My Tour of Yankee Stadium

Having been inside the new Yankee Stadium 42 times since it opened I thought that I had a pretty good understanding of the complexity and size of the structure. That was the assumption that I took with me on Tuesday when I arrived at the stadium for my 12:40 Stadium Tour.

Man, was I wrong ... Let’s start at the beginning - when I arrived at Gate 6 I joined the 25 other tour-mates, most of them out-of-town tourists, but I expected that. Security was really tight and all bags etc. were searched far more thoroughly than they are when entering the stadium for a game. Once inside the stadium and in The Great Hall we were introduced to our 3 guides, 2 males and 1 female. The young female, Gina, in her early 20s, was the principal tour guide. We were given a brief overview of the history of the new structure and then given an opportunity to go to the restrooms before the tour began. We were, however, escorted to the restrooms and from that point on were never out of sight of the guides (now, of course, I don’t mean they went inside the restrooms with us.).

Our first stop was the Yankee Museum on the Main Level near my season ticket package seat, which I pointed out to one of the tour members and apparently Gina overheard because she later took me aside to ask details regarding my season ticket package, how I liked the new stadium and my predictions for the remainder of the season. She then spent a lot of time with me for the rest of the tour.

In the Museum is an awesome collection of Yankee memorabilia from the first game in franchise history up to and including a display called “The Jeter Years.” The areas drawing the most attention seemed to me to be stuff related to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and Thurman Munson’s locker. Photography was permitted and I took several, including the one above which is The Babe’s jersey.

When we left the Museum we took a rather long and circuitous route into the bowels of the stadium to get to Monument Park. This was our first exposure of what goes on behind the scenes. The Yankees are in the middle of a lengthy series on the West Coast, but the place was teeming with people: guys in business suits, gals in classy outfits, people in their Yankee work-gear, laborers in jeans etc. We passed several offices.

Monument Park is semi-protected from the weather but it is basically what the name implies, a small outdoor park, with 20 memorial plaques and 16 retired Yankee numbers. We were allowed to touch and feel and take pictures. The guides took lots of pictures for the group. I had mine taken next to the September 11 Memorial Plaque. I estimate we spent about 20 minutes in the park.

Then we were escorted back into the stadium on a walk-around on the field level as we were heading to the Yankee dugout, which is located on the first base side of the field. Again we saw a lot of people doing what appeared to be maintance and cleaning work. It was also both awe-inspiring and kinda creepy to see the vast empty spaces and seats. We were given brief time on the field in order to get into the dugout.

For me being in the dugout was the highlight of the tour. I was somewhat surprised that it seemed to be a bit smaller than it appears on TV or from the area in the stadium where I usually sit. Also, it was the closest I had ever been to the field and it made me understand, finally, just how close the players are to home plate and how the umpires can no doubt actually hear what is being said (usually laced with 4-letter words). I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but it seemed to me as if I could actually feel the presence of the team. Gina took my picture as I was leaning on the railing.

Since the Yankees were out of town our tour included a visit to the batting cages located behind the dugout and then the clubhouse. Once the tour of the dugout was over we were required to put away all cameras and cellphones. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures in the batting cage area or the clubhouse. Cameras had to be put in their cases and cellphones in the pocket. If this wasn’t possible, then they had to be handed over to one of the tour guides.

I, of course, was the first to ask why and Gina told me/us that it was part of the union contract in order to protect the privacy of the players. Now I can understand that regarding the clubhouse but not in the batting cage, but ...

Anyway, there are two batting cages in a huge area immediately behind the dugout and it also has an array of exercise/warmup equipment. There is only 1 batting cage behind the visitors dugout but it has the same exercise/warmup equipment.

We were taken directly from the batting cage area into the clubhouse, which was somewhat of a disappointment. I don’t know what I expected but most of the area was roped off and we were only given “access” to about 10 of the 40+ locker areas and these were assigned to the reserve or bench players. It appeared to me that all of the locker areas were the same size and the space itself is huge and, of course, filled with all sorts of electronic gizmo’s and stuff. In the area where we were permitted there were uniforms and gear and personal clothing and items in each player’s locker area. One of the items that seemed to attract a lot of attention was the protective cup located in reserve catcher Francisco Cervelli’s locker. We were not shown the shower room or Manager Joe Girardi’s office.

