppies, we split a pulled pork sandwich ($10), which was pretty stuffed with meat. It came with a container of cole slaw (ugh!), a few pickles, and a small container of awesome BBQ sauce. I simply added BBQ sauce to my side of the sandwich, but Sean went all out and added the cole slaw and pickles. He claims that this is the way you should eat a pulled pork sandwich, but I hate cole slaw and pickles, so it wasn’t happening. We purchased the sandwich and hush puppies at the same stand on the main level behind home plate. It may be expensive and ridiculously filling, but I’d highly recommend ordering both items.
After eating, we went to our seats which were located in the right field bleachers in the 4th row directly behind the Yankees bullpen.
Directly behind us is a wall depicting banners all of the Yankees’ World Champions.
Side note: our free giveaway was an adorable Met Life Yankees snoopy doll! I’d hate to admit that this was one of the primary reasons for me purchasing these tickets at the beginning of the season, but it’s true. How was I to know that Derek Jeter would potentially make history?
The pitching matchup was between the Yankees’ Joba Chamberlain and the Rays’ Jeff Niemann. 
The bleachers are much more comfortable now. Granted, the bleacher seats themselves are not cozy. They’re bleachers with no backs. But the good news is that there’s more leg room. This doesn’t sound like much, but trust me, it is. You barely have to move your knees aside to allow people to pass and the folks in front of you no longer knock your knees when they lean back. It’s awesome! Things did not start off well for Joba. Bartlett led off the inning by lining a home run into the stands in left field. It seemed like it was Joba’s second pitch, which did not make me feel so fantastic. One of the guys in front of me insisted that Johnny Damon had it as the ball sailed toward the outfield wall, but let’s face it, when does Damon have anything? Okay, that’s not really fair…the ball landed several rows back. After the second run scored with less than 2 outs, Sean muttered a comment about Joba only lasting 3 innings, causing the two fans in front of us to laugh. Joba would, in fact, be replaced by Aceves in the 4th, which means either Sean is not only technically proficient, but a psychic as well OR Joba’s becoming quite predictable. How can Girardi plan on going into the playoffs with a starter than can only last 3-4 innings?! I digress…the Yankees did zilch against the Rays through 6 innings. It was not only frustrating to watch them strand base runners, but it was annoying to listen to the four girls sitting a few rows behind us continually chanting the same cheer over and over again: “Move over Lou, here comes number two.” Maybe I am a bit too picky on this matter and maybe I’m going to step on a lot of Jeter fans’ toes, but I found this to be extremely obnoxious. How dare they tell LOU GEHRIG to move over? I don’t care for who! You should respect Gehrig’s memory, not cast it aside! Yes, records are not meant to stand forever, but people should still respect those who established the records. And Gehrig is not some random Yankees player. Gehrig does not get swept under the rug to make way for Jeter, even if Jeter is the Yankees’ golden boy.
In the middle of the 6th, annoyed by the lack of run production on the part of the Yankees and the annoying bimbo clan behind us, Sean and I decided to head off in search of our next taste test: the Philly Cheesesteak. I think Sean was looking forward to this meal the most. The closest stand was located on field level directly to the right of the right field bleachers. We ordered our cheesesteak with white American cheese and onions (you have the option to hold the onion and add cheese whiz in lieu of white American cheese). The sandwich is pretty large, so if you plan on ordering this at Yankees Stadium (it’ll run you about $11), I’d plan on not eating anything else. Personally, I liked the pulled pork sandwich better, but Sean was all about the cheesesteak sandwich. We were so excited about this sandwich that we ate it over a nearby condiments counter.
A couple standing next to us told us that at the stand next to where we bought the sandwich, we could “build our own nachos” with whatever toppings we liked. This immediately peaked Sean’s interest, but I reminded him that he wanted to try the garlic fries, so we got ourselves a large tray of garlic fries ($9…see what I mean about expensive?) and headed back to our seats. As you know from the TBB Yankees Stadium blog, I LOVE the stinky garlic fries. Side note: anyone who said that the fans at Yankees Stadium are strictly corporate now was completely wrong. The bleachers were just as rowdy as they were when I sat in them at the old Yankees Stadium.
