New Players & Fans Set To Experience Yankees in ALCS For First Time

Posted on October 13, 2017 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

I walked my daughter to the bus stop this morning.

It’s a short stroll, really. Around the corner and down a hill – just enough steps to pad my Fitbit stats and see some familiar October sights. There were pumpkins on porches, leaves on the ground, and an interlocking “NY” on my shirt.

Of course there was.

Yankee Stadium Prepares For The ALCS’s Bronx Return.

The Yankees will play Game 1 of the American League Championship Series tonight in Houston. Watching the Yanks play baseball deep into October is typical of my childhood. Not so for kids my daughter’s age.

The Yankees reached the ALCS or World Series 7 times from 1996-2004. Then, 3 more times between 2009-2012. Since then, their lone Postseason appearance came in 2015 when they lost to the Astros in the AL Wild Card Game.

So, tonight is special for kids like my daughter, born within the last 10 years.

A boy waiting for the bus noticed my shirt and asked if I was excited for the upcoming series.

“Of course,” I said. “How about you?”

His face lit up. His smile was huge, like an Aaron Judge homerun swing.

“Yeah!” He said. “I’ve never seen them play in the ALCS before.”

He then gave me a “thumbs down.”

“When were you born?” I asked.

“2008. But I was too young to watch the 2009 World Series,” he said.

His excitement reminded me a lot of myself back in 1996 – the first time I’d seen the Yankees win a playoff series. He had a look of wonderment – like he was about to witness something he’d never seen before.

He is.

My Yankees – you know, Jeter, Bernie, Pettitte, Posada and Mo – are nice historical footnotes for today’s kids. Now, Judge, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird and the rest of this young core of players are ushering in a new generation of Yankees success. They’re bringing the new generation of fans along with them. Judge-Sanchez

The boy’s reaction did make me further appreciate the late-90s dynastic run. It’s so difficult to sustain success from one year to the next. Every opportunity to win a championship should be treasured. You never know when it will happen again.

Many say these Yankees arrived ahead of schedule. They weren’t expected to compete this soon. They are “playing with the house’s money.”

I disagree.

It’s never the wrong time to win a Title. Teams that get this close must capitalize. “Wait ‘till next year” isn’t guaranteed.

Just ask the 2015 Mets.

It’s possible, this could be the only shot this young group of Yankees have to win a World Series.

Or, it could be just the beginning of another sustained run of success.

The latter would give kids my daughter’s age a childhood experience similar to mine. Yankees baseball, deep into the Fall, would once again be a familiar October sight.

Like pumpkins on porches, leaves on the ground, and an interlocking “NY” on my shirt.

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Have The Yankees Found Their Next Captain? You Be The Judge.

Posted on June 14, 2017 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

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All Rise?

Honestly, why would you ever sit down in the first place?

There’s no time to relax between each one of Aaron Judge’s majestic blasts. They fly out of stadiums at a record pace, travel record distances and leave me sounding like, well, a broken record.

All Rise For Aaron Judge.

“He hit another one last night,” is the first thing I say to my wife every single morning.

Forget Groundhog Day. We’re all living Judgement Day over and over again.

Through 60 games, Judge is hitting .341 with 22 HR and 49 RBI. It’s a small sample, but he’s showing no signs of laying down his gavel. His at-bats are can’t-miss events, he comes up with a game-defining hit almost every night and he hears “MVP” chants…on the road!

Oh, and let the record show, Your Honor is a 6 foot, 7 inch, 25 year-old rookie!

It’s Judge’s courtroom. We’re all witnesses.

Yup, Number 99 is everywhere: the front of Sports Illustrated, the middle of the Yankees’ line up, the back of fans’ jerseys and the top of prominent AL statistical categories, including HR, batting average and runs scored.

He is impressive on the field and poised off of it. He handles the bright lights of New York with ease and deflects all adulation on to his teammates.

He tells you that he doesn’t pay attention to his individual accomplishments. Instead, he only focusses on winning games. For twenty years, Derek Jeter said the same thing. I always believed him. Now, I believe Judge.

Like Jeter, Judge has a good head, and a great bat, resting firmly on his shoulders. His teammates respect him and fans adore him. Is it possible the Yankees found their future Captain? Do my two young daughters have their own Jeter to look up to…and grow up with?

There’s plenty of time to figure it out.

No time to sit down, though.

Judge is walking to the plate.

