Vocation. The word is defined as a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action, especially a call into religious life. It's also defined as work, or an occupation one is involved with.

 

Grant Desme, 23 year-old top prospect for the Oakland Athletics, has a gift. He won the Most Valuable Player of the Arizona Fall League, batting .315 with 11 homers and 27 RBIs in 27 games.

 

   

 

He put up staggering numbers in the minor league regular season, batting .288 with 31 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 40 stolen bases in 2009. Desme was the only player in the minors to record at least 30 homers and 30 steals.

 

Talk about a young man with a ton of ability on the baseball diamond.

 

But Desme did not feel his true calling was baseball. Last Thursday the minor league's best player retired from baseball. Yes, you heard right, he retired from baseball at 23 years old. Desme gave it all up for a higher power.

 

Seeking peace and aspiration for higher things in life, Desme decided to leave the game to become a Catholic priest. According to several news reports, his announcement startled A's General Manager Billy Beane, but he was supportive and understanding of Desme's choice.

 

But why exactly did Desme decide to become a priest? After all, it's not a choice a person makes overnight; it has to be well-thought out.

 

 

 

The first two years of his minor league career, Desme was setback by shoulder and wrist injuries. He said that his days off the field gave him time to realize what's important in his life and he got himself into Bible study during that time. News reports also confirm that he discussed the faith with his teammates.

 

Not one to distract the team during the season, Desme kept his decision to leave the game for the priesthood to himself.

 

I have to say, this is one of the nicer stories I've heard in the sporting world over the last week. Desme has so much God-given talent and I am proud that he recognizes that--that his talent comes from God and he is willing to thank Him for it. There are certain athletes that have no desire to truly appreciate what the good Lord has given them, much less devote a large portion of their life to the faith.

 

Desme possesses an extremely admirable quality. I know that if I were as extraordinary as him in terms of baseball, I'd never want to give that up. I would stay in the game and go on to have a lucrative career, as I'm sure that was Desme's future.

 

But he opted not to do that; he remained in God and chose to enter the Seminary, which as I understand he will begin attending in August. The process of becoming a priest takes a lot of time; Desme said he will be a priest in 10 years.

 

 

 

Speaking as the nephew of a Catholic priest, I know (probably better than most people) that being a priest isn't just about saying mass and giving out communion. There's a lot more to it than that. Priests' lives are a lot more difficult than baseball players'.

 

My uncle, Fr. Tom Kreiser, has been a Catholic priest for about 16 years now. In those 16 years he has had to travel the world to make pilgrimages, relocate from his assigned parish several times, and even study in Rome, Italy for four years with other priests of his order.

 

 

 

All of that on top of learning a number of different languages (including Latin and Italian), learning to hear confession, and learning how to guide and help other people when they're in serious trouble. For example, if an elderly wife loses her husband of 50 years and is unbelievably heartbroken, it's a priest's job to make sure that woman is going to be safe in her faith, mind, and body.

 

I'm not exactly sure how I would handle that. I don't think I ever could.

 

I have to tip my (Yankee) cap to Desme. I wish him the best of luck at the Seminary and maybe one day I'll get to attend one of his masses. He will be in my prayers and I truly pray he succeeds. I am glad he found what he was looking for in his faith.

 

Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me."--Matthew 19:21

Welcome to part two of my analysis of baseball and football. Let us continue! Here's part one if you missed it.

 

 

 

Why Football is Better than Baseball, Part II

 

13) The NFL draft is actually relevant.

 

Agreed. The MLB draft is not nearly as talked about as the NFL draft. Since 1936, the NFL draft has attracted people from all over the world; people come from everywhere to find out which pro teams the eligible college players are going to go to. As long as I can remember the NFL draft has been on TV and everyone I know talks about that last weekend in April.

 

Only up until recently has the MLB draft been televised and simply put, nobody cares about it. Analysts on ESPN have gone as far as saying that the baseball draft is just not interesting. Some of these baseball players who get drafted do not show up in the MLB for years, if they make it at all.

 

In football, there are a large majority of players who get drafted out of college and the next year they are either starting or at least standing on a pro football field.

 

This kind of leads into the next point, which is...

 

14) College Football matters.

 

Excellent point. My philosophy has always been, the more years you play organized before turning pro, the better and more disciplined you will be as an athlete.

 

There just are not a lot of baseball players who go to college, whereas basically all the NFL players go to school. In fact, before some of the football games (when the teams are going through their starting lineups) the players come on and give their name and alma mater. For example, Eli Manning will come on and say, "Eli Manning: Ole Miss."

 

I tend to have a lot more respect for the baseball players that do educate themselves. Mike Mussina is a perfect example. He attended Stanford University and pitched there for four years before turning pro.

 

Mussina was never the most overpowering pitcher in the MLB, but he had wits; he was one of the smartest pitchers in the game. He could change speeds like no other pitcher during his playing days. He never threw a 100 mph fastball but it didn't matter. He perfected his craft on the collegiate level before turning pro and he'll probably be a hall of famer because of it.

 

15) Every football team has a specific philosophy on offense AND on defense.

 

I see where he is coming from, but I don't know if I completely agree. In football, there are certain ways to execute different plays on offense and defense. For instance, if a quarterback is in the pocket looking to hook up with an open receiver, the defensive end must fight to flush him out, apply pressure on him, and force him to scramble.

 

On defense in baseball, you have to make plays. If the ball is hit to you, it's your job to ensure an out by making a putout, catch, or assist. I guess you can say philosophies are quite different, but I'm not sure what he was getting at with this point.

 

In my view, in both baseball and football, teams have to play both sides of the field.

 

16) The American and National Football Conferences play by the same rules.

 

ABSOLUTELY YES. This is an advantage football has over baseball. The same rules apply to both conferences whereas the National and American Leagues in baseball have a different format, in terms of one position.

 

I never understood the designated hitter rule. Why does the AL have it and the NL doesn't? It's an unfair advantage the NL has over the AL in the World Series, not to mention the DH extends players' careers. Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, and countless others have been able to keep their careers going because of the DH rule.

 

I suppose in that regard it's helped players, but to me it's ridiculous. I've even heard people say it should be done away with. Both leagues should go by one rule. Either have the DH in both leagues or don't have it at all.

 

17) Coaches spend more time coaching in football. Baseball managers only manage.

 

I can't really speak for this statement.

 

In baseball spring training and in batting practice and in football mini camp and practice, I really have no idea what goes on and neither does anyone. Unless you are standing on the sidelines or on the field with the team, you have no clue what the manager or coach is telling their players.

 

I agree that baseball managers are simply there to manage, with their coaches doing a lot of work (bench coach, bullpen coach, hitting coach, base coaches, etc.) but they are also most likely doing a good amount of instructing as well.

 

Yet in football, there are defensive and offensive coordinators, wide receivers coaches quarterback coaches...and so on and so forth.  

 

I do know that head football coaches manage games just as baseball managers manage games; collectively they are in charge and (in certain ways) dictate what's happening on the field. Baseball managers decide who plays and who sits but football players can take themselves out of a game if they want.

 

18) Football plays can be diagramed and discussed. Baseball only uses sequences.

OK, it's a point. Football players can literally sit down and map out with Xs and Os what to do in certain offensive and defensive situations. There can be numerous scenarios on what plays are being used and what to do when those plays are utilized by the opposition.

 

In baseball it's different. When there is a runner on first base and the ball is hit on the ground to the second baseman, the shortstop must cover second base to get the lead runner out first, and then throw to first base to turn the 4-6-3 double play.

 

By that example, the point is valid. It's just a sequence. The players do not have to diagram a double play and discuss it because the play is simplistic.

 

19) The climax of a football game always comes at the end. A baseball game can be over by the second inning.

 

This statement is false. The biggest play in any game can happen at any time. If anyone happened to catch the New Orleans Saints vs. the Arizona Cardinals this past Saturday, the game was over by the second quarter.

