From Facebook today:

So, is it wrong or some sort of profiling to look around for Chinese people sitting down before the train gets to Canal St (so you can get their seat)?

You may have heard McCarver/Buck mention the other night–Phillies ace Cliff Lee, jammed in traffic hours before his World Series start Wednesday night, jumped out of his cab in upper Manhattan and hopped a pair of subways to get to Yankee Stadium.

According to the announcers, Lee went unrecognized by his fellow riders on the 6 and then the 4 train.

Reports the Daily News:

Lee was stuck in a taxi at 5:45 p.m. en route from his team’s Manhattan hotel to Yankee Stadium before his Game 1 start, when the driver told him they were hopelessly stuck in traffic and it might take two more hours to get to the ballpark. Lee instructed the driver to find the nearest subway stop. A veteran of the underground system from his visits to New York with the Indians, Lee successfully navigated from the 6 to the 4 train and arrived about 15 minutes later - in more than enough time to toss his complete game opposite CC Sabathia.

“I still had plenty of time,” said Lee, who went unrecognized. “I’ve always taken the subway, but for whatever reason I took a taxi the other day. If I would have known it would have been that long I just would have gotten right on the subway.”

Adds Gothamist:

Lee called his agent, Darek Braunecker, who advised him to leave the cab, find a policeman and ask for help getting to the stadium. The Phillies’ traveling secretary, Frank Coppenbarger, told Lee to do the same thing.

Lee instead told the driver to take him to the nearest subway. He got out at W. 119th St., Coppenbarger said.

Lee got to Yankee Stadium at 6:20, had to prove to the guards he was actually a player, then shut down the fearsome Yanks in a complete game.

The Yankees unveil a new fall tradition this evening, as the winners of the Little League World Series, the Twins representing the Twin Cities of Minnesota, are invited to River Avenue to face off against the Bronx Bombers. It’s a tall order indeed for the Twins, whose payrolls is roughly comparable to how much Brett Gardner’s personal assistant makes in a year.

Metro-North has three extra Hudson Line trains, dubbed the ”Yankee Clipper”, of course, to shuttle fans to the ballpark for tonight’s 6:07 kickoff, along with one direct train on both the Harlem and New Haven Line.

The Hudson Line trains depart Croton-Harmon at 3:55 and 4:57 and Poughkeepsie at 3:30. The New Haven Line train leaves New Haven at 2:45, makes the major stops, and then makes like a Sabathia fastball from Stamford to the Yankees-153rd Street stop for a 4:21 arrival, leaving ample time for the consumption of Bud bottles at Stan’s.

The Harlem Line direct train departs Southeast at 3:20 p.m. and makes all local stops to Mount Vernon West at 4:31 p.m. then operates non-stop to the Stadium for a 4:52 arrival. 

Of course, diehard fans can also take the subway to 125th and grab a shuttle train from there. 

“Despite a game time that is in the heart of Metro-North’s evening rush hour, the railroad wants to give fans the opportunity to try our great game day service and experience the ease of beating stadium traffic,” said Metro-North President Howard Permut.  “Although the railroad does not have a lot of extra train cars or a lot of extra track capacity on a weeknight at 6 o’clock, we felt that this playoff home stand series will allow us to attract fans who we hope will become regular customers.” 

[image: examiner.com]

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and some of the still-remaining MTA bigwigs will assemble at the new Metro-North Yankee Stadium stop tomorrow at 12:30 to christen the new E. 153rd Street station.

Metro-North says  a “special, non-revenue train will leave Grand Central Terminal from Track 28 at noon” for media types; with the railroad’s current deficit, one is excused for thinking that all trains are non-revenue trains.

With his penchant for upstaging major public events, sources say Yanks slugger Alex Rodriguez will engage in batting practice while wearing leather chaps and a cowboy hat. He’ll hit from the Roberto Clemente Memorial Field across the street from the new stations; the field is a former Little League park that the Yankees bought up with taxpayer money so the players’ children can play wiffle-ball during Dad’s ballgames.

[image: Esquire]