Monday night Cody Dee and I had the opportunity to attend a red carpet event at the Ziegfeld Theatre honoring the World Champion New York Yankees. You may ask, how in the world did Cody Dee and I score tickets to such a big time event with celebrity folk from Manager Joe Giardi to Timothy "Poindexter" Busfield(from Revenge of the Nerds)? Only a cool thirty five bucks each and lightening quick fingers on the keyboards got us through the doors and into the thousand plus seat house. Once we found our seats and the place started to fill up it felt and sounded like a typical crowd at Yankee Stadium. They were feisty yelling out curses and praises as the ads began to play on the big screen. I also noticed a fairly large section toward the middle of the theatre was empty. Cody Dee assured me that the event was sold out so it occurred to me that the same rich jerks that call themselves Yankee Fans were at least consistent, they couldn't be bothered to show up during the season, so why show up for the celebratory World Series movie?
Before they started the movie John Sterling, the voice of the Yankees on radio and Yankeeography, took the podium to get the ball rolling. Sterling seemed a bit punchy as he made some pretty kick to the nuts comments about the Red Sox and the Phillies. I got a little chuckle out of it, the man seemed like he'd been pulling on the jug a bit before coming out. All of a sudden the crowd started to boo loudly as I noticed a woman in red coming to the podium. Sterling welcomed Suzyn Waldman to the podium for a few words. She is the other half of the radio show with Sterling and she apparently is not well liked, at least by this Yankee crowd. I honestly don't know much about her although I have heard her some on the radio and I have to say she is pretty terrible as a commentator. She said a few things and was basically booed away until Michael Kay stepped up to the podium. Michael Kay was welcoming and said a few words about the championship season, he made a little slip when they introduced the Championship trophy though. He said something about the trophy LEAVING New York next season... and of course the place erupted in boos. Of course he meant to say until they win it again next year but, he diffused it and moved on quickly, introducing General Manager Brian Cashman and Manager Joe Giardi. Giardi was gracious and said a few kind words about the enormity of the win and what was in store for next year. I don't care what people say, Joe Giardi is a class guy. He made gutsy calls during the season and the post season and let's not forget his heroics after his big World Series win saving that woman on the Cross County Parkway in Westchester. He crossed over 5 lanes of traffic to stay with her until help arrived, what a guy.
The lights dimmed and the show began. I will say up front that if you hate the Yankees then this isn't the movie for you. We saw a recap of the amazing season with the pies and the new faces like CC, AJ, Tex and Nick. They showed a few behind the scenes of the Phillies and the Yanks as they responded to one another as to who will win it all. There are a some amusing parts especially with pitcher Pedro Martinez, that guy is certainly not operating with a full deck. We had to relive the embarrasing first game against Cliff Lee, but we also got to witness on the big screen what AJ Burnett's pitches look like when he is lights out. And let me tell you just seeing that was worth price of admission. It always amazes me how a pitcher does what he does but watching Burnett's pitches dance all over the plate makes it look like magic. What can you say about a ballclub that has won 27 World Series championships? It's just exciting to be a part of it in some way. I think for the older generation, and my Father can attest to this, it was the one thing he had in common with his father. It was the unspoken joy they shared which is Yankee baseball. Now I feel I have much more in common with my Father but this feeling is certainly one of them and it is something I truly hope to pass down to my son and beyond.
I fully intend to show this film to Nathan when he's old enough. And thankfully the operators of this wonderful event decided to surprise us with a free DVD of the film as the credits were rolling. It was a really fun night, I enjoyed sharing it with my good friend Cody and I got a great memento to show to future Marvin's about this amazing season of baseball in the greatest city in all the world.
Grade: 5 Buckets (Of Course)
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