More than 1,300 people joined the Fordham University Alumni Association at Yankee Stadium to watch the Twins squeak out a 4-3 victory over the Bronx Bombers on a night that began with a pregame reception for alumni at Yankee Tavern on 161st Street, continued with the distribution of special-edition, Fordham-branded Yankees jerseys inside the gate, and featured no shortage of Rams apparel and block Fs mixed in with the pinstripes and famous interlocking “NY” logo of the Yankees.

Some in the Fordham contingent were seated in right field, just below the Yankee Stadium “Judge’s Chambers” section and a baseball’s toss away from the super-slugging Aaron Judge himself. Among them was the University’s new president, Tania Tetlow, who attended with her husband and daughter and paid a pre-game visit to the press level, where she met with broadcasters Michael Kay FCRH ’82, and Justin Shackil, FCRH ’09, as well as Greg Colello, FCRH ’07, senior director of scoreboard and video production at Yankee Stadium.

“It’s clear that Fordham loyalty runs deep,” said Tetlow on the strong turnout from Fordham grads. “It’s so exciting to know how much Fordham alumni want to come together and to be at the other heart of the Bronx, Yankee Stadium.”

‘So Much Fordham Spirit Up in the Bronx’

It wasn’t Tetlow’s first game in the Bronx: She said her family had taken one in earlier in the summer, when they first arrived in New York. “We got our requisite gear and hats and started training our daughter, Lucy, on the joy of baseball,” she said. The family’s allegiances had been up for grabs because their former home, New Orleans, doesn’t have a big-league team. But Tetlow said their rooting interests are settled now: “We are fully committed to the Yankees.”

Fordham trustee Kim Bepler said she was excited that large groups could once again gather for “fantastic” events like this. “People want to be with people, and what’s better than going to Yankee Stadium?” she said. “And part of the joy of this is also accompanying our new president. So I get to see her cheer on the Yankees with her family.”

Samara Finn Holland, FCLC ’03, a member of the Fordham University Alumni Association Advisory Board, also praised the outing’s large turnout.

“I think it’s amazing,” she said. “It’s so great to see so much maroon and so much Fordham spirit up in the Bronx. And I think it’s really important as Fordham continues to unify all of its schools to have an event like this, where you have alumni from all the undergraduate colleges, as well as the graduate schools, all be able to come together and then celebrate.”

A Ram on the Mound, Camaraderie in the Stands

The Fordham grads in attendance got to see one of their own on the field: Greg Weissert, GABELLI ’18, who made his big-league debut on August 25, becoming the first Fordham grad to play for the Yankees since Johnny Murphy in 1946.

Weissert’s appearance in the Fordham Night game marked the seventh outing of his rookie season, in which he’s shown off deceptive sinkers and sliders, as well as a wicked two-seam fastball. A day after picking up a win with an efficient three-pitch outing to improve his record in relief to 3-0, Weissert entered in the eighth, giving up a home run that would prove to be the difference in the game.

But while the outcome of the game wasn’t what the Yankees fans in the Fordham group were hoping for, the night was about more than the result on the scoreboard.

Steve O’Dowd FCRH ’78, said he and his wife had been planning to come up to the New York area from the Jersey Shore for a wedding the weekend after the game. But when they heard about the alumni outing, they extended their trip (and added a pre-game detour to Arthur Avenue).

“I actually became a Yankees fan starting around the time I went to Fordham,” said O’Dowd. “Prior to that, I was a Mets fan, believe it or not. We’d cut classes and come to a lot of games. Thurman Munson was my hero; that’s why I have this number [15] on my jersey.”

Debbie Myllek, FCRH ’90, another former Mets fan who switched sides upon arriving at Fordham, said her family jumped at the opportunity to bring two generations of alumni to the event.

“We’re Yankee fans and massive Fordham fans,” she said. “My husband and I met at Fordham; I was a sportswriter on The Ram and he was my editor. Now both of our kids go to Fordham. For our friend group, we try to make sure we all sit in the same section, and now my son and his friend started doing the same. It’s really nice.”

—Joe DeLessio, FCLC ’06

For this third annual Fordham Night at the stadium, the Fordham University Alumni Association worked with the Yankees to give the first 1,000 ticket-buyers a custom jersey with a Fordham patch on the sleeve.

