It started out simply enough. There was a tweet sent out last Monday from the official Twitter account of the Yankees Media Relations Department (@YankeesPR). The announcement was made to signal the start of the second annual HOPE Week initiative at Yankee Stadium. For those of you that don’t know, HOPE Week is a community outreach program designed to bring to light five remarkable stories meant to inspire and encourage individuals into charitable actions within their own communities. Having been incredibly touched by the stories from last year, I immediately responded and volunteered the help of myself and the Bleacher Creature crew. To say that I was surprised to receive a reply is an understatement!

I was contacted by Connie Schwab, Media Relations coordinator for the Yankees, asking me to stop by the press gate to chat about possible ways for the Creatures to participate. I don’t know about you guys, but being contacted by the Yankees organization in any sort of official capacity is quite intimidating. There is such a sense of a veiled, closed door secrecy that surrounds the whole organization that I was quite pleasantly surprised to be greeted by Connie’s warm smile. I was genuinely flattered to even be asked to brainstorm ideas, and downright broke into a cold sweat when I was handed my Bald Vinny media pass and escorted to the press box. I’ve only missed one game in the new park, but this was my first time seeing the stadium unobstructed from behind the plate. I literally had to pause, take a deep breath, and compose myself before I could even concentrate on our conversation!

We quickly scanned the HOPE Week schedule and found the perfect event for the Creatures to participate in. On Thursday, it was planned, the Yankees would play host to a camp of special needs children for a game of tee ball on the field after the game. Connie explained that Yankee players as well as front office staff would be on hand to cheer and hold up signs to encourage the kids that were playing. She suggested that the Creatures attend and Roll Call the kids from both teams. It was an excellent idea, and the perfect way for the Creatures to get involved. Cheer and be rowdy? That’s pretty much in our job description!

It took two more days to hammer out the details, which mainly involved getting permissions granted from the organization. I was invited back up to the press box Wednesday night to meet with Jason Zillo (Director of Media Relations) and Mike Margolis (Media Relations Manager) to discuss our involvement. Once again, I have to say that working with Jason and his staff was a pleasure. Within moments of completing our handshake agreement, I was furnished with a printed roster of players as well as a media packet with background information on the Beautiful People organization. While scanning the materials, I was presented with 100 copies of said roster to distribute to the Creatures, so we were all on the same page. Talk about professional service! It was really impressive to see the inner-workings of the team, especially in the middle of the game (for those that don’t know, the media relations department also provides stats/updates to the media during the game. To say they are busy is putting it mildly.).

By the time I got home from Wednesday night’s game, it was almost 1:30 in the morning. Bleary eyed, I logged into Facebook and created an event for the following day. I sat there for nearly an hour, clicking through my entire friends list inviting Creatures to the event. While I had posted some teaser messages earlier in the week, I was hesitant to relay details until I knew that the event was confirmed. I was certainly worried about our attendance. It was a weekday afternoon game, with very little advance notice. I knew a lot of people would have prior commitments (like jobs) and that many might not make it. But, deep in the recesses of my mind, I was also very sure that I could rely on the group and that my Creatures would not let me down.

Thursday’s game was pretty much a blur. I remember Roll Call, but after that I was busy coordinating our participation in the event. That morning I had taken the roster and broken it down phonetically, so we knew exactly how we would cheer each player. I was back up in the press box making new copies of the roster, in between meetings with security and seemingly three million text messages from Creatures not at the game, but planning to participate. It was hectic to say the least, but incredibly exhilarating. I knew we were about to do something incredibly special, and I really wanted to be sure we would have the best showing possible. Read More »

Hey gang, I’m writing this blog post while on vacation with my family (see how dedicated I am to you guys?). No, we are not on some exotic island or traipsing across some historic ruins (though a vacation like that would be *really* nice). Instead, we are taking a “stay-cation” and enjoying some of the things that our very own Long Island has to offer.  While enjoying the beach on the North Shore, I had the idea to write about some of the best local field trips that the Bleacher Creatures have taken (see how I tie that in to what I am doing now? Brilliant.).

My quick-witted readers should rapidly deduce that there are only a few options for baseball other than our cathedral in the Bronx. The most notable, of course, would be our cross town rivals the New York Mets.

