Yankees For Justice

Todd Drew, Rest In Peace

2009-01-17T12:56:00.004-05:00

Todd Drew (May 13, 1967 - January 15, 2009)

A memorial service will be held Sunday January 18th at 3:00 pm at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 West 76th at Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY.

Yankee hats and casual attire are encouraged.

Donations may be made in Todd’s memory to:

ACLU
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor,
New York, NY 10004

Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Inc,
1930 Randall Avenue,
Bronx, NY 10473

The Doe Fund,
232 East 84th Street,
New York, NY 10028
(holistic program to meet the needs of a diverse population working to break the cycle of homelessness).

Posted by Todd's friend, Michael

Off-Season Surgery

2008-12-22T11:07:00.000-05:00

I am scheduled for off-season surgery tomorrow. I will be in the hospital for 10 days and out of action for a few weeks. I have already faced cancer with my father and my mother. Baseball was there for me both times. I wrote about that over at Bronx Banter.

They Never Ask

2008-12-21T21:35:00.000-05:00

Nobody ever asks what I think. But I went ahead and told the guys on the corner of Gerard Avenue and East 157th Street anyway. Since I didn’t get punched it was okay to write it all down at Bronx Banter.

Any Price

2008-12-21T20:17:00.000-05:00

The word on the street is all about big arms and big bats. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett will help anchor a strong rotation and Manny Ramirez may come to the Bronx where he has done so much damage for the other side.

“Manny bashing homers for us would be great,” said a man on Broadway this afternoon. “I would call that poetic justice.”

And justice is worth any price.

Struggling Forward

2008-12-20T17:45:00.000-05:00

Life is hard for a lot of people these days. There are no jobs and those without a paycheck are quickly without a home. It’s probably not going to get better anytime soon, but the Yankees are loading up for a run at the World Series. Last night I talked to a man who is struggling, but is also looking forward to a great baseball summer. The story is over at Bronx Banter.

Pricey

2008-12-19T18:56:00.000-05:00

I bought all the newspapers this morning: The New York Times, the Daily News, the New York Post and Newsday. It cost a bundle – three dollars in all – but it was worth is for the wall-to-wall coverage of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

A Great Day

2008-12-18T19:03:00.000-05:00

Even bad days can offer something.

This was one I would usually pass off as a loss and look forward to a better tomorrow, but CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett were introduced in the Bronx and that made everything alright.

Yeah, this was a great day to be a Yankees fan.

Better Days

2008-12-17T13:14:00.000-05:00

Better days are coming for my friend Karl with a K. He thinks better days are coming for all Yankees. I agree. The story is over on Bronx Banter.

Bet Your Life

2008-12-16T18:06:00.000-05:00

There is a guy from the Bronx who bets his heart and his soul and his life on the Yankees. The story is on Bronx Banter.

Everyone

2008-12-15T18:37:00.000-05:00

The Yankees seem determined to remember all of us this holiday season. A couple of guys talked it over on Bronx Banter.

Curveball

2008-12-14T12:20:00.000-05:00

Ian Kennedy found his curveball in Puerto Rico. I met an old man in the Bronx who lost one there many years ago. The story is over at Bronx Banter.

Toe the Line

2008-12-13T11:31:00.001-05:00

Yankees fans toe the line between love and hate. Mark me down as being clearly on the love side for A.J. Burnett. My story is over on Bronx Banter.

Rotation

2008-12-12T22:54:00.000-05:00

Things are coming together in the Bronx. The rotation is shaping up nicely and it’s going to be a beautiful baseball summer.

Nothing

2008-12-11T18:11:00.001-05:00

Derek Jeter – the man who means everything in the Bronx – is the master of saying nothing.

This is what he told reporters about CC Sabathia during the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.

“If this were to happen [since the deal isn’t finalized], it would be a great first step.”

He gives the media nothing and they have to like because everyone in this neighborhood loves The Captain.

Money Maker

2008-12-10T09:40:00.000-05:00

The finest baseball minds in the Bronx are talking about the CC Sabathia deal and one man is making money on it. Hear what Juan Carlos has to say and what he serves the guys over at Bronx Banter.

Safe At Home

2008-12-09T14:14:00.000-05:00

Alex Rodriguez may be a target in the rest of the country, but he is safe at home in the Bronx. The whole story is on Bronx Banter.

Bridge Work

2008-12-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

I took a walk across the 145th Street Bridge and got a new view of an old friend. The story is over at Bronx Banter.

World Series Gods

2008-12-07T19:20:00.000-05:00

My friend Jose Calero received a sign from the baseball gods. It points to a World Series victory for the Yankees. I covered this religious experience over at Bronx Banter.

Job Loss

2008-12-06T19:06:00.001-05:00

Jobs are nearly impossible to find these days so people are doing everything to hold onto what they have. This was just one daring move in the Bronx that I wrote about over on Banter.

Library Card

2008-12-05T17:49:00.002-05:00

A library card gave me the world. “The World of Jimmy Breslin,” “The World According to Breslin” and “Nobody Asked Me, But… The World of Jimmy Cannon.”

I checked the Cannon book out of the library about a hundred times and probably paid more in fines than it would have cost to buy it. I was determined to master his style of one-liner columns. I have tried many times and never come close, but that doesn’t stop me from trying again and again.

I took my latest shot over at Bronx Banter.

Blog That

2008-12-04T18:27:00.000-05:00

Some of the guys who gather around Juan Carlos’s coffee cart tried to get rid of a grump by turning him into a blogger. It seems to have worked. Check out the story at Bronx Banter.

Times Are Changing

2008-12-03T11:59:00.000-05:00

The New York Times is the best newspaper in this country, but it’s not as good as it used to be. I took a swing at them on Bronx Banter because I care.

Trouble

2008-12-02T13:13:00.001-05:00

My friend Javier is always getting himself into trouble. Luckily he knows how to get himself out, too. I wrote about his latest over at Bronx Banter.

Music Of The Game

2008-12-01T15:42:00.001-05:00

A baseball tune came to me last night. Give it a listen over at Bronx Banter.

A Nice Visit

2008-11-30T13:50:00.000-05:00

Some people were visiting New York City over the weekend. Everyone got a lot out of it over at Bronx Banter.

Bag Man

2008-11-29T13:52:00.000-05:00

Making money is the name of the game here in America. A guy they call Mr. Quick shows how it’s done in New York City. I have his story at Bronx Banter.

Shopping For Justice

2008-11-28T11:33:00.001-05:00

A bit of justice played out on the busiest shopping day of the year. The whole story is on Bronx Banter.