Prior to the game, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham—and perhaps the University’s No. 1 Yankee fan (he once threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the stadium)—stopped by the YES Network broadcast booth. He provided Fordham hats to the announcers, including former Yankee Paul O’Neill, who was calling the game with Michael Kay, FCRH ’82. When Kay gave Fordham a shoutout and mentioned Father McShane during the broadcast, O’Neill remarked on his “nice new (maroon) golf hat,” and recalled going to a Fordham basketball game once at the “really cool” Rose Hill Gym.

Also in attendance was Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., the new dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, a native  New Yorker and longtime Yankee fan whose great-grandfather once staged a production of Verdi’s Aida at the original Yankee Stadium. In an update to an Instagram post celebrating the home team’s victory, she noted that one lucky fan, Patrick Mulvey, FCLC ’78, even caught a foul ball hit by Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner. “Truly a magical night!” she wrote.

Photos courtesy of Sally Benner, Barbara Ann Hall, Sara Hunt Munoz, and Bryan Zabala.

Does it feel odd to get a lifetime achievement award with, hopefully, a lot of career left?
Yes! I’m wondering if someone is trying to tell me something. A few days prior to the Scully Award, I was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame. I guess it’s a good thing to get them while I can still enjoy them.

Did you always know you wanted to go to Fordham and then become a sports broadcaster?
I knew I wanted to be a Yankees announcer since I was nine years old, and when my sister Debbie attended Fordham and told me about WFUV, I knew that it was the best place for me to pursue that dream. I actually wanted to be the Yankees first baseman, but I realized I couldn’t hit and didn’t enjoy getting hit by the baseball.

Are fears about the future of baseball overblown, or is the game actually in danger of losing its place as America’s pastime?
It’s not overblown. The game pace is too slow-moving. I love it the way it is, but I am not the future of the game. You have to capture young people who have come from a “microwave” society. They want things happening instantly, and baseball is not that. They need to figure out how to appeal to the younger audience while keeping the integrity of the game in place.

Why are there still so few female MLB announcers?
I wish I knew. I think sports is slow to change. And it’s not so much the decision-makers, although they have to take some of the blame, but rather the viewers and listeners who complain when something is different in their broadcast. But people like Suzyn Waldman and Doris Burke and Sarah Kustok are changing all that.

You’ve said that the “stick to sports” idea doesn’t make sense, because the political elements of sports are there, so they need to be talked about. Do you feel like, on the whole, people understand that now more than they did five years ago?
I think people have selective outrage. They want you to stick to sports when you give an opinion that they don’t agree with. Now, I would rather not go into things other than sports, but when the president brings sports into the equation, it’s hard not to talk about that.

When it comes to journalism, you expressed your disgust with last year’s layoffs at the New York Daily News. How do you convince young sports journalists—and young journalists in general—that they shouldn’t jump ship and think about another industry?
It would be hard to be honest and tell them that. The print industry is not exactly thriving, and I think that’s a bad thing for this country. If we don’t have a free, independent press, then those in power simply cannot and will not be checked. That’s dangerous. I would tell all these kids that if you become proficient at writing, there will be a job for you in the industry, either in print or behind the scenes in TV. And, of course, a good writer can always go to a thriving website, like The Athletic, and earn a good living.

How has having two young children changed the way you approach your work?
It has put it all into perspective. In the past, I was a workaholic and would take any job or new opportunity. My workaholic past certainly played a role in my present success, but now I’m happy with what I have professionally because I’m so happy personally.

What has it been like for both you and your friend from Fordham, NBA announcer Mike Breen, FCRH ’83, to succeed in the ways you have?
He is one of my best friends in the world. We are the same two guys who used to sit in the campus center at Fordham and tell each other about our dreams. He wanted to be the Knicks’ announcer and I wanted to be the Yankees’ announcer. The fact that we were privy to each other’s dreams and know how starry-eyed we were makes it sweeter to enjoy each other’s success.

You’ve been a mentor to Ryan Ruocco, FCRH ’08, and many other young announcers. What do you enjoy most about your role as a mentor?
I just like to provide whatever help I can give to a young person. I never really had that entrée into the business when I got out of college, so if I can provide a little help or lift to someone, that would be awesome and would maybe provide a couple of more speakers who have kind words at my funeral.

