The NEW Yankee Stadium

I made my first visit to The New Yankee Stadium today.  I was invited on a small tour, but I will leave out the details of who got me in, just in case we weren't supposed to be there.  I have a feeling  I will be writing a lot about The New Stadium in the coming weeks.  I have some ideas that I am kicking around, but for today, I will stick to the facts and leave my thoughts for future posts.

I arrived a bit early and wandered around River Avenue for a few minutes.  There were many people working on the exterior, and I would find later, hundreds of people working inside.  They are in the home stretch with the first event April 2nd.  One worker was hanging banners of current players along the exterior of the building, the images of which were amazingly clear.

Once we went inside, the first stop was the weight room.  Needless to say, they spared no expense.  I was surprised to see a Muhammad Ali quote as the dominant image above the mirrors.  It was a quote I have never seen before, but obviously very appropriate.  "The first is won or lost far away from the witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."  Next stop was the trainer's room.  I had heard stories of a scale that has been around for decades.  It was used to weigh all of the greats, and all of the not-so-greats throughout the years and it was there.  

We walked through the room with the whirl pools, peaked our heads in the steam rooms, stopped in the men's room, and then walked through the doors to the Yankee Clubhouse.  Immediately, someone pointed out Derek Jeter's locker.  Can you blame me for sitting down to take a picture?  It was one of the larger lockers and right near the door.  The room is a large oval shaped room each locker has a spot for a small flat screen monitor (not yet installed).  None of the equipment or name tags were in place, but this is an impressive room.

On the outside of the curved wall, across from the manager's office, in black, is a large Yankee logo, the interlocking NY, with the famous Joe DiMaggio quote underneath, "I'd like to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee."  Us too.

From there, it was through a tunnel and then in to the Ketel One Lounge, which is for Legends Suite ticketholders.  The high rollers.  The quality and sharpness of the images amazed me.  We came in the back door, but at the main entrance is an amazing picture of Lou Gehrig.  Once I walked past Gehrig and up a small ramp, I was in the seats along the firstbase line.  It's really amazingly impressive.  The frazee hangs along the top, all around the park.  All of the seats are new, dark blue.  The monuments in Monument Park were still covered, so we didn't go out to centerfield.  They were working on the infield as well...everyone getting ready.

We then went up to the suite level.  We entered Suite #44, which is the Steinbrenners' suite.  They had recently ripped up the original carpet because they didn't like it and will replace it this week.  The suite is probably three times the size of a normal suite and is in the same position as it was in The Stadium, just above the visitor's dugout.  

From there, we were off to the press box and in to the TV booth.  Again, none of the equipment was in place, but the view was from directly behind home plate.  See for yourself.

Our tour was coming to an end, but not before we made our way to The Great Hall.  This is the main corridor for The New 

Stadium and the hanging banners had color photos of recent greats on one side and black and white photos of Yankee legends on the other.

They spared no expense in making this the premier sports venue in the country.  Again, I will provide some more in-depth thoughts in a later post, but with larger 

concourses, better site lines, more bathrooms, more concessions, more restaurants, more of everything...no one will leave unimpressed or unhappy.  Hopefully, they did as good of a job putting together this year's team as they did putting together the stadium.

If you want to see the rest of the photos, shoot me an email and I will send a link.  

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive"  BS

JN

Who's who...and some random thoughts

About a week ago, I received the following email with the subject line "Blog Topic" from my good friend Rob Fisher.

"Redskins=Yankees
Giants=Red Sox
Discuss..."

Since I am happy to take requests, I have been thinking about it over the last week.  I have given it a lot of thought, done some research, and I am happy to report that I have several scenarios for debate.  After all, part of the reason why we follow sports is to debate our opinions.