When we left the clubhouse we went up several flights of steps and re-entered The Great Hall and the tour ended, exactly 1 hour after it started. I had a nice final conversation with Gina about the tour and her thoughts on the rest of the season. She feels the Yankees will make it to The World Series and will win. I share her feelings, too.

In summary - the tour is well worth the $20. I highly recommend it and suggest that if you have options you should schedule the tour when the Yankees are out of town so you can get to the batting cage and clubhouse areas.

So, my loyal and faithful fans, this is the end of this posting but I have a lot of other thoughts and stuff that I want to post and, hopefully, I will have time to do so tomorrow.

Go Yankees and Go Gators!!

Billi Pod

“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

PS: Oh, I forgot to mention - this morning I went online and was able to score a ticket to Sunday’s final series game against the FuckSox. It is only a couple of sections away from my usual seat. Awesome!!! I had been checking about every other day for months and then .... bam ... one came available ... awesome!!

Billi Pod's Awesome Schedule.

It is another beautiful fall day in The Greatest City in The World. The current temperature is 73 degrees and the sky is cloudless. I know I should be out and about, just wandering, but I have a lot of catching-up to do regarding my past, current and future entertainment activities, so -- let’s begin with --

Baseball - Tonight the Yankees begin a crucial 3 game series against the LA Angels that will determine, in my opinion, whether the Yankees make the post season as Division Champions or only via the Wild Card and whether they will have home field advantage. The Bronx Bombers haven’t played well out in Anaheim for the past several years. And, The Boston FuckSox won’t go away and they come to town on Friday for a 3 game series (I only have a ticket to one of those games, dammit). I do have tickets to all 3 of the final home games against the K.C. Royals. I feel very antsy about everything because to quote Yogi: “It ain’t over till its over.”

Tomorrow, Tuesday, I will have a new baseball adventure - a tour of the new Yankee Stadium, something I have wanted to do since the beginning of the season but just kept putting off.

The tours cost $20, last between 45 minutes and an hour and include visits to: The Yankee Museum; Monument Park (where the 20 memorial plaques and 16 retired numbers are located); the dugout; the batting cage; and, the clubhouse. The group size is limited to 30. I am really looking forward to it.

Football - Like everyone else in The Gator Nation I have such mixed emotions about the 23-13 win over The Vols. I know, I know - a win is what counts but I, and I am sure most of The Nation, wanted our Gators to kick ass big time, and they didn’t. Neither the offense nor defense played up to their expected standards. Are we Gators spoiled, you loyal and faithful readers no doubt want to know? Well, yes we are. We expect/require/demand that Urban and Tim grind the other team’s collective noses into the dirt, then stomp on their backs and then piss on them for good measure. They didn’t do that on Saturday. We Gators Demand Blood!!!

Wow!! I feel somewhat better, so let’s move on to other things, like what I have scheduled for the next 10 days ---

Monday - September 21 - 7:00 - “Vigil” - Off Broadway. “Childhood was anything but normal for Kemp, as he successfully avoided all family contact for 30 years. That is, until the day he was guilted into taking care of his dying aunt. Now Kemp impatiently waits for the death of his bedridden aunt, attempting to fill in the time with recollections of his peculiar childhood along with playful musings on mortality.” (discounted TDF ticket). This is another one of those “dark-comedies” that I am so leery of. We will see.

10:10 - watch Yankees vs. LA Angels

Tuesday - 12:40 - Tour of Yankee Stadium.

7:30 - New York Philharmonic Orchestra @ Lincoln Center. The program is: Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, featuring mezzo-soprano Petra Lang, the American Boys Choir and women from the Westminster Symphonic Choir. (season subscription)

10:10 - watch Yankees vs. LA Angels

Wednesday - 3:30 - watch Yankees vs. LA Angels

8:00 - “Mahida’s Extra Key to Heaven” - Off Broadway. “This show is a humorous and haunting story about crossing borders of all kinds. Thomas is visiting his mother's island home when he encounters Mahida, an Iranian college student stranded after an argument with her brother. The two strangers begin a beautifully awkward search for a common country, but discover that sometimes the smaller the world the bigger the invasions.” (discounted TDF ticket). The performance is at a theater down the block from 420 W. 42nd.

