I remember my first ever baseball game. It of course was at the original House That Ruth Built, my family being of Italian descent and within close proximity to New York. I believe I was either 9 or 10 years old. It was a day out with my grandfather and my dad. It wasn’t often during my childhood I was enjoying the company of extended family members, but there is something special being the baby in the company of the three generations of Russo’s out at a ballgame on a nice spring afternoon.

I remember the oiled up first baseman’s mitt I brought to the game to try and catch a foul ball from my favorite player at the time, Don Mattingly. They were playing the Royals and it started a streak of 6 straight games at Yankee Stadium I was present for that ended in the Yankees winning.

Flash forward to 2009.

The closing of Yankee Stadium and the grand re-opening of the new stadium brought me back into New York for a evening game against a HOT Tampa Bay Rays team. I brought along my work buddy Mr. Choy Hin and we had a good time watching a battle of a game. There was a little of everything on this night. Swisher getting the boot, a rain delay, a guy getting trampled by the tarp during the rain delay, a comeback to send the game into extras, and sadly the Yankees losing it in the tenth off a home run.

This game ended my Yankee game winning streak, but winning a championship later on in the year, well, I guess it was worth the loss for one night.

Picture #6 in my favorite pictures of all time was taken at this game!