Move-In Day for Trippers

It was move-in day for the Road Trippers. They gathered in their new digs at an undisclosed location in Manhattan. An exterior shot of the building evokes the memory of the classic TV show "The Odd Couple," you can almost hear the 70s jazzy theme and imagine the dry narrator saying "Can six Yankee fans live together without driving each other crazy?"

The apartment seems nice enough, neatly decorated with each cast member's bedroom indicated by a street sign bearing the name of their uniform # "sponsor." This will be Brenda's ("Strawberry") first time away from home. We get some product placement in the form of the big-screen JVC TV. Eddie ("Clubthumper") has wonderful comments about Rochester, calling it "The Boonies." He is also pretty quick to question his own teammates knowledge of things Yankee. Remember when I gave Shelli the nickname of "CaliGrrl?" That's just the way Justin ("Muggs") describes her. When the gang gets settled in, they watch a DVD of Don "Donnie Baseball" Mattingly welcoming them to their new home, and gives them their marching orders for the next day. A pizza party breaks out and a good time was had by all.

The Road Trippers go to the theater of the improv comedy troupe, the Upright Citizen's Brigade. The teams get coached by professionals on the ins and outs of improvisational comedy. They have only hours to prepare for each team to perform a set in front of a live audience. **Here is a bit of trivia, you would not otherwise get by watching the show** -- Did you know that the McManus pub, the very one where "Muggs" just previously poured suds, is but a few blocks away from the UCB? Didja know that many comedians from the UCB hang out at "McM's?" It is a favorite of the likes of former Saturday Night Live castmember Horatio Sanz. It is not clear if Muggs has shared this info with all of his fellow castmembers. If not, that's OK. This is a competition after all.

The performances:
First up is the Roadies. Indio ("Estebador") works the crowd very well. As a working "topic" for them to perform 10 minute's of material, they are given "National Biscuit." It is fairly off-the-wall, but they roll with it. CaliGrrrl is a burst of energy, leading a cheer. She makes a spelling mistake which draws a big laugh, and that was a great ice-breaker. While we do not see the whole performance, the show's edit indicates they kept up a good level of energy, and had great pace and timing throughout their performance. Estebador performs physical feats, acting like a dog and rolling around. I had a slight problem here. I felt it was disrespecting to the Yankee uniform to roll around the floor on it. If the boss, George Steinbrenner, had been tuning in at that moment, I don't think he would appreciate seeing a Yankee uniform being treated in such a way. I don't blame Indio, as I'm sure that the Roadies were required to wear their uniform for this challenge. Checking the credits is a bit time consuming, and trying to lay the blame on the host Michelle Beadle ... well, that's just crazy talk.

Quite literally, the Homeys had a tough act to follow. For starters they drew the working topic of "Dave Roberts." Strawberry Blonde Brenda doesn't know who he is, and Dougy ("Conan The Librarian") does a gentlemanly thing and asks the judge (a Red Sox fan, in uniform) to explain the reference. Although their UCB "coach" taught them that this was the right thing to do, this cost them some "points." Dave Roberts was a journeyman infielder who pinch-ran for the Sawx when they made the great comeback against the Yankees. He stole a base that started a "small-ball" rally. In Red Sawx Nation mythology, that was a very big moment, along the lines of Aaron Boone's homer in the 11th inning of the ALCS in 2003. It's sad that their key moment is a stolen base, and that we have all these great home runs to speak of. To us, the Dave Roberts steal is about as trivial as say, making a Sawx fan recall Mickey Rivers' bat. What, you don't know what Mickey Rivers' bat did?! Late in the division Championship Game 1978 with the Yankees down 2-0, on-deck hitter Mickey Rivers heard the batter's bat break. He called his teammate over and lent him his own bat. On the next pitch, the batsman Bucky Dent lined a hanging curve ball over Fenway Park's "Green Monster" outfield fence to put the Yankees up for good.