Thursday - 8:00 - “The Royal Family” - Broadway. This is the press blurb for this show in early previews: “It's half past one in the afternoon at the fabulously cluttered Cavendish duplex in the East Fifties, and anyone who's anyone is still asleep. Follow a famous family of stage stars as they go about the drama of the day: choosing scripts, dashing off to performances, stealing kisses from handsome beaus. But what's this business about the youngest diva wanting to quit the stage for domestic bliss? Never, darling!” (discounted TDF ticket). The advance buzz for this show is very good.

Friday - 7:05 - stay in to watch the Yankees vs. Boston FuckSox game.

Saturday - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Boston FuckSox (season ticket package).

6:00 - stay in to watch The Gator play Kentucky (ESPN2).

Sunday - 1:05 - stay in to watch the Yankees vs. Boston Fucksox game.

7:00 - “Circle Mirror Transformation” - Off Broadway. “The playwright Annie Baker takes us back to Shirley, VT, site of last season's hit Body Awareness for an inside look at the sweet, touching, and endearingly awkward mechanics of a community center drama class turned upside down.“ (discounted TDF ticket). This performance in right next door to 420 W. 42nd.

Monday - September 28 - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Kansas City (season ticket package).

Tuesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Kansas City (full price extra ticket).

Wednesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Kansas City (season ticket package). This is the final regular season home game and will be the 47th game for Billi Pod.

So, my loyal and faithful readers, this is what Billi Pod has scheduled. I know that I will be staying in PHC in front of the TV but what can I say other than - I gotta watch my Yankees and my Gators.

Go Gators and Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod

“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

PS: When I get back from the theater tonight I will post some comments and thoughts about some of the shows I have recently seen.

up, uP & UP!!

The second and final posting regarding some of my internet research has to do with a very common word. As with the last posting I don’t claim credit for the material, only for finding it, editing it just a bit, and then making it available to you, my loyal and faithful readers. Here goes --

“There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the office-holders UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and make UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP at least 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP. When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so........it is time to shut UP!

Oh . . . one more thing:

What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night? U-P.”

Well, my loyal and faithful readers, I have to ‘fess UP - this has been a lot of fun and I hope you have enjoyed the last two postings as much as I have.

Go Gators and Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod

“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

The English Language - Say What???

Yes, it is time to take a break from reporting my entertainment comings and goings in The Greatest City in The World and give you, my loyal and faithful readers, the benefit of some of my online research. I can’t claim credit for the following but I can claim credit for finding it, so ...

“You think English is easy - Say What???

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce .

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present .

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

16) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

17) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

18) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

Finally - why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick’?”

So, my loyal and faithful readers, enjoy and ponder while Billi Pod works on another posting regarding the English Language.

Go Yankees and Go Gators!!!

Billi Pod

“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

PS: In response to the emails - Yes, I was at Yankee Stadium last Friday night when Jeter broke Gehrig’s team hit record.

Beware and Be Alert. You are Warned!!

Good afternoon my loyal and faithful readers. I hope each of you and your families and friends had a wonderful weekend, I know that I certainly did, and I will post about that later on.

First of all, however, I want to call your attention to one of the dangers of the internet and the potential for loss of freedom that occurs occasionally to those of us bloggers who are willing to share our experiences and thoughts etc. with the world out there in cyberspace.

What am I talking about you are doubtlessly breathlessly asking? Well, this is it for those of us living in The Greatest City in The World -- there is a government-supported agency who monitors blogs such as mine in order to intrude on our daily comings and goings. This is the complete text of an email I received last week:

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“Dear Sir:

It has come to the attention of the "So He Thinks He Can Call Himself A New Yorker" committee than no session of the U.S. Open Tennis is included in your current schedule. In particular a Night session. Please rectify this situation immediately and re-submit your application to us. Thank you.

MFPCB chairperson”

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OMG!! I was stunned by this email for several reasons: (1) I had no clue what MFPCB stands for; (2) Why was a government agency monitoring my blog; and, (3) I had already filed the necessary disclaimer papers with City Hall.

Double OMG!! Was this an indication of a return to the Rudy Giuliani era??

I immediately shot off the following email response --

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Dear Sir or Madam:

Thank you for calling this “alleged” omission to my attention but I need to remind you of the provisions of Section 235(2)(z)iii which states: “If attending an event is likely to cause the attendee to experience discomfort akin to self-circumcision or a root-canal without anesthesia then the attendee may opt not to participate after filing a NOTIFICATION OF NON-PARTICIPATION." I have previously done this regarding any and all events tennis in nature.