First of all, the Redskins can't be the Yankees.  While the team has won championships, it certainly was not in the recent past.  The Redskins have a long history of spending and not winning.  I do agree that they typically spend on aging stars, possibly past their primes, similar to the Yankees.  However, I think they more resemble the Dodgers of the late-90's and early part of this decade.  The Kevin Brown/Shawn Green Dodgers.  The Dodgers that spent almost as much as the Yankees, but never had anything to show for it.  To me, that's what the Skins have.  Nothing to show for all of Daniel Snyder's spending.  Further, all of the coaching changes, is yet another similarity.

So if the Redskins aren't the Yankees, what team most resembles the evil empire?  If you want to talk about winning, the Yankees resemble the Patriots.  Both teams were underdogs in their first championship year.  The Yankees weren't supposed to beat the Braves and the Pats certainly weren't supposed to beat the Rams.  They each had unprecedented runs of success in recent history.  They each have an icon.  Derek Jeter is certainly baseball's answer to Tom Brady, or visa verse.  While Joe Torre and Bill Belichick will never be mistaken for having similar styles, they each had questionable resumes prior to becoming geniuses.  Was the 2007 AFC Championship Game similar to the Red Sox beating the Yankees in 2004?  Definitely.  Neither has won a championship since.

Do the Giants represent football's answer to the Red Sox?  I don't think so.  Both were built by smart GM's, not a lot of free agents, and maybe some free spirits, but I think the Giants need a sustained run of success and another Super Bowl win before they can be put up against the Sox.  For now, I think the Sox and the Steelers might be more suited for comparison.  Jerome Bettis could be Big Papi in pads.  The Steelers have won twice in recent history, same as the Sox, coming out of nowhere for the first one and as the favorite the second time around.  

Always fun to debate one side or another...I would love to hear your thoughts if you are reading this.  I fixed the comments section so it's easier if you want to comment.

Some random thoughts:

- I am sick of ARod and am glad he will be out for at least the first month of the season.  Maybe the Yankees will get back to the brand of baseball that brought them four rings. Moving the runner, sacrifice flies, pitching and defense.

- U2 doing five nights of Letterman was just damn cool.

- At this point, Max almost can't be replaced as the drummer for the E Street Band.  He can be replaced on Conan.  Without Max, the spontaneous nature of the show would be out the window.  I truly hope they figure out how to make this work.  Due to healthy concerns, this very well may be the last ride for the E Street Band and it would be a shame for a sub to be sitting in.

- Bill Simmons' podcast keeps getting better. If you aren't listening, you should start. His columns are great too, but the podcasts are truly entertaining.

- The economy certainly hasn't put a damper on the concert tours.  The Allmans, Bruce, Clapton/Winwood, and U2 are on my radar.  

- I am enjoying the World Baseball Classic so far...but I can't wait for Opening Day.

That's all for now..."It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive" - BS

JN

Dirty Laundry

Jerry Seinfeld used to do a routine about how sports fans really just root for the laundry.  It doesn't matter who wears the uniform.  In this age of free agency, we really just root for the uniform because we can't get attached to players.  No matter who is wearing the uniform, we root for them, and since the uniform just ends up in the laundry, we root for laundry.

Right now, my favorite laundry is dirty.

I will talk about the Joe Torre book first.  To establish a frame of reference for those that don't know my opinion on him, I am a big Joe Torre fan.  When the Yankees did not make the playoffs in 2008, I rooted for the Dodgers because Don Mattingly and Joe Torre were on the bench.  That said, when the excerpts from the book started to surface, I was unhappy about the book.  He doesn't need the money, it was unnecessary, and it was airing dirty laundry just for the sake of taking some shots.

I have read the first 100 pages, so I am not all the way through the book.  However, I have listened to the interviews with Torre, Tom Verducci, Mike Mussina, John Heyman (SI), and many others.  I have listened to Mike Francesa kill the book.  Frankly, I don't see what's that bad about it.  He is certainly entitled to write a book if he wants and as we have come to expect, Joe is going to be truthful.  He always had his favorites, there's no surprise there.  