Thus disadvantaged with an obscure topic, the Homies tried their best. It did not seem funny at all, at least according to the YES network edit. The result: The Roadies not only score tickets for the next 3 home games versus the Baltimore Orioles, but the tickets for the first road series in Minnesota.

While the Roadies enjoy the game, the Homeys get a special delivery from the Bagel deliveryman. Strawberry Blonde answers the door in a tight t-shirt, which sort of distracts from what happens next. Michelle Beadle shows up, and throws the Homies a "curve." There will be a Lotto-style challenge, and one of the three Homies will be able to go see the next 5 games. Each Homie goes in turn, as Michelle draws a ping pong ball with a year and number printed on them. They must correctly guess the name of the player who wore the uniform. Right off the bat, Clubtumper blows his first test "2003 #18," (Jeff Weaver.) Strawberry Blonde gets an easy one "2003 #33," (David Wells.) Conan The Librarian is solid with his answers. Clubthumper does a bit of whining, and Strawberry Blonde is shown either getting easy ones or having her wild guesses be correct. Clubthumper is the first to be eliminated, and is not a good sport about it. With Conan The Librarian on the hot seat, Strawberry Blonde draws Joe D.'s "1948 #5" while Dougy doesn't get the wonderfully obscure "Doc" Medich (#33 from 1975.)

Tubthumper lashes out at the poor girl: "You got Monument Park numbers, how can you loose..." That's No Class, Eddie. I advise you to drop uniform #21, you do not wear it well. Paul O'Neill was passionate about the game, but would only get in a rage over his own performance. If Tino Martinez got good pitches to hit and then drilled them, Paulie would no doubt be one of the first to congratulate his fellow teammate. He only got upset and took it out on inanimate objects if he did something to let his team down. It looks like Clubthumper has some lessons to learn about teamwork.

The Roadies are out in the cold watching the game, and on split-screen we see the Homey's lounging in front of the (product placement) JVC big screen TV. A-Rod launches an A-Bomb! Alex "The Third Baseman" Rodriguez hits a walk-off grand slam, a bona-fide bases loaded homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game by a score of 8-6. The split-screen of both groups experiencing the game was quite delightful. The Homies rub it in to Brenda, who wears #13, A-Rod's number, by boasting that they were there to the bitter end and saw it live.

The following day, The Homies prepare to go to the next game. Strawberry Blonde surprises them by telling them that she has won the Curveball, and will be joining them. Estebador is quick to realize that this means there is a four way tie for which Road Tripper has gone to the most games. As it stands, Estebador, CaliGrrrl, Muggs, and Strawberry Blonde will all be tied at six, pending the outcome of the road series at Minnesota.

As the Ultimate Road Trip (URT) Index will count which Road Tripper goes to the most games, the Sly Robbie Index (SRI) will keep track of which Road Tripper helps or harms the Yankees the most. This is to celebrate the great dichotomy of the rhyme and reason of baseball in New York. As soon as George Steinbrenner purchased the team way back when, he had a quote placed prominently in the Yankee clubhouse. It was by General Douglas MacArthur: "There is no substitute for victory." This quote has inspired many Yankees championship teams. Back in 1951 the Brooklyn Dodgers, noting that the great General frequented the Polo Grounds to watch the Giants, invited him to come to Ebbet's Field. The General came to a total of 13 Dodger home games, and the Dodgers lost every single one of them. The Dodgers also lost the pennant by exactly 13 games. Coinkydink? I don't think so. One of these Road Trippers is going to be a Good Luck Charm for the Yankees. Another will be the proverbial Albatross. So, as the YES network calculates who attends the most games, and the Road Trippers divvy up the material prizes, Sly Robbie will be watching to see who blesses, and who curses the team with their very presence. As of the conclusion of Episode 2, all of them have been presence for one victory, and four of them have brought the Yankees two losses. In the coming weeks, the SRI will seperate the Wheat from the Chaff.