Thank you so very much, however, for your concern.

Billi Pod”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I would have thought that this response would have ended it, but did it? No. Their “Chairperson” sent the following snarky response --

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Okay but did you have to rain out the final weekend of The Open?

XOXO The Committee”

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I guess the bottom line is, my loyal and faithful readers, you never know when and where big government is lurking, so beware. But, never fear - Billi Pod will continue to write about things and stuff in The Big Apple on a fair and impartial basis. I will report and you, dear readers, will have to decide.

Much more to report later.

Go Yankees and Go Gators!!!

Billi Pod

“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

OMG!! - What a Baseball Night!!

Yep, the picture pretty much says it all - with 3 hits last night Yankee Captain Derek Jeter tied baseball immortal Lou Gehrig for the most hits in the franchise history, 2,721, and Billi Pod was there in Section 217, row 20, seat 21, to witness this historic event. Since I have tickets for the next 5 games I will also be present when Jeter breaks the record.

If you are a baseball fan you have already read the news stories about the game and the fan reaction each time Jeter came to bat, if not, then I know you could care less, and that is all right too. Jeter is a class act and has been a leader on this team since his arrival in 1996. Personally, I am still charged as I write this posting on Thursday afternoon on a brisk day in The Greatest City in the World.

The game itself was very exciting with the Yankees winning 4-2 on a 3 run pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the 8th inning by Jeter’s best buddy Catcher Jorge Posada. Jeter came to bat in the bottom of the 8th for the 5th time in the game but drew a walk, which was met by boos and groans from the standing fans, who were all praying for the record to be broken in our presence. Oh well ...

A couple more comments about baseball before I move on to other things and stuff - the Yankees are really playing excellent ball and they exude the aura of confidence and of never being out of a game, regardless of the score. They are a lot of fun to watch (if you are a Yankee fan, I guess) and I am looking forward to the remainder of the season and then the post-season march toward The World Series.

Let me bring you up-to-date on what I have been doing since the last activities posting on September 1 --

Tuesday - Sept. 1 - 7:00 - “9 to 5” - Broadway. “From multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter Dolly Parton, a humorous story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. This all-new Broadway musical comedy based on the hit movie features the popular title song plus a new score of 18 original numbers.” (discounted TDF ticket). I actually found this show to be a lot more entertaining than I had anticipated and I am glad I got to see it before it closed.

Wednesday - 2:00 - “A Lifetime Burning” - Off Broadway. “If you had the power to revise your past, what would you change? Who would you be? A trust fund darling Emma imagines what her life would have been like had she come from a less privileged background. Trouble is, she chronicles her alternate life in a new tell-all memoir that was sold for a hefty advance. When Emma is exposed, will her sister, Tess, stand by her? Or will Emma's deceit destroy their already fractured relationship? This dark comedy brings up questions of legacy, loyalty and what it means to belong.” (complimentary ticket). This show had gotten very good reviews and I found it to be OK but not as good as I had anticipated.

Thursday - 8:00 - “Ghosts of Provincetown” - Off Broadway. This is the press blurb “Set against the untamed shores of turn of the century New England, these two short one-act plays, Ile by Eugene O’Neill and The Game by Louise Bryant, debut in New York City as a double bill, fully realizing the intentions of their legendary authors, whose torrid love affair was immortalized by the Academy-Award winning 1981 epic, Reds. These two American masterpieces explore the games we play regarding life and death and the games Life and Death play regarding us.” (discounted TDF ticket). In the last posting I had predicted that this would be a love-it or hate it experience and it basically turned out to be a tie because I hated the O’Neill play, set on a whaling ship, and really enjoyed the Bryant play about a game between Life and Death.

Friday - This was an very interesting day that started with my 10:00 appointment with my eye Dr. Dina Weintraub, who is a loyal and faithful reader of this blog. At 8:00 I saw an Off-Broadway show called “Race Music,” with a complimentary ticket, about a young music lover who cannot land a classical radio job because he is black. When the show was over I raced up to 50th Street to see the 10:30 show of “Naked Boys Singing,” again with a complimentary ticket, about, TADA, naked boys singing.