All Rise.

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Jeter’s Latest Title Might Be His Greatest

Posted on February 17, 2017 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

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You couldn’t pick just one.

We sat together, inside Yankee Stadium, and I asked you to decide which of your Titles meant the most to you. You couldn’t do it.

“‘96, ‘98, ‘99, 2000, 2009…All five of them,” you said. “We won all of those years.”

Well, Derek, the debate ends with your newest title:

ct-derek-jeter-wife-hannah-preganat-20170213

Jeter’s Going To Have a Baby Girl in 2017.

Dad.

There is nothing more special or rewarding than being a father – especially to a little girl. I’ve got two of them. They changed my life, and your little bambina will change yours too.

For twenty years, you played shortstop. Now, you’ll stop short of nothing to make your daughter smile. You once carried the weight of New York on your shoulders, but there is no greater responsibility than fatherhood. Dressed in Jumpman, you’ll jump, man, every time she needs your help. For her, Mr. November will be Mr. Everyday.

You’ll flip for her! You’ll want to dive into everything that interests her. You’ll be her champion and her captain. Number 2 will be her Number 1.

No doubt, being a Dad is hard work. She’ll wear you out, like a doubleheader in mid-August. You’ll get less sleep than a west coast trip. She’ll throw you more curve balls than Pedro Martinez and ask more questions than the New York media. She’ll demand your very best each and every day.

You’re battle-tested, though. I saw you rise to the occasion for two decades in Pinstripes. You were a role model for a generation of fans. Now you’ll serve in the same capacity for your daughter.

Her First Yankees Game! Watching Derek Jeter’s Final Career HR with my Daughter in 2014.

The world needs more strong, successful young women. Be sure to pass on your work ethic and leadership abilities to her. Teach her to be classy, accountable, carry herself with dignity, be professional and respectful…just as you were. Empower her to be confident, do what makes her happy and be who she wants to be.

These are all messages I try to convey to my two young daughters each day.

After your final game at Yankee Stadium, when reflecting back on your career, you said, “I’ve never taken it for granted, but it goes a lot quicker than you could imagine.” Remember this while you’re rolling around on the floor playing with your new baby girl. Enjoy it all. Like your twenty years in the Bronx, it will go faster than you think.

Unlike your previous Championships, your latest title won’t have all the fanfare. There will be no cheering, no press, no parades or rings. Your fans won’t celebrate this title, but you should. It’s your most important one to date.

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Jets Waste Opportunity. “Nick & Brick” Window Now Shut.

Posted on December 11, 2016 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

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Today, the Jets look towards the future without a very important piece from their past.

Mangold’s Jets Career Could Be Over.

Bryce Petty gets his second start at quarterback just days after the team placed center Nick Mangold on season-ending injured reserve. The move could signal the end of Mangold’s 11-year run with the Jets. Even if he returns, this season’s injury woes proved that his best days are behind him.

One of the most dependable and talented centers in NFL history, Mangold has only one season left on his contract. He’ll turn 33 next month, and will carry a large salary cap charge of $9.1 million into 2017 – both reasons why the Jets could decide to move on.

If they do, it would be a wasted opportunity for a franchise that wastes a lot of them.

In 2006, the Jets drafted Mangold, and left tackle, D’Brickashaw Ferguson in the first round. Over the next decade, they would anchor a dominant offensive line and stabilize the team’s core. In all that time, the Jets failed to find a true franchise quarterback for them to protect.

Inexplicable.

It’s been almost 50 years since Joe Namath wagged his finger atop football’s highest peak. The Jets haven’t been able to replace him since. Perhaps most frustrating of all – the star-crossed franchise wasn’t able to do so within the 10-year “Nick & Brick” window.

Imagine a baseball team boasting an elite pitching staff, all healthy and in their prime, but unable to secure any top hitters to score any runs.

Ferguson Retired in 2015.

A waste.

Aside from quarterback, a center and left tackle are arguably the most important positions on a football team. The Jets haven’t had to worry about filling those holes for a decade now.

Before this season’s ankle issues, Mangold had been a rock at center, going to 7 Pro Bowls and missing only 4 games over his first 10 years. Ferguson retired in 2015 after a 10-year career with the Jets. He went to 3 Pro Bowls and played in all 160 regular season games, only missing one play. One play!

The only thing more reliable than these two has been the team’s lackluster play at quarterback.