A whole new ballgame

Season 3 of the YES Network's Ultimate Road Trip unveiled last week. The UTR is a reality show on the Yankees' network, where a group of fans attend all 162 regular season Yankees baseball games and enjoy adventures as they follow their favorite team from city to city on the road trips. The show is hosted by the ever lovely Michelle Beadle, who previously hosted shows on The Discovery Channel, Travel Channel and also Animal Planet. She has also reported on Professional Bull riding for TNN, Under the Helmet, for the NFL, and many other sports programmes. Blonde, beautiful ... she could wear sweat pants and a T-shirt and read the phone book and I would tune in just to watch her.

Anyway ... the Road Trip. Unlike previous seasons, where 4 fans adventured together, this year's crew is split into two teams of three. They compete for prizes, as in previous years, but the twist this time around is that only one of the crews will actually attend games. I'm not sure if that this is a change for the better. Part of the great adventure was the camaraderie, and even though Road Trippers past would have mini-competitions for prizes, such as home electronics, CDs, airline tickets, etc., the "unity" of folks from diverse backgrounds getting together to cheer on the Yanks was what made this show likable.

The teams:
Homebodies (wearing the Yankee Pinstripe uniforms):
Brenda (wearing A-Rod's #13), Eddie (wearing Paul O'Neill's #21), and Dougy (wearing Lou Gehrig's #4)

Roadies (wearing the New York road Uniforms)
Justin (wearing Mariano Rivera's #42), Shelli (wearing Don Mattingly's #23), and Indio (wearing Hideki Matsui's #55)

About them:
You can probably get their "spin" on themselves on their own blogs.

Here is my initial impression:
Indio is from The Bronx, and grew up in the shadow of Yankee Stadium. He is of Guyanese and Puerto Rican ancestry, a true representative of the "melting pot" that the borough is known for. His intro showed the old neighborhood, the lot where he used to play stickball, and him hangin' with his chulos -- his good friends. He was the toughest one I had to come up with a nickname for. "Bronx" is abit too generic and "Papi" is already taken by that DH in New England. On his blog, he says that as the sole representative of the Bronx, he feels he is carrying the community on his shoulder -- so he is a kind of stevedore, in Spanish: "Estibador."

Brenda hails from Rochester, NY. An upstate girl, who worked her way up through the ranks to become a Manager at Wegman's food store. Now, if any of you have never experienced Wegman's, you are missing a treasure. They are huge and semi-upscale food/department stores. They combine the value of the big-box stores with top quality merchandise. She has the requisite ton of Yankee memorabilia in her bedroom, and retains a girly-girl quality. She looks great in pink, and is a true beauty with strawberry blonde hair. And her friends are hot! Nickname: "Strawberry."

Eddie seems to be a favorite, having come close to being a road tripper in previous auditions. This time he has made the grade. He fits the image of the "Italian guy from Brooklyn," who now lives in Queens. He is a teacher by day, and photographer/greeter/host at nightclubs by night. He seems popular with the ladies and doesn't miss the opportunity to let people know. If I were cruel, I'd tag him as "Iroc" or "Lounge-lizard," but the URT season is young. For now, he's "Clubthumper."

Next up is Shelli, a cutie from Bakersfield, CA. In some regards, she reminds me of The Fairest of Them All --Christa Robinson. West coast gal who loves the Yanks and has come to New York to make it in the TV sports business. Shelli is depicted as an athletic type, a real tomboy. No Barbies for her -- an old photo shows her decked out in catcher's gear, and her dad tells us she has had 3 concussions. She seems to have a bit of a competitive streak. Nickname: "CaliforniaGrrrl."