When Interleague play was first introduced in 1997, the Creatures were champing at the bit for a large scale group invasion. Thankfully, there was a small group of dedicated creatures who were determined to make that dream a reality. You see, back in the early days, the folks at Shea Stadium would allow the Subway Series tickets to be sold under group ticketing options (most stadiums wisely limit or restrict the number of tickets that groups can purchase for Premium games, thus keeping opposing fans to a minimum). There was just one small catch: you had to wait overnight for the tickets.

Not so bad, you say? Did I mention you had to wait outside, in the middle of February?  Yeah. Not a lot of fun. Well, at times there was some fun, but mostly it was just plain cold.  As you may recall, the old grounds at Shea Stadium were surrounded by parking lots; big, empty, flat parking lots that seemed to funnel wind directly from Flushing Bay and neighboring LaGuardia airport. While I somehow managed to escape the duties the first year, I was “stuck” waiting on that horrible line for the next four years (and each year, I vowed to dress in more layers, but I always seemed to be freezing cold). Read More »

Now that all of this No. 600 hoopla is behind us, it’s time to get to get down to serious business. I sit here and write this blog post on the eve of another showdown with the Red Sox in the Bronx. We haven’t had the Sox in our house since a two-game, mid-week set back in May (and one of those was a near washout). There is just something different about a Red Sox series in the Bronx. There is a palpable electricity in the air. River Ave, is buzzing, and the crowd is usually pretty rowdy. It’s always a busy time for the bars/vendors outside the stadium, and it’s usually one of the more memorable occasions out in the Bleachers. It’s the big ticket, the headliner that everyone gets out of their houses to come see. For me, however, the rivalry has taken on a new meaning. For the last eight years, it has been an important cornerstone in my business.

Back in 2002, when I was still a relative newbie starting out in the T-shirt business, I only had two bleacher tees amongst my selection of wares. The Creatures were always my target market, and my merchandise was catered directly to those particular people. About a month into the season, I decided that I needed to work on creating apparel that appealed to a wider subset of Yankee fans. I took a look at the competitive landscape (which, back then, was incredibly barren) and decided to shift my focus to developing T-shirts that focused on the Yankee/Sox rivalry, and in particular, making fun of Red Sox fans.

Around this time, there really weren’t a lot of options when it came to taunting fans with a witty T-shirt. The most common tee (and one still widely available today) is the classic “Boston Sucks” shirt. It’s been made in every color combo you can think of, and has been adapted for fans of Hockey, Football, and Basketball. It genius in its simplicity, and it speaks volumes. It was the “plain white tee” in every Yankee fans’ wardrobe, at the time. Its ubiquity is what opened the door for me to create something new, as Yankee fans were rabid to get their hands on something that nobody else had. The idea came to me simply enough: We would chant it incessantly in the Bleachers every time the Sox came to town: Read More »

My tickets from last season

I get a lot of questions from my blog readers, but I think the most common question comes from my Twitter and Facebook followers, who often ask me why I call Saturday home games “StubHub Saturday” in the bleachers. This week, I’ll touch on this subject a bit and try to clear the air. It’s really not a knock on StubHub at all. In fact, I think it’s a great service that is incredibly valuable to fans. What it boils down to is my dislike of the resale market in general. The prices are too high, and the real fans often get the shaft. It’s much different than “the old days” and the current trends show no signs of slowing.

Before I get into the current state of ticket sales in the bleachers, a bit of history is needed. In the old stadium, Section 39 was almost all sold as season tickets. The seats were split into packages (full season, half season, Fridays only, Saturdays only and Sundays only), and virtually every seat was sold under some sort of  season ticket package. It was a very comfortable arrangement, as it was quite easy to get to know the people around you (even if it was just on a Sunday). In the new place, most of the partial plan folks were “forced” (for lack of a better word) to upgrade to a full season, or risk losing their seat. Thus, guys who came to 30 or so games a year, now had 81 tickets to deal with. This is where the secondary market comes in play, and in Yankee-Land, that could mean one of a few things:

First you have your traditional scalper, the man on the street. While there are some crooks among them, there is a core group of scalpers that make their living moving tickets. Legalities aside, some of them build reputations as being trustworthy and somewhat honest. If you have to go that route, there are people to trust and people to stay away from, though you certainly must watch your back. Personally, I do not recommend buying tickets on the street, as there are a lot of counterfeit tickets (increased by the print-at-home capabilities sites like StubHub offer) and quite honestly, it’s the worst bargain available (unless of course it is very close to, or just past, game time).