Working Days

2008-11-27T11:18:00.000-05:00

It is never a holiday for everyone. I wrote one of a million stories about workers on this Thanksgiving. I’m laboring over at Bronx Banter these days.

The Right Time

2008-11-26T15:13:00.001-05:00

Time is what each person makes of it.

The Secret Of Youth

2008-11-25T15:11:00.000-05:00

I met a man who stays young on the 2 train. The story is over at Bronx Banter.

Winter Blues

2008-11-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

People are still trying to find their way through the long winter in the Bronx. The worst part is that it’s really just getting started. I wrote about one view at Bronx Banter today.

The Bronx Boss

2008-11-23T20:24:00.001-05:00

The Boss is a man of many faces, but they are all loved in the Bronx. I wrote about the best owner in baseball at Bronx Banter today.

Working For A Living

2008-11-22T15:48:00.001-05:00

Workers are feeling the pinch, but they haven’t lost their ingenuity or their determination or there sense of humor. I ran into one of them on the 2 train and put his story on Bronx Banter.

Edited

2008-11-21T10:17:00.001-05:00

I was having trouble with a story for Bronx Banter and my friend Michael Allen made it work. Good editors are hard to find. Good writers are even harder to find. Michael is both.

A Face On The 2 Train

2008-11-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

Every situation is hard to imagine until you’re faced with it.

Quick Eats

2008-11-19T13:59:00.000-05:00

A curbside breakfast and some baseball talk filled me up this morning.

Lessons On The Truth

2008-11-18T10:48:00.002-05:00

I wrote the truth today. Langston Hughes showed me how. An instructor at City College showed him. That was back when people without much money could still go to City College. We’ll get back there again.

Decisions

2008-11-17T10:04:00.000-05:00

Darrell Rasner made a difficult decision last week. The hardest part may be living with the fact that he’ll never know if it was the right one.

Moving Up

2008-11-16T15:37:00.000-05:00

Everyone hopes that CC Sabathia will do great things for the Yankees and all New Yorkers.

The Best Party Ever

2008-11-15T15:08:00.000-05:00

They put together one heck of a party on the Westside of Manhattan last Saturday.

Emotional Day

2008-11-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

The first day of free agency was filled with emotions in the South Bronx.

Tough Times

2008-11-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

Things are getting tough for New Yorkers and everyone else.

Payback

2008-11-12T11:56:00.000-05:00

It was payback time at the barbershop and I was able to hold my own.

My Father’s Honor

2008-11-11T09:57:00.000-05:00

My father told lots of stories from his days in the Air Force. I wrote one of them down on this Veterans’ Day at Bronx Banter. I also included a couple of stories about soldiers and baseball from this summer.

Weathermen

2008-11-10T16:54:00.000-05:00

The guys gathered around Juan Carlos’s coffee cart were worried about the weather this morning.

Lessons For Leaders

2008-11-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

Major League managers get lots of lessons. Charlie Manuel got one in Japan that may have helped him lead the Phillies to a World Series title.

Hopeful

2008-11-08T10:39:00.000-05:00

A hopeful ride on the 2 train made my Saturday.

The Best

2008-11-07T18:48:00.000-05:00

The best memories will live forever in the Bronx.

Undisputed Champion

2008-11-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

Taking on the barbershop crew is always a losing proposition. Alexi proved again to be the winner and undisputed champion.

All Of Us

2008-11-05T11:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday belonged to Barack Obama. He will make sure that the rest of the days belong to all of us.

Part Of Something

2008-11-04T17:20:00.000-05:00

A lot of people stood in line today. They came out to be a part something. I hope everyone was there.

Fear

2008-11-03T15:17:00.000-05:00

Fear lives in the Bronx these days. It walks the streets and rides the trains. It’s in the bodegas and the diners and it was also in Joyce Kilmer Park recently.

Happenings

2008-11-02T15:08:00.000-05:00

There is always something happening on the 2 train.

Big Deals

2008-11-01T13:03:00.001-04:00

Halloween is a big deal in New York City. Maybe that’s because everything seems like a big deal around here. Or maybe it’s because Mariano Rivera rides the 2 train to the parade.

Holiday Story

2008-10-31T16:37:00.001-04:00

It always comes back to The Captain in the Bronx.

Lessons In Journalism

2008-10-30T20:57:00.001-04:00

I once worked for an editor who always said:

“Short words are better than long words. Short sentences are better than long sentences. Short paragraphs are better than long paragraphs. Short stories are better than long stories. And you show nothing but contempt for the reader if you make them pick up a dictionary. You are a journalist, not a vocabulary teacher.”

Everyone didn’t get that speech.

The 2 Train

2008-10-29T17:32:00.000-04:00

I still get most of my stories on the 2 train.

Small Crowd

2008-10-28T12:23:00.000-04:00

The Bronx isn’t as crowed as it was last week and there’s nothing good about that.

The whole story is at Bronx Banter today.

Love And Baseball

2008-10-27T11:46:00.000-04:00

There is a story about love and baseball over at Bronx Banter today.

It’s full of a whole bunch of other stuff, too. There are kids and old men and a guy who thinks he’s pretty clever. There is someone selling tickets and everyone is doing their best.

It’s a story about life and hope in the South Bronx where so much rides on the love of baseball.

The Big Blow

2008-10-26T11:54:00.001-04:00

The rain blew sideways in Battery Park last night. Big Ken Carlton pulled his Yankees cap low and angled against the wind. His massive hands held down the folding table loaded with the Yankees T-shirts that he sells to visitors heading for the Statue of Liberty.

“The weather’s getting worse,” he yelled to his neighbors. “Let’s get out of here.”

Carlo, who was setup next to Big Ken, sells framed photos of famous New Yorkers: Derek Jeter at Yankee Stadium, John Lennon in front of the Statue of Liberty and King Kong on top of the Empire State Building. His heavy merchandise requires a large cart and with the storm closing fast everyone in the area started piling on for a quick getaway.

Big Ken packed his T-shirts, Alexis loaded boxes of foam Liberty crowns and Jose threw on two crates filled with water globes and ceramic models of Yankee Stadium.

The cart was heavy and sagged in the middle, but the four men – Big Ken, Carlo, Alexis and Jose – got it rolling through the park. A gust of wind gave it a big push at the mouth of Pearl Street and Carlo jumped on for the ride.

He flew through Whitehall and on toward Broad as the rest of the guys raced to catch up. They found Carlo collecting boxes after the wind blown cart crashed into a construction barrier.

“Are you okay?” they all asked.