Saturday - 8:00 - “The Retributionists” - Off Broadway - “Spring 1946. The plan was simple: a German for every Jew. Its execution would be swift, clean, its impact undeniable. In this new romantic thriller inspired by actual events, a band of young Jewish freedom fighters attempts to avenge a society's wrongs if they can keep from tearing each other apart in the process.” (discounted TDF ticket). This show is playing at the theater right next door to 420 W. 42nd and I had pretty high expectations, but the show just didn’t work for me. I had no feelings for the characters and/or the plot.

Sunday - meet up with David Huddleston and his wife Sarah Koeppe. This will be the highlight of the entire month, without a doubt. David came over to PHC around 4:00 and we had about an hour to catchup on things and stuff before Sarah and her friends arrived. David is a wonderful storyteller with a great sense of humor and we play well off of one another. Sarah and her friends, Randy Adams and Joel Elins, arrived around 5. They have been friends for about 25 years, having worked together with a theater company in Virginia. Randy is the Producer of the soon-to-open Broadway musical “Memphis,” and Joel is a veteran stage manager for Broadway and touring shows.

We had a nice visit in PHC and they all seemed to really like my new pad. A lot of time was spent with theater-related talking and stories, which I found to be absolutely fascinating.

Then around 7 we all headed over to the Eastside to the very popular restaurant San Martin, on 49th Street, where we met up with Kate Cronkite, who is Walter Cronkite’s daughter. Kate and David had worked together professionally years ago. I don’t think I have mentioned that David and Sarah were in town because David had been invited to the memorial service honoring Walter Cronkite at Avery Fisher Hall on Wednesday, September 9th.

It was Sarah’s birthday, so that added to the magic moments of witty conversations, memories of things past and discussions of things in the future. I felt very honored to have been included.

Monday - Labor Day - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (extra full price ticket) - Yankees win 4-1; 7:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (make-up game from June 5) - Yankees win 11-1. I, of course, stayed in The Bronx between games and just wandered around.

Tuesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (season ticket package) - Yankees win 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th when Swisher hits a home run.

Wednesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (extra full price ticket) - Yankees win 4-2 to sweep the 4 game series and Jeter ties Gehrig’s Yankee hit record.

Now, this is what the future looks like --

Thursday - 7:30 - “In the Daylight” - Off Broadway. “A darkly comic tale about a well-known writer and his homecoming to a family that he has been avoiding for many years. As the play unfolds, we discover the true reasons for his extended absence and the dark secrets his family has been keeping.” (discounted TDF ticket). I know, I know - the phrase ... darkly comic ... usually means very very dark and only slightly comedic.

Friday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles (season ticket package).

Saturday - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore (extra full price ticket);

8:00 - “Emily: An Amethyst Remembrance” - Off Broadway. “By the time she was 30, Emily Dickinson had so isolated herself from the world that she never left the house and rarely accepted visitors. Many have hypothesized why, suggesting madness, scorned love, or secret homosexuality. EMILY looks at the events and relationships in Dickinson's life, and presents these as possible pieces to the puzzle. It offers Emily's poetic voice as a glimpse of her true self: her passionate spirituality, vigorous intellect, courageous sense of humor, and wounded heart.” ($9.00 TDF ticket). This is at a theater next door to PHC.

Also, Happy Birthday to my oldest grandson, Alex Falletta, who lives in Elgin, SC. He is the Apache Helicopter pilot.

Sunday - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore (season ticket package);

7:00 - “Two Unrelated Plays by David Mamet: Keep Your Pantheon and School” - Off Broadway. This is what the press notes are about this show: “A NY Premiere and a World Premiere. Founder David Mamet returns to Atlantic Theatre Company with this new farce that follows the fortunes and misfortunes of an acting troupe in ancient Rome. An impoverished acting company on the edge of eviction is offered a lucrative engagement. But through a series of mishaps, the troupe finds its problems have actually multiplied, and that they are about to learn a new meaning for the term "dying on stage."

Mamet's world premiere play School is a brief comic discourse on recycling, poster design and the transmission of information.” (discounted TDF ticket). I am really looking forward to this.

Monday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. LA Angels (season ticket package - make-up for rain out game).

Tuesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Toronto (season ticket package).

Wednesday - 7:30 - The Opening Night Gala by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra @ Avery Fisher Hall. The program is: “EXPO” by Magnus Lindberg (world premiere); Messiasen’s “Poemes pour Mi” (with Renee Fleming); and. “Symphony Fantastique” by Berlioz. (extra full-price ticket).