Second is the most common option these days, the Internet. Sites like eBay, StubHub, and TiqIQ help facilitate a tremendous amount of ticket sales in the secondary market. Unlike dealing one on one with a scalper, these sites let you compare seat locations and ticket prices across the whole stadium (sites like TiqIQ even allow you to compare seats across multiple reselling platforms). In addition, may of these resellers offer fan protection guarantees, so the days of being caught with a fake ticket are virtually over (while there are still some SNAFUs with the online ticketing system and network, you gotta admit, it’s pretty damn convenient). Read More »

Frequent reads of this column have heard me refer to the Bleacher Creatures as not only a group of fans, but a family as well. I think the most unique aspect of our group, and one that sets us apart from many other social organizations, is the fact that we share an “off the field” relationship separate from what we do together at the Stadium. It’s not uncommon for Creatures to get together for road games, holidays or even special occasions like a wedding. We see each other in the off-season, and the friendships that we forge within the confines of Section 203 stick with us in our “regular” everyday lives. As a group, we are always looking for reasons to get together; and the Ali Ramirez Softball Tournament is just another example.

The idea for the tournament was born in 2003 from the collaborative efforts of Sheriff Tom Brown and Bleacher stalwart Mike Donahue. It had been talked about for ages, but it was very difficult to coordinate much of anything within the group in the past. However, around this time we had gotten our first Bleacher Creature message board, which certainly helped accomplish the task. It gave us a central location to talk about and plan the event, which was to be held on the Great Lawn in Central Park (a tradition we continue to uphold, provided the Parks Department cooperates). We compiled a roster of players, chose captains, and set forth a draft date. The first two teams were captained by Sheriff Tom and Milton the Cowbell Man (and were simply called Team Tom and Team Mo). We had such a positive response from the group that we fielded a third team (The C-Men) to take on the winner of the first game. It turned out to be an incredibly fun day, and the tradition of Bleacher Softball was born.

Each year it begins with a permit. You must file with the Parks Department early, or you risk losing prime field locations (2006, Lower East side, Asphalt field?). For the last few years, the person in charge of that process has been John “Grover” Elezovic. It usually takes a letter, a few phone calls, and at least two trips to the Parks Department to follow up, but once we have our permit the planning can begin. Simultaneously, we assemble a list of eligible players, as well as a potential list of captains. Past players get preference for the roster, while previous tournament winning captains vote on the current year’s skippers. After all of the formalities are squared away, the four captains agree upon a draft date.

At this point, you should be realizing that our group takes this very seriously. It’s probably some sort of competitive nature that we are all born with. In some people it’s more voracious than others, but I do believe it exists in all of us. The first place you’ll see this type of competitive behavior is at the draft. Usually held in a bar, it has at times been quite the spectacle. Draft boards are made with team names, each player has their own index card with stats from previous years, and captains (and the players they select) huddle around tables strategizing their next pick. You would think that a bounty of riches were to await the winner of the game, and to some extent that may be correct.

After the first tournament, Anthony “Baloo” Raemdonck purchased a plastic trophy for the winning squad and thus, The Ali Ramirez Creature Cup was born. It’s like our World Series trophy or Lord Stanley’s Cup. The winning team gets possession of The Cup and it gets passed around for teammates to take pictures with (yes, that is a picture of Yankee wife Laura Posada and the Creature Cup). Of course, we also play for bragging rights. Since the tournament features many returning players each year, controversial plays or bone-head moves are NEVER (and I really do mean never) forgotten or forgiven. While the trash talk in the bleacher can get pretty intense, it is nothing compared to our softball games. Being as close as we are, nothing is off limits, and you really need a thick skin to hang with this crowd (besides, you need a way to keep entertained while you wait for game day!). In the end it’s all in good fun and the ultimate goal is to enjoy a day in the park with friends and family.

