Meet Me In STL: Clang Clang Clang With The Trophy!

Oh readers, there are two main emotions that I'm feeling tonight and they are sadness and joy. I am sad that the baseball season has officially come to a close, B-U-T I am proud to say this: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS FOR WINNING THE 2011 WORLD SERIES!

Yes y'all the STL Cards have capped off an amazing baseball season with this victory & they can now kick off their shoes, relax their feet, and poison their liver with copious amounts of alcohol. While the team will be toasting to their win, they should also have a toast for those who had them written off in August. Oh yes, there was a period this season where the Cardinals were in the process of dying and their funeral arrangements were made. Luckily, they came back and fought for their lives. Scary huh?

Now that we're all caught up to speed and in a celebratory mood, let's give a warm thank you to the ENTIRE Cardinals team, managers included, for their "never-say-never" attitude & fighter spirit. A HUGE thank you to Albert Pujols for being an ever present force throughout this process. We hope to see you back in that red #5 next season. Lastly, thank you to the hometown hero, NLCS MVP, and WS MVP David Freese for his kick ass performance during Game 6 and Game 7. You deserve to have your shredded jersey in Cooperstown & more.

It's been my pleasure readers to provide you with baseball related reading material throughout the season. As we continue to watch our other sports let us soak in the night and rock to this. Oh, Cardinals and Cardinals fans, y'all can jam too since tonight everything is St. Louis inspired:




XOXO,
Whitney

29 & Robinson Never Looked So Fine :)

Hello readers. Baseball is almost on its way out and while the Cardinals and the Rangers duke it out for the coveted World Series title, I think this is more than a great time to wish one of my favorite Yankees players, a guy considered to be my 2nd husband after Derek Jeter, the most amazing hitter in my opinion, and how can we forget the hottest 2nd baseman, Robinson Cano, a very special happy birthday. Ok, all together now, 1 2 3...HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBBIE!

Let's throw the confetti and pop the champagne as we celebrate this joyous day. Robinson is 29 today and baby, you've never looked so fine for 29! May today be filled with love, warmth, and happiness as you live to see another year. May God continue to bless and keep you & wishing you many more to come.

As is the tradition with Yankee birthdays, here are some photos for our viewing pleasure as well as a song to rock out to:

XOXO,

Whitney

Game 5 Yankees Died & The Tigers Were Live...

Oh readers, it pains me to have to sit here and write a post of the nature coming up and because my heart is heavy, this will be a short one. Tonight, October 6, 2011, the New York Yankees lost Game 5 of the ALDS to the Detroit Tigers with a score of 3 - 2.  Writing that sentence just took 10 years off of my life but I'll muster through to finish. If you're anything like me, you don't know how to feel right now. You want to kick, punch, and scream at everyone. For those of you who have done these actions already, make sure you're not sitting in a holding cell so you have the opportunity to read this.

A loss is earth shattering like no other thing in existence but witnessing a loss in person, man is it double the pain. Last year, I was in attendance for Game 3 of the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins and we all know how that ended....it ended in a sweep. Ahh, what I wouldn't give to go back into time. We Yankees fans are some tough cookies, and we'll get over this defeat and move on with our lives so, because I don't want to sulk and stew over spilled milk, I'll take this time to say thank you. Yes, you read that right.

I want to say thank you to the New York Yankees for consistently providing exciting baseball and for providing the facility to house us rowdy fans. Thank you Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Mariano Rivera  and Jorge Posada for your record breaking games and overall excellence. Jorge gets a shoutout because this may have been his last game ever in pinstripes and if it is, this is just a preview of what's to come in terms of his farewell post.  Thank you to the all of the fans who have continued to pour their blood, sweat, and tears into this team. Whenever folks told us we're too "obsessed" or "crazy" for our unwavering love and admiration, we scoffed at the haters and kept on trucking. Lastly, thank you to all of my readers who have stuck by me and continued to read my over exuberant posts about the team I have loved since June 1995 and will continue to love until the casket drops.

