The First Time I Saw Derek Jeter

Time for a TBT post, baseball edition of course. 

My friend Lyndsey and I had been 16 for less than a year, and we (actually probably just me since I was the baseball fan) convinced our parents to let us make the 90 mile drive to Angels Stadium by ourselves. We funded the trip (gas, parking, tickets, snacks) with money earned from recycling cans. Plus a little extra help from our parents. Our directions came from Mapquest and had a Thomas Guide Book as backup. We hit the road with Cheeto Puffs, Hot Tamales, and Pepsi and after 2 hours of driving, we made it to the Big A. 

I actually don't remember if that's is how it all went down, but recycling cans for money, having a Thomas Guide Book, and Cheeto Puffs, Hot Tamales, and Pepsi are things definitely happened.

Story time. We got to the game early, sat in our seats, and watched batting practice. We sat next to a father and son and the kid who was no more than 10 years old kept saying that A-Rod was a sucky player. I wasn't having any of that because that's when A-Rod was a big deal, and not a pathetic excuse for a baseball player. I started to banter with the kid and eventually told him that he's the suckiest player, not A-Rod. I went there. Maybe getting told I look like I need exercise was karma for that. Full circle. I hope that kid took my statement to heart and used it as motivation to become the next big prospect for the MLB. MAYBE I SAID THAT TO MIKE TROUT?!! OR BRYCE HARPER?!! Probably not. Sorry about being mean, kid. You didn't deserve that. You called it, A-Rod is the suckiest player.

Anyway, I couldn't tell you how I felt the first time I saw Jeter or if he made any sweet plays or pretty much anything about that game. The only memory I have of that day other than everything mentioned above are these sweet pictures captured by Lyndsey.

Crotch grab :] Hahahaha.

That's about all I've got. You're welcome for the picture quality. They're pictures of pictures. It's crazy to think that this was just about 10 years ago. And crazy to think that this guy became one of the most talented and beloved players in baseball history. And lastly...crazy to think he's done.

  

The Knothole Club, Angels Stadium

I'm writing this post as a PSA to the internet because I did my due diligence in researching this place (like I do with anything and everything else I do) before making a reservation for the Monday night game of the Yankees series I recently attended. I found nothing. So I'm putting the info I learned when checking in for our Monday night reservation out in the world so others can learn from my "misunderstanding."

via

The Knothole Club is a restaurant at Angels Stadium that sits in the club level section above right field. They've got indoor seating and a bar as well as some tables in an outside patio. Looks like a super cool place, with a bomb.com menu. Reservations can be made through Open Table. When you make your reservation, make sure you read and understand the following statement:

"PLEASE NOTE THAT ACCESS AND RESERVATIONS FOR THE FIRST SEATING ARE RESERVED FOR CLUB LEVEL TICKET HOLDERS ONLY. GUESTS FROM OTHER SEATING SECTIONS WILL ONLY BE ALLOWED ACCESS AFTER FIRST PITCH. THE SECOND SEATING WILL BE BASED OFF OF FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE AND NO RESERVATIONS WILL BE TAKEN."  

This means that even though you go onto their website and make a reservation you will absolutely not get in at your designated reservation time unless you've got a game ticket in the 300 level sections of the stadium. The only other exception seems to be season ticket holders. That notice above is posted on the first page of their opentable site, and don't see it again until you get a confirmation/reminder e-mail. You've gotta be a REAL SMOOTH (smoother than me, someone who has kind of been able to talk their way into a lot of stuff) to be an exception. Anyone sitting in other sections of the stadium is welcome to come into the place and and out [if room allows] after the first pitch. 