The voice of the book is really Verducci's.  Joe certainly contributed more than any other source, but there are many quotes, obviously not obtained by Joe as he is not a reporter.  I would rather spend my money on a book with some insight that I haven't heard/read before than something to be regurgitated.   I loved Buster Olney's book, The Last Night of The Yankee Dynasty.  I was hoping for more of that kind of insight, and so far, I am getting it.  

If the book turns in the next 300 pages in to something else, I promise to write an update. However, the first person Joe thanks in the acknowledgements is George Steinbrenner.  He recognizes that he was given an amazing opportunity, and also that he was the fourth choice for the job in 1996.  This is not an anti-Yankee book, but rather an explanation of what happened in those 12 years, which were very special for me as a fan.  I urge anyone with a negative opinion of the book to actually read it.  I promise, I will finish it before finalizing my opinion.

Now...ARod.  Where to start?  Was I surprised?  No way.  Was I surprised that he coincidentally left the country immediately when the news came out?  No way.  Was I surprised that he held an interview in a controlled environment to admit his guilt.  Not a chance.  Is it comical that he went running back to Scott Boras for advice?  Yes...definitely.  Is it absurd to think that he didn't know what he was taking, as he said in the interview?  Completely absurd.  Did the interview go completely off the tracks when he started to slam the reporter who broke the story?  Oh yeah. Do I think he is truly sorry he cheated?  No.  Do I think he is sorry he got caught? Definitely.

Here's a guy who desperately wants to be the best of all time.  He really doesn't care about winning nearly as much as he cares about his stats.  I root for ARod.  I am not an ARod hater. He is a tremendously talented player, maybe the most talented in the game. He is fun to watch, but he is not a winner.  He is Dominique Wilkins.  Great stats, great player, but doesn't help the players about him.  So, why wouldn't he cheat, especially if everyone else is doing it? Apparently, that's a great excuse because he used it a lot in the interview.

But the juice isn't my real problem with ARod.  So what's my problem you ask?  I am spoiled.

The Yankees of the late 90's were easy to root for.  They played to win.  They bunted, hit behind the runner, took the extra base, hit the occasional home run, pitched like crazy and were desperate to win.  They were good guys.  The guys that didn't fit in were shipped out.  If they weren't willing to put winning first, they were gone.  It was that simple.  They were human beings, they were easy to root for as people and they backed it up with a great band of baseball. 

ARod wouldn't fit in on those teams.  His largest sin in my opinion is that he would rather hit 800 home runs that win the World Series.  How do I know this?  Because he is a terrible situational hitter.  He thinks that because he has the ability to hit the ball out of the park, that's the only way for him to help the team.  He's got crazy power and yes, in many situations, he should be trying to hit the ball as hard as he can.  However, with a man on third and less than two outs, this guy should NEVER strike out and he does often.  Could you imagine Paul O'Neill being on the same team as ARod?  O'Neill would probably kill him.

Is he a good guy?  He certainly doesn't seem like one.  What he does off the field is his business. However, unlike those great Yankee teams that I loved, he makes it hard to root for him.  Did he need to stay until the end of the All Star Game?  No.  He obviously didn't care to be there.  If he didn't care to be there, why should I shell out the money for the ticket?  If he was so eager to opt out of his contract, why should I be so eager to have him back?  I was also told a story that I won't repeat about him blowing off Yogi Berra.  Now, that's just unforgivable.

He never says the right thing, and we have been spoiled by Derek Jeter who always manages to say the right thing, even when he says nothing.  ARod can't get out of his own way and while I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, I find it hard.  He is a liar, a cheater, and a selfish player.  Will I cheer when he hits his home runs this year?  Of course...I root for the laundry.

So the past few weeks, the laundry has been soiled.  In two days, pitchers and catchers report. CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett will put on the pinstripes for the first time.  Joba will work towards being the #5 starter and Phil Hughes will try and prove that the hype was for real.  I truly can't wait for the conversation to turn from the dirty laundry to BASEBALL.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."