“That was a helluva ride,” Carlo yelled. “Let’s go back and try it again.”

“You’re crazy,” they all said.

Carlo nodded and smiled.

“Yeah.”

Watch Stories

2008-10-25T14:56:00.002-04:00

The 2 train was running local this morning, but Marcus from Jerome Avenue didn’t seem to mind.

“I’m just enjoying the ride,” he explained. “The beauty of Saturdays is that there’s no rush to get to work because everyone else is sleeping in anyway.”

Marcus sells watches in Battery Park.

“I know it sounds shady,” Marcus said, “but really it’s not. My watches look like a Rolex and they work even better. The best part is that they’re only 20 bucks.”

And Marcus slips a story in with every watch.

“Most of the people are going to see the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island,” Marcus said. “They are visiting the city and want more than a watch to take home with them.”

Marcus smiled and winked.

“I give ‘em all a good story,” he said. “I like to tell ‘em about the time I saw Jeter outside Lincoln Center or A-Rod walking on 59th Street near Mickey Mantle’s place. If they want my best story I show ‘em the napkin that Johnny Damon signed when he was eating at a pizza joint on Stone Street.

“I’ve also got stories about the Mets,” Marcus continued. “I once saw Carlos Delgado in Midtown, but I didn’t say anything. I saw Pedro too and I said something, but it wasn’t very nice.”

“Your stories about the Yankees are better,” someone said.

“That’s just the way it is with me,” Marcus admitted. “I have a good story about seeing Charlie Sheen on Broadway and he was wearing a Yankees hat.”

Marcus stopped for a moment and then asked:

“Hey, are you gonna buy a watch or what?”

More With Less

2008-10-24T14:33:00.003-04:00

Everyone in the Bronx is doing more with less.

Juan Carlos woke up early this morning – 4:30 a.m. – and started baking.

“I hate putting my hands in dough,” Juan Carlos explained, “but things are tough all over.”

He still picked up a small bakery order – a few donuts, muffins and bagels – but there was a new sign taped to his coffee cart when customers arrived:

Large Coffee & Apple Square $1

“What’s an apple square?” someone asked.

“It’s just dough, apples and sugar,” Juan Carlos said.

The man checked the sign again.

“Okay,” he said. “For a buck I’ll take a large coffee and try an apple square.”

The man took a bite.

“This is pretty good,” he said, “but it looks too plain. Why don’t you cut them in the shape of a baseball diamond?”

Juan Carlos shook his head.

“Just turn it,” he said. “A square is a diamond.”

“Oh yeah,” the man said laughing at himself. “Then you should call them something like: Apple Baseball Diamonds. It’s all about marketing with these things.”

Juan Carlos shot the man a look and said:

“Just eat your damn apple square!”

City Secrets

2008-10-23T13:50:00.002-04:00

New York is full of secrets. They are on the streets and in the trains and they do the hard work that keeps this city moving.

Miguel Aquino is one of New York’s secrets. He left the Bronx apartment he shares with seven others at 6:00 a.m. There was a quick stop for a newspaper before catching the 2 train. He found a seat in the back corner of the last car, pulled his Yankees cap low and started through the paper as the train worked its way under the Harlem River and down Manhattan’s westside.

Aquino gave his seat to a woman at 42nd Street because the train was full. He stood in the corner and kept his eyes on the paper.

Aquino wasn’t looking for the stock reports or even the score of last night’s World Series opener. He was trying to become invisible because that’s the key to his survival.

He hauls steel and concrete for a fancy new building in SoHo that will provide homes for millionaires. When it’s finished, Aquino will move on to the next hard job that needs to be done. His eyes will always stay buried in a newspaper because he doesn’t want any trouble in a city and a country that gives people like him nothing but trouble.

That is our dirtiest secret.

A Piece Of The Pie

2008-10-22T14:34:00.001-04:00

Jason Blevins showed interest in something other than baseball this morning. He bought the newspaper and settled in at the back of the 2 train to get the latest details on the presidential campaign.

He was most interested in the pie story. There has been talk about big pies and little pies and growing pies and shrinking pies. And then there were all the pieces: More pieces and less pieces and bigger pieces and smaller pieces.

“I don’t even know what kind of pie they’re talking about,” Blevins said. “I like cream pies – banana cream and coconut cream – but fruit pies are better. Apple is my favorite.”

Blevins laughed to himself.

“Maybe they’re talking about pizza pies,” he said. “There’s that old Yogi Berra story about the time he ordered a pizza and the waitress asked: ‘How many pieces do you want your pie cut into?’ So Yogi said: ‘Four because I don’t think I can eat eight.’”

Blevins shook his head.

“It always comes back to baseball with me, doesn’t it?”

A Moving Train

2008-10-21T13:23:00.001-04:00

Barack Obama – a Chicago White Sox fan – stood in front of a huge crowd at George M. Steinbrenner Field – the Spring Training home of the New York Yankees – with the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays.

“I’ve said from the beginning that I am a unity candidate,” Obama explained yesterday. “When you see a White Sox fan showing some love to the Rays, and the Rays showing some love back, you know we’re on to something right here.”

David Price, who closed out Boston on Sunday night, introduced Obama as: “The next President of the United States.” He later said that Obama is: “Definitely an icon right now and probably will be for a long time.”

Price was joined by Fernando Perez, Jonny Gomes, Carl Crawford, Edwin Jackson and Cliff Floyd.

Ballplayers don’t often take sides outside the game. Michael Jordan declined to weigh in on the racially-charged 1990 North Carolina Senate race between Jesse Helms and Harvey Gantt. Jordan explained that: “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”

Jordan certainly had a point and no one blamed him for staying out of the fight back then.

But historian and activist Howard Zinn likes to say: “You can’t be neutral on a moving train.”

It was nice to see some baseball players on the same train with the rest of us yesterday.

Hope

2008-10-20T12:18:00.005-04:00

Derek Jeter brings hope to the Bronx.

The guys gathered at Juan Carlos’s coffee cart this morning went on about his style and his smile and his skip and The Flip. They talked about his determination and his talent and his heroics. But mostly they marveled at his loyalty and compassion.

“Derek is the absolute best,” said Javier from Walton Avenue. “He makes his teammates better players and he makes us better people. We all believe in ourselves and each other because of him.”

Everyone nodded and smiled.

This conversation came from the news that Jeter spent part of the weekend in Texas and went to a football game with Roger Clemens. There are some people who think Jeter should avoid Clemens like so many others do these days.

But that’s never been Jeter’s style.

