Behind Bronx Pinstripes- Sue Bange, Leading Lady

Well hello there! Thought I forgot about all of you huh? Well I know the folks here at Bronx Pinstripes were looking for this feature to pick back up. So after many twists of the arm (looking at you Sue!) we are back to get a few more of these in before the end of the season. For those of you who don't remember (since it has been so long) I've been going mono y mono with my colleagues here at BP to find out more about them and how they each became Yankee fans and members of the BronxPinstripes family. If you'd like, the rest of the posts can all be found here. So upwards and onwards we go!

No better way to get back into the swing of things with BronxPinstripes' leading lady, Sue Bange! It is a chore on its own dealing with a large group of guys being the only female in the group, but Sue not only keeps her own, she keeps us in line. So without further adieu, let's go Behind BronxPinstripes with Sue Bange, Leading Lady! JM- How did you get involved with BP and what is your current role? SB- I’m pretty sure I just shot The Boss (Scott) a tweet that writing about the Yankees sounded right in my wheelhouse, we spoke on the phone and hit it off and shortly after I was on board. I tend to write more of the human interest, player features, historical, “off-the-field” pieces…usually rather opinionated and sprinkled with humor, wit, and cheese. Haha! Also, I (wo)man #YankeesChat most Monday nights @ 8pm EST (my man Justin is my partner in crime), where we Twitter engage the fans on various topics of all things Yankees & baseball. We’re always doing giveaways and having fun on there so be sure to join in with @BronxPinstripes using the hashtag #YankeesChat! JM- Sue & I are the tag team champions of Twitter chats so make sure to come check us out Monday at 8pm before the Yanks' Wild Card game on Tuesday! Sue, you're the mother-hen of the family, what's it like being the only female in a male dominated setting? SB- Amazing! No drama with all dudes and I wouldn’t have it any other way lol. No, honestly, I’m used to it and prefer it that way. I’m usually that only-chick-in-the-back-room-of-the-bar watching sports and yelling. Our BP guys know how to have fun and bust my (lack of) balls, I love that! JM- The guys started it on the podcast, but what is your 'Walk Up' song coming up to the plate? SB- Can’t think of one specific song but most likely something Pitbull or Macklemore, that would make fans dance in their seat and get excited for my at-bat. JM- *Sitting here shaking my head at the musician selections*  Who is your favorite Yankee of All-Time? Your favorite NON Yankee? If there was one player in the history of baseball that you would want to see play- past or present, who is it? SB- Why are you giving me the insanely difficult task of choosing these! Ugh…Ok. Sorry for the novels below but hey you asked for it- Favorite Yankee of all-time: Whitey Ford because a) he’s the Yankees all-time leader in wins (236) & he’s second in all-time strikeouts for Yankees with 1956, just trailing  Andy Pettitte. b) I had the pleasure of speaking with and hanging around him HOF Induction Weekend ’14…he smiled & saluted us from afar, we saluted him back of course (me thinking, “OMG, look at me saluting the Chairman of the Board”), then he comes over to us wearing his vintage flat brim Yanks hat with the gray bill & logo and the navy top and says, “You don’t have to salute me…(Whitey Ford saying this to me, if he only knew my lifelong obsession) I was just saluting you because you girls are so pretty!” He is precious and extremely charming! I also am a huge fan of Roger Maris because I like the guys that no one else likes. And Phil Niekro I love because what a knuckleball he had on him! & I used to have cards of him growing up, his personality & friendliness is off the charts, plus he’s a true believer of women in baseball. Our conversation when we met is a whole ‘nother story… (I’ve got stories for days but wont bore you to death) My fav non-Yank (well once Yank) is easy: Nick Swisher. His bubbly personality and energy, on top of his power hitting and versatile defense, sets him apart from the rest. Any journalist loves an entertaining interview and Swish never disappoints. Plus, he is fun and has amazing arms. 1 player I’d love to see play: Jackie Mitchell because she was a female baseball pioneer who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Or any of the women pioneers that you’ve probably never heard of: Lizzie Arlington, Alta Weiss, etc. (I’m in the process of writing an awesome book about them ;) )