The Jets thought they found their man in 2009 when Mark Sanchez took them to the first of back-to-back AFC Title Games. That was as close as they would come, though. Sanchez fizzled and the search continued.

Today, Petty gets his shot.

It’s too early to tell if he’ll be the answer.

It’s too late for him to do it behind “Nick & Brick.”

Wasted opportunity.

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Brave New World For Bobcats

Posted on April 7, 2016 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

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There was no one watching.

There was no buzz surrounding the Quinnipiac Men’s Hockey Team. There was no one posting Bobcat-related updates on Facebook. There were no celebratory Tweets or Instagram pictures either. Most of all, there was no one watching.

Quinnipiac Hockey Plays in Tonight’s Frozen Four.

It was the spring of 2002 and I was inside the Northford Ice Pavilion covering QU Men’s Hockey for The Chronicle, the student-run campus newspaper. Back then, my senior year at the Q, there was no TD Bank Sports Center. Heck, there were no Bobcats either! They were the Quinnipiac Braves, they played in the MAAC Conference, and the Division I ice had barely frozen beneath their skates – the school jumped up from D-II in 1998, my freshman year.

I sat among a sparse crowd with my pad, pen, and tape recorder. Yes, an actual tape recorder…there were no iPhones or apps then either. I was stationed inside the cold, unimpressive facility that reeked of high school athletics.

Small crowds, small stage.

At times, among students, it seemed like the fifteen-minute drive to watch a game in North Branford was more of a chore than an event.

Grabbing Head Coach, Rand Pecknold for a postgame interview was simple. Then, in only his 7^th season leading Quinnipiac Hockey, there wasn’t much demand for his time. Sure, they were winning games back then, there just wasn’t much interest. At times, I questioned if anyone were even reading my stories. They were a fledgling team within the Division I ranks, expectations were low.

Eleven years later, everything changed.

In 2012-2013, the Bobcats finished the season ranked #1 in the nation. That season, Quinnipiac was just one victory shy of claiming an NCAA Division I National Championship. Ultimately, they lost to eventual champion, Yale.

In 2015-2016, the little known school from Hamden, CT, steamrolled through the regular season again, claiming another #1 ranking, and again find themselves within reach of a title. They’ll face Boston College, in tonight’s Frozen Four, for the right to play for a National Championship on Saturday.

I’ve always craved the big-time collegiate sports scene. It’s the one thing I really missed out on during my time in Hamden. I’ve been envious of friends and family members who attended schools like Penn State, Michigan and Syracuse.

Like every sports fan at Quinnipiac, I own the t-shirt that reads: “Quinnipiac Football – Undefeated Since 1929.” Many may not realize though, the team hasn’t won a game since 1929 either. The made up football team is a campus-wide gag.

The hockey team is no joke, though.

There is no bigger hockey program in the country than Quinnipiac’s. They are drawing national recognition and making current students, and alumni like myself, proud to be Bobcats…no longer envious of other large sports programs.

The Big-Time Bobcats are only two wins away from a National Championship.

It’s a Brave new world for these Bobcats.

No more small crowds.

Everyone’s watching now.

*Updated from original 2013 post.

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When My Cosi Shut Down, Their Staff Stepped Up

Posted on February 9, 2016 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

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The people at Cosi really opened my eyes.

Like a good cup of coffee.

My Winning Instagram Submission Featured My Smiling Daughter.

In August, I won a year’s supply of java from the Boston-based sandwich shop. Their #CosiCoffeeChallege contest urged patrons to share their Cosi coffee experience on Instagram for a chance to be selected victorious. My post featured my adorable 1 year-old daughter.

She smiled.

I won.

So, for 365 consecutive days, I could walk into any Cosi shop and grab a free coffee. Any size. Any style. Fortunately, my local Cosi was just down the street – a quick, 2-minute drive.

Next fall, when the clock would strike twelve on my year of free joe, my Cinderella perks would turn into a pumpkin spiced latte…and a bill. I’d have to start paying for my daily fix again.

In the beginning, everything was going great! The store was convenient, the staff treated me like a VIP, and my cup was always overflowing with more of their delicious Xando blend than I could drink. I was, however, beginning to wonder how I would ever consume 365 coffees in 365 days!

My Original Cosi Prize – A Free Year Of Coffee.

