A vital part of “The Summer of Baseball” (which sadly is at an end) was our tour of the two New York City baseball parks—Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium. It was my second trip to Shea and first to Yankee Stadium. I liked the fact that you exit the 7 Train and there you are—right smack at Shea.

So, in retrospect, since the first week of June, we visited Bank One Ball Park; Camden Yards; Citizens Bank Park; Shea and Yankee Stadium. Let’s not forget The Sandcastle (Atlantic City) and the pre-Spring Training home of the SF Giants where we witnessed a number of Arizona Rookie League games.

Number one? I have to go with Citizens Bank Park with Camden Yards close behind. Overall, though, neither is as cool at SBC Park (nee Pac Bell).  Hopefully, I can nail some video from SBC sometime soon.

Here's a guy playing a steel drum on a VERY hot afternoon just adjacent to Times Square.

It's the 9th Inning. Who do you call for a save? Only one name will do--the Yankees' Mariano Rivera. He's a personal favorite who almost always comes through in the clutch. Sure, he gave up the bloop single to Gonzo that gave the Diamondbacks the 2001 World Series, but it left Rivera unfazed.

For this career, Rivera has more than 360 saves (367 as of today). He's a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer. He's cool, he's calm and he has nasty stuff. In addition, he's a vital part of his community--both in New York and his native Panama.

When Rivera enters the game, the PA blasts Metallica's "Enter Sandman." I suppose that's because it's lights out for the opposition. For the record, Rivera lost the game at whcih I shot this clip. He gave up a triple to the Chisox's Juan Uribe in the 10th and the winning run scored when Posada failed to block the plate. Where's Yogi when you need him?