To the Red Sox and their fans. I didn't want to have to do this but you gotta give credit where it's due. Congratulations to the Red Sox and their fans on their 2013 World Series win. You all put together a hell of a team and bounced back from an extremely disappointing 2012 season in the best way. Well done.
Now the onus is on the Yankees to do the same.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
BEING: Mariano - A Review
Fox Sports recently released a documentary about Mariano Rivera's life and career entitled BEING: Mariano. Heartwarming is really the only word I have to describe it, and it is a must-see for every Yankee fan.
The documentary, aside from spinning the Mariano Rivera narrative- his early life in Panama, how he wound up in pinstripes, and the big league career that will no doubt be familiar to any Yankee fan, also showed him in a much more human light- an angle that wasn't about the game of baseball, but rather the man himself.
Priceless footage is sprinkled throughout the entirety of the show regarding Mariano's life behind the scenes of the game, showcasing his thoughts and interactions throughout his final season, and revealing to the audience that Mariano is indeed, a very mortal man, who while enjoying his final season, was also greatly relieved as it slowly came to an end, and how he made sure to give thanks to the game wherever he went, just as he received its thanks.
The life of Mariano Rivera, the family man is also showcased to us. We catch a glimpse into Mariano's next phase in life: the rebuilding of an old church near his home. Family drives everything that Mariano has done, and the viewer can seemingly put himself in Mariano's shoes and feel his relief to now be able to spend more time with them.
Humorous and intimate moments with his teammates are also presented, including a golden segment of a fishing trip in late August that Mariano and his family went on with a number of teammates, including Andy Pettite. Andy was revealed as having caught the biggest fish.
Overall the documentary is well worth watching and is a more intimate version of Yankeeography. It does its job of humanizing Mariano and baseball in general very well, and plenty of laughs can also be found. The folks at Fox really did a good job with this one, and I'm not one that usually praises that company.
The documentary, aside from spinning the Mariano Rivera narrative- his early life in Panama, how he wound up in pinstripes, and the big league career that will no doubt be familiar to any Yankee fan, also showed him in a much more human light- an angle that wasn't about the game of baseball, but rather the man himself.
Priceless footage is sprinkled throughout the entirety of the show regarding Mariano's life behind the scenes of the game, showcasing his thoughts and interactions throughout his final season, and revealing to the audience that Mariano is indeed, a very mortal man, who while enjoying his final season, was also greatly relieved as it slowly came to an end, and how he made sure to give thanks to the game wherever he went, just as he received its thanks.
The life of Mariano Rivera, the family man is also showcased to us. We catch a glimpse into Mariano's next phase in life: the rebuilding of an old church near his home. Family drives everything that Mariano has done, and the viewer can seemingly put himself in Mariano's shoes and feel his relief to now be able to spend more time with them.
Humorous and intimate moments with his teammates are also presented, including a golden segment of a fishing trip in late August that Mariano and his family went on with a number of teammates, including Andy Pettite. Andy was revealed as having caught the biggest fish.
Overall the documentary is well worth watching and is a more intimate version of Yankeeography. It does its job of humanizing Mariano and baseball in general very well, and plenty of laughs can also be found. The folks at Fox really did a good job with this one, and I'm not one that usually praises that company.
Friday, October 11, 2013
My Mariano Rivera Bobblehead Experience
This is a little late, but I thought I'd share my experience of going to the Mariano Rivera bobblehead game on September 24th. My father bought three tickets explicitly because they were giving away the bobbleheads (and we couldn't get tickets to the final home game at any rate because they were all sold out).
We needed to leave early- even earlier than usual (around 4 P.M.) so we could make sure we were one of the first 18,000 fans in attendance to get the bobblehead. After eating a quick couple of pizzas (because we didn't want to get hungry during the game and we all know food is massively overpriced at the Stadium), we got on the 4 train and met my brother on the platform of the Yankee Stadium stop a bit later.
We were surprised at how many people were already there waiting in line, around two hours before game time. Our tickets suggested that we go to Gate 2, so we walked all the way around the stadium to get there. The line was long as hell there two, and went across the street on the other side. We all moaned because we thought that there was no way in hell we were going to get the Mariano Rivera bobblehead.