Then, just four months into my mocha meal ticket, my local Cosi closed their doors for good. Citing differences with their landlord, Cosi abandoned the location, leaving me with 291 unused coffee credits. The next closest Cosi was 35 minutes away – hardly convenient.

A caffeinated conundrum.

That’s when the accommodating Cosi team stepped up. They could have counted beans and forced me to stick to the original prize parameters. Instead, Cosi recognized that circumstances had changed and offered me a more convenient way to redeem my brew.

Last week, four bags of ground Cosi coffee arrived at my doorstep. An identical package will follow each of the next eight months – completing my full year of coffee. They even let me know that a Cosi-branded tumbler was on the way.

My Cosi Coffee Care Package.

Cosi could have forced me to travel or forfeit my benefits. Instead, they took care of their customer and inspired me to publicly crow about my positive experience.

That’s what good brands do in today’s socially-enhanced society. At any given moment, good and bad experiences are a quick post or tweet away from reaching the world and forming opinions.

Cosi chose to turn my problem into a solution. They were proactive and flexible. Their willingness to satisfy their customer was bold, and really opened my eyes.

Like a good cup of coffee.

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Same Old Jets? Not This Time…I think.

Posted on January 5, 2016 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

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Same Old Jets?

This time was different.

Jets Head Coach, Todd Bowles

Blaming Sunday’s excruciating loss on a “well, that’s just the way it is” mantra is silly. I’ll be honest, I’ve been guilty of it in the past. I’ve been consuming the same old nonsense for over thirty years. It never gets any easier.

Growing up as a Jets fan, the terms “would have,” “could have,” and “should have” were a part of my daily vernacular. I would pepper grade school friends with them trying to defend my team’s yearly failures. Now I plead my case to my wife and children.

But “Same Old Jets?” Not this time.

Like the previous 46 Jets seasons, this one ended without a trophy. Not since Joe Willie waggled that finger back in January of 1969 has this team finished on top. Sunday’s season-ender was disappointing, frustrating, mind-boggling, and typical, but something did feel different about it.

The Jets now have a competent General Manager, a level-headed Coach, a dynamic Wide Receiver tandem, a top defensive unit, and a ton of confidence. By re-signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, they’ll also have an intelligent and physically capable Quarterback who commands the respect of his locker room.

I’m not naïve. None of that guarantees a shot at Super Bowl run. In the NFL, luck is sometimes more important than talent and preparation. One minute you’re primed for a title run, and the next minute your scraping Vinny Testaverde off the turf with a torn Achilles.

It’s very possible, the Jets as presently constituted will never get another opportunity like the one they just lost. They took advantage of a soft schedule, and could have had a very realistic path to Super Bowl 50 in an anemic AFC. Next year could be completely different. Things fall apart quickly in the NFL – just ask Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez.

But I do know one thing. Heading into next season, I trust the people making decisions, and I believe in the process. Something I couldn’t always say about previous regimes.

So, no, I don’t think this is a case of the “Same Old Jets.” I may feel differently one day, looking back on it the same spiteful way I view Leon Johnson’s option pass in Detroit, Doug Brien’s missed field goals in Pittsburgh, or any other of the wacky and seemingly unfathomable ways I’ve seen Jets seasons mercilessly end.

But for now, I choose to view it differently. I choose to be hopeful instead of hopeless.

That kind of positive thinking will help get me through the next nine months.

That’s when I’ll pull out my green and white jersey again, take a deep breath, and put myself through the Same Old Thing all over again.

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365 – A Year-Long Time-Lapse

Posted on November 5, 2015 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

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My daughter had a question.

I had a project.

It was last November, and we were sitting together on our front deck. A blanket of orange, yellow and brown leaves covered our walkway, and she wanted to know where they all came from.

I started to explain the differences between the four seasons, but could tell her four-year-old mind was starting to drift. That’s when I took out my camera and snapped a picture of the displaced foliage.

I decided to take the exact same picture, every day, for the next 364 consecutive days.

Rather than try to tell her about the changing seasons, I figured I could show her.

Initially, my year-long project was a creative way for me to teach my daughter about nature’s seasonal personalities. It morphed into a lesson on committing to a project and seeing it through until the end.

When that end finally did arrive, I edited all 365 images into a short time-lapse video – a 3 minute and 12 second journey from November 2014 to November 2015. The results are below.

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Wild Card Yanks Can Be Anything They Want

Posted on October 6, 2015 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

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The Yankees drew a Wild Card.