Justin is straight out of Central Casting for "The Black Donnellys," with the typical "Black Irish" looks and good-time demeanor. He is the fourth-generation of a clan that runs the oldest family-owned bar in New York City, Peter McManus Cafe in Chelsea. Seeing as how "The Black Donnellys" just got canceled by NBC, nicknames referencing that fine show will seem quaint by season's end. Given the family business, and that he was cast for looks, Justin earns the nickname "Muggs."

Dougy is the Jersey boy of the bunch. He has the requisite Yankees shrine at home, and is shown as the youngest brother of the family. He seems to have a hot competitive streak, playing tennis and other sports. First impression is that he may tend to not take losing very well. On the plus side he seems very intelligent, and works as a librarian. Yes, that's right. A librarian. From the suburbs of Jersey. OK, maybe it does not have the same ring to it as the guy from the streets of the Bronx, or the brawler from Brooklyn, or the Irish guy who keeps order in the bar. But I think Dougy has what it takes to hold his own. Hence the nickname: "Conan the Librarian."

The first competition is held at Richmond County Bank Ballpark the home of the New York Yankees' Single-A affiliate, the Staten Island Yankees (aka the Baby Bombers), located along the waterfront at St. George, the northernmost tip of Staten Island. The first three contests pit one member of the Homebodies versus the Roadies in games of Hustle, Skill and Knowledge.

In Hustle, each competitor has ten minutes to find baseballs that are hidden within the confines of the ballpark. "Estibador" goes slow and steady, methodically going section-by-section. "Strawberry" seems to is not having as much success, berated by her teammates for a lack of hustle. The pretty lass overlooks some areas, and Indio takes advantage. In the end he brings home an early lead for the Roadies, as "Strawberry" can't make it back from dead centerfield in time to get a crucial pair of balls home.

Skill tests the players' ability to lay down a bunt, as thrown by a batting-practice pitching machine. "Clubthumper" whiffs on his first three tries, but finds his groove, dropping six of the next seven perfectly. "CaliGrrrl" does not do as well, making only 3, but she did make good contact and had several roll foul. We see a bit of her temper, which does not do Donnie Baseball's #23 proud. Grrrr, CaliGrrrl. If you insist on wearing #23, you better live up to the legacy.

Knowledge consists of 10 Yankees trivia questions. #1 name the 2 Yankee Hall of Fame Players who won the triple crown (Mickey Mantle and Gehrig); #2 In which stadium did The Babe famously call his homerun (Wrigley Field); #3 How many times did Billy Martin serve as Yankees' manager (five); #4 What was Brain Cashman's first job in the Yankees' organization (intern); #5 What is Yogi Berra's real name (Lawrence Peter Berra); #6 How many American League Pennants have the Yankees won (39); #7 who was the last Yankee to hit for the cycle (Tony Fernandez); #8 Name 3 Yankees to have won 3 MVP awards (Mantle, Berra, Joe DiMaggio); #9 Mariano Rivera notched save #400 versus which team (Chicago White Sox); and #10 name 1 of 3 Yankees to have pitched a no-hitter versus the Red Sox (Dave Righetti, Allie Reynolds, George Mogridge);

Each contestant could receive help on only one question. "Conan the Librarian" rocked. He got 9 out of 10 correct, missing only #8 by naming Lou Gehrig instead of Joe D. He really did not need any help, but looked to his teammates to confirm the Billy Martin question. "Muggs" didn't do as well. His intro segment had built him up to be a fountain of Yankee knowledge, but he ended up getting only 2 out of 10 right.

As a result, the homebodies scored the tickets for Opening Day and the series that followed. The roadies sort of sulked. I'm not sure I'm going to like seeing things get ugly when the competitive spirit turns the Yankee fans against each other. It was much better when there was a spirit of teamwork, sometimes even taking things a little easier so that one of their fellow Road Trippers can win a prize they had their eye on. I foresee things getting a little more cutthroat with this bunch. I'm hoping I''m wrong, as some of the new crew (Indio, Justin) seem like genuinely nice folks, and I'd hate to see greed and heated competition bring out the worst in them.