I think it's about time that I end this post because my emotions are getting the best of me and the more I watch post game interviews, my blood boils so to properly close out the 2011 Yankees season, I'll end it with this.
Disclaimer: The picture may be dull but you'll get the jist:




XOXO,
Whitney

I Don't Think You Really Know Robinson Cano!

Good evening fans. Before I settle down and take my NyQuil because I am battling a slight cold, I must release a few things that are bottled up inside of me. No, I'm not about about sneezes or coughs, I'm talking about the excitement that was tonight's ALDS game featuring the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. Trust me guys, you'll want to stay tuned for what's coming up next.

Last night, September 30, 2011, the Yankees and Tigers were scheduled to play the first game of the ALDS and all of baseball and its fans were more than geared up. For the entire week, and the days leading up to the first pitch, we were glued to our local weathermen/woman dying to know the forecast and although there were projections for showers, the percentage of those showers were so low that we didn't care to grab a calculator and work out the probability of rain vs. no rain. Anything less than 50 percent is OK in our books and we proceeded with our lives. Well, Mother Nature had other plans and when I say she rained on the parade, believe me, she RAINED on the parade. The game was in a delay, my fever spiked, and I refused to take medicine because I knew the game would resume shortly. The rain never ceased, and the game was postponed until the next day. I had to take my medicine and call it a night.

All day, we fans waited for the clock to strike 8:37 so we could resume the game and once the pitches went underway, our chips were scooped into the dip, the beer caps were popped off, and we were ready for baseball. The Yankees were determined to make up the postponement to their fans and boy did they not disappoint. A double here, a walk there, and dominant pitching(thank you Ivan Nova) would give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. As usual with this team, sometimes we like to think that things couldn't get any better...right? Oh readers, haven't we learned already the Yankees always find a way to make it better.

With the bases loaded, and Phil Coke in to pitch, our amazing, power hitter, all around excellent 2nd baseman Robinson Cano did this:



Speechless huh? Yeah, I have no voice either. 

Cano would continue with his monstrous hitting in the bottom of the 8th to give the Yankees a 9-1 lead. The Yankees would go on to win this game 9-3.

Well fans, I must be off to take my medicine, sitting on a fever too long can be dangerous. I will see back in the Bronx tomorrow night for Game 2.

XOXO,
Whitney

Where Were You The Night of September 28, 2011?

I remember watching Fox about 7 years ago, I know I'm possibly dating myself, and like many of their marketing ploys, they were trying out many slogans to get fans to watch their channel during the MLB playoffs. I can't for the life of me remember what many of these slogans were because one stood out in particular and that magical phrase was: You can't script October. These four words packed so much in it that I don't believe Fox had any idea what they had created.

The above slogan has been used to define great moments in baseball since its patent and it has provided us fans with more than enough heartache and excitement than we could possibly bear. On September 28, 2011, this well known four word slogan would define a moment that will be remembered and passed down from generation to generation. Don't believe me, ask any and every sports fan tomorrow morning and watch the excitement in their voice.

Before the season began, MLB decided to implement a one-game playoff rule for those teams seeking entry into the playoffs, those who wind up in the Wild Card slot. Now fans, if you were like me, you were scratching your head because from your recollection, you have never seen 163 games played. But, like every diehard baseball fan, we accepted this rule, bitched about it a lot, but accepted it. Let's fast forward towards September.

Every September, fans and teams create this cloud of anxiety because the postseason is right around the corner. New York Yankees fans didn't have to worry because we clinched the division before the month concluded so all we had to do was sit back and watch everyone kill each other. We watched for days and shared many different emotions but on 9/28/11, something was strange in the air. Our televisions switched back and forth between the multitude of games because we were hoping for that one game playoff. Instead, we got something better.

The Braves/Phillies, the Cardinals/Astros, and the Red Sox/Orioles were battling for contention and where do we even begin? I think we just go to the results. The Phillies ousted Atlanta, the Cardinals trumped the Astros, and the RED SOX LOST TO THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES!

Yes, I'm excited about the last game because I loathe the Boston Red Sox. The rivalry runs deep and they shall not get any sympathy from me. Oh, how can I forget, the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Yankees which means they've earned a spot in the playoffs. I tip my hat off to them.