This day will also mark the 6th year since my dear friend Ray Coker of Lakeland, FL, left us.

OK, OK, my loyal and faithful readers, I know this has gone on for way too long, so I will end it now with the comment that I have now booked some entertainment event/activity from now through the end of September.

Go Yankees and Go Gators!!

Billi Pod
“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

“Holy Cow,” says The Scooter, “It’s Almost Post Season.”

“Holy Cow,” to borrow a phrase from Yankee legend Phil Rizzuto, I got online information this morning about the Yankee post-season ticket availability for season ticket holders and ... Holy Cow!!

What do I mean, you loyal and faithful readers are no doubt breathlessly asking? Well, it went down like this --

As I said, this morning I received online information about tickets for the post-season games. Now, let’s not get tied up over whether the Yankees will make the post-season or make it all the way to The World Series. This is the part of the season where all teams who are even remotely in the post-season race give their season ticket holders the first opportunity to purchase tickets for the post-season.

One of the advantages of my 41-game partial season ticket package is the right to license the same seat location for each of the home post-season games. Incidentally, my seat location: Main Level, Section 212 Row 5, Seat 17, is in the best section available for non-full season ticket packages. The face value for regular season tickets is $90 but for my package the price is reduced to $70.

One of the main topics of conversation with my seat mates has been how badly we were going to be f**ked-over by ticket prices for the post-season. Recently there had been some news items to the effect that the proposed pricing schedule was going to be substantially less than everyone was predicting. To this we all said ... yeah, right.

Well, to make a long story short, this is what the ticket prices are for my seat location for each of the post-season series:

AL Division Series - $66.00 (3 home games)

AL Championship Series - $116.00 (4 home games)

World Series - $156.00 (4 home games)

OMG!! I could hardly believe it. Holy Cow!! This is awesome, meaning that - assuming the Yankees have home field advantage for the ALDS and the ALCS (the American League has home field advantage for the World Series) - the cost for the 11 games will be $0,000.00, well, you do the math. About 1/2 of what I had mentally predicted. Holy Cow!!

I immediately paid my invoice online so I am all set. If the Yankees don’t make it all the way then I will have the unused ticket cost(s) credited to my 2010 season ticket package.

Oh, it has also been reported that if all of the season ticket holders exercise their options and with the 12,000 seats per game required to be made available for MLB, the players and the press, only about 1,000 tickets per game will be available to the general public. That also gets a Holy Cow!!

The Yankees are playing very good ball, having won 2 out of 3 against the Blue Jays, with one more game up there tomorrow afternoon. Then they return to Yankee Stadium for a 10 game home stand and I am happy to report that I have tickets for 9 of the games - the only one I will miss is the final Toronto game on Wednesday, September 16th.

This means, my loyal and faithful readers, that I will be present in Yankee Stadium when Derek Jeter ties, and then breaks, Lou Gehrig’s record for most hits by a Yankee. The record is 2,721 and Jeter now has 2,715. That will be a Holy Cow too.

Lots of other things and stuff to share with you but will post this now and then hopefully do an update later tonight after my show.

Go Yankees and Go Gators!!

Billi Pod
“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

August 2009 - OUTSTANDING!!

It is a wonderful day today in The Big Apple - bright, sunny and a bit breezy with temperatures in the upper 60s, low 70s. There is definitely a feeling that Fall is just around the corner.

As soon as I post the stats for the month of August I think I will head over to the river and take advantage of the outstanding weather.

Speaking of “outstanding” I have to admit that the summary of all of the things and stuff I did in August can be titled “outstanding.” Actually I really wanted to say “AWESOME” but as several of you loyal and faithful readers have commented, I use the word AWESOME way too much in this blog, so ...without further ado, this is what Billi Pod did during the OUTSTANDING month of August 2009 --

After checking my daily log (log, not diary - real guys don’t keep diaries), I find that during the month I saw/attended/did the following:

1 Broadway show (the outstanding revival of “South Pacific” @ Lincoln Center); 9 Off Broadway shows; 11 shows at the NYC Fringe Festival; 10 Yankee baseball games (their record for those games - 8 wins and 2 losses); 1 game at the new Citi Field to see the dismal Mets get their butts kicked; and, 2 movies (“District 9” and “Taking Woodstock”).