Monday's seats

Okay, now that I'm done with that PSA, let me tell you how I learned this zero exception lesson: I bought nosebleed tickets for my friend and I to the Monday night Yankees game. The plan was to just get in and wander around the stadium instead of sit in our seats. I researched some SRO (standing room only) areas at the stadium and came across the Knothole Club. I did some Yelp reading and saw mentions of reservation trouble but it was about opening day. It's been a month since then, so I figured all the kinks had been sorted out. I didn't rely on that though. So I called all the available numbers. One is disconnected. Another is the general number to the stadium and was told they don't have the option to transfer to the club and anyone who could be reached didn't have/know any information. The last phone number was some sort of manager. I called 3 different times, no answer, get a voicemail. Left one message, never heard back. Figured we'd take a shot, make the reservation and hope everything works out. We get to the stadium Monday night at like 4:40 pm because our reservation is at 5:00 pm. Well...the main stadium gates by the huge helmets open at 5:00 pm on the dot, and all the other side gates open at 5:30 pm. There is a long ass line in front of the helmets about a 20 minute wait. Now I'm super concerned that even though we were at the stadium on time, we might lose the spot because of the line. Once we get in to the stadium, we book it to the place, ride the elevator, am told I look like I can use some exercise, and get to the door of the restaurant. In front of us are 2 other groups of people who had reservations without club level seats and either skipped the above notice, misunderstood it, or were just trying to talk their way in. Well the other two groups of people were able to swing it in their favor because they USED to be [*are not currently] Angels season ticket holders. I tried to make my Padres season ticket membership work, no dice. That's when we went to complain to the "captain" [who has not contacted me since the "incident"] and then carried on with our night. To make matters worse, Yankees lost. It was not a good Monday.

That's it. Hopefully people trying to get in come across this and learn from my mistake, and avoid getting called fat. I'm just super bummed that it didn't work out after doing tons of research, including Twitter and Instagram stalking, and was not satisfied with the level of customer service throughout the whole process. And obviously, this isn't something I experienced by myself because I'm dumb, because we walked up to the entrance and found two other groups having the same issue I was about to have. I understand why they have a restriction and limit entrance to certain people at the beginning, but include something on opentable where people either have to check a box saying they've read the notice, or have people type in or reply to an e-mail with their seats and make them aware of not being able to come in at a certain time despite the reservation. I just think it could be handled a lot better than it was. 

Next time, on the blog: a recap of the rest of the series. It got better.  

If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say...

Word. Kind of. Because telling someone to GFY isn't very nice. But the person this is directed to was a total asshole and deserves it.

I'm in Orange County right now for the Yankees series against the Angels. I look forward to it every year because it's usually the closest thing I get to a vacation. My friend and I get to the game early last night because we have reservations at the Knothole Club, a restaurant in the stadium. The only way to get to this restaurant was to take the elevator so my friend and I pile in with a bunch of other fans and the elevator operator. I am the only Yankees fan on that elevator. The elevator operator, George, begins to engage in some rivalry banter about the two teams and I kind of just stand there and smile. I'm used to hearing how much the Yankees suck and blah blah blah. I don't really argue over it anymore. Also, I'm focused on the time since we're already late for our reservation. 

What happened next was total and complete disrespect, made it personal, and kind of ruined my night. We approach the floor of the restaurant and the elevator operator notifies everyone that we'll be getting out in a second. Except for me, the Yankees fan because I'm not allowed in. Hehe. More stupid shit talking. Whatever. And that he'll let me out but I can't get back on the elevator when I leave...but it's okay because "you look like you could use the exercise." ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!! I kind of brushed it off when he said it and sarcastically said something like "oh yeah, definitely."

I complained to this guy's boss, some sort of "captain" at the stadium, but still wasn't totally satisfied. How on earth does this guy think it's okay to say something like that, not only to a stranger...but to a guest at your place of employment?! Doesn't everyone go through some sort of orientation where you learn not to be rude to guests at your work place because it reflects negatively on the business?!! I wasn't wearing anything revealing where my fucking fat rolls were spilling out or anything that gives away that I'm totally obese and need some exercise. Just some boots, leggings, a Yankees t-shirt, and my cape thing over that t-shirt. I'm not skinny or thin or whatever this guy's threshold is for people who no longer need to exercise. I know that. And if you read this blog, you'll know that's something I'm working on prior to the asshole's statement. BUT YOU DON'T SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO A STRANGER. Especially one who has done absolutely nothing to you.

I'm not going to lose sleep over this. Or going to extremes like starving myself to look like a female who no longer need to exercise. Or kill myself over it. I'm not looking for people to tell me I'm beautiful just the way I am or that I don't need to lose weight or any other self esteem boosters. I'm just venting about how lame some people can be.

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. And GFY George.   

Weekend Update: DALE!