 

The Saints came out and absolutely dominated the Cardinals, and before halftime everyone knew which team was going to win. Just as a baseball game can be over by the second inning, a football game can be over by the second quarter.

 

Furthermore, a baseball game's climax can also come at the end of a game. It's called a walk-off home run.

 

20) A baseball game can theoretically go on FOREVER.

 

This is true. In football the game is designated to 60 minutes, but includes three timeouts for each team (in each half), a 15 minute halftime, injury timeouts, challenges, etc. But you know that unless the score is tied, by the end of the fourth quarter, someone wins and someone loses.

 

If there is a tie, 15 minutes of overtime is played. Whoever scores first wins. If no one scores, the game's over in a draw. Those are the rules, I did not write them.

 

In baseball the game can, as stated, go one forever. Aug. 7 of last year comes to my mind. 15 innings of Yankees vs. Red Sox until Alex Rodriguez finally ended the game with a walk-off home run at 1:00 in the morning.

 

Fun game to watch, but absolutely brutal in terms of time. It was going on forever.

 

21) In football, team depth matters. The third-best wide receiver matters whereas the third-best shortstop does not.

 

A valid point. You could be the third, fourth, or even fifth best player at your position in football and still get a chance to prove yourself and play on the professional level.

 

I'm just going out in a limb, but Yankee farmhands who play shortstop and third base probably won't be seeing the big leagues anytime in the near future. And...does Ramiro Pena really mean as much to the Yankees as Derek Jeter?

 

On the other side, Sinorice Moss can mean just as much to the Giants as Amani Toomer did; Toomer was a number one receiver, Moss is a second team player. And even though he's a second team player, he's made a touchdown catch in the NFL.

 

Not to single out Pena, because he has started at shortstop for the Yankees, but other Yankee farmhands have not even had the chance to hit a big league home run.

 

22) Football features team slogans and cheers: (eg.) J! E! T! S! JETS JETS JETS!!!"

 

This has got to be the worst reason on this list. I don't even know if I should go into it or not. I've heard "Waltzing Matilda" chants from games at the World Cup in soccer.

 

"Let's Go Yankees! (Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap!)"

 

I rest my case.

 

23) Football rivalries are bitter and plentiful.

 

There are rivalries in every sport.

 

The most significant rivalry in baseball and probably in sports in general is (gasp!) Yankees vs. Red Sox (it's a shocker, right?) Other than that rivalry in baseball, I can really only think of Yankees/Mets, White Sox/Cubs, Giants/Dodgers, and Cubs/Cardinals.

 

I've noticed as a football fan that rivalries among division opponents are more prevalent. I am a Giants fan and I can see how badly the Giants hate both the Cowboys and Eagles. As a Yankee fan, we hate the Red Sox, but really don't care as much about the Orioles or Blue Jays, who are also in our division.  

 

Plus, football rivalries extend beyond the division. I mean, the Ravens hate the Colts because the Colts moved out of Baltimore and into Indianapolis. Now whenever the Ravens play the Colts, the fans in Baltimore feel the Ravens should crush the Colts because in their eyes, the Colts ditched them for another city.

 

I guess in football things can get rather personal whereas in baseball, everything is basically dominated by the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry.

 

24) There is parity in football. You can stink today and win it all tomorrow.

 

I could not agree with this statement more. Equality is where it's at.

 

When the Giants went on their incredible run in 2007-2008 to win Super Bowl XLII, they were coming off a miserable 8-8, 2006-2007 campaign. They were literally abysmal one year and won the whole thing the next year.

 

The Miami Dolphins are another example. They didn't win anything from 2007-08, but in 2008-09 they came back to edge out the Jets, Bills, and Patriots to win the AFC East. They were horrible one year and won their division the next.

 

In baseball, all the same teams are expected to be there at the end--the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Angels, the Phillies...it's almost like we already know who's going to win the majority of the divisions and who's not.

 

In baseball, do we really expect the Royals to be a playoff team at the end of the year? There are teams in baseball who haven't been contenders in quite some time and are not getting any better anytime soon. Any given year, a football team can win.

 

Plus, many of the races are a lot more exciting in football; the Giants were in the race up until the second to last game of the year, and really it was any team's title to win. The Cowboys and Eagles were also contending and there was no clear winner of the division up until the very end.

 

Eventually the Cowboys claimed it with the Eagles winning a Wild Card spot. Unfortunately, the Giants were left out, but that doesn't mean they can't come back next year and win it.

 

In 2009, the Yankees practically had the AL East won by the beginning of August. The baseball regular season almost got boring toward the end.

 

25) There is a salary cap in football.

 

Probably one of the biggest reasons many people feel football is fairer and more equal than baseball. It's a great point and again, it goes back to fairness.

 

At the end of 2008, the Yankees spent almost a quarter of a $billion on CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira...added on to the $290 million they are paying Alex Rodriguez...and so on and so forth.

 

There is nobody telling the Yankees no. They can spend as much money as they want without anyone blinking an eye. With that, they dominated their division in 2009 and subsequently won the World Series. I will never feel in my heart that money can buy a championship; titles come from team chemistry and the will to win, coupled with everything going right for the team.

 

But I can't help but notice how much money the Yankees spent. And if you don't notice a problem in payroll disparity, you are blind. I love the Yankees very much, but they helped create the problem of unequal payroll (even Yankee writers have noted this)

 

In football, each team is given only a certain amount of money to spend and with that they can sign players, draft picks, etc. With each payroll, every team has a chance to win every year. It's equal, something baseball hasn't been for a long time.

 

When free agency in baseball arose, it changed the game. And there's free agency in football too, but even the best football player will not make the type of salary Rodriguez, Sabathia, and Teixeira make.

 

Yet...some people may not know this, but George Steinbrenner learned his baseball methods as a football coach. Quite ironic, if you ask me.

 

It's a really tough argument. I think there are many great points the author made in his column as to why football has an edge over baseball. I personally enjoy both sports and baseball will always be my first love. But football is a great sport too.

 

There are some other reasons I thought up on my own as to why football might be considered better than baseball. For starters, the Pro Bowl (the NFL equivalent of MLB's All-Star Game) has no bearing as to where the Super Bowl is played. I think that's a great point.

 

The team with the better record should have home field in the World Series; MLB just instituted that stipulation to entice the players to care for the game and actually play. MLB says, "Winner gets home-field in the World Series." They might as well just say, "Act like you care about this game and play." Football doesn't have that.

 

Another reason (and it kind of goes back to territory) is the Super Bowl location: it's always played on neutral ground. The World Series is not like that. One team has an advantage and the other doesn't.

 

I've read some silly arguments, like football is better because of the cheerleaders. Well, not that it's too disturbing watching pretty girls cheer on their team from the sidelines, but baseball doesn't need them. That's always been my take. And it's not like every football team has cheerleaders. The Giants don't.

 

Baseball can be looked at as better because there is a game every day, despite the slow-moving action it is fun to watch, and players can be extremely smart and still win.

 

My overall opinion: it's a tie. Baseball has been around a lot longer than football and it owns the label as America's pastime. It always will. I think there are a lot of problems with the game today--payroll disparity, an unequal playing field on many levels, and greed among the players.

 

But I'll always love baseball. I've developed unconditioned love for the sport.

 

I've been a football fan for about seven years now and I also have a great admiration for the sport. It's a fast-paced, high-action, and fun sport to watch. I love the game and even though it wasn't my first love, it still holds a great place in my heart.

 

But never mind my opinion. What really is better: football or baseball? After what I've written, it's up to you to decide.  

 

 

With the National Football League playoffs in full force and the championship teams ready to play the final round before Super Bowl XLIV, I noticed some banter among some of my friends. There are some people who are bringing up the argument of which sport is better: baseball or football?