This year’s tournament was held Saturday, July 10, on the Great Lawn in Central Park (watch video recap). Contrary to previous years, our Field Permit was scheduled for 2 p.m. (we were usually first in the park on a Saturday morning). For days leading up to the event, and the day of the event itself, the afternoon weather forecast called for “severe thunder storms with a strong chance of periods of extended rain” (yes, I copied that down from the forecast just for this blog). The Creature Networks (Twitter, Facebook, Text Messages and our message board) were lit up with speculation, forecast readings, false cancellations and general doubt about the playability of the games. Finally the call was made that the tournament was on and that we would play until the fields were closed. While clouds loomed in the distance, the storms held off and not a drop of rain fell on the field. In fact, the sun peeked out late in the Championship Game, making for some very difficult defensive plays. Read More »

In the 13 years that I have been sitting in the Bleachers, one thing is for certain: I’ve seen a lot of baseball. I have attended close to 1,100 games in that time and over 900 of those games have been at The Stadium. I’ve been a fan of the sport ever since I was a kid. The allure to me was quite simple. At any given moment, with every single pitch, something incredible (or history making) could happen. We see it nightly on the highlight reels, and read about milestones and achievements on a regular basis. But once I started to attend many games, I found the added allure of actually *being* there for historical moments.

My first real “Oh-My-God-I-Can’t-Believe-I-Just-Saw-That-Live” moment came on May 17, 1998, at David Wells’ perfect game. I was sitting in the box seats (I know, sorry, the tickets were free) with a Mets fan no less (see free ticket statement six words back) and watched in awe as Boomer tossed his gem. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to witness countless other baseball feats, records and achievements (though I still hate myself for skipping Cone’s perfect game. Stupid rain delay).

I can rattle off at least two dozen “big moment” games that I’ve seen, but there are a few “not so big” moments that for some reason or another have buried themselves deep in my subconscious. One in particular was April 5, 2001. It was two days after Opening Day, and Paul O’Neill hit a solo homer off Dan Reichert in the bottom of the first to put the Yanks up 1-0 (which eventually became the final). Watching SportsCenter that night, I learned that it was the first time the Yanks had won a game 1-0 off a solo shot in the bottom of the 1st since Phil Rizzuto had done so on September 26, 1941. It was the second game of a Double Header, and happened to be a day after Scooter’s 24th birthday (and I only know that part because we share a birthday). It’s important to note that it’s happened one time since, September 11, 2005, when Jason Giambi took Tim Wakefield deep in the first. Those were the only three times in Stadium history that it occurred. And I was there for two of them.

At Coors Field

Another game stands out for the pure improbability of it actually occurring. It was June 19, 2002, and The Yankees were visiting the Colorado Rockies. As typical in Denver, the ball was flying out of the park. The Rockies put seven runs on the board in the 4th inning (Pettitte got battered in 3.2 innings, it was brutal) and the game seemed to be over. But the Yanks stormed back, eventually winning the game 20-10. It marked the first time in 112 years that a team had scored seven or more runs in an inning and had gone on to lose the game by 10 runs or more. The coincidence? It was 112 years TO THE DAY that it last happened (June 19, 1890, The Cleveland Infants scored seven runs in the fifth against the Chicago Pirates but still lost 20-9). How’s *that* for a cool statistic? Read More »

It’s always great to come back home to Yankee Stadium especially after all of those late nights staying up to watch the West Coast road games. While I’m not certain, I’d bet a good portion of my readers have been to the new stadium at least once or twice (and I am sure in some cases many, many more). If you are a stadium newbie, there are plenty of things to see and try at the ballpark. There is no shortage of food, drinks and souvenirs to spend your hard earned money on. I highly suggest exploring some of the stadium options, and I’m sure you’ll find some new favorites (garlic fries, anyone?).

But, if you’re anything like the Creatures, you’ve probably been all around the stadium and have sampled all kinds of new delicacies. This week’s entry is for the fans that make it to the Bronx more times than your “average” fan. I’m certainly not saying you need to make it to 40 games to benefit from the knowledge I am about to set forth below. In fact, if you come here that much you probably have your own favorite locations that are off the beaten path. But for those of you who attend 10 or more games a year, and the only places you know where to hang out are Stan’s or Billy’s, then you, my friend, should read further.

Best Beer Bargain in the Bronx: The Yankee Eatery
My favorite place to grab a cold one is right on River Ave. at the Yankee Eatery. They just put the finishing touches on their downstairs bar, The Eatery Underground, which is where you’ll find co-owner Louie Diruti holding down the fort. The special at the Eatery is simple. Beers cost $8 (just like they do everywhere else), but here is the kicker: the beers are TWICE the size as the other bars. That’s right, it’s like double the beer for the same price. Or buy one get one free. Or half off. Whatever little cliché you need to remember, the lesson is simple: You get twice the beer for the same money.