When the whole world was down a Jason Giambi a few winters ago it was Jeter who traveled to Las Vegas to visit him.

Jeter never forgets his teammates and always stands up for his friends. He is the person we all want to be and the friend we all need.

“That’s why he’s The Captain,” Javier told the guys. “He’s the most special player any of us will ever see. He gives us hope even before he picks up a bat or a glove.”

Absolutely.

What They Want

2008-10-19T13:17:00.002-04:00

Big Ken Carlton caught the 2 train at Freeman Street this morning. He threw on his over-stuffed backpack and quickly loaded a folding table, half-a-dozen large boxes and a plastic tarp before the doors closed.

He rode to West 96th Street and then moved everything across the platform and onto the 1 train.

“You gotta be fast,” Big Ken explained. “The train will leave with half your stuff if you’re too slow.”

Big Ken has never lost anything.

“Fear gives me my speed,” he said. “I’m afraid of not being able to pay the rent and not having anything to eat. Losing any of my merchandise would put me out of business for sure.”

Big Ken’s business is selling T-shirts and hats to people headed for the Statue of Liberty.

“They like everything with the tall lady on it,” Big Ken said. “That’s all I used to sell, but people were always asking me about my Yankees hat. They wanted to know where they could buy one.

“So I started bringing some with me,” he continued. “Now I sell more Yankees stuff than I do Liberty. It’s all about giving the people what they want.”

Back Home

2008-10-18T12:43:00.003-04:00

Marco Fiore came to New York looking for his home.

His grandfather came more than 60 years ago, but didn’t stay long.

“He couldn’t find good jobs,” Fiore explained. “He struggled to get by for a few years and then went back to Italy. But he always wanted to return and make it in America.”

His grandfather never made it back and his father never came either. But young Marco put his name on a list and one day he got a letter saying he could come to America.

“It was always my dream,” he said. “My family didn’t want me to go, but I was never scared because I knew this place would feel like home.”

His grandfather told him the stories. He heard about the trains and the bridges and the big ships in New York Harbor and all about the Lower Eastside. And he learned about Joe DiMaggio and the New York Yankees, too.

“I didn’t know anything about baseball,” Fiore admitted. “My grandfather never explained the game, but he would go on and on about the Yankees and it was always: DiMaggio, DiMaggio, DiMaggio.”

Fiore carried all the stories to New York.

“The first thing I did was walk my grandfather’s old neighborhood,” Fiore explained. “The whole thing was mapped in my head: Mott Street and Mulberry Street and Grand Street and Broome Street and Canal Street.

“Then I got on a train and went Yankee Stadium,” Fiore continued. “I couldn’t believe I was really in the same place where my grandfather saw DiMaggio. That’s when I knew I was really home.”

DiMaggio died during Fiore’s first year in New York (1999). The Yankees wore number 5 on their sleeves in his honor and Fiore went to all the games.

“I learned about baseball,” Fiore said. “And now I love it so much. I will always remember my grandfather’s stories about DiMaggio, but for me it’s: Jeter, Jeter, Jeter.”

Fiore smiled.

“Those are my stories.”

Bad Medicine

2008-10-17T12:39:00.000-04:00

My friend Javier never does what he’s told.

A doctor once warned him about a heart murmur and said that he should slow down a bit. Javier started taking two steps at a time on the way up to his fifth floor apartment on Walton Avenue.

The doctor also told him to cut down on the five-cheese omelets and cheeseburgers from the Crown Diner. And he told him to layoff chocolate donuts and coffee and cigars, too.

“Why don’t you just kill me now?” Javier snapped.

The doctor said that Javier would die for sure if he didn’t have a certain operation. He also said that Javier would need to avoid excitement during his recovery.

“What do you get excited about?” the doctor asked.

“My Yankees,” Javier said.

“Then you won’t be able to watch baseball for awhile,” the doctor said.

“What a quack,” Javier said as he was leaving.

That was more than five years ago.

“I’d probably be dead if I had that operation,” Javier was saying just the other day. “Now I eat what I want and do what I want and yell for the Yankees as loud as I want. But I do have less aggravation because I don’t have to deal with that doctor.”

The Other Side

2008-10-16T12:18:00.003-04:00

Three boys were walking on East 149th Street near where it meets Melrose Avenue and Third Avenue in the Bronx. The morning traffic was thick, trucks were double parked and deliverymen hustled boxes to the curb.

The boys made a move through the congestion and across Melrose. They had a near miss with a speeding car, but reach the other side safely.

They were ready to try their luck against Third Avenue when a gravely voice made them turn.

“Be careful,” an old man said.

The boys nodded and laughed.

“Sure, old man,” they all said.

“I didn’t get to be this old by running through traffic,” the old man shot.

The boys laughed again.

“You’re a ballplayer aren’t you?” the old man said nodding at the tallest one. “I’ve seen you pitch. You’ve got a good fastball and a pretty good curveball.”

“I’ve got a great curveball,” the boy snapped. “It’s a hammer.”

“Keeping working on your hammer,” the old man said. “And get to the other side safely.”

“Sure, old man,” the boys said as they waited for the light to turn and traffic to stop.

Just Like Derek Jeter

2008-10-15T13:19:00.003-04:00

An 8-year-old boy rests against his mother’s arm on an early-morning 2 train. His oversized Yankees cap slides over his eyes as he drifts off to sleep.

His mother is too worried to sleep.

She has two jobs: The first is at a diner on Chambers Street and the second is cleaning offices in Midtown. In between she has to get the boy to school and then back home where he stays with neighbors until she gets off close to midnight.

The boy’s father used to help, but he was killed two years ago in a Brooklyn building accident.

“My son wants to be a baseball player like Derek Jeter,” she says softly so the boy can sleep. “I tell him that he can do anything and his father will be proud.”

Other things are harder to explain.

“I am afraid of losing my jobs because business is bad,” the mother says. “My bosses tell me it might happen any day, but I don’t want my son to know because it will make him scared. I just keep telling him: ‘You’re gonna grow up to be just like Derek Jeter.’”

She straightens the boy’s Yankees cap and continues:

“That makes him smile,” she says. “And I smile, too.”

The Best Moments

2008-10-14T13:15:00.002-04:00

There is an old man who stops at Juan Carlos’s coffee cart every morning. He orders a regular with two sugars and announces that this is the best moment of his life.

The rest of the guys always laugh and the old man explains:

“I’ve survived 89 years,” he says. “There have been lots of great days, but this one feels like the best because I’m still here.”

The old man peels the lid off his cup, takes a sip and continues:

“Have I told you guys about Babe Ruth?” the old man always asks.