JN

Working on a Dream - The JN Review

As I sit here watching "Working on a Dream...The Sessions DVD" in my basement, I figured it was time to share my thoughts on Bruce's new album, Working on a Dream.  While I have had the songs for two weeks, I couldn't really do a fair review until I had the liner notes and the lyrics.

The reviews that have been published in varying magazines and newspapers have been all over the place.  Rolling Stone gave it five stars, Entertainment Weekly gave it an A, but The Chicago Sun-Times gave it one-and-a-half stars.  When I was thinking about it today, I was thinking I was somewhere in the middle.  I was thinking about how it's less of an album and more a collection of songs that aren't tied together in any theme.  

However, I have already changed my mind.  The theme is the way the songs are arranged and presented.  This album is more about the music than the words.  The lyrics are secondary, which is very different for Bruce.  The only other album that you might be able to say that about is The Wild, The Innocent, and The E Street Shuffle, which was the only album that did not include lyrics in the album sleeve when relased.

So what ties this whole thing together is the sometimes over the top presentation.  That said, here's a song by song breakdown.

1. Outlaw Pete - One of my immediate favorites.  This song has received a lot of criticism in some cirlces for its length (over 8 minutes) and a similar riff to Kiss' I Was Made For Loving You. However, I really like the story.  The story might have been better presented with The Seeger Sessions Band, but musically, there is a lot going on here.  The message is simple; you can't escape your past...no matter how far you travel or how hard you try.  With changes in tempo and storyteller, it makes for a great 8 minute movie unlike anything Bruce has written since the 70's.

2. My Lucky Day - How can you not like a straight ahead pop song with Little Steven singing back up vocals throughout?  The world is cruel, but as long as I have you, I am a lucky guy.  This is vintage Bruce.

3. Working on a Dream - Probably one of my least favorite tracks.  There's not a lot here.  However, the whistling is getting killed by most.  I like it.  It's symbolic.  What's more American than someone whistling while they work?  This probably would have fit better on Magic with its political undertone.

4. Queen of the Supermarket - One of the oddest songs in the catalog, but I LOVE IT!  It's really a Roy Orbison song in many ways.  It has a 60's theme with very a orchestral presentation.  I connect with the story.  For many reasons, the storyteller doesn't want to approach his dream girl.  This happens!  Do you think Bruce wrote this after playing Pretty Flamingo last summer?  

5. What Love Can Do - One of the strongest tracks on the album, this was the first song written for this record.  It has a Magic sound with layered vocals.  "Darling I can't stop the rain, or turn your black sky blue, but let me show you what love can do."  It's a straight ahead rocker with some nasty guitar work.

6. This Life - A 60's pop love song.  It's a great vocal, but it hasn't grown on me yet, and I am not sure it will.  Let's see if/how it's presented live.

7. Good Eye - This one has really grown on me once I figured out the lyrics.  This one is straight from the swamp with Bruce using a reverb mic.  "I had my good eye to the dark and my blind eye to the sun." I know what the right thing is to do, but I choose not to.  This is the cousin of Your Own Worst Enemy from Magic.

8. Tomorrow Never Knows - A little blue grass, almost country tune.  A sparse arrangement, so maybe this one doesn't fit, but it's fun nonetheless.  "Tomorrow never knows..."  Make today count.

9. Life Itself - I am really enjoying this song.  It's about the struggles of life, connections, love, what's important and how maybe then it's not important.  In the end, maybe only one thing is important.

10. Kingdom of Days - I read an article recently where Bruce spoke about how things are finite.  With the passing of Danny Federici (more on that later), who can blame him. This song is about a couple growing old together. "We laugh beneath the covers and count the wrinkles and the grays."  I like the lyrics more than I like the presentation on this one...which is atypical for me regarding this album.  A love song for growing old...maybe I am not old enough to truly appreciate it yet.

