All Stars on Parade – For Free
By Fran Ham, My9 Newswriter (and ultimate Yankee Fan)
Seeing a parade of All Stars and Hall of Famers ride on the Red Carpet up 6th Avenue was fantastic for fans! It was the best way to experience the 2008 All Star Game festivities for free!
It was a real homerun for me in my hometown!
Crowds cheered like crazy for A-Rod. Some sang a chorus of “A-Rod, A-Rod,” when the MVP’s truck passed by. One lady climbed up a light pole to get a good glimpse of the star.
The Yankee third baseman even interacted with some fans. While number 13 was trying to understand what fans were shouting at him, he said, "What?" That’s when the baseball revelers went nuts. The Yankee great really pleased the people by acknowledging them. But one thing A-Rod didn’t pay attention to, was a big Madonna sign hanging out of window at the corner of 58th Street.
It was amazing to see Derek Jeter’s truck. The NYPD really rolled out the red carpet for Mr. November, Jeter had a police escort!!! The Yankee shortstop was with his mom, dad and sister. Jeter was also sporting sunglasses. Mo Rivera and Joe Girardi brought their entire families as well.
Mets third baseman David Wright showed up but Mets closer Billy Wagner didn’t.
There were loud booos for Red Sox players Jonathan Papelbon and J.D.. Drew. But Josh Hamilton was a real hit with fans, especially after that home run derby show the night before at Yankee Stadium.
One of the coolest catches: All Stars signing autographs from their automobiles. Fans started tossing baseballs, jerseys and shirts at some players. And the all stars, well you know they’ve got game! The MLB players made nice plays catching, signing, and throwing the memorabilia back while their trucks were still moving!
There were some curve balls when fans starting pitching stuff over barricades. All at once. Something narrowly missed an All Star’s wife.
It was a memorable milestone in Midtown: With generations of historic ball players including Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Dave Winfield, Rod Carew, Cal Ripken, Willie McCovey and Joe Morgan.
MLB really took us all out to the ball game on the Avenue of the Americas. Fans young and old wore jerseys, caps and shirts representing nearly every team in the MLB. It was great for all the fans, Hall of Famers and All Stars. We were winners!