Everyone nods and lets him continue:

“I used to ride the train down to the Ansonia on Broadway and wait for Babe to come out. He would talk to all us kids and we’d race home to tell everyone what he said.

“I also saw him hit,” the old man likes to say. “He could really wallop ‘em.”

Someone always asks the old man about Alex Rodriguez.

“I was getting to him,” the old man snaps. “You made me skip over Gehrig and Joe D. and Whitey and Mickey and Munson and Gator and Reggie.

“You kids are always in such a hurry,” he tells the guys.

They all smile and the old man goes on:

“A-Rod is the best of all of them. He’s gonna hit a boatload of dingers and get a bunch of World Series rings.”

The old man always stops at this point. He takes a big gulp of coffee and then finishes up:

“I plan on seeing the dingers and all the World Series wins, too. Those will be the best moments of my life.”

Just Like Us

2008-10-13T14:17:00.000-04:00

The bodega door banged open and a rat darted into the afternoon rush on Gerard Avenue.

“He’s probably looking for work,” a man said.

“Rats are never out of work in this city,” someone shot.

“They’re gonna be tearing down the old Yankee Stadium,” the man explained. “That will put a lot of ‘em out on the streets.”

“They’ll just move over to the new Stadium,” someone fired back.

“There’s nothing to eat in the new place,” the man said. “Nobody has dumped any popcorn or dropped any peanuts or left any of those big pretzels under the seats.

“The rats will get moved into the new Stadium for Opening Day,” the man continued. “But first they gotta make it through the winter just like us.”

Knocking It Out

2008-10-12T11:44:00.002-04:00

Arturo doesn’t like Sundays.

“They’re too slow,” he said. “I’m looking for some action.”

He stood behind the counter at a diner on Church Street in Manhattan. A huge mound of chopped potatoes was pushed to the corner of the grill. Egg cartons were stacked to the right and on the other side were loafs of bread and bags of rolls and sliced bagels.

The containers of bacon, ham and cheese were still in the cooler because there was no business.

“I’d be hammering out orders if this was Monday,” Arturo said. “It’s nonstop all morning and then you barely have time to get ready for the lunch crowd.”

Arturo shook his head.

“The day goes by faster when it’s busy,” he said.

Arturo got his wish when a man walked in from a construction site over on West Broadway.

The man dug a scrap of paper from his pocket and rattled off the order:

“Six egg and cheese sandwiches on rolls. Four ham, egg and cheese sandwiches on rolls. Ten orders of home fries. One ham and cheese omelet with wheat toast and one feta cheese omelet with rye toast. Also, one toasted bagel with cream cheese.”

The man checked over the list and continued:

“I need a dozen coffees total. Seven regulars with sugar. Two regulars with no sugar. One black with sugar and two blacks with no sugar. I need a small orange juice, too.

“Everything is to go,” the man added. “Got all that?”

“No problem,” Arturo said with a smile.

He spun his Yankee cap around, pulled on a make-believe catchers mask and slapped a fist into his open palm.

“I’ve been waiting for this order all morning,” Arturo said. “I’m ready to knock it out of here.”

Quiet Day

2008-10-11T15:14:00.000-04:00

The Bronx was quiet today. The guys gathered around Juan Carlos’s coffee cart didn’t have much to say and the counter at the Crown Diner was nearly silent. Even Ballpark Lanes was more about bowling than baseball this afternoon.

“There’s really nothing to do but wait,” said a man smoking on River Avenue. “We’re waiting for someone to win the American League pennant and someone to win the National League pennant and then one of them to win the World Series.

“I don’t think anyone around here cares who wins,” the man continued. “We just want the season over so we can get next season started. Then we’ll be ready to make some noise again.”

The man took a deep drag on his cigarette and said:

“I’m looking forward to that.”

Looking For Luck

2008-10-10T12:35:00.001-04:00

My friend Javier was looking for some luck this morning. But things went sour when he stepped on the 2 train.

“I don’t believe it,” he groaned. “Some drunk puked on the train yesterday, too.”

“Wow, what are the odds of someone puking on the train?” someone shot sarcastically.

Javier smiled and sucked in the bitter smell.

“At least they hosed it out,” he said. “You take what you get sometimes. It may not be perfect, but it’s better than some people got.”

A thin smile slid across Javier’s face.

“Besides,” he said. “I’d rather save all my luck for the Yankees.”

The Lineup

2008-10-09T12:53:00.000-04:00

Jason brushed chocolate-donut crumbs from his Robinson Cano T-shirt while waiting for the 2 train this morning.

“I’ve gotta keep it clean,” Jason explained. “A stain would mean buying a new T-shirt and I can’t afford that right now.”

“Is that your only shirt?” someone asked.

“No,” Jason answered, “but it’s the only shirt I wear on Thursdays.”

The puzzled expression launched Jason into an explanation:

“I have a different shirt for each day of the week: Jeter, Posada, Joba, A-Rod, Cano, Damon and Mariano. That’s my lineup and I stick to it.

“I always wear a Jeter shirt on Sunday because he’s the leader,” Jason continued. “Everything around here starts with him.

“Monday is Posada because he has the fire to get the work week going,” Jason went on. “Tuesday is Joba because 100 m.p.h. gas should always follow fire.”

Jason laughed to himself and kept going:

“On Wednesday – the fourth day of the week – I wear an A-Rod shirt because he’s our cleanup hitter. Thursday is Cano because he’s gonna be our best hitter one day.

“Friday is the start of the weekend,” he continued. “That’s Johnny Damon all the way. And Mariano, of course, closes things out on Saturday. Sometimes I even play ‘Enter Sandman’ at the end of the day.”

Jason smiled and wrapped it up:

“Then I do laundry.”

The Debate

2008-10-08T12:33:00.005-04:00

The debate started at Juan Carlos’s coffee cart and it continued down the Grand Concourse to 149th Street and on to the 2 train.

“Mike Mussina is gonna come back and pitch next year,” said Javier from Walton Avenue. “How could he walk away after leading this staff and winning 20 games?”

“Because he wants to go out on top,” answered Jose from Jerome Avenue. “This is the perfect ending for Mussina.”

Javier threw up his hands.

“There are no perfect endings,” he shot. “Maybe you gotta be as old as me to really understand that. Mussina has had a great career and he just finished one of his best seasons. I’m sure he feels satisfied right now. He probably thinks that feeling will last the rest of his life, but it will barely make it through the winter.”

Javier shook his head.

“If anyone has got the chance to be a big leaguer for even one more day they better damn well take it,” he fired. “Walking away from something that special may not be a crime, but it should be.”

