WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE FAMILY BALLPARK?

I think I've found the best family friendly ballpark out there, but let me back up and start at the beginning. Look, I’m no tight ass. I like the idea of attractive women at the ballpark, but I’ve noticed over the last 10 years that things have changed fan-wise…and maybe it’s because now my kids are with me to see what I see. Yes, the chanting of “A-hole” when an opposing fan walks down the aisle is the norm, and I can at least tell my kids not the repeat it, but what’s up with the attractive young woman with the low cut shirt showing off her “boys”? What’s going on with women fans holding signs that read “Jeter I want your baby.” My kids can read, and they have questions…. Are you going to answer them? If I knew I was going to teach Sex Ed at the ballpark, I would have brought my former gym teacher along. It’s a little over the top, that’s all.

Look, I’m not judging, I know I have a job to do as a parent. I can choose not the go or explain what true fans are and let them be exposed to all of it to get the “real feel”, pardon the pun. But it’s true, I am a traditionalist and while I love wearing a Posada jersey to the ballpark, I’m not sure seeing male fans rip their shirts off and chanting “RED SOX SUCK” as it’s written on their back really works for me. Yes, The Red Sox DO suck, but the last thing I want to see is my kid doing that at a town football game weeks later. I long for the day when people actually dressed up to go to a ballgame once in a while. Those Sunday matinees with men wearing hats and women wearing sundresses. Yeah, that’s right; I’m actually 102 years old. Look, I’m sounding extreme, and it’s all to make a point.

Whatever happened to the “family” ballpark? What ever happened to bringing the kids to a game at a reasonable price, parking for $6 bucks and having a few hot dogs and a brew totaling $45? At least then you can get a souvenir. But No...

Instead, lately it’s the price of a mini-vacation and my son's asking me “Why is that girl dancing with her bra showing in that man’s lap?” That’s tough to defend; I’m not going to lie. Plus I’d really like to see that, but not with the kids around, maybe on pay per view.

I have to say, Yankee Stadium is not a bad place to bring your kids at all. It’s pretty family friendly and if a fan is unruly, security usually takes care of business right away and kicks them out. But it’s expensive. So, I went for it; I took my kids to a truly family friendly ballpark… Riverfront Stadium in Newark New Jersey...the Home of the Newark Bears. Not sure if you know the history, but the Newark Bears was a farm club of the Yankees in 1937 with names like Joe Gordon and later, Yogi Berra. Later on it was rejuvenated by former Yankee Rick Cerone and they brought in former major league players like Jose Canseco, Rickey Henderson and they’ve had managers like former Pirate Bill Madlock and currently, former Yankee and Expo, Tim Raines. I'm actually very interested in interviewing Mr. Raines because he's had such an incredible baseball career and I hope to have that for my Bleeding Yankee Blue readers.

But back to my point; a Newark Bears game is inexpensive and you see some pretty competitive ball being played. My kid loves baseball as you know and since we’ve been there, we’re looking forward to going back. The park is about as family friendly as it gets and there is plenty to do. If the kids get bored, you can walk around, they have a kids section, the mascots are out meeting the fans and they have something going on almost every half inning games... activities and other fun stuff.

Look, I love being at a pro ballpark, but half naked people and visible tramp stamps are too much to explain to my kids. All I’m asking for is a little courtesy. That’s it. I’m a true fan, I get it, but as I get older I can’t defend you all the time. Hey, that’s sports I guess. It’s just my opinion. But here’s another opinion, for a cheaper cleaner afternoon, check out the Newark Bears next spring, it’s a lot of fun. You can sit back, relax with the kids and you don’t have to worry about boobs, “F” bombs and going broke on a Sunday afternoon.Check out the Newark Bears... That’s the right way to go. Click HERE to find out about ticket information. I'll re-post this closer to the Bears opening day in 2012.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY CANSECO WON'T BE FORGOTTEN

Yes, sadly, Jose Canseco was a New York Yankee. It was a strategic move by the Yankees in 2000 to claim him off waivers before the Red Sox did. That's the last memory I have of Canseco playing ball. Years later, we watched him plug his book, turn baseball upside down and did little else. He is on Twitter now though. Then again, who isn't.

So what and I getting at? This. Has anyone been following Jose Canseco on Twitter lately? I love a good rant. And Yes, I've always been fascinated with Jose, so the combination of Canseco ranting really puts a smile on my face every morning. It's "car wreck" reading... I can't wait to read what he's going to say next. Sadly, It seems as though no one is reading him... Twitter silence. Here are some examples:

















Mr. Canseco, I do read you. I know you don't know me and I know you don't follow me. I just want to put a few things out there for people to think about.

No Doubt, you were a phenomenal home run hitter, and maybe still are. Everyone loves the long ball and at the time, everyone loved you. Hitting home runs is awesome, It's an amazing feat, so no one faults you for that.

Many however don't care for the way you handled your friendships. Now, I'm going on information based on reports. I wasn't there, so I don't know exactly what happened. But from what I can tell, from the outside looking in, you befriended many many ballplayers during your playing days only to later expose secrets about them, some of these secrets we don't even know to be true. In fairness, some we do.

I'm not saying you're a bad person. I don't want to sound like I'm the person you should answer to. I'm not. I'm just a fan of the game, as you are. All I am saying is that human beings grow up learning to respect each other in their lifetime. We learn trust, friendship and loving thy neighbor at an early age. In fact you even wrote this in one of your twats:What you did to your former teammates, while it opened the eyes of Major League Baseball about a major problem of steroids and human growth hormones in the game, also demonstrated betrayal, selfishness and greed.

Many people are confused by all of this. Some may call you a rat. Some may call you a hero, I'm in the middle because you may have done the right thing, but you threw all of your friends under the bus for profit to do it. You get to live your life, while the people you betrayed are now under a microscope of suspicion. You see what I mean? I'm not sure I get it.

Look, I'm just a blogger. This will get posted, people will form an opinion about it and comment and look for the next post on a new topic the next day. It's not news, it's my opinion. I'm not the law, I'm not the judge and I'm not your mother. I just wanted to tell you how many of us feel about the whole ordeal.

You helped baseball, but you help it destructively. I respect what you did, I just didn't like the way you did it. That's it.

I'd love for you to respond and I'd be happy to put it on my blog. Just email me at BleednYankeeBlu@gmail.com. I don't have the biggest readership, but I do have the best readers out there, and I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.