11. Surprise Surprise - So much fun.  It's a catchy pop song with a Byrds guitar jangle and very pop backing vocals at the end.  I love a catchy pop song and this is a great one.

12. The Last Carnival - The tribute to Danny.  The character in the song is named Billy and many think this connects to Wild Billy's Circus Story, which I immediately thought as well. Danny's song plays organ on this track.  Bruce's vocal cracks twice...obviously this song means a lot.  This is the second record in a row with a tribute to a fallen friend, and I hope we don't have another for a while. This one is truly touching.

13. The Wrestler - Written for the movie of the same name as a favor to his friend Mickey Rourke, this is part of the brilliance of Bruce.  He captures the soul of the man in 3 minutes.

All things considered, I give it a B+ and can't wait to see the material presented live. See you on the road.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."

JN

The Hope Concert IV

Monday night was another great night at The Count Basie Theater.  Bobby Bandiera's 4th Edition of The Hope Concert was set to feature himself, Gary US Bonds, Southside Johnny, and Jon Bon Jovi among others.  However, a special guest made the night one to remember.

The night started, as most Basie nights do, at Juanito's for Mexican food.  Around 8, we made our way over to The Basie.  Sammy and I hung in the hallway with Jeff Kazee as we weren't that intersted in the opening acts, no offense.  About 15 minutes in to the conversation, Jeff told us all of our boys were in the house tonight.  Going to the show, I had no expectations that Bruce woul

d show up, but needless to say, I was pretty psyched.

So we're still standing in the hallway and all of a sudden, Jon Bon Jovi is standing next to us.  I couldn't help but say hi and remind him of our conversation from last year which was described in previous blog posts.  Both of us questioned Tom Coughlin as the coach of the Giants and both of us weren't convinced that Eli was the right QB to lead the team.  I said, thank God we were both wrong and wished him Happy Holidays.

Sammy and I took our seats during Bobby's set.  The show had great pace with quick sets.  After Bobby, Gary US Bonds did a quick set, and then Southside.  At the end of Southside'

s set, JBJ came out to join him for This Time It's For Real.  JBJ was wearing a Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes tshirt circa 1976 from The Stone Pony.  Afterwards, he was asked where he got the shirt.  He said it was an original and had been in his closet since the 70's.  He's really a true Southside fan.   

At the end of JBJ's set, he brought out Bruce for Run Run Rudolph.  Bruce hung back, sang back up vocals, but did step forward for an amazing guitar solo.  Sammy and I had been sitting in row Z, but as soon as Bruce took the stage, we moved up and ended up even with the 2nd row.

After Rudolph, Bruce and Bobby's band ran through Merry Christmas Baby and Santa Claus is Coming to To

wn.  During Santa, Bruce brought down La Bamba to sing Clarence's part, but he didn't realize that La Bamba was recently in a car accident and was on crutches.

With an eight person horn section, Bruce and the band then played the Wilson Pickett tune 634-5789.   Believe it or not, this is the first time I have seen Bruce play th

is song.  Cross another off of the list.  Bruce then called JBJ back on stage for 10th Avenue Freeze Out, which was a lot of fun.  As you can see here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg7UcfguwKM) Bruce almost took a spill because there was some give in the mic stand.  Funny stuff.

The show closed with Havin A Party...and we were.  This was another great night of music with great friends, both on stage and off.  Hopefully, this is a tradition that will continue and we will see The Hope Concert V next year.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."

JN

Long time no see...

I know it's been a while, but I guess there's been a lot going on...and then again, not a lot that has inspired me to sit down and write a blog entry.  So, this entry will be a catch up on what's going on and what I'm thinking.  I have some other posts that I want to get to, so hopefully I will have some time this week.

- More important than anything else going on right now, Avery took her first two steps today.  She continues to amaze me every day.