 

As a die-hard fan of both sports, it's hard for me to say which sport is better. Baseball was the first sport I've ever loved, but in recent years football has captured my attention and interest.

 

I went to Google to find out what other people have to say about this argument and I found an interesting blog someone wrote for CBS. The author listed 25 reasons why football is better than baseball.

 

Although the blog brought up several excellent points, I'm just torn with this argument.

 

What I figured I would do was analyze each of his points objectively to determine which sport is better. I'll list his points and give you my take on them. Since there are 25, I'll break up the blog into two sections.

 

 

 

Why Football is Better than Baseball, Part I:

 

1) Football is the ultimate team sport. All 11 players are involved in every play.

 

This one I have to agree with, to a certain extent. Yes, all players on the field need to be moving and participating, but there are still players off the field. If your team is on defense, the offense isn't playing and vice versa. I do see where he's coming from here; every player on the baseball diamond isn't involved in every play.

 

A centerfielder can catch a high-fly ball for an out...and what was the first baseman doing? Whereas a quarterback takes a snap and his offensive line is blocking the defensive line, the wide receivers are sprinting out to catch the ball while the cornerbacks are guarding them to interrupt the pass...and there's so much happening all at once!

 

2) Football can be played by anyone, anywhere. All it takes is at least two players, and a $15 dollar ball. Baseball requires two $40 gloves, a $7 ball, a $50 bat, and so much more.

 

I think this comes down to preference. Instead of baseball, there's always whiffle ball and those bats and balls are about $5 altogether. Not to mention you can play whiffle ball with only two people.

 

When he was a young man in Panama, Mariano Rivera had to use makeshift bats and balls to practice. He even crafted a glove out of a milk carton. I can't really agree with this point, because as I said, it comes down to what you want to do.

 

3) Football statistics are simple are require little mathematics to compute.  

 

I stink at math.

 

4)  The average fan can pick up and understand football. In baseball, the average fan cannot tell the difference between a two-seam, a four seam, or a cut fastball.

 

I think this point simply comes down to how fast you learn things. I myself am slow to pickup on things at times, other times I catch on relatively easy. It took me a few years to learn all the rules of both baseball and football, but I learned, didn't I?

 

5) Baseball is hyper sensitive to the elements. Football players play through rain, snow, sleet and everything in between.

 

Excellent point. In football they do not care if it's raining, snowing, freezing rain, below zero temperatures--they play in anything with the exception of thunderstorms because it's too dangerous.

 

In baseball, a slight drizzle could cause a rain delay. The tarp comes on the field and the fans are waiting for the players to come back out, getting soaked in the rain. I can remember when I was a freshman in college four years ago, I was talking to this girl I had a crush on.

 

She asked me how the Yankees were doing, as she knew how big of a fan I am. I told her about how the night before they were in a rain delay and how the game was eventually called. Her response:

 

"A-Rod is getting paid how much money? I think he can play in the rain!"

 

Point taken.

 

6) Every baseball player is presumed a cheater until proven otherwise. Football has no such problem.

 

There are cheaters in every sport.

 

I guarantee that there are a number of players in football who have used steroids and illegal substances. The NFL's policy is that the players are responsible for what they put into their bodies. If the players who use do get caught, they are suspended, which is also MLB's policy.

 

As for baseball, we're playing in the steroid era. There are literally hundreds of players who have (at some point) used steroids. I think (sadly) the point is applied to most sports. Everyone--not just in baseball--is a cheater until proven otherwise.

 

7) The individual baseball games are meaningless. Game 34 means just as much as game 134. What you're watching has no bearing on the season.

 

Yes and no. This point really depends on who you are watching play. Sometimes it takes more than 162 games to get into the postseason; ask the Twins and Tigers of last year. They played game 163 to determine who would win the AL Central and it wound up being one of the greatest games of the season.

 

But if you are watching the Kansas City Royals, or the Pittsburgh Pirates, or the Baltimore Orioles, or any team with a low payroll in last place...or even the Yankees or Red Sox or any team with a high payroll in first place...then yes, I see the point.

 

8)  In baseball, a team can effectively remove the opposition's best player from the game through the intentional walk. Football has no equivalent.

 

OK, good point. I've always seen intentional walking as a sort of loophole; many people use the term "bush league" to describe it. But if you're a baseball fan, it works for your team and against your team in certain instances.

 

The only way to take out a football team's best player is through physicality. If you hurt them on a play and injure them, then you have succeeded. But unlike baseball, there is no loophole to take a player out like the intentional walk.

 

9) In football, playoff games actually mean something. That one game decides who progresses and who stays home.

 

A good but sketchy point. Football has that no-nonsense mentality in terms of the playoffs. "You can't win the game? Go home." No matter what, one team will go "one and done," so to speak.

 

In baseball there is a little more margin for error, considering it's a series of games, not just one. But one game can mean something; for example, if the Yankees play the Twins in the ALDS, and they blow them out in game one, that can set the tone for the entire series.

 

In one game, a baseball team's morale can go up or down, possibly determining a series.

 

10) Football rules make for dramatic comebacks. A team down by two scores can easily make up ground in the final period of play.

 

I can't totally agree with this point, because there have been numerous baseball comebacks over the years. Game Seven of the 2003 ALCS, and I can think of at least three other comebacks the Yankees made this past October.

 

Football rules are designed for comebacks. If the Giants are down by two scores in the last 2:30 of the fourth quarter, they could potentially drive the ball down the field, score, recover an onside kickoff, drive the ball again, and tie the game (possibly even win it if they go for the two point conversion instead of the point-after-touchdown)

 

It's extremely difficult to do that, but so is hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie a game. It's hard to accomplish in both sports, honestly.

 

And...a walk-off home run is just as good as sinking a field goal as time expires..isn't it?

 

11) Football games are lively, upbeat, and exciting. In today's world of instant gratification and limited attention spans, many cannot appreciate the finer points of baseball.

 

Excellent point. Baseball is a slow-moving sport, let's not kid ourselves here. A pitcher can take literally 45 seconds to a minute to throw a pitch. A batter can step out of the box whenever he pleases, and it can be a full 10 minutes before there is even a base hit.

 

With football, there has to be action within a certain period of time, no matter what. There's constant action, every player is moving and it can be exciting. I've fallen asleep during some baseball games, simply because there was nothing happening.

 

My younger sister recently became a huge sports fan (I'm not sure how) but I was talking football with her the other day. Then she starts going on about college basketball and I finally looked at her and asked, "Why aren't you a baseball fan?"

 

She replied, "It's too slow. There is no action. At least with basketball and football they move around!"

 

My grandfather over heard our conversation and he looked at me, chimed in, and said, "She's right. You have to be die-hard to watch baseball. With other sports like hockey and football and basketball there is consistent action. Baseball does not have that."

 

12) Myron Cope. Anyone in baseball ever come close?

 

I had no clue who he was until I looked him up. Apparently Myron Cope was a journalist and sports broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a legend in steel town, holding the title as "Voice of the Steelers."

 

I've never heard of him, let alone his voice, but from what I gathered he was very good at what he did. And I certainly admire and respect him for it.

 

But there are baseball announcers who have done extremely great work; baseball has had announcers with distinctive voices and easily recognizable catch phrases.

 

"Holy cow!"--Phil Rizzuto. Case in point.

 

That does it for Part I of this blog. I will be back with the final 13 points as well as a wrap up on this subject.

 

 

On my Yankee Yapping Facebook page, I noticed that I am closing in on 500 fans. The number 500 is pretty high and it takes a baseball player a long time to reach that number, especially in terms of home runs.

 

On August 4, 2007, Alex Rodriguez became the first Yankee player to reach 500 home runs since Mickey Mantle, who slammed his 500^th long ball on May 14, 1967. The current Yankee third baseman became only the third player to hit his 500^th career homer in a Yankee uniform, of course joining Mantle and the legendary Babe Ruth.