Jose had nothing to add.

Sigh Of Relief

2008-10-07T18:11:00.001-04:00

Carl was headed home after a long day, but he was still working the crowd. He prodded everyone on the 2 train for information about Mariano Rivera’s surgery.

“Everything went fine,” someone finally said. “I checked online before I left the office and the reports were that the procedure was successful and he will be ready for Spring Training.”

“That’s great news,” Carl said. “Now I can rest easy.”

One Of The Family

2008-10-07T10:14:00.001-04:00

Carl looked worried when got on the 2 train at 125th Street this morning. He grabbed a seat and flipped through the newspaper.

“There’s no news,” he said to everyone within earshot. “How could there be no news?”

“What are you looking for?” someone asked.

“Mariano is having surgery today,” Carl explained. “I want to know when it’s scheduled for and how long it will take.

“It’s supposed to be minor,” he continued, “but I’m still anxious for news.”

Carl laughed to himself.

“I talk about Mariano like he’s part of my family,” he said. “I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s not that far off.”

Carl shook his head and went through the paper again.

“I know everything is gonna be fine,” he said. “But I just can’t believe there’s no news.”

Keeping The Faith

2008-10-06T12:20:00.001-04:00

The guys gathered around Juan Carlos’s coffee cart couldn’t look each other in the eye this morning. They gripped their steaming cups, ripped into glazed donuts and nervously toed the sidewalk.

The silence grew unbearable and Juan Carlos took action.

“Did you guys pull a bank job together?” he asked.

There was nervous laughter, but no one looked up.

“So what did all of you do this weekend?” Juan Carlos asked.

“Watched baseball,” someone muttered.

“So that’s what this is about,” Juan Carlos said. “You are guilty about pulling for another team. Who was it? Chicago? It couldn’t be Boston or Tampa Bay or the Angels, could it?”

“I wasn’t pulling for any of them,” someone snapped. “I hope they all lose.”

“But all of them can’t lose,” Juan Carlos pointed out.

“Hey,” someone fired. “You never know what can happen in this game. Anything is possible and you have to keep the faith.”

Through The Pain

2008-10-05T12:27:00.000-04:00

A man grabbed my arm as I worked though a cup of coffee on Seventh Avenue this morning. He wanted to talk about pain.

“I saw the Cubs go down,” he said. “I hurt for Soriano and Piniella because they were Yankees. I hurt for Cubs fans and I don’t even know one. And I hurt for Chicago and I’ve never even been there.”

The man shook his head and tightened his grip.

“Losing hurts a lot more than winning doesn’t,” he said. “I felt good for Joe Torre and Don Mattingly and Larry Bowa, but that didn’t come close to covering how bad I felt for the Cubs.”

The man shrugged and loosened his hold.

“We’ve felt some pain around here lately,” he said. “So maybe this stuff hurts us more. Or maybe it just makes us want to win more than anything.”

The man nodded and smiled.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s it.”

Shots

2008-10-04T16:28:00.008-04:00

This country loves to take shots at Ralph Nader.

Maybe it’s because he changed things. He helped make our air safe to breath and our water safe to drink and our food safe to eat. He helped millions of Americans get better working conditions and better pay. And he held corporations accountable for dangerous products and criminal schemes.

Or maybe this country likes to take shots at Nader because he grew up in a Yankee corner of Connecticut and Lou Gehrig is one of his heroes.

Then again, maybe it’s just because we all couldn’t wait to lose our homes and our jobs and give more than a trillion dollars to a bunch of crooked bankers.

If this country spent more time listing to Nader and less time taking shots at him we all would have seen this coming. He has talked for years about the damage done by deregulation and corporate crime.

“For a society dedicated to equal justice under the law, you cannot have equal justice between human beings and corporations who can aggregate capital, technology, power, privileges and immunities unreachable by individuals. Corporations are not human beings. They do not vote. They do not have children. They are artificial entities. They must be our servants, not our masters.”

Well, they continue to be our masters and this week they picked our pockets, too. And in case you hadn’t heard, Ralph Nader is running for president, again. The Washington Post recently said that it wouldn’t cover his campaign because he has no chance of winning.

“Then why did they cover the Nationals?” Nader asked.

Nader was finally able to deliver a shot of his own, but I’m sure no one was listening.

The bankers and the corporate executives like it that way. They stole our lunch money this week and we didn’t put up much of a fight.

They’ll be back for more.

Unemotional

2008-10-03T12:40:00.001-04:00

Gerald read the newspaper at the back of the 2 train this morning.

“There’s not much here,” he said. “I stick mostly to the baseball news and nothing is coming out of the Bronx these days.”

“What about the teams that are still playing?” someone asked.

“I’m interested in the playoffs,” Gerald admitted. “I watch the games, but it’s different when your team is out of it.

“There’s nothing to get emotional about,” Gerald continued. “And baseball without emotion really isn’t baseball.”

The Days Ahead

2008-10-02T12:59:00.001-04:00

October swirled around the Bronx this morning.

It came down Jerome Avenue and cut across East 164th Street past the construction of the new Yankee Stadium and then moved down River Avenue to the old Yankee Stadium.

The guys gathered around Juan Carlos’s coffee cart wrapped their hands around steaming cups and talked about the days ahead.

“This is the first taste,” someone said. “It’s gonna get colder and the wind is gonna blow harder before we get back to baseball.”

“We should have lots of news to keep us warm,” someone else shot. “It’ll be a busy winter.”

“I’m sure there will be plenty of news,” someone said. “A lot of the news will probably be good, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are a bunch of dark days between us and a ballgame.”

“Yeah,” they all said.

Building Trust

2008-10-01T13:12:00.002-04:00

People in the Bronx trust Brian Cashman.

“I once saw him eating lunch at El Nuevo Caridad in Washington Heights,” said a man on the 2 train this afternoon. “I want over and told him some things I thought about the team. He was nice and nodded a lot, but about halfway into the conversation I remember saying to myself ‘Why are you bothering this guy? He knows what he’s doing so just go sit down and shut up.’

“I’m sure he hears from fans all the time,” the man continued. “But he won’t hear from me again. I trust him to do his job because he’s done well with it.”

The Yankees have entrusted Cashman with a new three-year contract.

“I think he’ll have a good plan to rework the team this winter,” the man said. “I won’t speculate on any moves or trades and I won’t even offer an opinion if I see him out at lunch.”

The man smiled and said:

“I’m confident I’ll have lots to cheer about on Opening Day.”