How did you develop your style as an announcer? Did that come out of those who taught or mentored you?
I think it happened organically and was a combination of those I listened to growing up, those I spoke with along the way, and those I worked with. You end up becoming an amalgamation of hopefully the best of the people you came across in your life.

What’s the most memorable game you’ve ever called?
Probably Game 1 of the 1998 World Series, when the Yankees scored seven runs in the seventh inning against the Padres at Yankee Stadium. After the grand slam by Tino Martinez, the stadium was literally shaking and I just leaned back and took it all in. It was pretty special.

More than 21,000 descended on Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Nov. 12 to cheer on their teams from Holy Cross and Fordham, as they fought for the Ram-Crusader Cup. The Rams made the most of their once-in-lifetime chance to play at the world famous venue, taking the cup after defeating the Crusaders, 54-14.

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, called the Ram-Crusader competition a “friendly rivalry,” and fans taking the subway to the stadium proved him right. On the uptown No. 4 train, groups of purple-clad Crusaders jovially jousted with maroon-clad Rams, as Bronx locals characteristically paid little attention to the commotion.

Father McShane said the last time Fordham Rams played Yankee Stadium was in 1946—and they lost. However, the team had won previously at the stadium during the University’s centennial year in 1941.

“And for us to be going at it with Holy Cross, a Jesuit sister school, is just great,” he said.

Philip Borough, S.J., president of Holy Cross, agreed. “Yankee Stadium! Every little boy and girl in America dreams of being here,” he said.

The two school presidents met before the game in the Steinbrenner Suite. Father McShane noted that Holy Cross would be celebrating its 175^th anniversary in two years, and proposed a rematch at the stadium in two years’ time. Father Borough said that with nearly 10,000 tickets sold to Holy Cross fans “that might be a good point.”

At a pregame celebration of nearly 300 Fordham alumni, unofficial reunions took place among small groups, over plates of hot dogs and hamburgers. Brian Quinn, FCRH ’01, who traveled from Dallas with his family, recalled his years on the football team, which he admitted “weren’t very good.” As he surveyed the stadium he joked, “This is a big upgrade since then.”

Nearby, Maureen Bateman, LAW ’68, and Warren Gregory, FCRH ’66, talked about the ties that bind Fordham’s schools.

“It comes from the philosophy classes,” Bateman said, adding that her son Daniel who majored in physics at Fordham College at Lincoln Center “still has the Fordham spirit.”

“It is Jesuit, and their philosophy is serving others,” said Gregory.

The Jesuit philosophy was on display in the stadium as well. Colleagues of Sheena De Loache, a student at the Graduate School of Social Service, donated their tickets so that she could take a group special needs adults to the game.

“They had a blast of a time,” De Loache said.

Elsewhere in the stands, John Hanley, LAW ’00, wore a jersey half purple and half maroon, with logos of both teams. His son John graduated from Holy Cross last spring and his son Thomas is a sophomore at the Gabelli School of Business. But as a Fordham alumnus, he wore maroon socks to “tip the balance a little bit.”

But in the end, it was about more than the game.

“To see these young men to play at Yankee Stadium is a big deal,” said Bob Daleo, chairman of Fordham’s board of trustees. “We’ve had players go on to the NFL, but most of these kids are here for an education that will change their lives. This experience is just icing on the cake.”

[doptg id=”64″]

TOUCHDOWN! Fourth quarter, 47-14, Rams winning #RCCup #GoRams #fordhamfootball

A photo posted by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Nov 12, 2016 at 2:39pm PST

Baisley, 83, remembers how, after moving from New York to Chicago in the late 60s, he’d even try to win over Midwesterners by mentioning that he knew Vince Lombardi, FCRH ‘37, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach (who during his time at Fordham tried unsuccessfully to convince Jim’s brother, a basketball player, to join the football team).

But when Fordham takes on Holy Cross for the Ram-Crusader Cup in a highly anticipated game at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 12, Baisley won’t be pulling for either team.

That’s because Baisley will have a grandson on both squads: Charlie, a sophomore offensive lineman at Fordham, and Jimmy, a senior offensive lineman at Holy Cross.