- A very happy 35th to my cousin Noel.  Rumor has it that all he really wanted for his birthday was to be left alone.  Maybe next year.

- I hope I am wrong about AJ Burnett.  I was very much against the Yankees signing him to a contract.  He has had two good years in his career, both of which were contract years.  His agent says that he has figured it out.  I sure hope so.  If he is another Carl Pavano, I won't be surprised, but will be disappointed.

- I hope CC Sabathia can mix in a salad once in a while over the next seven years.

- Speaking of the Yankees, kudos to the ticket department for taking care of my unhappiness with my initial seat assignment.  While it wasn't easy, persistence paid off and I can't wait for Opening Day.

- Is that Facebook thing cool or what?

- I am really enjoying the NBA so far this year but that may have something to do with the fact that I have LeBron on my fantasy team.  I just hope the Cavs stop blowing people out so LeBron can stop sitting out the 4th quarter.

- For anyone considering a new cell phone, DEFINITELY get the iPhone.

- Wouldn't it be great to see a roundtable discussion between Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress, and OJ Simpson?  Pete Rose could be the moderator, or he could be on the panel and Bob Costas could moderate.  Costas would ask the tough questions that would make it really interesting.

- Finally, for all that knew Patrice Decker, she will be really missed.  For those that didn't get a chance to know her, you missed out.  Patrice's energy was always positive, always contagious, and she always hugged you like she really meant it.  We know she is in a better place...and her light is shining on those that she loved already.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."

JN

Avery turns 1

My daughter, Avery Song Neuer, celebrated her first birthday today. Wow.  In some ways, it seems like just yesterday that Christine went in to labor and 18 hours later (this amount of time will grow as the years go by...no?), there she was.  In other ways, I can't remember life without her.

I say it all the time...she is a funny kid.  She loves to laugh, clap her hands, and be silly.  She has a great personality, more Christine's than mine, and she is extremely adaptable to just about any situation.  Rather than extole all of her virtues (I am a VERY proud father...this could go on forever), I will simply list some things about Avery's first year that I hope to never forget:

- Avery sitting on my lap during the Giants' Super Bowl win.  She wore her lucky Eli Manning jersey (thanks Keith and Nancy) all throughout the playoffs.  During the winning 4th quarter drive, I wouldn't let anyone take her off of my lap in fear that it would jinx the drive.

- When she is tired, she pulls her ear.  When she is really tired, she pulls them both.

- When she sleeps in her crib, she tends to either sleep with her legs completely underneath her or with her butt in the air. Either way, it's pretty cute.

- The first few months, she loved ceiling fans.

- She has a seat that she sits in to watch Baby Einstein.  About two weeks ago, she crawled in to the seat and pointed to the tv.  She has no trouble letting us know what she wants even though she isn't talking yet.

- She LOVES books.  She will climb on to my lap and will turn the pages as we read a book.

- I don't think there is anything better than nap time on the weekends. She will lay on my lap and nap.  It's about the most relaxing thing in the world.

- She LOVES her mother, and it's completely impossible for Christine to love her more than she does.

- This week, I taught her how to put change in to my change bank.  It might be the only thing I can take sole credit for teaching her.

- When you ask her where her nose is, she scrunches it and breathes through her nose.  When asked about her ear, mouth, or foot, she points.

- She loves bellybuttons.  The Korean word for bellybutton is "becko" and that may be her first word.

- She likes waving to people...even in the supermarket.  She just likes people.

- When she was first born, she really liked Jackson Browne.  Now, I think she leans more towards The Beatles.

- She goes crazy for her jumper.

- When she hears music, she does a little dance with her shoulders and torso. Sooo cute.

- More than anything else, she changed the way I look at the world.  

I can't wait to watch her continue to grow.  I know there will be bumps along the way, but the first year was truly amazing.  Happy Birthday Ms. Munchkin.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."

JN