 

A-Rod, Mantle, and Ruth are now in the record books and are pretty much considered to be three of the greatest home run hitters in baseball history.

 

But Rodriguez's 500^th home run could not have come at a worse time. For me.

 

 

 

The day after A-Rod left the yard for the 500^th time I went to the Yankees vs. Royals game. I've always said (and still say it to this day) that I wished he had waited one day. By about 24 hours, I missed a moment in Yankee history.

 

Two of my cousins had four tickets to the game and invited my sister and me to go with them to Yankee Stadium. We had excellent seats; we sat on the main level on the third baseline, practically right behind the Royals' dugout. We had such a wonderful view of the field!

 

Then-manager Joe Torre (sort of) rested Rodriguez the day after he reached 500. Before he hit the big homer, A-Rod had been struggling immensely at the plate. He waited eight days and 28 at-bats to hit the elusive 500, but he eventually got a hold of one and accomplished the feat.

 

So on Aug. 5, A-Rod started at the designated hitter position while Wilson Betemit played third. As Torre used to say, A-Rod had "half a day off."

 

The Yankees jumped on the Royals early, scoring four runs on the second inning. Melky Cabrera singled to score his buddy Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Betemit, and Bobby Abreu singled to score Andy Phillips and Cabrera to put to the Yanks ahead, 4-0.

 

 

 

In the bottom of the third, Hideki Matsui launched a solo home run into the right field porch, giving the Yanks a 5-0 lead. What some people may not know was that home run was Matsui's 100^th career home run as a member of the Yankees (and in Major League Baseball in general).

 

So even though I missed A-Rod's 500^th homer by one day, I saw Matsui's 100^th homer in-person, the day it happened.

 

 

 

In the bottom of the fourth, Rodriguez stepped up to the plate. He received a thunderous ovation for what he had done the day before and almost every Yankee fan was on their feet cheering and chanting, "501! 501! 501!"

 

Although he wasn't able to smash yet another homer, A-Rod drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to deep left-center field to score Jeter, giving the Yankees a 6-0 lead.

 

Kansas City finally broke out and scored in the top of the sixth when Ross Gload belted a long, two-run home run into the upper deck in right field off Mike Mussina. His home run went a long way, and I mean a long way. I'm not sure if that ball has landed yet. Just watching that ball fly out of the park and into the upper deck was pretty amazing, even though it was for the opposing team.

 

But the Yankees would get those runs back in the bottom of the frame.

 

Cabrera hit a solo home run to right field, a screaming line drive that just cleared the right field wall. Yankees were now on top, 7-2. I didn't notice at the time (and I didn't find out until I watched Sportscenter after I got home) but the same person who caught Matsui's home run ball caught Cabrera's.

 

 

 

That's one lucky fan; he caught two home run balls by two Yankees in the same game. After I heard that, I wished my seats were behind the wall instead of behind the dugout!

 

Later in the sixth, Matsui drive in another run with a sacrifice fly to score Jeter, putting the Yankees ahead, 8-2. It seemed the Yankees were doing everything right, but the Royals did not go down without a fight.

 

Mark Teahen singled off side-winding reliever Mike Myers to score David DeJesus in the top of the seventh and on the same play Esteban German scored on a throwing error by Cabrera, cutting the lead to 8-4.

 

Myers gave up yet another run in the top of the eighth, surrendering an RBI single to Joey Gathright that scored John Buck. All of a sudden the Royals were down by only three runs. Uh oh...

 

Replacing Myers was the great one, Mariano Rivera. The Yankees' ace closer was summoned to record a four-out save. As Enter Sandman blared through the Yankee Stadium speakers, I noticed a sign someone in front of me was holding up. It read:

 

"1977 The Bronx is Burning. 2007 The Yanks are on Fire!"

 

 

 

Very clever sign.

 

It was the truth; right around that time the Yankees were on their run to the Wild Card title in a season that looked hopeless. The Yankees had no business even being considered for the playoffs toward the beginning of the year, but they picked up their game over the summer and earned the Wild Card spot, basically on the shoulders of Rodriguez.

 

I still believe that if A-Rod had not been as good as he was, the Yankees never would have made the playoffs. He undoubtedly carried them to into the postseason.

 

 

 

Three groundouts and a strikeout later, Rivera notched the save and procured an 8-5 Yankee win over the Royals. It was a good day to be at the ballpark and a good day to be a Yankee fan.

 

Win Mussina, loss Gil Meche, save Rivera. Win A.J. Martelli. My sister, my cousins and I smiled as we listened to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York as we filed out of the turnstiles.

 

Any day the Yankees win, it's a good day.  

 

I had a lot of fun that day, I only wish Rodriguez had not hit the big home run the day before. Although seeing Matsui hit his 100^th career home run was exciting, it would have been nice to see A-Rod's 500^th. The whole team came out of the dugout to congratulate him and you could just tell it was a special and historic moment.

 

Some of the Yankees have said that Rodriguez's milestone homer was their favorite memory in the old Stadium and to be there for it would have been amazing. Missing it by one day fills my heart with regret and I still wished he had gotten that one pitch to hit just 24 hours later.

 

The bottom line, however: 500 is a big number. And to have almost 500 fans on the page for this blog is pretty neat. Thank you all for reading and I hope it continues to grow!

The day was June 15, 2007. My 20^th birthday. My teenage years were now behind me. I was going through some rough times back then, but it was my birthday and I was going to enjoy it.

 

Up late the night before, my dad (I suppose) felt obliged to come into my room and wake me up at 7:00 a.m. He said there were a couple of birthday gifts downstairs for me, so I managed to drag myself out of bed, still half asleep, and make my way down to open my gifts.

 

 

 

First I unwrapped a framed, personalized Yankee photo; a thoughtful gift that I loved. Today it hangs in my room directly under my framed Derek Jeter Prodigy poster.

 

Then my dad reached into his pocket to reveal an envelope--two tickets to the Yankees vs. Mets game at Yankee Stadium that night. It was really the only gift I had asked for that year and I was ecstatic that we were going.

 

"We'll go watch old Roger pitch tonight, son. Happy birthday!" is what my dad told me.

 

Roger Clemens and Oliver Perez were the probable pitchers, and I was fully expecting the Yankees to dismantle their cross-town rivals. Perez had showed inconsistency entering that game, posting a (slim) winning record of 6-5.

 

 

 

For Clemens, it was only his second start in his second stint with the Bombers, and in his homecoming game on June 9, he beat the Pittsburgh Pirates and looked on top of his game. In his first start back against the Bucs, the Rocket gave up three runs on just five hits over six innings of work. He walked two and struck out seven.

 

 

 

Not bad, if you ask me. I was expecting more of that on my birthday.

 

We made it to the stadium early to catch batting practice. It was nice to see Jeter and Jorge Posada go over to Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez during batting practice, as the once-Yankee pitcher, who was a vital part of the Championship years in the late '90s, was now a starter for the Mets.

 

I smiled as they embraced and shook hands; it reminded me of those old days when the three were teammates. I realized at that moment that baseball players really don't forget where they came from; I know those three didn't.

 

The game eventually got underway and Clemens quickly got into trouble; he put Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran on base to lead off the game. He soon settled down, however, getting Paul LoDuca to groundout and end the frame avoiding any damage.

 

The game was moving rather slowly up until the top of the third. Reyes was able to tap a single through the middle into centerfield to score Carlos Gomez, who would later play a pivotal role in the outcome of the game. It gave the Mets a 1-0 lead and I was none too happy about it.

 

 

 

In the fifth, Reyes struck again, belting a solo home run off Clemens. This is what I saw:

 

From my seat, I saw the ball hit off Reyes's bat. I looked and saw right fielder Bobby Abreu drifting back. I saw the ball bank off the Modells sign on the facing of the upper deck. And then I looked back and saw Reyes rounding second base on his way home after it was officially ruled a goner.