At the bottom of the 7th, with 2 outs, Derek Jeter stepped to the plate. He had already gone 1-2 in the game. Naturally, with every swing and pitch, flashes went off. The Bimbo Clan’s cheering was in full force. Everyone in the bleachers (and the rest of the stands) were on their feet, cheering and clapping. When Jeter poked a line drive through the right side, the crowd exploded. Immediately, the screen displayed the Yankees All Time Hit Leaders, showing Jeter and Gehrig tied in the number one spot with 2, 721 hits.
As the crowd chanted, “Derek Jeter,” at first base, Jeter lifted his helmet in acknowledgement to the fans. A little boy holding a sign was shown on the scoreboard. It said, “Congrats, Derek! We will never 4 get.” The 4 was inside a circle with navy blue pinstripes like the retired 4 in Monument Park. Now that’s a classy kid.
Finally, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui led off the bottom of the 8th with back to back singles. The crowd got to its feet. Nick Swisher reached first on a throwing error by the first basemen, scoring Alex. Robinson Cano struck out swinging. A collective groan sounded throughout the stands. We all had one thought: can the Yankees get Derek one more at bat? Even I, with the heart of stone, clenched and unclenched my fists with anticipation. Jorge Posada pinch hit for Brett Gardner. When he hit his home run to right field, everyone in our section knew it was gone before it even reached the wall. Sean and I high fived complete strangers. We hugged each other and missed when we tried to high five each other. The Yankees took the lead 4-2.
Melky Cabrera pinch hit for Francisco Cervelli and flied out to left, but no one cared because Derek Jeter was taking his place in the batter’s box. Sean encouraged me to whip my camera and document. I joined the thousands of flashes in the crowd as I snap a photo of every single pitch. I felt like a total loser, but I did it anyway, feeling the excitement of potentially capturing history on film bubble inside me.
Unfortunately, several pictures later and all I got was a picture of Derek on first base after Balfour walked him.
We were sure to boo the crap out of him. Punk. At the top of the 9th, Sean and I saw Brian Bruney jog out of the bullpen and exchanged looks. I can’t stand watching Bruney. He gives me heart burn (and no…it definitely wasn’t all the food I ate), so we decided to leave before I pulled all of my hair out in stress. By the time I got home, I felt like I was going to puke from being over stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey.
Of course, when we surfaced, we stepped directly into the monsoon. We wanted to take a picture in front of the stadium, but it was raining so heavily, we just wanted to get inside, so we settled for a picture outside Gate 6. You can see us (sort of) standing below the T and E. Where's Waldo? 
Once inside, we immediately bought our traditional souvenirs: a Yankees hat for Serena and a mini Yankees bear for Lisa (you will meet him later in this blog). We thought it was really cool that in the field level section on the first base side, the Yankees had a team store for women. Inside, photos of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League decorated the walls. While we thought that it was about time we were acknowledged as fans, the problem with the female attire was still prevalent. Yes, they had a few cute navy blue t-shirts, tanks, pajamas, hats, and jerseys for us. However, the store was predominantly tacky pink, sparkly, and rhinestone covered clothing. Yes, the store sells Alyssa Milano merchandise (barf). We don't see dudes walking around in sparkly jerseys. It's very frustrating, but at least there is a step forward here in that there was a store geared towards our needs.
When we saw the field for the first time, we got a feeling of deja vu. It was covered with a tarp to protect it from the persistent rain. Can we say Chicago all over again? We were nervous that this game would be postponed again (the original date had been April 20) and that we'd have to come back, making this weekend a very expensive one. Other than the high-tech scoreboard, the field and stands felt the same as the old stadium. The difference lay in the concourses. There was so much room to manuever that despite the number of fans hiding from the weather, we were still able to walk around comfortably. Though with the open atmosphere came the exposure to the wind. Brrrr. 
Despite the rain, our BFF Brad Ziegler braved the elements to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Lisa outsmarted security so that we could get down there. Apparently even in a rain delay, security is still tight. Reunion successful! That makes this photo #3! Do we have the staying power to get another picture next season when we're on the road? Angels/A's series anyone? 
We headed to Monument Park after stuffing our faces. For more pictures of the Park, check out the blog on the tour of Yankees Stadium. You can find it by clicking on the link under "The Traveling Baseball Babes On the Road." We did not take any pictures yesterday because of the amount of people meandering around the Park. The tour group was much smaller, therefore the pictures and monuments aren't crowded with as many people. 