Now, while frosty cool beverages are a draw for most anybody, the real reason I love hanging out at the Eatery is much more basic than that. The Eatery is a BASEBALL bar. It’s not a dance club, or a frat house. There is no DJ, and no nightly sing-a-longs to “Don’t Stop Believing.” There are a few flat screen TV’s, and game day audio over the in-house speakers. If you’re looking for a fairly quiet spot to relax with friends and talk baseball, this is the place to go. And Louie, the man behind the bar, is not your average fan.

Louie was born and raised in California, and grew up a Yankees fan. His life-long dream was to open a bar outside of Yankee Stadium. In 1996 he, and partner Jeff Wagner, opened the Eatery. Now here comes the good part. Louie still LIVES in California (and Jeff in Texas) and they literally COMMUTE to the Bronx each home-stand just to work across the street from the greatest baseball franchise in the world. How’s that for some dedication? If you are still not convinced that these guys are REAL fans then you should stop reading now!

**Bonus** The name of the place is The Eatery, after all, so of course you know the food is going to be good. They have excellent burgers and dogs, but the real hidden gem is the BBQ. Tender pulled pork, succulent ribs and juicy grilled chicken are smoked and seasoned fresh daily.

**Double Bonus** They get their bread from a place called Teixeira’s Bakery. You shouldn’t need any more reasons to stop by and pay these guys a visit.

Runner-Up: The Dugout
The Dugout is also a fairly new bar with a LOT of room to spread out and enjoy the atmosphere. There is a great bar up front, with a few flat screen TV’s on the wall. When that area fills up, head to the newly renovated back bar, where a giant projection screen shows the game. The Dugout is home to the $3 beer (cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon or Natural Light), but they offer a full selection of other beer and spirits. While there is a ton of room at the Dugout, in my opinion it’s dimly lit and appears more of a club than a sports bar. The music selection is pretty good, and it’s certainly worth checking out on your next trip.

Best Place for a Pre-Game Meal: The Banana Deli
When you spend a lot of time in the Bronx, one thing becomes apparent very quickly: Your food options outside the stadium are pretty limited. Sure, you have your choice of ballpark food (hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders) and fast food (McDonald’s and Burger King), but that can get old pretty quickly. I really enjoy eating at the Banana Deli on 161st Street for the simple fact that they offer variety.

Six days a week, the deli has a steam-table with a good selection of home cooked entrees and sides. Their food is hot, flavorful, and comes in very generous portions. They’ll fix you anything from a burger to a gyro, and everything is made fresh to order. Their deli counter is clean, and always stocked with fresh salads (I recommend the tuna). Sandwiches are made with freshly sliced Boars Head meats, and they have a wide selection of “specialty sandwiches” to choose from, though I am still lobbying for them to add the “Bald Vinny” to the menu (sliced turkey, heated on the grill with melted swiss, bacon, lettuce, tomato, Russian dressing. Delish!).

*Bonus* They make the iced-coffee that I am literally addicted to. It is amazing-ness in a cup. I can’t say anymore about it.

**Double Bonus** Last year they installed a HAAGEN-DAZS ice cream freezer. w00t!

Runner Up: The Crown Diner
If you tend to arrive at the stadium a little early, I suggest checking out the Crown Diner (also on 16st Street, opposite the Banana Deli). They have a full diner menu, and the staff is super friendly and courteous. All of the food is cooked fresh and made to order, and always arrives at your table quickly. You’ll commonly see a lot of stadium employees in there before the game, and on the weekends expect to wait a few minutes for a table (which is always a sign of a good place). They serve a great breakfast sandwich and always have a diverse selection of fresh donuts.

Best Place to Relax and Get Away From It All: Location Unknown
There is a sanctuary in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the Yankee Village that the Bleacher Creatures look upon as home. I can’t divulge the location, as we try to keep it as private as possible (and while many of you may know to which place I am referring, I ask that you refrain from mentioning it in the comments section). Known in our circle as simply “The Store”, this is a (sometimes) quiet place for the Creatures to get lost in when River Ave. gets a little hectic.

