Embedding in 2001, '02 & '04

There's something to be said about being an Embed, is that, while you're in a place, you get to know who you're infiltrating.

My place of Infiltration, was Yankee Stadium, land of 26 World Championships, & Front-Runners, Galore.

@ least, the Ticket Packages, were the right price. Steinbrenner's People are smart-give the fans, buying a Partial or Full Season Ticket, a cut in price, over game day sales. It works @ keeping the fan base happy.

Fred Wilpon, he, the Not-So-Brilliant Owner of The Mets, went the other way, especially with his Saturday & Sunday Plans, as those Partial Plan Holders, get socked by the Sliding Scale Ticket Pricing Scheme. A Mets-Yankees Game, in 2005, cost $22, to sit in Upper Reserved. Note, that these were seats, once cost $1.30, on game day @ Shea Stadium, & it's so high up, you can wave to pilots, on incoming flight into LaGuardia Airport. The Sliding Scale System, consists of Platinum(Opening Day & Yankee Series), Gold, Silver, Bronze, & Value(Orange). Fred doesn't sell Upper Reserved, in his team's partial plans. Rather, he sells those plans, in Loge Reserved & Mezzanine Reserved, where Game Day Tickets, run anywhere, from $29 to $43(Loge), & $19 to $33(Mezzanine). For Fred's Seat Prices, one can buy 2 to 3 packages in Yankee Stadium. & Fred wonders why he has a hard time, holding onto his fan base.

Yankee Stadium was a perfect plan. Bought a Partial Plan, in '01, in addition to The Mets Plan. Got a great view from Tier Reserved, in Section 2, behind Home Plate.

It was 04/21/01, with The Red Sox, in town, winning only game of the year, in Da Bronx, as Manny Ramirez, clocked a ball into the LF Bleachers, with a ball going down a runway. Mussina got booed out of the Game. I got my money's worth.

In Mets-Yankees, got to see 10th Inning, where Mike Piazza, ruined everything for Mariano, by singling home the winning run.

Got to see Robbie Alomar & Jim Thome, eat Roger Clemens(Who was the Subject of Viscious Barbs, @ the Hairy Monk, last night), alive, only for the MF Yankees, to score more runs & Win.

Was @ YS, advocating the firing of Dan Duquette(Just like I did in Fenway, in 1997). It was 09/08/01. Strange thing ocurred, when Liza Minelli's version of "New York, NY" was played after a Yankee Victory. It felt eerie. Three Days Later, our World would change forever. 09/11/01, needs no explanation.

I discovered that when Yankees are losing to Red Sox or Mets, whole Sections would empty out quickly. On Saturday, 06/29/02, watched The Mets. disembowl the Yankees. I cracked on Derek Jeter, he of the "Calm Eyes", as Tim McMuffin would put it, by cracking "Derek? How was The China Club Last Night? Mariah(Carey) Sends her regards & says Hello." It got Mets Fans Laughing.
Some Mets Fans asked how I could do this embed routine. I told them how hard it was, wanting to let lose with a roar, when Piazza homered, or when Mo Vaughn, hit a ball in Tier, which hit a hot dog vendor in the leg, but it's great fun, doing a number on that fan base, around you. According to several visiting Mets Fans in Gear, they met a # of us Embeds up there.

It was @ the start of Oakland's 22 Game Win Streak. Yankees were losing 7-0, with Wells on The Mound. Wells was heckled with the line "He must've been sober", an allusion to his book, "Boomer", where he claimed that he was hammered from the night before his Perfect Game vs The Twins. Wells really SUCKED.
The Section was imploding, in rage. Normally-Friendly Fans, started grabbing each other & beating each other up, for no reason. Yes, I did love the floor show, as it was a highlight of being an embed.

Certain Fans, 3 of the Best Yankee Wisecrackers, which I know of("Hey Piazza, what are ya wearin' to the{Gay Pride} Parade tomorrow" & "Piazza, you suck so much, that you can't even throw a man out of bed"[Mike Piazza, doubled & homered after those comments, in successive order]), were in a fight with guys, they'd never get into it with. It was 7th Inning. Time for a "Team Meeting."
Under Section 2, I began my "Lecture" & finished with, in mock, rising "Rage", "Pinstripers don't beat up other pinstripers. AM I MAKING MYSELF PERFECTLY CLEAR?" These guys were shocked. One of them remarked "Mike, we've never seen you with so much passion, before." Like I said, these people didn't know me.
With the threat of a Baseball Strike, looming, these guys asked me if that strike will be coming & how bad will it be. I mentioned that something else will happen, & it'll be worse than the strike.

Final Result was Anaheim Angels won '02 ALDS, 3-1. T'was a sweet time for an embed like me.

Watched Nomar sit on bench, in the Infamous Midweek Red Sox Yankees Series in YS, in '04. The Next Month, Nomar was traded. A-Fraud uttered foul "Yo Mamma" Lingo @ V-tek & got clocked in Boston.

At Season's End, someone in LF Bleachers in YS, asked where he could get a beer in the Bleachers. Some Rocket Scientist this guy was. Beer was banned from there, in May, '98. He then told me that now that the Playoffs were here, he was pumped up about the pitching.

My comments about the pitching were "With this pitching, be afraid; be very, very afraid, for it will fall apart, in places, where you would NOT expect."

'04 LCS, after Game 3, everything fell apart, for Yankee Pitching, where most fans did NOT expect.

'The Boston Red Sox, for the 1st Time, in 86 Years, are The World Champions. Can You Believe It?"

This Embed's had the most-wonderful season, ever as an Embed, in The Bronx.

"Mission Accomplished!"

I'll be wearing a cap, with a Red B, on it, in YS. The Sox have given me courage. Thanks, Red Sox.