Jackie Mitchell sizing up The Babe JM- A very impressive, and detailed list! Ok, you're at the Stadium for a game, what's your go-to drink/food order? SB- It’s always a race. Quick- gotta run over to the Yankees Food Court on the main level of the stadium. First stop- the back left hand corner where the mixed drinks are at. Gotta get the Yankee souvenir yard glass margarita (tip: ask them to alternate the flavors. I do pina colada, strawberry daiquiri & margarita YUM)! $15 but then you don’t have to get out of your seat for another drink for a while. Then, run to find your seats in time to make roll call! That’s basically my main focus as far as concessions go. I’ve probably solely paid for Didi’s salary alone from all the Yankee Stadium margaritas I've bought over the years. If there’s a pitching change or something then maybe I’ll head out for some cheese fries or sausage & peppers. I still have yet to try the huge bucket of popcorn! JM- Sounds like a girl with a plan! Watch out stadium goers, don't get in her way. Speaking of the Stadium, what is your most memorable moment sitting in Yankee Stadium? SB- OMG! Jeter’s walk off last game in the “rich people seats”, click the link below for an in-depth analysis & crazy a** video… http://bronxpinstripes.com/nyy/one-last-captain-curtain-call/ JM- Gotta love cross-linking to your own articles in the middle of an interview; well done. If you were on the Yankees, what position would you be playing? SB- 1B like Tex. I’m tall, got the quick one-hop scoop/pick dowwwwwwn, can grab the Knoblauch-esque throws that are like 3 feet over my head and I have NO arm, so I’d probably be a gold glove first basewoman. JM- Since you're on the Yankees now, you hit a HR- what's Sterling's radio call as the ball leaves the park? SB- “…Sue BANGGGGGGGGG, ohhhh how she BANGED the cream cheese outta that one!” –Sterling laughing. “Really Jawn! I love this girl! And a sorta fun fact about her? She absolutely loves the color pink!” –(ugh sweet…) Suzyn JM- Instant classic from John & Suzyn! When you aren't watching the Yankees, what are you most likely doing? SB- Playing softball, basketball or tennis, reading, hanging with the bf and/or sipping on some delicious wine JM- Gotta do it, what is your Top 3 baseball movie list? SB- #1- A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (1 of my all-time fav movies) #2- The Sandlot (so many iconic 1-liners) #3- (tie) 61* (Mantle/Maris HR race) & Rookie of the Year (#TeamRowengartner)

JM- Dream vacation spot, or your favorite vacation you've been on? SB- I love everywhere in Europe. Hiking along Cinque Terre on the coast of Italy I think are some of the most breath-taking views ever. JM- Who is your favorite "non-Yankee"/ "non-baseball" Twitter profile to follow? SB- Uh oh. I literally think that every single person I follow has something to do with baseball in some way… :/ (embarrassing, I know) I love @MLBcathedrals & @BSmile for the historical pictures JM- If you could break one record in baseball what would it be? SB- Probably the amount of professional games played by a female on an all-male team. C’mon why hasn’t this happened yet?! (C'mon Mo'ne!) JM- Last question: Hitting a walk-off HR in the 9th of the 7th game of the World Series, Scoring the winning TD in the Super Bowl, Hitting a winning three in game 7 of the NBA Finals, Scoring the winning goal in overtime of Game 7 in the Stanley Cup, Winning an Olympic Gold or Winning the Masters-- which do you win? SB- No question- Game 7 walk-off homer: I'm a power hitter & the drama of baseball trumps any other top tier sport in my mind. It is truly 1-on-1. 1 moment between a pitcher and a hitter that can completely change the outcome of a game with one split-second instance & in such a high pressure situation as the World Series, must feel so surreal! No need for further elaboration...

Thanks J! This was fun & made me feel important for the last hour that I've rattled on for haha ;)

I must admit, if there was a way to comeback from our hiatus, this was how. Sue knocked it out of the park! Great job Sue and thanks for patiently waiting for me to post! Hope it was worth the wait for you and all of our faithful readers!

Make sure to check back tomorrow for another edition of Behind Bronx Pinstripes!