The rain delay carried on, so we continued to check out the sites. We found a statue of liberty...
...and saw the Great Hall. 
Finally, we could not avoid the scintilating smell of Garlic Fries any longer. The stand located in Field Level section 107 was calling.
We plopped into some nice, comfy cushioned seats in the section to eat these delicious, crispy, fragrant, garlicy goodness. If we didn't stink before with the sausage sandwiches, we certainly smelled now. But it was so worth it. 
Since the rain was still coming down and the tarps didn't seem to be budging any time soon, we decided to go to the Museum, which is located on the Main level near Gate 6. Again, check out the tour of the Stadium blog for more pictures. Because of the rain, the line to get inside was super long. We probably waited 20 minutes before being able to get inside. While on line, the televisions finally flashed the announcement, "Rain Delay." Bring it On said it best when Courtney said, "Let's not put the duh in dumb." 
Once inside, Serena got her picture taken with her man, Bernie's autograph. If you can't have the real thing, the autograph is the next best thing.
We took a picture of Thurman's autograph for Linda:
And also got our picture taken with Yogi Berra. Lisa took over in the ump's role and Serena batted. The guy who took our picture laughed and said, "Classic." It's always nice to be appreciated for our sense of humor. To quote our secret friend, "we all are fun." It brings us great joy to make strangers laugh.
Because the Mets are doing so poorly, Lisa wanted to feel like a champion, so she posed with the 2000 World Series trophy and pretended to be #1, holding up her trophy with pride. 
Eventually, we decided to check out the weather situation and find our seats, which were in the upperdeck. It was still raining and the tarp still covered the field. Despite the soggy despair we felt, we took our traditional picture with the field behind us. 
The big screen mocked us with its Rain Delay message.
Finally...at 9:00, the tarps were removed to cheers and whistles. The fans in our section chanted, "We want baseball!" The scoreboard announced that the first pitch would take place at 9:40, making it a 2 hour, 43 minute rain delay. Since we had arrived for batting practice at 4:45, by the first pitch, we would've already been at the game for close to 5 hours. 
Lisa bought a cup of hot chocolate and we climbed the stairs to section 420a, where our seats were located. This is the view from our seats:
The first inning passed quickly. Both pitchers retired the side 1, 2, 3. The top of the second was rocky for Sabathia. He gave up 2 runs. We were pissed. He looked sloppy and we had waited for so long for baseball, that we wanted a quality game. We didn't wait for an eternity just to watch the Yankees get blown out. Fortunately, in the bottom of the 4th, the Yankees struck back. Tex hit a 2-run homer to right field, making the score 3-2 in favor of Oakland. Posada hit an RBI double, scoring AROD, tying the score. Jorge had made the turn at second, as if contemplating advancing to third, but Serena screamed at him that he is slow and he seemed to listen because he stayed put (thankfully). Before Mazzaro could get out of the inning, Eric Hinske also hit a double, scoring Jorge and giving the Yankees the 4-3 lead. The scoring for the Yankees would not end there. In the bottom of the 5th, Tex hit an RBI double, scoring Jeter and making the score 5-3. Matsui walked, loading the bases. Jorge singled, scoring Damon. Mazzaro was lifted for Craig Breslow. We hoped that Brad would make a relief appearance. Despite the advancing hour, we didn't want to leave without seeing him jog from the bull pen. We got our wish at the bottom of the 8th. In full Yankees gear, we cheered loudly for Brad's entrance. We think he heard us. The remaining Yankees fans in our sections were totally confused. 
Brad retired the Yankees 1, 2, 3 and jogged off the field. Satisfied and exhausted, we decided to leave and make the trip home. We had to cancel our plans for drinks with our friend so that we could try and grab the last train to Long Island. Before walking to the subway station, we took one last picture of the Stadium at night. 
The subway rides and transfers were much easier heading back Downtown than going to the Stadium. Probably because we were now familiar with the trip. Before driving home from the Hicksville train station, we introduced our new buddy to the gang. Our family's getting pretty big, huh?
We leave you with Annie Lennox serenading you with, "Here comes the rain again, raining on our heads like a tragedy, tearing us apart like an old ball park. So Yankees/Athletics play your game....like ball players do..."
