Indeed just about 20,000 baseball fans filed into Progressive Field for Monday’s series opener with the exalted New York Yankees! Hold on a second! As I perused the Yanks lineup after Torres, Judge, Rizzo and Stanton I saw names like Calhoun and Cordero plus relievers Brewer and Hamilton came in and I thought (to paraphrase the words of the Talking Heads and their great song Once in a Lifetime) “This is NOT my beautiful team, well how did I get here?” Injuries is how! Yo New York…DEAL WITH IT!
Now walking up the ballpark I still get as excited as I know what awaits me inside the gates of the yard…BASEBALL!! I have mentioned this before but some of the sizzle is gone without the Urban Entrepreneurs (Scalpers) and even some of my all time fave hot dog carts are gone! The best ever was on E. 9th just south of Prospect on the east side of the street. That cart was actually more of a restaurant on wheels! So cool though to see the patios of the Clevelander and Thirsty Parrot rockin’ and oh yeah tempting but I fought off the temptation! Closer to the park you feel the excitement from families, couples and the Gez Z and Millennials heading to the CORNER and the Home Run porch area. Loving this team and the game make seeing the statues at the right field entrance extra special and just walking behind the massive scoreboard to head to the Media Gate one feels and smells what baseball is all about!
Once in the ballpark I always make a beeline for the third base concourse to holla at my guy who has the beverage stand there. PATRONIZE HIM! He is the proverbial “Good People”. I also enjoy hearing some conversations about the game, seeing the crowds and Monday the Yankees fans. I saw a SWISHER Yanks jersey along with plenty of Judge jerseys. It was cool.
Early on the park looked “so-so” but the crowd kept building and KAPOWEE it was a nice way to start the series and the week! After I checked into the Press Box with the GUARDIAN of that turf Mike KIlbane I talked some baseball with Dre Knott and a few NY reporters and I got the text I was waiting for…my son arrived and was waiting for me at the Home Run Porch. Do not get me wrong – the Guardians organization SPOILS the media but when I have a chance to sit in the stands I am all in. YES I AM A FAN! I was offered some pretty nice seats along the third base line but I needed some sun so my son and I headed up to 309 in right field, the former Pronkville. I LOVE THOSE SEATS. You get a whole view of the field and can keep an eye on the bullpens too!
Oh wait, there was a game and YES I was nervous in the first inning when the Yankees used Bieber for BP but then Shane settled down and it turned out to be a GUARDIANS KIND OF NIGHT with their 3-2 win! I know what you are thinking…”Munch, aren’t you going to go Slavic Village or Lee Harvard on anyone?” LOL! YES I AM!
* First the GUARDS. GENTLEMEN…when you have the bases loaded and no one out SCORE SOME FREAKING RUNS.
* Also, I have a daughter in Manhattan so I know rudeness abounds at times in NYC (the city so nice it was named twice as in New York, New York!) but there is a rule in baseball that you do not enter your row of seats while a batter is up! Lo and behold some Yankees fans (who I treasure coming to my city and spending money!) not only entered their row when Steven Kwan got up to bat with the bags juiced in the 4th but stood talking for his at bat. My son just looked at me and shook his head and of course I had to say something that they did not expect! When you see me I will tell you what it was that I passed on to them! I did dig seeing a young mom holding a baby small enough it was having dinner from a bottle and dressed in a Judge “onesie” as she was cheering for the Bronx Bombers!
* One last scolding goes to the Guardians fan who was booing and yelling at Aaron Judge. Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son!”
See you at the corner of Ontario and Carnegie sooner than soon and until then enjoy every sandwich and adios amigo, long may you run!
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