So I met Joba Chamberlain

[knapplc]

The wife works at NETV and they did a taping last Saturday for the YES Network (owned by the NYY), for a show called YESterdays, which is a retrospective look at their young prospects' lives. They filmed Joba's show here in Lincoln and they needed audience extras, and by some quirk of seating my wife and I got to sit right in the front row.

 

The Yankees fan next to me was about ready to jump out of his seat when they announced that Michael Kay was the host of the show. Living here without the Yankees network or the New York media market in general, I had no idea who this guy was, but he's the play-by-play announcer for the Yankees. So it was cool to have not one but two celebrities on stage.

 

There's a pretty sad, touching story in this show about a young friend of Joba's who died when they were 11, and how the number 8 has special significance to him. It's pretty weird how all of his numbers throughout college, the minors and even in the Bigs all add up to or subtract down to 8. I'm a big, strong guy, but even I had tears in my eyes when they were talking about this kid. It's great how, through chance or some other factor, this young man has never, ever been forgotten, and he never will be.

 

After the taping Joba came down and signed some autographs, even though they had said previously that he probably wouldn't. He's just a good guy like that. I didn't get a picture of myself with Joba, but I did get some of him with the son of a friend of ours who was there, and he signed a ball for me, which was really cool. He's a great guy. In every interview I've ever seen with him he comes across like this really down-to-earth, swell kid, and he really is that way in person. He kept lobbying to pinch hit in interleague play, and wanted everyone to vouch for him that he was a good hitter. He tells a good story, and even though the taping was two hours and everyone's butt fell asleep, it was a good time.

 

If you get the YES network (does satellite carry it?) and you watch the Joba episode of YESterdays, the wife and I are sitting in the front row to Joba's left. I'm wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt and the wife is wearing a green top. So maybe I'll be on TV in NYC. I think that's going to have to count for my 15 minutes of fame.

 

Sadly, from the way it sounded they have no plans on letting NETV air this show, so most of us will never see it.

[c-flush]

That's awesome. Joba does seem like a nice guy.