They can turn their mediocre hand into something special.

Tanaka Time in the Bronx Tonight vs. the Astros.

The Postseason offers a clean slate for all. Just like in poker, the Yankees can be anything they want to be as a Wild Card.

2’s can be Jacks. 7’s can be Queens.

Ordinary baseball teams can be Kings.

Just ask the 2014 San Francisco Giants.

Sure, the Yanks looked lifeless as they stumbled towards Tuesday night’s one-game playoff at Yankee Stadium. Losers of six of their last seven games, the Yanks weren’t hitting, looked tired, and appeared destined for a quicker hook than Joe Philbin got in Miami.

None of that matters now, though. That’s old news.

They made it to October as a Wild Card. They’ve got a seat at the table – just like those 2000 Yankees, who also sputtered through September and won 87 games. Those guys turned a Wild Card berth into a Championship.

Today’s team shows their hand tonight. It starts with an ace, Masahiro Tanaka. He’ll take the ball in this sudden-death matchup with the Houston Astros – the exact type of game the Yankees envisioned him pitching when they invested $175 million in him prior to the 2014 season.

It’s his biggest moment as a Yankee. It’s the most important game the franchise has had in two years. It’s the type of event that could propel them towards a 28^th title.

October is different. The Yankees organization knows that better than anyone.

Ante up, Yanks! Push those chips to the center of the table.

Tonight, as a Wild Card, they can be anything they want to be.

Perhaps even winners.

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Bernie Williams Did Things His Way, Quietly.

Posted on May 24, 2015 by ByJasonKlein

By Jason Klein

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“Shut Up. Play.”

Bernie Williams stood there and faced the media with those three words quietly displayed on his t-shirt. It was October of 1996, and Williams wore this motivational garb in front of his locker throughout the post season. This subtle reminder personified the Yankees of the mid-90s.

Williams will have his #51 retired tonight.

Those Yankees teams never gloated, always acted as if they had “been there before,” and proceeded to win four World Series titles in five years. When I spoke with Bernie Williams, a few years back, he reflected on his time in pinstripes. All these years later, he still maintained a humble opinion of his years in the Bronx.

“I played on some unbelievable teams, but I was never concerned about where we ranked all-time or anything like that,” he said. “I was just glad to be there and be a part of all the winning.”

Williams, who officially retired earlier this year, will have his #51 follow suit tonight at Yankee Stadium. The switch-hitting legend will take his rightful place among Yankee immortals during a pre-game ceremony – A fitting tribute for a humble man who enjoyed a special career.

“As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to appreciate all the precious moments I had,” he told me. “I was part of a truly great team and I enjoy sitting back and enjoying those moments.”

Williams played on some of the most successful Yankees teams of all-time, and the center fielder had a major role in most of those triumphs. Over the course of his 16-year career – all with the Yankees – Bernie Williams was selected to 5 All-Star Games, won the 1996 ALCS MVP Award, won 4 Gold Gloves for his wizardry in center field, and captured the 1998 Batting Title. Despite all his personal accolades along the way, Williams insisted his greatest memories are team oriented.

“The batting title in 1998 was special, but that whole 1998 team was unbelievable,” he said. “Those are the things I remember the most…the things we accomplished as a team.”

It is that unassuming personality that has landed Bernie a special place in the hearts of most Yankees fans. Adulation that was never more evident to Williams than at the final game ever played at the original Yankee Stadium.

With Bernie Williams

“It was awesome to see the fans embrace me the way they did,” he said. “Especially after being out of the game for a few years. I was so surprised I got introduced after Yogi!”

Williams was invited back the following April to help open the new home of the Yankees. He appeared in center field, playing “Take me out to the ball game” on his guitar, and highlighted an extraordinary day at the new ballpark.

“Playing [the guitar] in center field on Opening Day was weird,” he said. “It was such a bizarre moment. I was in Yankee Stadium, with a guitar, playing in front of a full house. It was such a cool moment. There was so much electricity that day. It reminded me of the old Stadium a lot.”

Inside that old Stadium, Bernie Williams cemented his place in Yankees lore, quietly positioning himself in the record books alongside other Yankees center fielders like Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. Tonight, he’ll join them in Monument Park as well.

“I have no regrets about my career,” he said. “I was part of a great team for 16 years. I am very proud of that, and I did it my way.”

He shut up and just played.

*Updated from original 2009 Piece.

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