What. A. Weekend. It was so much fun :]

Friday: I headed up to Anaheim to watch some Yankees baseball and hang out with Holley. The game was a stinker because the Yanks lost and Angels stadium no longer carries my favorite… a yard of margarita. I had to settle for the tiny ones from the bar. Watched a sweet post game fireworks show, I love fireworks!

Shout out to my super oily nose!

I'm sad we lost. She's happy they won. 

So pretty! 

After the game we headed to The OC, had some drinks, and played some ping pong. Also ran into a guy named Steve. He lived every baseball fan’s dream and went to all 162 game of the Yankees 2011 season. Scored a copy of his book. I can’t wait to read it!  

 

Saturday: Game 2. Got to the game early and “tailgated” except not really because there’s no booze allowed in the parking lot of the stadium. I poured my vodka sprite into my Rubio’s cup from lunch and got a lot of buzzed. Watch a horse cop (booze surveillance) get his panties in a bunch because the parking security told him he’s in the way of the cars and needs to move. “We’re doing official police business. I’m not just a guy with a badge and a gun who thinks he can do whatever he wants…” Yankees lost this second game, met up with friends that were in town for the game.   

More margaritas!

Our sweet seats we "upgraded" to :]

Headed to The OC again and our ping pong plans were postponed due to the UFC fight. Man that is a brutal sport. Didn't end up playing ping pong since the table was stashed away for the fight. Played some pool, but I had to cut the night short because I wasn't feeling well…migraine and tiredness are not a good mix.

Sunday: Woke up early and headed back to San Diego to catch my dad before he left to wish him a happy Father’s day but I missed him. Spent the morning shopping for a gift for him and somehow went from buying a card with Padres tickets for the following Sunday, to a digital camera, to a new grill. How did that happen?!! Lol.

Took off at night to meet up with Caroline and Chelsea for the Ke$ha/Pitbull show…which was interesting to say the least. Got there about an hour before show time and the tailgate lot was essentially empty. It was fun people watching Ke$ha’s crazy fans. Lots of glitter, eye shadow, lack of clothes, fur coats, and guyliner…among other nonsense...but to each their own. The opening band/crew was a bunch of Australian kids that were pretty much in training for Thunder From Down Under. Chelsea was the first to spot some baseball players…Casey Kelly who we've met before and Yonder Alonso from the Padres.

#tresamigos <3

Casey Kelly! Padres pitcher.

YONDER ALONSO! Padres 1st baseman.

The best way to describe Ke$ha’s show was a combination between a shit show and a tranny orgy. I didn’t realize how totally vulgar and inappropriate some of her music is. It was kind of sucky because there were kids in the audience. Didn't get very good pictures because I just had my phone, but they wouldn't do either show justice.

L-R: Bunny Rabbit, Ke$ha, Rooster.

CONFETTI CANNONS!

 Our reason for being there was Pitbull. LOVE his music. It is so fun to dance to. This was definitely one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. I didn’t sit once throughout his entire set. DALE! Ugh So much fun. I wish last night never ended.

LOVE HIM!

This Monday morning decided to bring me down from this weekend's could 9…woke up to a screw in my tire, which I just got only about a week ago. Blegh. Got it patched on my way to work...but still lame. 

Bring on the week!

Yankees baseball!

At about high noon, I peace out from work and hit the road to Orange County for a couple of nights. It will be a much deserved getaway after working my butt off in school, moving, and at work. I'll get to spend some time with my friend Holley while we catch the Yankees play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...of California of the Western United States of the Northern Hemisphere of planet Earth. 

For those that don't know, I am a Yankees fan. Yep. I am indeed. It'd be hard to figure out since I only blog about the Padres...a team I have season tickets for but my heart truly belongs to the Bronx bombers. Living in San Diego, 3,000 miles away from the Yankees, people are surprised to learn that I'm a Yankees fan and the first thing they ask is if I'm from New York. Nope. See, it all started in 1998 when I was a wee lass of 10 years old and my favorite team, the San Diego Padres had made it to the World Series. Finally! Well, we got our butts kicked by this marvelous team from the big city, New York! I was hooked. A team that could sweep the best I knew (hey, gimme a break...I was 10) was A-OK in my book. I jumped on the bandwagon and have been riding it ever since, 15 years strong! Check out this '98 Yankees team. How can you NOT love them?!!

