Old Yankee Stadium, The Grand Slam, Pesky’s Pole, A-Rods Butt and Fast Eddie

A road trip for the ages…..courtesy of Fast Eddie.

Working at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse has many perks. You get to meet some tremendous giving individuals. As an employee I kept a Rolodex of business cards of the people I waited on. Most were never used but those that were called upon came through with legendary experiences. Unfortunately that Rolodex was lost with the move to grad school. But the “memories” still remain….and now forever on Metablox.

Fast Eddie came to Nashville once a month. When I knew he was going to be in town there was always a Budweiser waiting for his arrival. Fast Eddie was from NYC and was always kind and funny. The two things I recall from Fast Eddie were his personable demeanor and his Cartier watch. Both shined equally as bright. 

My in-laws surprised me with a road trip up the East Coast after hearing the farthest East I have ever been was Cincinnati. A road trip of epic proportions was scheduled with stops at Philly, Washington DC, NYC and Virginia Beach.  A Yankees game would be a hard ticket to find but I knew where to begin my search. I asked Fast Eddie if he had any contacts to purchase 7 tickets to a Yankee game.  As an avid Baseball fan I had two favorite teams. The Seattle Mariners and whoever was playing the Yankee’s. I found the day we were going to be in town and as luck would have it, the Detroit Tigers were playing the Yankees in the old stadium. Verlander vs Mussina. Fast Eddie came through with 8 tickets free of charge with two seats being in the front row 1st base side and 6 tickets 7 rows back. I was expecting to purchase something in the 3rd level but this experience was second to none. The history in that stadium is so rich I felt like a kid in a candy store. The ghosts of Mantle, Maris, and Ruth were felt with every crack of the bat. The concessions were rickety. Greatness and Hall of Famers walked around the very concourse I was walking. It was an out of body experience. 

With that being said…..a couple things happened that need to be noted.

1. My wife recognized A-rod. Not because she saw his face but because he was bent over while standing on first base sticking his butt right in my wife’s line of view. It was a feeling I was willing to accept…..I was front row for a Yankees game. There are advantages and disadvantages to having great seats. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only man who has suffered at the expense of A-Rods butt.
2. Carlos Guillen hit a Grand Slam in the first inning. When he smoked a pitch into right field around the foul pole for a slam that the father and son had the following interaction behind me…

Father: Wow hit really wrapped that around Pesky’s Pole.

Son: WHAT?!?!?!?!

You see….in the world of baseball religion this father had just created a sin of epic proportions. Pesky’s Pole is the name given to the right field pole in BOSTON! The mortal enemy of all things New York. Not only did this Yankee fan take a dagger to the heart but his father ripped it out and stomped on it by confusing Boston with NYC.

Father: He hit that by Pesky’s Pole!

Son: Dad…Pesky’s Boston……F*CK! (Slams Yankee hat on the ground and storms away from the seats.)

Father:  I think I made him mad. (sitting in silence ….)

I didn’t see that guy for the rest of the game.

3. Going to the old ballparks is such an amazing experience. I’ve been blessed with a trip to Wrigley (Chicago) and Old Yankee stadium. My next goal is to see Fenway in Boston.

Tigers vs Yankees Recap