Seven Things I’m Actually Thankful For

Yeah, yeah, family, friends, sun in the morning and the moon at night. I’ll save that for the dinner table surrounded by people who, aside from my immediate family, I could walk away from in a NY minute.  

Instead, I’m going to reveal what I’m truly grateful for about being a Yankee fan. 

Number Four will shock you! Number Five will be a letdown. But Six and Seven show promise.

One: They Win More Often Than Not (Notice the non-use of numerals to give this piece more heft.)

With the exception of the playoffs, and I’ve heard that’s a crapshoot, the Yankees always give me a reasonable expectation of winning. As my fellow (and gal-low?) Giant fans (and Jet fans) know, winning is not to be taken for granted.

Two:  We Live In The Future

When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1981 my ability to follow the team was limited.  Basically, box scores in the LA Times with short summary like, “ Jerry Mumphrey went 2 for 3 with a double and Doug Bird picked up the win in relief as the Yankees defeated the Orioles 5-3.” 

That was it.

I would suffer through February waiting for the Street and Smith to show up at the Thrifty. Or, if I just couldn’t take it anymore, the Atherton one that always sucked.

Today I watch pretty much every game and watch it when I want. Fast forward certain players at bats. (Cough. Volpe.) Blast through the commercials. Read blogs. Write blogs. Read the NY Post Sports section, the NY Daily News Sports section, The Athletic...

I really need to get more of a life.

Which takes me to…

Three – Most Yankee Games Begin at Four O’Clock PST

I’m old. Yankee games at four are like the Early Bird Special. I’ve already run my errands. If I can just make it to four my day is effectively and mercifully over.  Three-hour ballgame. Eat dinner. Read a book. Meditate. Rinse. Repeat.

This doesn’t work with the Knicks. Even though it times out the same, basketball requires an attention span that I don’t have. Plus there are always interruptions… My family comes home. I’m getting phone calls from friends . Suddenly it’s the third quarter and Karl Anthony Towns has four fouls and I don’t know how.    

Number Four -  Throwing A Plugged In Toaster Into A Bathtub

I don’t know if this actually is able to kill someone. I saw it in a James Bond movie when I was a kid. Then again I once saw a movie starring Dick Van Dyke that had a car that could fly and go underwater.  The closest I ever got my car to flying was doing the Rene Julian thing with my family’s FIAT 124 by setting up a ramp behind the PathMark.  

Number Five - The Hot Stove

The Yankees are a giant puzzle that was purchased for a dollar at the Goodwill. There are always pieces missing.  Even though virtually nothing I think they should do actually gets done it's fun to try to solve it anyway. 

Number Six  -  Aaron Judge

I’ve been a Yankee fan since the early 1960’s.  I had the Roger Maris Home Run Trainer and my first glove was a Mickey Mantle Tripe Crown but I was too young to really appreciate who these guys were. By the time I was old enough Mantle was in steep decline and it wasn’t until my college years 

Aaron Judge is THE best ballplayer on a team that I have rooted for that I have ever seen. It’s not even close.  

He isn’t my favorite Yankee BTW. I don’t currently have one. Munson, Mattingly, Matsui were special to me but Aaron Judge is an absolute pleasure to watch.

 

Number Seven – It is High It Is Far It Is Caught

Having the opportunity to be a part of this group of writers and readers is one of the great joys in my life.  To have a place to put down my thoughts about the Yankees and about life…

To read everyone else thoughts and marvel in the infinite creativity that we collectively have to basically say that Hal is a bad owner, Brian is a horrible GM and Aaron Boone is, and I mean this with no disrespect, a moron. Over and over again, and manage to keep it fresh and relevant, helped only by the fact that Hal really  is a bad owner, Brian really is a horrible GM and Aaron Boone is, and I mean this with no disrespect, really is a moron.

I’m particularly in awe of, and thankful for El Duque, who, rain or shine, delivers humor and wisdom about this team… Every. Single. Day.  For years!

I do not know how he does it but I’m truly thankful that he does.

So to all of you, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, which puts it somewhere near my Solar Plexus, (I don’t really know. I went F, F, D, F in 10^th Grade Biology.  I was better at Social Studies and English – except for punctuation. I’m still working on that.)

Happy Thanksgiving To All of You. We have a lot to be thankful for.