Sorry for the short quick blurb today...super busy day so if I want to check out by 12, I've gotta start working!

Music I love, 6/13/13 Edition

Thursdayyyyyyy! I've been looking forward to you :] Why? Because it's almost Friday and on Friday I get to skip town for a couple of nights to Orange County to hang out with a friend and watch some Yankees baseball :] and then the Pitbull concert Sunday! Finally. 

So I've blogged about this one time before, but there is SO much music on the radio that I am loving right now, I had to share...

ARIANA GRANDE- THE WAY FEAT. MAC MILLER

I love Disney and Nickelodeon shows, including Victorious. Cat was my favorite character on the show! I'll totally admit to recording Ariana's new show Sam & Cat :] Anyways, when I first heard this song I totally thought it was Mariah Carey. Legit sounds like her. Obv. a little younger, but there are similarities. Love the awkward Mac Miller in this too.

MARIAH CAREY- BEAUTIFUL FEAT. MIGUEL

Speaking of Mariah...this song is gold. I love it. Mariah is a legend and besides that award show jump that might have caused damage to a fan...Miguel can do no wrong. I fell in love after seeing him in concert a few months back. Now thatyou've listened to the two, tell me Mariah and Ariana don't sound alike. I dare you.

ROBIN THICKE- BLURRED LINES FEAT. T.I. & PHARRELL

I really don't know what to say about this song other that it is fun. And 3 beautiful men have collaborated to give is a great summer song!

PITBULL- FEEL THIS MOMENT FEAT. CHRISTINA AGUILERA

Mr. Worldwide! I had to throw him in here A) because I love this song...but more importnantly B) I love Pitbull and I'm seeing him with Caroline and Chelsea this weekend! Whe I was younger and used to go out dancing regularly, I'd wear heels that killed my feet. I'd take breaks to sit and give my feet some rest...every time a Pitbull song would get played I'd hop up and run (in that way that girls whose heels are hurting them do) to my friends and dance for the song. Once it was over, I'd peace out and sit again...until the next Pitbull song. Excited for Sunday!

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE-CRUISE FEAT. NELLY

FGL is the duo that people are obsessing over right now in regards to country music. I kind of get it, they've got good music. But I don't see the hotness that everyone else does. Meh. Love the original Cruise but I do have to say I'm happy for them to be on Top 40 radio thanks to the help of Nelly. 

That's it for now :] What do you think? Do I have good music obsessions right now? Anything you think I should hear? Let me know!

Tim McGraw!

Tonight is Tim McGraw! So excited. He's one of my favorites...and totally hot! Keeping with Sarah's fan friday, let's talk about the last time I saw Tim...last summer at Angels stadium :]

I've been there plenty of times in the last 10-ish years because I'm a Yankees fan and that's as close as my team gets to San Diego, but I've never seen a concert there!

I had really been wanting to go to this show but A) face value tickets sold out asap B) no one I knew wanted to spend the 3rd party resale prices C) the drive is a hop, skip, and a jump away plus some 100 miles, give or take D) I was also holding out because Tim was giving out homes to wounded military members and are you ready for this...the godson of one of the ladies who works in my office was gifted a home! I was hoping she'd be able to score me a ticket...but no luck. I guess I just wasn't meant to go. UNTIL a buddy sent out a mass text that the first one to reply would score his extra ticket since a friend of his bailed. My phone sits right on my desk at work so I jumped at the opportunity and beat out the rest! A couple of days later we hit the road due North and arrived at Angels stadium...wayyyy early. We tailgated a little, I drank some beer, made a flag out of cans, and they caught one of the best shows of my life. 

The stage sat out on short center field/ 2nd base and there were just masses of people there. The dreamy Jake Owen opened the show...and one of the things that I love about him is he plays barefoot! Then Grace Potter took the stage and was cool, but she probably should have played before Jake since a lot of people don't know many of her songs and she kind of killed the mood after Jake had already pumped up the crowd. Then the main event...Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw! Kenny played a bunch of his songs and then Tim took the stage and played all of his greats! 1st time hearing "Truck Yeah!" and I loved it! Minus the "lil wayne bumpin in my headphones" lyrics. Not a fan of Wayne. Surprise appearance by Ashton Kutcher, a duet by Kenny and Tim, and then a group song with Jake, Grace, Kenny, and Tim! Not many details about what they sang because it was almost a year ago and I don't remember all of them, but trust me when I well you...it was an amazing concert that was kicked up 1000% because it was at Angels stadium! 