Missing

2008-09-30T12:53:00.001-04:00

Javier took the D train home last night. He walked behind the old Yankee Stadium bleachers and around to the players’ gate. Some guys had been around earlier to clean out their lockers, but everyone was gone now.

The off-season was settling in and Javier was missing his baseball team.

“These are the hardest days,” he explained. “It’s a lonely feeling after spending more than seven months with the Yankees. You hang on every piece of news in Spring Training and on every pitch all season long. Then it’s over and everyone goes home.

“Now guys like me gotta wait around for better days,” Javier continued. “I know they’ll get here, but it feels like it’s gonna be a long winter.”

Javier took another look at the players’ gate and then turned to head home.

“Tomorrow will be easier,” he said. “It’s one day closer to next year.”

A Reason To Smile

2008-09-29T10:52:00.001-04:00

Mike Mussina gave everyone a reason to smile in the Bronx. His first 20-win season lit up the guys gathered around Juan Carlos’s coffee cart this morning.

“That’s what I was looking for from the last day of the season,” said Javier from Walton Avenue. “The whole team wanted that win for Moose. They got him a lead and the bullpen held on until they could give the ball to Mariano. Even with a sore shoulder you knew that Mariano wouldn’t let that game get away.”

Everyone nodded.

“It was great to see the team pull together,” Javier said. “They finished the season strong and that was important. There’s always good and bad in a baseball season. You try to learn from the bad and you live the good for all it’s worth.

“I’ll save the bad for another day,” Javier continued. “Today is all about Mike Mussina: 20-game winner.”

The guys finished their coffee and went to work smiling.

Questions and Answers

2008-09-28T09:10:00.002-04:00

Mike Mussina knows the numbers. He won his 269 big-league game on Tuesday to go one up on Jim Palmer. The 2,810 strikeouts next to his name are seven more than Cy Young. He has 19 wins this year – the third time to that number in his career – and one more shot at 20.

Reporters have been asking about 20 wins for weeks and they finally got Mussina to admit that: “It’s a significant number.”

But then Mussina took over both sides of the interview:

“After playing this long and winning all these games,” Mussina began, “if I don’t win on Sunday, then has it been bad? Has it been lousy, unsuccessful?

“No,” Mussina answered.

“Am I going to be disappointed in what I’ve done for all these years?” Mussina asked.

“No,” Mussina answered again.

“There’s a lot of things you can’t control,” Mussina said. “Winning baseball games is not easy.”

But he admitted:

“It would be a lot of fun to win it.”

We’ve Got Time

2008-09-27T14:06:00.000-04:00

The game ended nearly six hours after it was scheduled to start. The night was filled with mist and drizzle and rain and fog. The grounds crew pulled the tarp on and off the field so many times that their names should have been written on every scorecard.

Almost everyone appeared in the box score. Cody Ransom came in for Derek Jeter and went three for three with two homers and two RBIs. Wilson Betemit pinch hit for Alex Rodriguez and smacked an RBI double.

David Robertson threw two scoreless innings, got the win and took over the three spot in the batting order after Bobby Abreu drove in his 100th run of the season. Nine different Yankees drove in runs. Robinson Cano drove in five.

Most of the Boston fans had been driven from the ballpark by the time Chris Britton got the final out at 12:52 a.m. We totaled our scorebooks in the Bronx on the 88th win of the season.

We go for 89 today and no one in this neighborhood cares how long it takes.

We’ve got time.

Uncomfortable

2008-09-26T13:33:00.003-04:00

New York was soaked this morning. A man on Broadway snapped up his collar and yanked down his hat, but couldn’t keep the rain off his face.

“It’s uncomfortable,” he said, “but that’s not always a bad thing. I think being a little bit uncomfortable – with not making the postseason – is going to be good for the Yankees.

“We had a great run,” the man continued. “I’m proud of what the team has accomplished over the years. I’m proud of what they’ve done this year, too. We didn’t have enough to get to the playoffs, but there are still three games left and we can get to 90 wins. That ain’t bad.”

The man stopped and wiped the rain from his face.

“No one stays on top forever,” he said. “And that’s not just a way to explain what happened this year. It’s a warning for next year to every team in front of us.”

A Meaningful Game

2008-09-25T13:36:00.002-04:00

A man on the 2 train bristled at the idea. He scanned the newspaper to confirm what was floating around the Bronx this morning.

“Yup,” he said. “They called the game ‘meaningless.’”

He shook his head.

“There’s no such thing as a meaningless baseball game,” the man explained. “Hughes pitched really well and Nady got a big hit and Abreu clocked a grand slam. The Yankees won and that means a lot to me.

“Take a look at the politicians in Washington if you want something meaningless,” the man said. “Everything that comes out of that place is meaningless to anyone but the richest. They’ve been robbing us for years and now their idea to fix things is to rob us some more.”

The man shrugged.

“The bankers will get their billions and we’ll lose our homes and our jobs,” he said. “About the only meaningful thing we’ll have left is our baseball team.

“I guess we’ll have to settle for that,” the man continued. “What choice do we have?”

A Shot

2008-09-24T13:19:00.002-04:00

Mike Mussina took a line-drive shot off his right elbow in the third inning. He pitched through the pain and the fifth and now has a shot to win 20 games.

This would be Mussina’s first stop at 20, but he’s been in the neighborhood before. He has won 18 games three times and now 19 games three times, too.

Some say that close doesn’t count, but Mussina’s numbers certainly do. He has 269 victories – one better than Jim Palmer – and 2,810 strikeouts – seven more than Cy Young – in an 18-year career.

He has taken the ball in plenty of big games – there were the seven shutout innings against Oakland in the 2001 American League Division Series and the game-saving relief effort against Boston in the 2003 American League Championship Series – but every one is important to Mussina.

“You always want to go out and give your team a chance,” he told reporters last night. “The team gave me a chance tonight because I gave the bullpen a lot of outs to get. They’ve been throwing the ball really well when I come out. I can’t win 19 games without those guys pitching behind me.”

The whole team and everyone in the Bronx will be behind Mussina when he takes the mound on Sunday with a shot at 20.

Smiles All Around

2008-09-23T13:35:00.000-04:00

People couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces in the Bronx this morning. They came up the Grand Concourse and down Jerome Avenue and across East 164th Street from High Bridge.

Some of them gathered around Juan Carlos’s coffee cart as the old Yankee Stadium stared across Joyce Kilmer Park and the new Yankee Stadium peeked around the corner at East 161st Street.