 

I could hear the Mets fans in attendance overpower the Yankee fans' jeers. They screamed in unison, "JOSE! Jose-Jose-Jose. Jose! Jose!" in place of "Ole! Ole-Ole-Ole" as the tune actually goes.

 

"Where am I?" I remember thinking. "Shea Stadium?!"

 

Reyes's homer gave the Mets a 2-0 lead. His home run was hard to watch, but believe it or not it wasn't the biggest play of the game.

 

The inning before Reyes left the yard, Miguel Cairo stood at the plate with Robinson Cano on first and Hideki Matsui on second and one out. He smacked a long fly ball to left, unquestionably destined for the seats.

 

But Gomez leapt for the ball at the wall, reached his glove over the fence and made a spectacular catch to rob Cairo of a big fly. Not only did Gomez snatch the ball, he had the wherewithal to gun it back to second base and double up Matsui to end the frame.

 

I was beside myself. I could not believe I saw that. I thought to myself, "Cairo needs to call the NYPD, because Gomez stole his homer!"

 

 

 

And that robbed homer proved to be the difference in the ballgame, because the Mets went on to win, 2-0. The Yankees couldn't generate any offense the rest of the night. Even Alex Rodriguez, who was having the season of his life, could not save the Yankees on that night.

 

Rodriguez went on to hit 54 home runs that year, knock in 156 runs, and win the Most Valuable Player Award. I knew he was having an amazing season and the crowd was behind him when the eighth inning approached.

 

The 2007 MVP stepped into the box with two outs and Jeter on third. The capacity crowd went absolutely insane! It was almost like they expected him to hit a home run and tie the game. When I say the crowd was going nuts, believe me, they were going nuts.

 

Unfortunately A-Rod grounded weakly to his counterpart David Wright and ended the inning. And basically ended the Yankees' hopes of coming back to win.

 

Win Perez, loss Clemens. Save Billy Wagner, loss A.J. Martelli.

 

Yes, I was upset but I cannot say I didn't have fun. I did what I wanted to do on my birthday and got the opportunity to watch my favorite team play. It was a good night, despite the loss. For as bad as the Yanks struggled, Carlos Delgado struggled just as much.

 

The Mets' first baseman recorded the golden sombrero: four strikeouts in one game, three of those four times he was fanned by Clemens. Even though the Yankees lost, it was a legitimate pitchers duel, which are usually the best games to go to. The Yankees just happened to be on the wrong end of it.

 

And for that I blame Gomez for his thievery; I can't take anything away from his athleticism, but man did I wonder: if he hadn't caught that ball, the complexion of the whole game might have been so much different.

 

I wasn't only amused by the action on the field that night, either.

 

What I also recall from my 20^th birthday was the yapping that I overheard between two fans. Believe it or not, a Phillies fan was seated next to me, rooting for the Yankees against the Mets. A Met fan was sitting next to him and the two began discussing the National League East.

 

"Who's your best guy?" the Mets fan asked. "Chase Utley...I'd say Utley. Or Ryan Howard," the Phillie fan replied.

 

The conversation continued.

 

"Who's your closer?" the Met fan asked. "(Antonio) Alfonseca!" the Phillie fan answered.

 

"Yeah. We'll see you in October," said the Met fan mockingly. 

 

The irony was absurd.

 

   

  

If that Met fan had only known what was going to happen at the end of that year--the Mets blowing a seven game lead in the division with only 12 left to play--I'm sure he wouldn't have opened his mouth at all that night.

 

When the Mets missed the playoffs in 2007, I immediately remembered that conversation. "Yeah, I bet that Met fan is kicking himself right now!" I thought as I witnessed the epic collapse.

 

I'll bet he was also crying the next two days. Following the Mets' 2-0 win over the Yankees on my birthday, they lost to the Yankees the next two games and ultimately lost the weekend series.

 

I watched the third game with some of my family members who are Mets fans. Rodriguez homered in that game, Chien-Ming Wang struck out 10, and the Yankees won 8-2. It was refreshing to see the Yanks win and in a way it made up for the loss on my birthday two days before.

 

But I'll never forget that birthday. Every time someone speaks of the Mets' 2007 collapse, or I see Gomez, I think of that night.

Yesterday, one of the biggest pitchers of our generation stepped down and retired. And he was big not only in terms of his height, but what he accomplished on the baseball field.

 

 

 

Pitcher Randy Johnson (all 6'10'' of him) better known by his famous nickname "The Big Unit," announced his retirement from baseball after 22 illustrious seasons. He stepped down at the young age of 46, proving that 40 is pretty much the new 30.

 

Over the course of his 22 seasons in the majors, Johnson pitched for six teams; The Montreal Expos, the Seattle Mariners, the Houston Astros, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the New York Yankees, and he finished his career in 2009 as a member of the San Francisco Giants.

 

Johnson accomplished so much over the course of his career and he is basically a dead lock for a first ballot Hall of Fame induction. He made 10 All Star Game appearances and tossed a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves on May 18, 2004.

 

He won Five Cy Young Awards, 303 Games, a World Series Championship and a World Series Most Valuable Player Award (he shared the honor in 2001 with teammate Curt Schilling as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who beat the Yankees in the '01 fall classic).

 

With the type of career he had, he practically deserves his own room in Cooperstown.

 

Oftentimes people wonder how he got the nickname "Big Unit." When Johnson was a member of the Expos back in 1988, his teammate Tim Raines accidentally collided with him in a batting practice session. Raines exclaimed, "You really are a big unit!"

 

The rest, as they say, is history.

 

I've only had the pleasure of seeing Johnson pitch one time, of course as a member of the New York Yankees. The night was June 21, 2005, Yankees vs. the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Yankee Stadium. I was so psyched to see this future Hall of Famer pitch a game for my favorite team.

 

 

 

Unfortunatley the Big Unit had a rough night.

 

Johnson scattered seven earned runs behind eight hits in just three innings, giving Tampa Bay a commanding 7-2 lead by the end of the third inning. He walked a batter, struck out three, and gave up three home runs.

 

It was frustrating to watch, but believe it or not, the Yankees came back and won the game, beating Tampa Bay by a score of 20-11. By the end of the game, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, and Gary Sheffield all hit home runs (Sheffield even left the park twice!)

 

Yes, the final box score looked like something you might see at Giants Stadium across the river, but I was just thankful the Yankees won. It was an eventful game to say the least!

 

Although Johnson had a miserable outing, I can vividly remember the reception he got when he jogged out to the bullpen to warm up before the start of the game; the crowd roared for him and showed him a lot of respect; all the respect well-deserved for a pitcher of his caliber. He just didn't fit in with the Yankees and that was evident from the moment he got to New York.

 

When he first arrived in the Big Apple, Johnson went to take a physical examination in Manhattan. A CBS camera crew caught him and tried to follow him around the City while asking him questions. Johnson got annoyed and shouted angrily at the cameraman, resulting in a confrontation.

 

 

 

Sure enough, all over the newspapers and media outlets the next day was the Big Unit, slapping away the camera. He apologized for the incident, but everyone I talked to said they didn't think he could handle New York after what had happened. Those thoughts were well-founded, because after just two seasons in pinstripes, he was gone.

 

As a member of the Yankees, Johnson won 34 games, had some rough postseason starts, and was involved in a little scrap on the streets of Manhattan. But on the bright side, he never lost to the Red Sox when he faced them.

 

Following 2006, Johnson had one more year left on his contract with the Yankees. However, he asked for a trade back to Arizona, where he spent most of his career and a good portion of his life. His brother had died and he wanted to be closer to his family, so he asked for the trade and the Yanks granted him his wish.

 

 

 

I will always feel that his heart and soul was never in New York, but always with the Diamondbacks and in the National League in general. To me he was never an American League pitcher, even after all the years he spent with the Mariners.