Check out the pics:

My ride. Go Yankees!

'merica!

As far as we were...these seats were still awesome!

BEER! Blegh.

TIM!

If I remember correctly...I made a friend in the bathroom, lol.

Thinking back...I saved my camera for Tim since he was my favorite of everyone and because of that, I missed out on pictures of everyone else. Oh well. Still a legit show :]

This was my second show at a ball park, the first was Dierks Bentley at Petco Park a couple of summers ago and I think I like this theme. Not sure when my next one will be, but I definitely like having my two favorites, country music and baseball in one! I think Kenny is doing another stadium tour this summer so if he's in your hood, I totally recommend going!

I can't wait until tonighttttt! Should be amazingggg!

Baseball Dry Spell

I don’t really know how link-ups/ blog hops work, but I’m doing my first one today...hopefully I did it right! It’s with Sarah over at Venus trapped in Mars. I seriously love that blog. That chick knows so much about sports, is pretty hilarious, and her designs are awesome. My blog hopes to grow up and be like her :]

So we’re pretty much supposed to blog about anything sports related (favorite sport, team, player, a game you went to, something happening in the sports world, etc.) every Friday. This was introduced earlier this week and the timing couldn't have been more perfect because I had a Padres game today. For those that don’t know…4 of my friends and I have season tickets to the Padres games and it’s probably the best investment I've ever made!

Season ticket crew: Ashley, Marcus, Lime, Chels, and I.

Home is section 134

What a great view!

One of the perks of our seats...stretching!

Last night I made the tough decision to switch out tonight’s ticket (and tickets to 3 other games) to tickets on 6/16 for Father’s day. I graduated college (2 weeks ago!) and jumped head first into work. I usually take a Monday or Friday off every week over the summer but I've been so busy these last 2 weeks that I've had to work M-F! Hopefully I get caught up by next week and I’ll have some time to chill…except that my family is in the middle of moving and we've spent the last week sprucing up (paint, flooring, windows, etc.) the “crack house” as I like to call it. I just couldn't justify taking off from work early when I has so much to do AND losing a night of working on the crack house.

My last ball game was May 19^th, and my next game will be June 14^th…there’s a 25 day gap where I will not have been to a baseball game! Thankfully, that weekend will be full of baseball! Yankees vs. Angels on 6/14 & 6/15 and Padres vs. DBacks 6/16!   

30 DAY CHALLENGE: DAY 21

THANKSGIVING EVE! YAY!

In other news, yesterday's post inspired me! I went to the craft store and got some paint & paint brushes for a project I want to do this Thanksgiving break :] Stay tuned!

Day 21 – A hobby of yours. 

Do I even have to say it? Baseball.

I've been a fan for as long as I can remember. I remember falling asleep at Qualcomm as a kid when the Padres played there. Things have changed over time and although I love the San Diego Padres, considering they're my hometown team, the New York Yankees are my favorite team, and have been for the last 14 years. My love for baseball has grown so much that as of the 2012 season, I became a season ticket holder for the Padres! [Which I renewed for 2013!]

The view from our seats

Which many would think isn't so great, but I love them. Especially because this is the view to our left...

We got so many souvenirs because of our close proximity to the players! At the end of the season, I think I had like 6 baseballs in my bedroom!

We also got to do cool stuff like movie nights at the stadium and brunch on the field on Sunday mornings :]

I guess I'd consider it a hobby since I put so much time and effort into planning stuff related to baseball like our AWOF trips. My best friends and I head up to Anahiem every year when the Yankees are in town and spend the weekend up there watching the games! It takes a lot of coordinating between booking hotels, finding train tickets, affordable ball game tickets, and buying food and drinks but completely worth it!

This is one of my favorite pictures ever!

That's Chelsea & I under A-Rod's elbow :]

We scored dugout seats one time!

HOW MANY DAYS UNTIL SPRING TRAINING?!!