Early today was our appearance in Armonk with 1996 World Series heroes Charlie Hayes and John Wetteland. I know that I throw this phrase around a lot but this pair truly are two of the nicest athletes, no to mention people in general, that you will ever meet. The last time I had the privilege of working with these two was at Last Licks Massapequa January 2006 (in a blizzard on the L.I.E....another traffic horror story) so I was really looking forward to catching up with them. While I thought I would have a chance to talk to them for a few hours our time was monopolized by reporter after reporter coming to interview them about the Joe Torre situation. Just like all of Joe's former players they spoke about how much he meant to them as not only a manager but as a father figure and friend. It was very cool to hear them gush over the eventual Hall of Famer. Anyway, overall the appearance was great. We had the 1996 World Series DVD on in the background and every few minutes both Charlie and John would look up and comment. It is hard to believe that was eleven years ago (then again it is even harder to believe the Mets have yet to win a title in 21 years) Hayes and Wetteland could not have been stronger with the public. They both are so humble and seemed to enjoy talking to the fans more than the customers liked talking to them (I rarely see that). After the public concluded both guys signed in private for about an hour. John signed three different images from the '96 WS celebration. He inscribed them all with '96 WS MVP. Hayes signed his "moment" photo which was the last out of the '96 series. Charlie added Last Out '96 to each of these. As the Yankees are about to enter a new era these moments and memories become more and more special. That was never more apparent than today while listening to Hayes and Wetteland talk about Torre and watching them interact with the fans.
Tomorrow I am flying out to Colorado for a private signing with Rockies rookie star Troy Tulowitzki. The Rockies are three days away from the start of the World Series and I can't wait to check out the vibe in Denver...it must be out of control.
Check back tomorrow for an update from the Mile High City.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!