One of the things I have collected from Spring Training games is the Spring Training Program. It wasnt until a year or so after we first started going that I came across my first program in 2000 and it was only because I found it when running around the stands with my brother. Before I got that program I didn't know they even offered them. I started collecting them the following year. Except for the 3 year stretch between 2007 and 2009 when we didn't go to Spring Training, I have all the programs. 9 of them after tonight's game. They haven't changed much since I first started collecting them except the price has gone from 2 dollars to 5. And the cover has gotten fancier.
So that's my little blurb about my favorite collection that Ive been working on for a while. Now about tonight's game.
I wasn't actually planning on going to the game tonight because I am going to two games this weekend and I have to wake up early tomorrow morning but I heard about a really great deal that one of the members of the Tampa Yankee Booster club was offering. He had some tickets for a few Spring Training games that he was selling at face value, I called him to see if he had a ticket for tonight's game but it had already been accounted for. He said he still had one for next week Wednesday though. Needless to say I couldn't pass up the offer. $30 for seats right at the Yankees dugout, like my knees will literally touch the dugout. The seats are between the New and York on the top of the dugout if anyone is familiar with that. Even though I am afraid of getting whacked with a foul ball....Ill take my chances for that opportunity.
So that's how I ended up at the game tonight. I had to go meet him up there to buy the ticket and since I was there I figured I might as well go to the game. I got a scalped ticket in a great section, halfway between homeplate and first base and right at the break between the two levels. I thought it was so cool to see Bernie Williams throw out the first pitch to Jesus Montero too.
Because I don't really have a good sense at recalling every detail, I got a bit of help from the my at-bat application so some of the stuff I had to read about because I had lost my focus when it happened. One thing I definitely paid attention to was when Russell Martin hit a nice long homerun(his first as a Yankees :)) He also got a lot of support from the crowd in his following at-bats. And then he threw someone out trying to steal. I was excited already before seeing him and it made me even more excited to get to watch him catch this season even though Ill miss Posada in that role. What also got my attention is that he is really a good defender. Bartolo Colon wasn't too bad in all reality. That first inning with 3 strikeouts was awesome, it was like he wasn't even trying and in the second inning, some of the balls just went to places where no one was covering. When Jeter got to a ball in the hole behind 2nd base, he threw it wide of first base so the runner was safe. Sometimes you cant catch breaks. He calmed down after that. Andruw Jones hit a good home run too. I enjoyed watching Rafael Soriano's Spring Debut and watching Pedro Feliciano striking guys out(even though both of them got a ton of foul balls.)
What was most exciting for me was getting to watch Manny Banuelos pitching in the game. I watched him a few times last year but not nearly as anxiously as I was watching him tonight. When he pitched for the TY it didnt really matter what he did, at least to me, he just went out and pitched a few innings and was done. Tonight it was really nervewracking because I was nervous for him, I didn't want people saying bad things about him in just one game and not putting it into relation to what he had been doing. That second inning of work was really a lot for me to stay and watch, I even had to get up. The one guy threw his bat into the stands and then got a single on a broken bat. Poor guy lost two bats in one night, those things aren't cheap. But when Manny got into a little trouble in his second inning of work it didn't seem to bother him. He first hit a guy with a pitch, which was followed by a single. He got his first out, but that also moved a man from 2nd to 3rd. He got a strikeout for his second out but still had one to go and because of a stolen base he had men on 2nd and 3rd. When he got to 2 strikes on his last batter he got the 2 strike cheer, that was just so awesome to see and hear and he got his man, as usual. I got a bit nervous and had to get up and move but I watched him get through the jam which just made me really happy.
Overall it was a great start to my 4 spring training games in a week plan. 1 down - 3 to go.
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