While there is an area for “the general population” there is a proverbial line in the sand that gets policed faithfully. Only our group (or invited guests of our group) is welcomed past the line. This is a place where you can speak freely, drink cheaply, and simply relax with your good friends. Most ticket exchanges within our inner circle happen at The Store and most Bleacher Business (softball teams, fantasy baseball talk, road trip planning) gets accomplished there. While Section 203 is our home, The Store is certainly a satellite office.

Best Place for Souvenirs: Bald Vinny’s House of Tees

Like I would suggest anything else!

Located right outside of Billy’s Sports Bar (River Avenue side, under the train platform and across from what’s left of the old stadium) Bald Vinny’s House of Tees is the only place that you will find ORIGINAL Yankee/Bleacher Creature apparel.

And all of my items are spelled correctly, unlike this store (what the heck is a blancket anyway?)

With the Yanks in the middle of an Interleague West Coast swing, I thought this would be a great time to talk about one of my favorite things: Yankee Road Trips!

While there is nothing that compares to seeing the Yanks at the Stadium (new or old), there are certainly some great reasons to see the team in a different city. I have been fortunate enough to watch the Yankees play in all but two cities (Houston and Pittsburgh), and the only thing that can spoil a trip is watching the team get swept (Minnesota ‘05, where ya at?). Some cities feel like a second home (Boston, Baltimore, Toronto) because they are close and the team visits two or three times a year. Some places you never want to leave (Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco) and some places you never want to visit again (Detroit). Regardless of the city, though, you are certainly going to have a unique experience much different from that at the Stadium.

My first real trip to see the Yanks on the road was in the Summer of 2000 when about a dozen Creatures made the trip to Atlanta for some Interleague play. It was my first exposure to one of the “newer” ballparks, and I was hooked on road baseball from that moment on. That summer we also made our way to Toronto, Boston and Baltimore. We traveled mostly by car, often through the night, just to watch the Yanks play ball. For the most part, back then there were anywhere from four to six of us who went on EVERY trip. We were always surrounded by a revolving cast of characters, ensuring a unique experience in every city.

One of my favorite cities to visit is Boston. While many Yankee fans will spout the old mantra “Boston Sucks,” I beg to differ. Some of the best times (and admittedly, the worst times) have come in Boston. There is no feeling like being “the enemy” in another ballpark, and no other ballpark makes you feel like the enemy more than Fenway. The electricity for a Yanks/Sox matchup in the Bronx is unrivaled, unless it’s a Yanks/Sox matchup in Boston. I remember being in Beantown for Roger Clemens’ first start there as a Yankee, and I didn’t know who should have been more afraid for their safety: Me or The Rocket.

Back when I used to travel a lot, there was a really unique aspect of Fenway Park that allowed us to go to many premium games. They used to offer day-of-game ticket sales, and fans would literally sleep on the street the night before in order to get the precious ducats (they still do this, though in a different capacity). It was not uncommon for a small crew of Creatures to leave New York on a Thursday night for a weekend tilt in Boston. Hitting the road around 9 p.m. meant you were in line on Yawkee Way around midnight. You could try for a little sleep, but more often than not it was just a big party. There were always other Yankee fans on line, as well as plenty of Sox fans. There was literally never a dull moment.

One of the most fun nights included an all-night Wiffle Ball tournament, with Fenway as a backdrop. At first the Creatures were merely spectators. But as most of you know, we love to heckle, and soon we were making up nicknames for the players and providing our own brand of play-by-play. To this very day, I don’t think I have ever laughed harder than I did that night (Shout-out to The Amish Guy!). Once the sun came up, everyone would scramble for breakfast. Around 5 a.m. is the only time Yankees and Red Sox fans seem to get along cordially, and it was always over a box of fresh baked donuts. Tickets would go on sale at 9 a.m., and there was always enough time to head to the hotel and shower (and nap) before the Friday night game. During the game, more Creatures would arrive and grab a spot on line for the Saturday affair. The Friday crew would meet the newcomers sometime after last call, and repeat the process all over again. By Sunday morning, our group always seemed to triple in size, which is essential in enemy territory. Read More »

Ali (click for larger)

Hey Gang! This week’s blog topic is very important to me, and I hope you guys find it interesting. Today we’ll be talking Bleacher History, as I’d like to fill you in on some of the important people who have made the Bleacher Creatures the group we are today. I don’t have enough room to mention all of the amazing and unique personalities that have called Section 39 their home, but I’d like to talk about four people in particular who have left their indelible mark on our Section.