 

When I think of Johnson, I think of the National League because almost everything that he really ever accomplished came when he pitched there. And that isn't a bad thing; it's good that he was able to find a niche in the NL and have such a successful career pitching in that league.

 

My congratulations to you, Mr. Johnson. You are truly one of a kind and one of the all-time greats. With such prodigious longevity you will undoubtedly be in the Hall of Fame some day. Nice work!

With the holidays right around the corner and final exams killing me, I decided to take a timeout and do some thinking. After all, the holidays are always a time of reflection.

 

 

 

So yesterday I was doing some contemplating...what would happen if I tried to convert to being a fan of another team? I mean, is it even possible?

 

I tried to imagine what would happen if I came out and told everyone I was a Red Sox fan and have denounced the Yankees; that everything about the Yankees is evil, they are a horrible bunch of cheaters, and I have left the Empire for the Nation.

 

Then I thought how that would go over. Yeah, not very well.

 

There could be severe consequences if I told people I have become a Red Sox fan. Instead of ranting on forever about them, I'll list them.

 

1) If I were to become a Red Sox fan, I might lose all my friends.

 

 

 

It might be the truth. Nearly all of my best friends are Yankee fans. I cannot imagine going over to a friend's house to watch a Yankees/Red Sox game and trying to cheer Boston. That would be the end of me. I would probably get thrown out before anything even happens, since basically all my friends bleed pinstripes.

 

But would some of my best, diehard Yankee friends remain friends with me, even if I changed my favorite team?...

 

Not exactly sure, but just in case I should stick to the Yanks.

 

2) If I were to become a Red Sox fan, my family would most likely disown me. 

 

I was born a Yankee fan. My family will not let me die a Red Sox fan. My family brought me up with Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez, and Mariano Rivera. Not players like Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz. If I turned around and became a Red Sox fan, my family would exile me.

 

Unless I want to find a new family, I must remain a Yankee fan.

 

3) Location and Ability to Watch My Favorite

Team

 

I live in New York. I was born in New York. I know that there are plenty of BoSox fans here in the Empire State, but the Yankee fans, by far, outnumber the Red Sox fans (just as I'm sure in New England, the Red Sox fans outnumber the Yankee fans) Life would not be easy as a sports fan if I made the conversion.

 

Not only that, but I would have to drive 207 miles just to see my team play at home. I mean, I suppose I could always risk my life and go to Yankee Stadium wearing a David Ortiz jersey, but I value my well-being. I want to live for as long as I can, not have my existence on this planet end in the parking lot at Yankee Stadium.

 

Unless I want to make a long trip to see my team play a home game or risk my life at Yankee Stadium, I must stay in Yankee colors.

 

4) Memorabilia

 

 

 

I have spent a good chunk of my life collecting Yankee paraphernalia. I have souvenirs like you would not believe; I'm talking jerseys, hats, shirts, sweatshirts, bed sheets, pennants, framed pictures, paintings, even a Yankee hamper where I keep my dirty cloths (no lie) and one of my favorites, a retro, holographic lunchbox.

 

It has taken me basically my whole life to amass all this Yankee stuff. I would have to put this entire memorabilia collection up on EBAY or something, and then exchange it for Red Sox stuff.

 

Unless I want to go through that, I must remain in pinstripes.

 

After wondering for so long what everyone around me would say and think about me converting to Red Sox Nation, I found out. I conducted my own little sociological experiment to find out what people would think of me if I swapped allegiances from the Yanks to the Sox.

 

 

 

Here's how I went about it:

 

I updated my Facebook status to: A.J. Martelli is denouncing the Yankees and becoming a Red Sox fan. Josh Beckett > CC Sabathia and Kevin Youkilis > Derek Jeter. Boston, For The Win!

 

 

 

In literally seconds, my status was flooded with comments.

 

"What are you smoking? Are you high, because I know you don't drink? Should I break out the ice skates? Is hell about to freeze over? Did you lose a bet? Oh my God, it's Armageddon, or it least it will be when A.J. sees what someone did to his status! This is not really A.J., somebody hacked into his Facebook account. Poor kid. He lost his mind."

 

These were all comments left by my friends as a result of my "conversion" to the Red Sox. The reactions were basically what I expected; shock, confusion, and in most cases disbelief.

 

Maybe the best line was left by my good friend Keith, who said, "I lost control of my bowels. I hope you have the money to pay for my medical bills. I am so sad."

 

It seems I shocked the world.

 

I texted one of my best friends, Brian, and told him "Screw the Yankees, I'm a Red Sox fan now." He really didn't believe me at first, but after I attempted to sell it, he said "alright, have fun with the Sox." I eventually came clean and explained myself. He responded with, "I knew you'd NEVER hate the Bombers!"

 

He is right, I never would. He knows me all to well and never really believed me in the first place. That's the sign of a best friend.

 

Neither did one of my other best friends, Dave. I also texted him and told him of my "hatred for the Yankees and new allegiance to the Red Sox."

 

 

 

His first response was, "did your phone get hijacked?" Again, I tried to sell it and explained of my "newfound affinity for the Red Sox." He thought I changed teams because of John Lackey, who just yesterday was acquired by the Red Sox. He told me if I was serious about changing teams, to call him and explain.

 

I once again told the truth and told him of my experiment. He laughed, but admitted I legitimately scared him. I asked him if he would still be my friend if I really became a Boston fan. He was the first one to say he would stay friends with me despite becoming a fan of the Red Sox.

 

He only said it would take some getting used to, but always be my friend. I've known Dave since kindergarten and apparently baseball will never change our brotherhood.

 

So after texting for some answers for awhile I decided to come clean on Facebook.

 

I once again changed my status. "To update everyone, I am NOT becoming a Red Sox fan. I was conducting an experiment for a blog. I wanted to gauge people's reactions if I came out & said I was a Boston fan. But here's a question, Yankee fans: if I did become a Red Sox fan, would you still be my friend?"

 

Once again, comments began to fill up my page.

 

An old friend of mine, Rick, from my Little League team (we played on the Little League Yankees, by the way!) told me he almost puked at the first status. Two of my cousins, Krystina and Kevin, both said they would disown me. That cleared up any doubt as to whether or not my family would still accept me.

 

Then I read some reaction from some of my college friends. My good friend Kevin Lewis, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting just this semester, told me he would not remain my friend. "Come on, A.J., we can't stand Sox fans!"

 

Kevin proceeded to tell me if I really did convert to Red Soxism, he would "Chris Brown" me. If you are unaware, Chris Brown viciously beat the snot out of his girlfriend Rihanna, landing himself in jail for his cowardly actions.

 

I guess that answers my question in terms of valuing my life; I really would get beat up for becoming a Red Sox fan!

 

Going back to texting, I texted one of my other best friends whom I have known since sixth grade. My great buddy Vito received a text from me that read, "I am sorry, Vito...I am officially a member of Red Sox Nation!!!"

 

 

 

He responded with, "I can't let you do that!!!!! (Expletive) Lackey!" Like Dave, Vito thought I converted because of John Lackey. For the record, I think Lackey is overrated is not even worth changing teams for. I guess the Lackey reason became a pattern?

 

With the same routine, I tried to push the fallacy as far as I could before coming clean. Wise beyond his years, Vito said, "Liking the Red Sox is like watching porn for the acting--it doesn't make sense."

 

And after laughing for 10 minutes after that comment, I asked him if he would still be my friend. He said he would and I came out with the truth. Tallied up, that's two people who said they would stay friends with me if I became a Red Sox fan.

 

Checking Facebook once more, another friend of mine from college, Katie, gave an interesting point of view. She said she couldn't imagine me forsaking my bond with the Yankees, who I have such an alliance to in my life. She said the fact that I would renege on my bond with the Yankees would bother her more than which team I switched to.    