Ok readers, my head hurts from all of the excitement and my fingers are sore. I will end this post by saying congratulations to all of the teams who are in the playoffs and I shall catch you all Friday night when the Yankees play the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALDS!

Happy Postseason y'all!

XOXO,
Whitney

The AL East Sounds Freakin' Sweet!

Good evening readers. The next statement that I'm about write is one that manyYankees fans have come to know and shall never get tired of reading. Are your ready? Are your sure? I'm trusting you now so here it goes: THE NEW YORK YANKEES HAVE CLINCHED THE AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST!

That's right folks, our favorite team has done what many thought wouldn't happen this season and Yankees fans far and wide are celebrating in their own little way. You all have come to know that I am emotional when it comes to my team and yes the tears are flowing. I am more than proud to type and I'll keep this short so I can celebrate as well but before that, I want to give a little recap and some shout outs to the team that made this possible.

How we came to this joyous moment is due in part to an amazing Wednesday of baseball. In a doubleheader with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees won both the afternoon and the night games with a score of 4-2(day game) and the same score again for the night game 4-2. This couldn't have been achieved with out the big bats of power hitter Robinson Cano and the clutch Jorge Posada. While the entire team contributed to this effort, these are the two men who shall be getting all the praise tonight. Thank you guys!

Well readers, it's time for me to celebrate and party hard. It's been a glorious season and I'll be blogging/seeing you all for the ALDS!

XOXO,
Whitney

I Always Knew That Mariano Rivera's Favorite Number Was 602

Good evening readers. How are you feeling tonight? Did you have a rough day? Are you ready to go postal on your job and co-workers? If you've answered "yes" to any of the above questions then you are having another case of the Mondays. For those of you who are having a beyond extraordinary day, I can tell you why. It has nothing to do with the new love in your life, that promotion set in place, or that upcoming weekend trips with friends. No, your happiness stems from the fact that MARIANO RIVERA IS NOW THE ALL-TIME SAVES LEADER!

It seems like just yesterday, 1995 to be exact, that we began hearing the name Mariano Rivera. Like many people on the New York Yankees, Mariano was a young, lanky, hungry pitcher just trying to make a name for himself in this big city. In 1996, Mariano became the Yankees' setup man and in 1997 had the honor of being named the closer. It's not an easy gig closing out baseball games but there was something about Mariano in which we NY fans knew that we had just hit the jackpot. Things would never be the same.

With the Yankees and their impressive storybook dynasty throughout the 90s, Mariano Rivera was the key man in making sure that his team always acquired the win. Now, I know what you're thinking "there's no way in hell that anyone could be that great at his job for 17 years" and I say to you "sip on that haterade because baby it's true!"

How do I even continue to describe in detail the plethora of accolades and praise this man has amassed over the years? Is there even room in this post? This blogger has more than enough time and energy to go into detail but I want to reserve this portion of the post to let my emotions run deep and my fingers to type away.

As a fan of the Yankees since 1995, all I've come to know and selfishly expect is winning. My entire baseball fanhood has seen its fair share of heartache and joy but what keeps me coming back are the familiar faces and once known as the Core 4, it has now become the Core 3. These 3 men, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera or God Almighty may have kept my pockets low from the amount of money spent on tickets and memorabilia(it was so well worth it) but my spirits were always high. Thank you guys.

So, to Mariano Rivera: thank you for your humility, for your undying passion, unwavering grit, and for always keeping us, your fans, at the forefront in your life. Thank you for reminding us in a very subtle manner that the start of the game can be bumpy and you either strikeout or hit a home run, but it's how you choose to end whether it be a 1-2-3 shutout or a completely blown save. Thank you for gracing us fans with a piece of calm and tranquility. Thank you to your wife and children for never scorning us and cursing us because we share a place in your heart.

Before the rambling begins because of my joyous emotions, I'll end this piece by simply saying Congratulations on 602 saves Mariano. I look forward to seeing 700 Sandman ;)

XOXO,
Whitney