The highlights of the month were: the visit to NYC and PHC by Sandy Mullon of Anna Maria, FL. - during her all-too-brief visit we did a lot of things and stuff and it was all a lot of fun; face-time twice with student/bartender/manager Scott Reed (breaking news - that designation may soon change - stay tuned for further details as they develop); seeing the opening performance of “The Boys Upstairs,” produced by my young friend Justin Allen Pifer at the Fringe Festival; and, being in Yankee Stadium for each of the games in the 4 game sweep of the Boston FuckSox, including the awesome 15 inning win.

I posted 12 times to this blog.

When all of these activities are counted I discover that I only had one day’night without attending some entertainment event, an OUTSTANDING fact when you consider that the weather was pretty bad during most of the month and I am, ahem, 75+ years old.

It is also amazing for me to report that most of the month of September is already booked - as of today only 6 day/nights remain unbooked. Wow!! I am looking forward to seeing my friends actor David Huddleston and his wife Sarah Koeppe, who will be coming to The Big Apple and I will meet up with them on Sunday the 6th. As might be expected, baseball will take up the majority of my time in September since the 2009 season is coming to its conclusion. I have tickets for 13 games. I anxiously look forward to the playoffs, with the Yankees advancing to the World Series. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2009/10 season opens on Wednesday, the 16th, and I will be there, of course.

I am looking forward also to the beginning of the college football season and as a part of The Gator Nation I have high expectations for The Gators to repeat as National Champions and for Tim Tebow to win his second Heisman Trophy (he should have won again last year).

Happy Birthday in advance to: my sister, Ann Parker, on the 6th, and my oldest grandson, Alex Falletta, on the 12th.

This is what my schedule looks like for the next two weeks in The Greatest City in the World --

Tuesday - Sept. 1 - 7:00 - “9 to 5” - Broadway. “From multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter Dolly Parton, a humorous story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. This all-new Broadway musical comedy based on the hit movie features the popular title song plus a new score of 18 original numbers.” (discounted TDF ticket). This show opened to very mixed reviews and is scheduled to close shortly. I thought, what the Hell, a Broadway show for $35, I gotta give it a shot.

Wednesday - 2:00 - “A Lifetime Burning” - Off Broadway. “If you had the power to revise your past, what would you change? Who would you be? A trust fund darling Emma imagines what her life would have been like had she come from a less privileged background. Trouble is, she chronicles her alternate life in a new tell-all memoir that was sold for a hefty advance. When Emma is exposed, will her sister, Tess, stand by her? Or will Emma's deceit destroy their already fractured relationship? This dark comedy brings up questions of legacy, loyalty and what it means to belong.” (complimentary ticket). This show has gotten very good reviews.

Thursday - 8:00 - “Ghosts of Provincetown” - Off Broadway. This is the press blurb “Set against the untamed shores of turn of the century New England, these two short one-act plays, Ile by Eugene O’Neill and The Game by Louise Bryant, debut in New York City as a double bill, fully realizing the intentions of their legendary authors, whose torrid love affair was immortalized by the Academy-Award winning 1981 epic, Reds. These two American masterpieces explore the games we play regarding life and death and the games Life and Death play regarding us.” (discounted TDF ticket). This is going to be a “love-it or hate-it” event.

Friday - open at the moment

Saturday - open at the moment

Sunday - meet up with David Huddleston and Sarah Koeppe.

Monday - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (extra full price ticket); 7:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (make-up game from June 5). I will, of course, stay up in the Bronx between games.

Tuesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (season ticket package).

Wednesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Tampa Bay (extra full price ticket).

Thursday - 7:30 - “In the Daylight” - Off Broadway. “A darkly comic tale about a well-known writer and his homecoming to a family that he has been avoiding for many years. As the play unfolds, we discover the true reasons for his extended absence and the dark secrets his family has been keeping.” (discounted TDF ticket). I know, I know - the phrase ... darkly comic ... usually means very very dark and only slightly comedic.

Friday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles (season ticket package).

Saturday - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore (extra full price ticket).

Sunday - 1:05 - Yankees vs. Baltimore (season ticket package)

Monday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. LA Angels (season ticket package - make-up for rain out game).

Tuesday - 7:05 - Yankees vs. Toronto (season ticket package)

OK, now my loyal and faithful readers, you are up-to-date, with probably way more information that you ever wanted, so ...

Go Yankees and Go Gators!!

Billi Pod
“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”