 

I thought that her position was very insightful; she understands how much the Yankees mean to me and the fact that I would go against them all of a sudden would be more shocking than whatever team I decided to turn to. Her answer was probably the most logical answer I received from the whole experiment.

 

Then I reached out to Jessica, another friend who is a diehard Yankee lover. I asked her what she would do if I became a Red Sox fan. Her response: "I'd never speak to you again...deal?" So there's at least one friend I'd lose if I made the conversion.

 

Next I heard from a devout Yankee fan, my friend Micheal from Atlanta. I told him that the Yankees ruin baseball and of my "conversion to the Nation." Then I asked him if he would still be my friend. His answer: "No. Ha ha ha." I'm pretty sure he didn't believe me in the first place.

 

But after reading the next comment I'm not totally convinced I wouldn't actually lose any friends, whatsoever.

 

My friend Jenn, who is Brian's girlfriend, told me, "Anyone who says they wouldn't be your friend is probably just kidding. I mean, it's just a sports team for Heaven's sake!" Her insight put my mind at ease a little bit; at least I know I wouldn't be losing her.

 

I have to say, this was something I had a lot of fun doing. I suppose it was a way to find out what people would say and do if I turned my back on my favorite team. It made for some great insight and funny commentary from my friends, who only know me as a follower of Yankeeism. All the reaction among them was exactly what I had anticipated, some even went beyond it.

 

 

 

When they thought someone hacked into my Facebook account--I'll admit, I didn't expect that one. But most of the other responses were basically exactly what I knew they would be. I would say disbelief was the most common; there were some people I don't think I fooled for one second, they knew I was full of it.

 

But for the record, I'm staying right here with the Yankees. Thanks to all who participated in this experiment. I wanted to draw colorful reactions and you all did not disappoint. You gave me precisely what I needed.

 

*This blog will remain Yankee Yapping. Not Red Sox Yapping. Oooh. I didn't like the sound of that...Red Sox Yapping...YANKEE YAPPING!!!

 

"I will not take my love from Him, nor will I betray my faithfulness."--Psalm 89:33

"He was really my first...you know,' warrior' guy."--George Steinbrenner on Paul O'Neill.

 

Right field is a sacred position in Yankee history. Reggie Jackson, Roger Maris, and even the immortal Babe Ruth have all played the glorious corner outfield position. It's one of the most beloved positions ever.

 

Growing up a Yankee fan during the late 1990s, I was brought up with one right fielder. A man who hated to lose. A man who worked probably harder than 90 percent of the players in the league. A man who defined the word "game."

 

I am of course speaking about Paul O'Neill.

 

 

 

There's no doubt that in my lifetime, O'Neill was the absolute best right fielder the Yankees have had. His love of winning and powerful clubhouse presence helped propel the Yankees to four World Championships and five pennants in the nine years he played in pinstripes.

 

 

 

It's almost as if O'Neill needed to win.

 

Buster Olney, beat writer for The New York Times in the '90s and author of "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty," basically described O'Neill as a "lifetime must-winner;" even when he was a child he hated to lose.

 

For example, he would play basketball games against his brother Robert as a young man, the first to 25 points wins the game. O'Neill would reach 23 points, victory in his sights. Then Robert would sink bucket after bucket until he reached 25, a tactic used to demoralize O'Neill.

 

Siblings can be so cruel, can't they?  

 

O'Neill would call his mother at work and claim that Robert cheated. And after a loss, he wanted more. He would goad his brother to give him a return match. "What's the matter cheater," he would antagonize. "You're not getting lucky again!"

 

He hated to lose, but even when he won, the past defeats clung to him.

 

For instance, if he went 4-for-5 in a game, he would sit by his locker and think about the one hit he missed out on. He would not focus on the four hits, but the one he missed and he tried to think about what to do differently the next time up.

 

I would say O'Neill was a little hard on himself; it's difficult to get a major league hit, let alone multiple hits in a single game. But really any poor at-bat he saw as a failure, and it affected his psyche.

 

Another interesting point Olney made in his book about O'Neill (that really struck me) was how his attitude rubbed off on his own children. His kids saw how he behaved while playing baseball and mimicked it in a way when they played organized sports.

 

 

 

His son Andy played in an eight-year old basketball league. During a game, he missed a shot and began to cry as he made his way back down the court. O'Neill and his wife Nevalee were in the bleachers watching the game. Nevalee tapped her husband on the shoulder.

 

She could only say one thing to her husband as she watched her son cry:"It's all your fault." 

 

It's obvious that although O'Neill had that warrior-like mentality and gamesmanship, it went the other way sometimes and had negative effects on those around him.

 

He also drew criticism from it; when he was extremely upset with a call from an umpire or a failed at-bat, he would toss his helmet, throw his bat, argue, smash the bat rack and Gatorade coolers, and/or throw his batting gloves.

 

He used to fume when things didn't go his way and his teammates drew fascination and amusement from it. His opponents thought he was acting like a child. Basically his antics were amusing to his friends but not his enemies.

 

Me--I thought he was awesome. It was never something I incorporated into my own routine as a Little Leaguer; I always tried to be as respectful as possible (and still do). But watching O'Neill was great. He just never gave up and never wanted to lose.

 

My favorite memory of O'Neil came in 1997; I was in fourth grade and at Yankee Stadium on a class field trip and it was the first regular season Subway Series. In the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 2-2 and O'Neill standing on third base, Tino Martinez hit a long fly ball to center, a sac fly that allowed O'Neill to score the winning run.

 

Yankees beat the Mets, 3-2. It was one of my more special games attended and one of my favorite sports moments ever.

 

I was also happy to see O'Neill play in the Old Timer's game in 2007; I went to the game with my family and it felt like the old days, watching O'Neill and all the former players put on their cleats for one more day. That was also a great memory I had of him and the Yankees in general.  I

 

After the 2001 season, O'Neill called it a career. It was heartwarming in Game Four of the World Series that year; the Yankee faithful serenaded the beloved Yankee, chanting, "Paul O-Ne-ill" for almost an entire half inning. You could just tell how emotional it was for him by his body language; I think it nearly brought him to tears.

 

Even though the Yanks lost the World Series in '01 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, O'Neill finished his career on a high note; Five World Series titles (including the Championship he won in 1990 with the Cincinnati Reds) Five All-Star selections, 281 home runs, a .288 lifetime batting average, 1,269 RBIs.

 

 

 

He certainly left a lifetime of memories for us fans.

 

Since he retired, I don't think there has been a right fielder who has made as much of an impact as O'Neill. Even after he retired (in 2002, to be exact) then-Yankee manager Joe Torre reached out to O'Neill asking him to come out of retirement because he was in dire need of a right fielder.

 

A year after he retired, they wanted him back because nobody was as good as him.

 

O'Neill maintained his retirement and turned Torre down, which prompted Torre and the Yankees' front office to make a trade for Raul Mondesi, who played right field for about a year in pinstripes before he was traded away.

 

They say true heroes live on in those who continue their legacy. And there have been many players who have taken over right field, yet none of them staying as long as O'Neill.

 

 

 

Mondesi lasted until 2003 and after Karim Garcia ruined right field for me, it was Gary Sheffield, who could hit but also ran his mouth too much. Sheffield publicly stated that he should have been the team captain.

 

 

 

Yeah...sure, Sheff. You were in pinstripes for a cup of coffee; Derek Jeter played his whole career in pinstripes with an enormous amount of success. You, not Jeter, should be captain. Dream on, buddy.

 

Sheffield played 2004, 2005, and was injured for the majority of the 2006 season, which yet again forced the Yankees to make a trade for a right fielder.

 

In '06 the Yankees acquired Bobby Abreu, who I think without a shadow of a doubt, was the best right fielder since O'Neill. His calm personality and humble demeanor was a stark contrast to O'Neill's, but he could hit for average, power, and maintained control of right field the way O'Neill would have wanted.