First and foremost is the official Father of the Bleachers, Mr. Ali Ramirez. Ali is credited within our group as being the “original” Bleacher Creature, as his presence pre-dated all of the Bleacher Regulars (that was what the group was called before we were dubbed The Creatures). Ali attended his first game in the Bleachers in 1959 and was proud to call Section 39 home for the better part of 37(!) years. He is most known for bringing a cow-bell to the section to help rally the fans and cheer on the Yankees (a tradition we are proud to carry on to this very day). It was the rhythm of the bell and the raucous cheering from the crowd that attracted fans from all over the ball park into the bleachers.

In 1996, Ali passed away, leaving a tremendous void in the section. On May 14, a memorial service was held in the Bleachers. Flags in the Stadium were flown at half-staff, and a huge banner graced the back wall of Section 39 in memory of Ali. There was a lone star that shined in the sky that evening, and cast its glow upon the field. That very night, with all of right field mourning the loss of its leader, Doc Gooden etched the date into Yankee history as he tossed a no-hitter against the Mariners. I recently had the opportunity to tell this very story to Doc Gooden, and witnessed first hand the goose-bumps across his forearm, as I relayed the tale of yet another piece of Yankee magic.

Ali's reserved seat (click for larger)

For several years in Section 39, there was a brass plaque dedicated to Ali that adorned the seat he called home. We were touched and honored when the Yankee Organization moved the plaque to our new house, cementing the tradition that Ali’s seat always remained “reserved.”

For many members of our current group, Ali’s memory has been kept alive through the tireless efforts of Tina Lewis. Known in our circles as “The Queen Bee,” Tina has been instrumental in the survival of our group over these many years. Although she is a native of Detroit, Tina was always a Yankee fan growing up. She made her first trip into the bleachers on July 4, 1983 and for your baseball historians, that date will stand out as Dave Righetti’s no-hitter against the Red Sox (are you picking up on the theme of great Yankee moments coinciding with important moments in Bleacher history? Good. I knew you guys were smart).

Ali and Tina (click for larger)

There are very few people who have sat with the Creatures that have the same passion for the Yankees as well as the Bleacher Creatures as Tina does. She considers Section 203 (and section 39 before it) as home and the Creatures as family. Before assigned seating in the Bleachers, Tina would arrive at the park early to save the benches for the regulars and to ensure no outsiders invaded our territory. To this day, Tina continues to police the section, having troublemakers escorted out and giving a strong talking-to to anyone trying to give us a bad name. It is often said that no matter how many games you attend, you are not a real Creature until Tina says you are. Read More »

People ask me all the time, “Vinny, how to do I become a Bleacher Creature?” So this week I am going to attempt to answer that question. I say “attempt” because there are no official rules or regulations for becoming part of the group. Rather, we all share a few common threads that unite us as The Creatures.

Most obvious, of course, is you have to sit in the bleachers (duh). Now, I don’t mean sit in the bleachers because that was all that was left at the box office or it was all you could afford on Stub-Hub. I mean that you CHOOSE to sit there, on a hard bench with no back. No waiter service, no beer vendors and no fancy celebrities to gawk at. In short, if someone were to offer you tickets right behind the dugout, you would turn them down because you know you would have more fun out in Section 203.

Next up would be an undying passion for the New York Yankees. Sure, we’re all big Yankee fans. You wouldn’t be reading this blog if you weren’t. But I’m talking about the ultra passionate. The type of fan that lives and dies with every game. The type of fan who is miserable the day following a loss. The type of fan that takes his (or her) only week of vacation to see the Yanks play on the road and who spends every dollar of their discretionary income on tickets, apparel and autographs. Our love for the Yankees is what brings us together in the bleachers. All different kinds of people from all different backgrounds inhabit the section, and we share the same love for the game and for our Bombers.

You don’t need to be the loudest or most boisterous fan in the stands. You don’t have to stand up and clap with every two-strike, two-out count. You certainly don’t have to jump on the bench and scream at the top of your lungs or participate in every song, cheer and rally cry. But if you’re a Creature, you’re probably doing all of those things anyway, because it just feels right (and admittedly, pretty damn fun to do). You don’t have to hate the Sox and the Mets, but it certainly helps. And you don’t ever (and i mean EVER) participate in “The Wave.” Read More »