“Oh, it’s going to be absolutely wonderful,” says Baisley, who retired as general counsel for W.W. Grainger in 2000. “We used to go to all the Yankee baseball games. And so to have your grandkids playing in the game, it’s rewarding. You work hard and you try to educate your kids, and give them an opportunity to be good people. And I think they’re all good people.”

Baisley says he’s seen his grandsons, who were teammates in high school in Illinois, play against each other just once: Fordham’s 47-41 overtime win over Holy Cross last season. But he says it’s a thrill to see them suit up for opposing schools, especially since Charlie and Jimmy are both on their team’s offensive units.

“It might have been different if they were knocking heads against each other,” he says. “But that wasn’t happening.”

Baisley’s grandsons say they’re looking forward to the game as well.

“I’m really excited,” says Jimmy Murray. “This game has been on everyone in my family’s schedule for the last two years.” Indeed, Baisley says at least 50 family members will be on hand on Nov. 12.

Not surprisingly, his grandsons are trying to sway him to their schools’ side.

“I’ve been kind of leaving some Holy Cross gear around his house, and hoping that he picks up on the hints and is wearing more Holy Cross than Fordham,” says Jimmy Murray.

Charlie, meanwhile, plans to try and persuade his grandfather to pull for his alma mater. “I hope he ultimately roots for Fordham, but I’m sure he’s going to have a great time regardless of the score of the game,” he said.

But despite his family’s many Fordham connections—another grandson played golf at Fordham, and he has a granddaughter in high school who’s committed to play soccer for the Rams in 2017—Baisley says he’s not rooting for either team at Yankee Stadium.

To remain neutral on game day, he says “I may bring my Holy Cross hat and my Fordham hat, and wear them interchangeably.”

“I don’t care which team wins,” he says. “I think every kid on that field is a winner because they’re getting a Jesuit education.”

–Joe DeLessio, FCLC ’06

When Nick Martinez made his major league debut in 2014, he became the first player out of Fordham to appear in a big-league game since 2001. That’s when 14-year veteran Pete Harnisch, GABELLI ’87, last pitched in the majors.

Texas selected Martinez in the 18th round of the 2011 draft, weeks after he completed his junior year at the Gabelli School of Business. He’s since made 57 appearances on the mound with the Rangers, including 47 starts. Although he’s spent much of this season with the team’s triple-A affiliate, the Rangers recalled him from the minors earlier this month. Tonight he’ll return to the mound in the Bronx to face the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, where he’s pitched well in two previous outings, earning the win in the Rangers’ 15-4 victory on May 23, 2015.

He spoke with FORDHAM magazine Tuesday afternoon, the day before his start.

How different is it for you to come to New York on a road trip, having spent time here while at Fordham?
It’s kind of like a second homecoming. Obviously whenever we play in Florida, and play the Marlins [in Miami], that’s [a homecoming for me too because it’s] where I’m from and grew up playing the game. But having spent three years here in New York, it does feel like home to me, having come to Yankee games when I was at Fordham. I’ve got all my college buddies, a lot of close friends of mine that live here still.

How many people do you have coming out to see you?
Not as many as the first couple of times I pitched here. I just got called up, so it was kind of late notice—flights being so expensive, they couldn’t plan in advance. I’ve got a handful of family and about 10 or 12 college buddies coming to the game.

Your Twitter avatar is a photo of you with Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, FCRH ’49, in 2015. What was it like meeting him?
Oh man, it was awesome. I was awestruck at first. And then once we got talking, I thought it was extremely cool just being able to talk about our campus and our school, and some of the other guys that came before me. He was sharp, naming some of the guys that were on the [Fordham] team currently, and how we just had a couple guys drafted. I just thought it was extremely cool that we had that connection.

When you were in college, it had been a while since a Fordham player had made it to the majors. Was that track record something you were thinking about?
I’ve always had aspirations of being a big-league player. When I was being recruited to play college ball, I didn’t look at what school was going to [give me] a better chance of getting drafted. I just kind of looked at, first, where am I going to get the best education, and secondly, am I going to get a chance to play? And Fordham hit the criteria perfectly. It was a great fit. As soon as I walked on campus, I fell in love with it. I had a shot to start right away, and I was able to play. As long as you’re able to play, you find that exposure. If you’re good enough, someone will find you. I wasn’t too worried about if I was going to get noticed. I wasn’t thinking about the draft. I was more geared toward just working hard and just trying to be the best player I can be.

