***I HAVE BOOKED THE NY YANKEES FOR WEDNESDAY JULY 26, 2023***
I'm still crying with joy.
If you've been following along my Anthem Quest pursuit for the last 15+ years, you already know that the New York Yankees are one of the last two teams left on my goal to do the baseball-fan "bucket list" of seeing a game in every stadium one better, and SING in every stadium. The LA Angels of Anaheim is the other.
The Yankees are such a hallowed, historic team, they have many, many gatekeepers in place, and don't even list all of the members of their Front Office on the mlb.com website (the only team not doing so.)
Photo: CURBED NY
Over the years, I have had numerous friends try to help me "crack" the team - one even did a play with Yankees' GM Brian Cashman's daughter so sent him a personal email, to no avail. I mean, that's pretty dang-tootin' insider, but alas I got nowhere.
Back in March, a wine study-buddy said, "Send me your materials, I may have a Yankees contact," so I did, but again, nada. At my recent college reunion, a classmate said he had deep MLB-related contacts so would try to make it happen. Another college chum put me in touch with her friend who worked in the legal department of MLB so HE put out some feelers. These are the kind of wonderful helpful gestures that SO MANY folks have done for me over the years, but honestly, with my frustrating track record of accessing the team, I was not expecting much.
A sad by-product of pursuing something this difficult, for this many years, is the gnawing concern that it might never happen. Oh, yes -- being able to say I've sung for 28 of the 30 MLB teams would still be an amazing accomplishment. But to get this close, and to continue hacking away but never finish, is like an ultramarathoner tripping just before the finish line and breaking her leg.
And then, out of nowhere (but really not)...
A few days ago I was traveling back from Philly and missed a phone call from an unknown number. I had to go straight to work from the station, so kind of forgot about it. The next morning I listened to the voicemail: it was the woman from the Yankees saying she had received my study-buddy's email back in March and wanted to discuss my anthem quest.
WHATTT?
Reader, my first thought was that she was going to tell me to back off and have people stop harassing her because she was annoyed, and I'd be lucky if I was to EVER sing at Yankee Stadium. Gulp.
I immediately called her back, and she had much to say. She thought the Quest was great, she really liked that I had a Broadway background, she explained that they were refreshing their performers for the anthem, trying to encourage student musicianship, and so on. I'm sitting there like, "Yes, mm-hmm, uh-huh, butwhatdoesthismean?!" She knew all about me, my performing and wine careers, and had clearly perused the anthemquest.com website, and... wanted to have me sing. With growing excitement, I had to tell her that even though she was interested, I still had the Angels also, and as a native New Yorker, I REALLY wanted the Yankees to be my final team. She said, "That's exactly what I want too."
A pause. My brain went "Yay! OMG OMG OMG. But, wait... what about those pesky Angels? Oh no..." She interrupted my clanging brain with, "I want the Yankees to be your 'last' team, but I also don't want to wait. So if you're around and available," [Lady, I'd cancel my wedding and return from the MOON for this,] "I'd like to have you sing July 26th. It's the Subway Series -- I want to get you in front of the whole city. Then we'll work on the Angels. THEN the Yankees will have you back, to sing again and celebrate the completion of your Quest. Hopefully for a bigger-ticket game, like... in October."
Just typing that - goosebumps again.
So, here I am, trying to source the perfect outfit (you know I always like to coordinate with team colors,) calling up my voice teacher so we can coach the heck out of it, sharing the news on social media to a staggering, outrageously supportive response, and still wondering just HOW I'm going to book the Angels, but also rooting harder for the Yanks to hit the postseason than I ever have before!
What This All Means. (The "Wisdom" Part)
The Angels are still dangling there like the most elusive carrot, just out of reach. It's still going to take some luck and hard work to cross them off the list as well. But now I not only can see the end of this journey, I feel just how close it actually is.
To anyone reading who has their own pursuit, no matter how oddball or mundane, here's my advice:
STEP ONE: Find the Quest (or let the Quest find you)
You have to be open to trying something that's never been done before. Or even something that YOU'VE never done before. Don't cut it off from consideration before you even start, or if you have started, stop because it's difficult. Worst case? You might fail. But even THAT is better than never trying at all: you'll learn, and grow, and get a heck of a lot out of the pursuit.
STEP TWO: Ignite Your Tenacity
Persistence is like a puppy, you have to feed it and walk it and play with it and clean up after it; it requires attention and nurturing. If you cultivate a healthy tenacity, that will carry you through the tougher times, you'll recover from difficulties faster, and you'll support YOURSELF as you continue down this path. Make sure to keep gratitude and joy mixed in there, and it will be a lovely ride.
STEP THREE: Ask For Help
Sure, the majority of this Quest I've accomplished all by my little ol' self. But a healthy chunk would never have happened without friends and friends-of-friends making a call or sending an email. Asking for help doesn't diminish the work you're putting in by one bit. In fact, you may find that people are excited to help and enjoy being a part of your process.
STEP FOUR: Give Back
Even if you're still in the deepest muck and struggle with your own pursuit, encourage those around you with theirs. Who knows; by helping someone over an obstacle or brainstorming a new solution or pathway, YOU might find an insight into your own issues. But also, your support might lead to the invaluable shift to success for someone else. Wouldn't that be amazing?
If anyone is planning on attending the 7/26 NYY vs NYM game, PLEASE let me know. I would love to come by and say hi. For more information, make sure to check out:
And thank you, as always, for your support. #OHSAY