We waited in line for around 45 minutes, wondering what the hell was going on. Movement was slow at best. Turns out we later learned through someone on their smartphone with a twitter app (ah, the useful uselessness of modern technology) that the truck carrying the bobbleheads broke down, and when the line finally moved and we got to the gate,we were to our pleasure surprised that we would indeed get our bobbleheads- though we got a voucher for them to pick them up later.
The game was a terrible blow out. When I found out later that some people had missed multiple innings after the bobbleheads arrived, I can remind them that they really didn't miss out on much. I wanted to get the bobbleheads before the game ended. My dad didn't. He was right, as we would find out later.
After the game ended, there was no one really telling us where to go to get the bobbleheads. We needed to walk around the stadium- only to see a huge line, and then walk around the stadium again to get to the back of it. My father and I were really angry. My brother didn't really care, but he isn't much of a baseball fan anyway.
Given how long that line was, and how far we were away from the one area of the stadium where they were giving away the bobbleheads (only at one gate, when it really should have been at all exits), we thought we were going to be there for hours. Some of the Yankee Stadium employees even chided us that we would be there until 1 in the morning. How very professional of them.
My line at the time was that this situation is something that I'd expect from a place like the DMV, not from a supposedly first-class organization like the New York Yankees.
To my utter delight and relief however, the line began to move quickly after about fifteen minutes or so, and we got out relatively alright. Far better it seems, than the people who waited during the game itself. Dad 1, me 0.
A few days later the Yankees showed their professionalism by giving all ticket holders to that game a free game in the 2014 season (just as my dad said they should do while on the line). Faith restored.
And hey, I got the bobblehead.
We needed to leave early- even earlier than usual (around 4 P.M.) so we could make sure we were one of the first 18,000 fans in attendance to get the bobblehead. After eating a quick couple of pizzas (because we didn't want to get hungry during the game and we all know food is massively overpriced at the Stadium), we got on the 4 train and met my brother on the platform of the Yankee Stadium stop a bit later.
We were surprised at how many people were already there waiting in line, around two hours before game time. Our tickets suggested that we go to Gate 2, so we walked all the way around the stadium to get there. The line was long as hell there two, and went across the street on the other side. We all moaned because we thought that there was no way in hell we were going to get the Mariano Rivera bobblehead.
We waited in line for around 45 minutes, wondering what the hell was going on. Movement was slow at best. Turns out we later learned through someone on their smartphone with a twitter app (ah, the useful uselessness of modern technology) that the truck carrying the bobbleheads broke down, and when the line finally moved and we got to the gate,we were to our pleasure surprised that we would indeed get our bobbleheads- though we got a voucher for them to pick them up later.
The game was a terrible blow out. When I found out later that some people had missed multiple innings after the bobbleheads arrived, I can remind them that they really didn't miss out on much. I wanted to get the bobbleheads before the game ended. My dad didn't. He was right, as we would find out later.
After the game ended, there was no one really telling us where to go to get the bobbleheads. We needed to walk around the stadium- only to see a huge line, and then walk around the stadium again to get to the back of it. My father and I were really angry. My brother didn't really care, but he isn't much of a baseball fan anyway.
Given how long that line was, and how far we were away from the one area of the stadium where they were giving away the bobbleheads (only at one gate, when it really should have been at all exits), we thought we were going to be there for hours. Some of the Yankee Stadium employees even chided us that we would be there until 1 in the morning. How very professional of them.
My line at the time was that this situation is something that I'd expect from a place like the DMV, not from a supposedly first-class organization like the New York Yankees.
To my utter delight and relief however, the line began to move quickly after about fifteen minutes or so, and we got out relatively alright. Far better it seems, than the people who waited during the game itself. Dad 1, me 0.
A few days later the Yankees showed their professionalism by giving all ticket holders to that game a free game in the 2014 season (just as my dad said they should do while on the line). Faith restored.
And hey, I got the bobblehead.
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