 

 

 

Abreu was and still is a very special player and even though he is an Angel right now, I still like him, respect him, and wish he was still with the Yankees.

 

 

 

In 2009, the Yankees called on Nick Swisher to play right field, due to the season-ending elbow injury of Xavier Nady. Swisher was not too shabby, what with his goofy personality and funny antics.

 

But no matter who plays right field in the years to come, O'Neill will always hold a special place in Yankee lore and certainly in my heart.

 

Now the real question is, will they retire his number 21? I was so happy to see his giant banner in the Great Hall at the New Yankee Stadium this year and when you think about it, no one has really worn the number 21 since he retired. The Yanks have sort of taken it out of circulation.

 

 

 

LaTroy Hawkins tried out the number in 2008, only to get booed by the Yankee fans. Hawkins asked Jeter why the fans were booing him, and Jeter told him that his number was "close to the fans."

 

Hawkins then changed his number from 21 to 22.

 

Whatever happens with his number, O'Neill will forever be immortal. No Yankee fan like me, who grew up with the Yankee Dynasty of the late '90s, will forget him. He was just an everyday guy who everyday went out and played his guts out.

 

He was a warrior. And I don't think we will ever see another Yankee quite like him.

 

"Paul O'Neill's daily fight for success became our fight."--David Cone

 

 

Nicknames. A lot of "cool" people have them and it's usually a lot of fun to call people by their nicknames rather than their given names.

 

My name is Anthony Joseph, therefore my friends and those close to me call me A.J.

 

When the Yankees acquired A.J. Burnett last off-season, I was so happy because we share the same initials. The Yankees also have a rookie prospect named Austin Jackson, whose initials are also A.J.

 

Well allow me to let everyone in on a secret: having the initials A.J. may sound cool, but it can be bad. In fact, growing up people left an impact on me that scarred me for life.

 

I've been called every name in the book from Apple Juice to Apple Jacks; from Ask Jeeves to Ant Jemima (that one really hurt, especially because it made sense--my name is Anthony and instead of using "aunt" they took the first three letters of my name and used "Ant")

 

 

 

But none made me shake my head more than being called Ajax, which happens to be Austin Jackson's new nickname. For my initials to be reduced to being called a brand of toilet cleaner...yea, it was rough.

 

 

 

Needless to say I know how Jackson feels.

 

What impressed me (and sort of shocked me) about him was in 2009 Spring Training; against the Red Sox, Jackson belted a grand slam home run. After the game he was sent packing and told he would remain in the minor leagues.

 

But he stuck it out and played hard on the farm this past year. And we may see him up in the big leagues this upcoming year.  

 

Jackson may possibly get called up to the Yankees' main roster in 2010, being that he put up such solid numbers in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this past year. The 22 year-old phenom batted .300 with four homers and 65 RBIs while stealing 24 bases in 132 games.

 

Not bad numbers, I have to say. The question now is, can he do this at the Major League level? That remains to be seen.

 

 

 

But let's say Jackson does make it in New York and becomes a fan-favorite within the next two or three years. I cannot fathom going to a Yankee game and listening to the capacity crowd at Yankee Stadium yell at the top of their lungs, "Ajax!!!"

 

That would bring back horrible memories for me. I mean, people called me that to make fun of me! It would make me sad. Although the nickname sounds clever for Jackson because of his last name...well, I will never be comfortable hearing that name.

 

The name "Ajax" will always remind me of the troubled part of my childhood.

 

Maybe I can spend some time coming up with a better nickname for him; hopefully one that can catch on quick enough. Maybe the A-Train? Or Action Jackson? Heck, his middle name starts with a "J" too, why not just A.J. Jackson?  

 

Whatever happens, I just hope we Yankee fans are not cheering Ajax at him. As a diehard fan myself, it would be too painful for me; I wouldn't be able to bear it.

 

I can only hope Jackson doesn't mind being called Ajax and I really hope he didn't go through what I went through growing up in terms of nicknames. The same goes for Burnett. We "A.J.s" are special guys and we have to stick together!

 

So call us what you want. But we'll always be A.J.

 

  

 

 

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Yankee Stadium."

These are words we have heard from the legendary Bob Sheppard for the better part of 56 years. After a long career behind the microphone as the public address announcer at Yankee Stadium, the 99 year-old Sheppard has officially retired as of yesterday.

 

Sheppard had missed time during the 2007 and 2008 seasons battling sickness, and has now given up his spot behind the microphone in the Bronx. It is a sad day, but I am so thankful that we had Bob for so long. 

 

His first day on the job was April 17, 1951, a Yankees/Red Sox game. How fitting! Among the future Hall of Fame players in the Red Sox lineup that day were Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, and Lou Boudreau.

 

The future Yankee Hall of Famers in the starting lineup included Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, and Johnny Mize.

 

 

 

Sheppard knows so much about how proper language should be spoken. In fact, he was a speech teacher at John Adams High School and at the college he graduated from, St. John's University.

 

He felt his teaching career was more important than his job as an announcer.

 

Sports have always been in Sheppard's blood. At St. John's he earned seven varsity letters as the baseball squad's starting first baseman and the football team's starting quarterback.

 

Talk about being an outstanding athlete!

 

As an announcer, Sheppard pronounced everything the way it was supposed to be pronounced. He once said in a documentary, "My job as an address announcer is to inform the people that the next hitter is De-rek Je-ter--clear, concise, correct, there's nothing wrong with it.

 

It's not DEEERRREEEEKKK JEEEETEEERRRR!!!!!!!"

 

I have to agree with him; nobody wants to hear the announcer scream the names of the players so that we cannot understand what they are saying. We always knew what Sheppard was saying.

 

 

 

He also owned a unique way of announcing the players; for instance, he would say, "Now batting, third baseman, number 13, Alex Rodriguez. Number 13." He would give you the player's position, uniform number, name, and then uniform number again.

 

He had his own style. That is the trademark of someone who his great at what they do.

 

In the same documentary, Sheppard noted that Mantle was his favorite player to announce. The Mick once told him, "Every time Bob Sheppard announces my name, I got shivers up and down my spine."

 

Sheppard responded, "So do I."

 

To announce the winningest franchise in all of sports had to wonderful for Sheppard, yet to be a part of that winning for so long was probably even better for him.

 

 

 

When the Yankees won, so did he. Sheppard has been awarded with the World Series Championship rings for his role as the Yankees' announcer. He was also given a well-deserved monument in the park at Yankee Stadium, dedicated by the Yanks on May 7, 2000.

 

His microphone has also been encased in Cooperstown at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

 

Yet baseball was not the only sport Sheppard was involved in.

 

 

 

He also served as the announcer for the New York Football Giants from 1956 through the end of the 2005 campaign. Just like he received World Series rings from the Yankees, Sheppard was honored with Super Bowl rings when the G-Men won Super Bowl XXI in 1987 and Super Bowl XXV in 1991.

 

The Giants played their home games at Yankee Stadium beginning in 1956, and the ever-loyal Sheppard stayed with them through their move into Giants Stadium in 1976.

 

Sheppard also announced football games for St. John's before he made his debut as the Yankees' public address announcer.

 

Sheppard is a man who has seen it all; American League Pennants, World Series Championships, Super Bowls, some of the greatest games ever played. And now his announcing career is at an end.

 

But no matter where he goes and how he goes, he will never, and I repeat NEVER be forgotten by his fans. He will always be a part of the Yankees' family and...well, he is immortal. His legacy will always be one of dignity, class, and grace.

 

Reggie Jackson once called him "The Voice of God." And he really is. Sheppard's booming, jovial voice will always be a part of the Yankees.

 

On behalf of every Yankee fan in the World, THANK YOU, BOB SHEPPARD! YOU ARE TRULY A LEGEND!  

 

"Thank you all. Please drive home safely."