Is there anywhere you’re looking to go while you’re in New York this week?
You know, I did plan on going to Fordham today, but our game last night ran until about 4 o’clock in the morning with that rain delay, so I had to cancel that. But I did plan to go and say hello to some people on campus, and maybe grab some lunch on Arthur Avenue, but I couldn’t do that today. Maybe next time.

Interview conducted, edited, and condensed by Joe DeLessio, FCLC ’06.

Update (June 30): Martinez started for Texas last night. When he left the game, with two runners on and no outs in the sixth inning, the Rangers led, 6-1, and he seemed destined for his second career win at Yankee Stadium. In the ninth, however, the Yankees mounted a major comeback, scoring six runs and winning the game, 9-7, on a walk-off home run.

Andy Pettitte was the scheduled starter on July 1 for the Yankees home game against the Seattle Mariners, but before he could take the mound, the southpaw yielded the spotlight to a little-known right hander.

On a warm and unusually dry Wednesday evening, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, moved to a position halfway between home plate and the pitcher’s mound and prepared to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

He had traded his maroon Fordham hat for the navy blue of a Yankees cap, and got an enthusiastic reception from the hometown crowd as his image was beamed onto the JumboTron in center field.

Father McShane’s toss made it to Yankees catcher Jorge Posada with plenty of steam, and when Posada greeted him after the pitch, Father McShane thanked him and offered him a blessing.

“I hope I did Fordham proud in my 15 seconds on the mound,” he said after leaving the field.

The Yankees invited the Fordham president to the stadium to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of baseball at the University. That history includes many greats of the game, including:

• Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch, who was nicknamed the Fordham Flash.

• Esteban Bellán, the first Latin American to play professional baseball in the United States.

• Jack Coffey, the only major leaguer to play with Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth in the same season, and a celebrated Fordham coach.

• Vin Scully, a second-string outfielder who went on to become the legendary voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers.

• Michael Kay, Yankees play-by-play announcer on the YES Network.

“I am delighted that the Yankees chose to honor Fordham’s contribution to the great American pastime,” Father McShane said.

Also honored by the Yankees that night was Fordham Preparatory School’s baseball team, which had just captured its first Catholic High School Athletic Association championship since 1992. Prep players took the field with the Yankees and stood alongside the likes of Derek Jeter, Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher during the national anthem.

Father McShane’s throw marked the second time Fordham’s president has thrown out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., president of Fordham at the time, received the honor in 1991.

“I am delighted that the Yankees have chosen to honor Fordham’s contribution to the great American pastime,” Father McShane said before the game. “I hope to do Fordham proud in my fifteen seconds on the mound.”

Father McShane’s honor, in which he tossed a strong throw to Yankee catcher Jorge Posada from halfway between home plate and the pitcher’s mound, commemorated the 150th anniversary of baseball at Fordham. That rich history includes Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch, the Fordham Flash; Esteban Bellán, the first Latin American to play professional baseball in the United States; Coach Jack Coffey, the inspiration for Coffey Field and the only major leaguer to play with Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth in the same season; Vin Scully, a second-string outfielder who went on to become the legendary voice of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers and Michael Kay, Yankees play-by-play announcer on the YES Network.

It was also the second time Fordham’s president has thrown out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium, following Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., president emeritus of Fordham, who did it on June 21, 1991.

Fordham’s winning tradition continued this past Catholic High School Athletic Association season, in which Fordham Preparatory School captured its first CHSAA championship since 1992.  The Fordham Prep Baseball Team was honored on the field at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, as part of the Yankees’ “Field of Dreams” program.

As the Yankees took the field on the warm, humid summer evening, they were followed by members of the Prep team, who stood alongside Yankee players Derek Jeter, Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher during the national anthem.

Father McShane, who traded his maroon Fordham hat for the navy blue of a Yankees cap, got a great reception from the hometown crowd, as the camera beamed his image onto the JumboTron in center field. When Posada greeted him after the pitch, Father McShane thanked him and offered a blessing to the catcher.