“I can’t get The Captain out of my head,” Javier told everyone as he peeled the lid off his coffee. “That speech really got to me. I couldn’t remember most of the words by the time I left the Stadium, but I’ll never forget what it felt like when he spoke.

“Derek made me feel special,” Javier continued. “I’ve always felt lucky to be able to watch him play, but now it’s something more.

“He called us: ‘the greatest fans in the world,’” Javier went on. “That’s something to live up to. I could never let The Captain down.”

All the guys nodded and their smiles widened.

Us Kids

2008-09-22T12:39:00.003-04:00

Yesterday belonged to us kids.

It was a day before cable television and video games when we spent summers watching baseball. Mom would send us off with a paper sack stuffed with one of her famous tuna-fish sandwiches and a couple of apples and we would return with a beat-up scorecard and popcorn stuck between our teeth.

It was a day to get into the ballpark early like the old times when you could slip through a delivery gate with the beer kegs and watch early batting practice.

It was a day to see Derek Jeter take his turn in the cage and slash line drives all over the field. And a day to watch Alex Rodriguez flick balls over the wall with ease and to see Jason Giambi hit some deep into the upper deck and you had to smile when Xavier Nady unloaded three-straight blasts to center.

It was a day to watch the pitchers shag in the outfield and see Damaso Marte and Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera work the right-field crowd. And it was a day to laugh every time Marte caught a fly ball behind his back.

It was a day to watch night slip over the Stadium and see big-leaguers hang on the rail and sit on top of the dugout while the legends lit up the field.

Then it was time to see Johnny Damon and Jose Molina hit big homers and have Andy Pettitte give us everything, again.

And it was a night to pump your fist when Phil Coke got a big out to end the sixth and a night to see Joba mow ‘em down before Mariano ended it like he always does: brilliantly.

It was a night to get home late with a beat-up scorecard and popcorn stuck between your teeth.

And it was a time for us kids to remember how much we love this game.

Another Good Day

2008-09-21T10:22:00.004-04:00

Robinson Cano drove a two-out single up the middle and won the game in the ninth.

It gave my friend Henry – the best Yankees fan – another good day.

“What a game,” Henry said outside the players’ gate. “Robinson Cano was the hero.”

Cano’s hit broke a scoreless tie.

“It was important because we won,” Cano told reporters. “We need to win every game we have left. It felt great to see my teammates celebrating and hear the crowd. It’s something that made me really proud.

“You do it for the fans,” Cano continued. “You want to thank the Yankees fans for their support and for showing up every day to the ballpark.”

Henry returned the favor when Cano left the Stadium.

“It’s Robinson Cano,” Henry shouted. “He’s the hero of today’s game.”

Everyone cheered and Cano waved.

Henry smiled.

Off The Island

2008-09-20T08:50:00.004-04:00

Justin arrived at Yankee Stadium in full uniform. He walked proudly through the tunnel and got his first look at the field.

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m finally here.”

His father placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You earned it,” he said.

Justin is a week off of Parris Island. He is a United States Marine and proud of it. His father is proud, too.

“I bought these tickets awhile ago,” his father said. “I surprised him when he got home from basic training.

“He’s a good kid,” his father continued. “He always tries to do what’s right. I didn’t want him to join, but there was no stopping him. He used to look at my Marine photos when he was little and that’s probably where it started.”

Justin doesn’t know where he’s going next. He might be headed to Iraq or maybe Afghanistan.

“But I’m here tonight,” he said. “Nothing else matters right now.”

Justin put an arm around his father.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Another Bronx Tale

2008-09-19T13:56:00.003-04:00

Everyone that was gathered around Juan Carlos’s coffee cart this morning kept glancing down the Grand Concourse. They were looking for Javier to come and spin tales about last night’s game.

“What’s taking him so long?” someone asked.

“He was probably up half the night,” someone else said. “I’m sure he was telling anyone who would listen about all the times he’s seen Humberto (Sanchez) pitch.”

Everyone nodded and laughed.

“What’s so funny,” said Javier, who had snuck up behind them by circling around the block.

“You are,” someone said. “We figured you were taking all the credit for Humberto’s perfect inning last night.”

Javier grinned.

“That was great,” he said. “Humberto is gonna be a big part of the future and I’m not just saying that because he’s from our neighborhood.”

“Did you see him leave the Stadium?” someone asked.

“I sure did,” Javier said. “I yelled ‘Way to go Humberto!’”

“What did he do?” someone asked.

Javier smiled.

“He waved.”

Dealing With It

2008-09-18T13:18:00.001-04:00

Mr. Soumare was dressed neatly in khaki pants and a uniform shirt with his first name – Mamadou – embroidered on the left chest. He wore a blue bow tie and a broad smile that invited questions on the 2 train this morning.

“Is this train running local?” asked a man getting on at 72nd Street.

“It has been so far,” Mr. Soumare answered.

“Why isn’t it running express?” the man demanded.

“I’m not sure,” Mr. Soumare said. “I just ride here.”

The man laughed and stepped off the train.

“I guess he’s in a big rush,” Mr. Soumare said.

“Why don’t you switch to an express?” someone asked.

“I deal with what I’m given,” Mr. Soumare explained. “I stick with express trains that run local and I look forward to tomorrow if the Yankees don’t win today.”

Mr. Soumare smiled.

“Remember the guy at 72nd Street who was in such a big hurry?” he asked. “I’m sure to be downtown before he is.”

Great To See

2008-09-17T13:32:00.002-04:00

Juan Carlos gets up early. He pushes his cart to the Grand Concourse, picks up donuts and muffins and makes coffee. Then he waits for everyone else to wake up.

The people start coming when it’s still dark and they don’t stop until almost lunchtime. Juan Carlos makes his lunch from whatever muffins are left over.

“I smear them with peanut butter,” he explained. “They fill me up good.”

Juan Carlos then cleans the coffee maker and gets the propane tank filled before pushing his cart back to the storage building.

Then he walks home and falls asleep with the baseball game on the radio. He doesn’t make it to many games, but last night he sacrificed a good night’s sleep and sat in section 3 – one of his customers gave him the ticket – because Humberto Sanchez is a Yankee.

“He doesn’t know me,” Juan Carlos explained, “but I know him. I saw him pitch in high school and I used to always see him around the neighborhood. Now, he is everything: a ballplayer and a Yankee. I had to come and see.”

Sanchez didn’t pitch last night, but Juan Carlos saw enough.

“I spotted him during the anthem and on the top step of the dugout a few times,” Juan Carlos said. “He warmed up in the bullpen and I thought he might get in there, but he didn’t.”

Juan Carlos smiled and continued:

“It was still great to see.”