This time, when I run into Officer Smokin', I will get a horizontal shot of him. Back to the 203 Bleachers! But sadly, without the birthday hats.

P.S. - this Chevy Biggest Fan competition ... can my entire family compete as one entry? Collectively, we are the biggest Yankees fans (and the loudest) in the U.S., spanning from NYC, to NJ, all the way to Arizona. Even my four-year-old niece is a Yankees fan.

In case you didn't get the APB, August 31 was my birthday. And the Yankees held a stellar game in my honor. Many thanks to the nearly 45,000+ people who came out to celebrate this special occasion. Pictures to come!

I have always loved this crazy, sweaty city for more reasons than I can count, often thinking that I could not survive anywhere else, and part of the love for NYC has to do with the Yankees. The team has ALWAYS been a backdrop in my life. I mean, I remember exactly where I was standing when I heard the news about Thurman Munson's death.

But lately, I have become a bit envious of smaller markets, mainly courtesy of Twitter, which offered me the opportunity to follow Verified athlete accounts. So I have stumbled upon direct tweets from all sorts of baseball athletes in non-NYC markets, who are talking (rather frequently) about real life things, like going to a local BBQ joint or taking the ACELA express to an away game, and talking *with* people. And I gotta tell you, I feel like I have an insider's glimpse into their experiences, as if they were friends of mine, merely relaying what they were doing like it ain't no big thang.

It made me think about how lucky fans in smaller markets are because their athletes seem to be so much more accessible and seem to interact with their fans with more frequency than ours do .... It's making me wistful for smaller markets, where a fan can win a *dinner* with Dustin Pedroia without having to shell out thousands of dollars for the opportunity. (And hells YEAH, I'd go on a dinner date with Dustin Pedroia if I had that opportunity!)

I guess our relationship with our athletes reflects the city itself, where everything is bigger and more dramatic and more overwhelming etc. And I guess that the sheer Fan-to-Athlete ratio is astronomical, too.

AND I guess that is the price you pay to play in the center of the universe. We're the big league of the big leagues ~ if you can make it here, you'll make it anywhere, as the song goes.

But hells BELLS I would love to have more of an opportunity to communicate with my favorite Yankee. Sigh.

For the first time in my life I FINALLY went to watch a Trenton Thunder game (and I am a Jersey girl for heavens sake! Oh the shame, the humanity!) ... Good grief I wish I would have been a bit more cognizant of this team and the stadium before. What great fun ... and to think that a good number of players we watch today in the Bronx came through this team. And what is even more fun, the prices (tickets and merchandise... can you say "$12 t-shirts"?) are a third of what you would pay in Yankee Stadium. AND the food is much much better. My garden burger in Trenton actually had fresh lettuce, tomatoes and onions, while my garden burger in the Bronx looked like a hockey puck on a soggy bun. No lettuce, tomatoes etc.

We were also three rows in from third base so naturally I was able to get a good close look at Brandon Laird - who is freaking hot, by the way. AND Austin Romine was catching - who is also freaking hot by the way. In fact they are ALL freaking hot, including the first base coach! (Who ever that was.) To die for! OH how I wish I was in my early 20s again.

Anyway ... The bloggers keep talking about these two dudes so I am keeping my fingers crossed that they make it big so I can be issued my bragging rights. I mean, how CRAZY would it be if you had seen F.Cervelli or Robbie Cano playing for them a few years ago??

It was also interesting to observe the team in relation to the big leagues ...  for instance an opponent player had ripped his pants midgame and had to play for the rest of the game with this big honking tear in his pants. How crazy is that! And then the minors surely must deal with such low budgets that most of the players need to be hosted by families in the area (at least I know the Phillies' Single A farm team, the Blue Claws, rely on sponsors).

When you think of these huge differences between the minors and the majors, it is no wonder these new kids on the block can be so overwhelmed by their promotions. Particularly the promotion to New York, the center of the universe.

At any rate, I walked away from the game (alas they lost), resolving to do my part for America's favorite past time:  As soon as I can afford a house in New Jersey, I am hosting a minor leaguer.

Who knows, in five years time, perhaps I can say that I lived with the next Phil Hughes. 

We're all Virgos! (Actually, Nick Johnson and Greg Golson are also Virgos but at this point, who are they?)

And what is even more interesting, they both share the same birthday as my sister. August 24th. Must be an auspicious day!