Stories from the Bleachers

ANTHONY GONZALES “thekingofpinstripes”

Hey folks. So anyhow. I invite you to read my interview with lifetime Yankees fan, Anthony Gonzales, “thekingofpinstripes”

I sat down with Anthony and his lovely gal, Cristina, during a homestand at Yankee Stadium in May.

Me: Anthony, tell the folks when you started attending Yankee games. 

Anthony: My dad used to take me to games when I was a little kid. I was so young that I used to fall asleep on his lap. That’s how young I was. My dad and my grandfather were the ones that used to take me to the games.  

My grandfather used to take my dad when he was a kid. Then when I was born, that’s when he started taking me. So, it was pretty much a generation after generation type of thing. I am 35. So, I used to go to the old games in the old stadium.  The one who really made me fall in love with baseball was my grandfather because I used to play with him.

Me: Did you have a favorite player as a kid?

Anthony: My favorite player was Don Mattingly.

Once I started getting older, that’s when Derek Jeter came up and ever since, I loved his style of playing.  I always wanted to be like Derek when I was growing up and I just loved everything about him. So, I became more of a diehard fan. I understood the game more once I got older. 

Me: Do you have a favorite memory in the old stadium?

Anthony: I forgot the year, exactly, but the coolest moment was, my dad, I don’t know if it was on a school day, but he took me and my friends to the right field bleachers and we saw David Wells’ perfect game. That was during the Beanie Baby Day that they gave out. So, I remember that?  I sat in the bleachers before, but that’s a great memory.  I just fell in love more and more with each of the moments that I witnessed in Yankee history.  

Me: Did you get to sit in Section 39 any back then?

Anthony: My father and grandfather sat in the bleacher section.  When I was a kid, I knew about the Bleacher Creatures. I always fell in love with the passion and the history of Section 203.  I envisioned myself doing the “Roll Call” because I thought it was awesome.  Just to chant the players name and the players showing love back.  I just loved everything about it.  

Me: Did you know Tina and Chico, the two most famous Bleacher Creatures, back then?

Anthony: I saw Tina and remember her from when I was a little kid. So, I knew who everybody was all the way up to recently. That’s when I started to know a lot more people. I told Chico one day I saw him when I was a little kid and he just started laughing.  

Chico asked, “How old are you?”

I told him 35.

He said, “I have clothes older than you.”

So, it’s just like everybody is great. Just great people. I wasn’t the one that liked to go up to people, but once I got older, I felt like I could just open up more and just, you know, show my love and passion a lot more. 

Me: Did your father or grandfather ever have season tickets in the bleachers section 39 at the old stadium?

Anthony: No, in the old stadium, my father or grandfather did not have tickets in the bleachers section. So, we usually just came here and got tickets and sat in the bleachers. My grandfather was dealing with Alzheimer’s. So, we were, until the very last day he could remember, we were taking him to games. At one point, he just didn’t know what was really going on, so he just stopped coming to games. It was just me and my dad continuing to be diehard fans.  

Me: I know your dad passed not long ago. Did your dad come to games here at this stadium?

Anthony: Yes, he came to this stadium. So, he died last September.  

Me: Did you all have season tickets in the bleachers here?

Anthony: We had season tickets in the left field when the new stadium opened.  We wanted to see how that feels. So, then we sat there for a little bit and I didn’t like it as much. So, that’s when I came back to right field because I just didn’t feel the excitement being away from right field. I felt like it wasn’t worth the season tickets. So, that’s when I started sitting in right field Section 203.

Me: Were you able to change your tickets over to this section?

Anthony: No, it’s hard to do. 

Me: So, your tickets are still over there?

Anthony: No, not anymore. Every single game, I just get tickets. From whoever. Or the app. That’s what makes everybody great. They help you get tickets. It’s like a big family.  A lot of love.  

Me: Have you ever been able to do Roll Call?

Anthony: No, I haven’t. I don’t want to take that away from anybody. It was here before me. I always came to games with my dad. So, now, I feel like with my dad’s passing, it’s more personal to me. A lot more personal.  It feels different now.  Hopefully, one day, I will have my kids and I can pass it on.

Me: I’m sure you will, buddy!

Anthony at the beach with his hero, his dad!