Yankees Fan Feature Friday: Emily Mias

It's Fan Feature Friday! This week, I'd like to introduce Emily Mias. Emily is new to Yankees culture, but that doesn't make her any less diehard. She offers up some great advice for those of you trying to introduce your love of the game and the Yankees to your significant other. Read on for advice in the Extra Innings section.

Meet Emily Mias

When did you first become a Yankees fan? How old were you? What year was it? How did it come about?

I'm a super new Yankees fan at the age of 31! This past season was the first year I really followed, though I was paying a bit more attention towards the back half of 2021. My family has always been a Yankees family despite being from Massachusetts. My dad grew up in Springfield, MA, and his family could only get NY channels on the radio. My sister is a huge sports fan and has always loved the Yankees. It came as a huge shock to my family when I started getting into baseball and could speak fluently about players, stats, etc. They think it's hilarious.

When I started dating my now-fiancé, who is a diehard fan originally from Staten Island, he would put on baseball games and Jomboy Media breakdowns when he came over and we'd watch together.  I would make little comments about the game or players that he thought were funny. He'd quote me to his friends in their Yankees group chat (so I knew he wasn't just being nice). He then suggested I start a Twitter account for Yankees banter. I started tuning in to Twitter during the games because it was such a live look into how people were feeling about specific calls or players, and I wanted that insider take to better understand what was happening. When I joined the Yankees twitter fam, it felt like I found a whole community.

I played softball growing up, so I always understood the game mechanics, but I learned so many things specific to MLB over the last year: Weird rules around balking and stealing, paying attention to pitch count, and why so many people want robo-umps. My fiancé and his friends needed another person for their fantasy league, so I joined and actually finished the year in second! I had Rizzo, Trevino, Cortes Jr, Cabrera, and Carpenter on my team (before he got injured). So I clearly stacked it with Yankees. My fiancé didn't even make the fantasy playoffs, so he was impressed.

Who is your favorite player of all-time? 

This year, I was Nestor Cortes Jr. for Halloween. He's just so awesome. We saw him pitch at Guaranteed Rate Field against the White Sox in 2021, and I've loved him ever since. Jose Trevino, Matt Carpenter, and Harrison Bader are close seconds. If I had to pick an OG Yankee it obviously has to be Derek Jeter. We watched all of The Captain when it came out, and it was epic.

Who is your favorite most underrated player? 

I have a soft spot for Higgy. He's a great defensive catcher, but his offense is hot and cold. He just seems like a great guy. It was fun to see him do so well in spring training last year.

What is your most memorable moment as a fan?

Meeting Jimmy O'Brien and Jake Storiale outside of Fenway was really cool, but my best moment was when we went to Yankee Stadium for the Red Sox game in July and the Yankees won 14-1. It was my fiancé's 30th birthday, so we had invited all of his friends and their partners to join us. We had also just gotten engaged. We realized that night that Matt Carpenter was the real deal when he hit two homers! Judge also crushed two that night. It was just a really fun, memorable game to commemorate so many special life happenings with our friends.

What would you like to see in the 2023 season? 

I'm really excited to see how the new rules affect the game - bigger bases and no shift. I think we'll see a huge increase in runs scored. We'll seem more small ball and fewer home runs. Home runs are great, but small ball is even better - so much drama! I hope they figure out whatever is going on with the Yankees' pitching because clearly saving our pitchers and obsessing over pitch count isn't working. I'm also looking forward to Michael King making a healthy return.

If you could sit down with any former Yankees player, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you talk about?

I mean, it has to be Jeter! I would ask him about a lot of the things he talked about in The Captain, though I wouldn't expect elaborate answers as he appears to play things close to the chest. I'd love to hear more about what life is like on the road for baseball players. It's amazing to me how they play after long travel days and sleeping in hotels.

Extra Innings

So many guys have asked me, "How do I get my girlfriend to like baseball?" My best advice is this: you can't force them. Just as with anything else, you have to make it FUN for them. Let them ask questions about it, don't judge them, laugh at their jokes when they make fun of players and teams (this was definitely what worked best on me), and maybe try watching Jomboy breakdowns together. Lastly, don't gatekeep or make them feel dumb for not knowing things. If you want somebody to get into the game, why would you make them feel small by not knowing the rules or that a certain thing is just "how it's always been"? Be patient and talk about the players as actual humans. If none of that works, maybe you need to step up your game and make it a date night at the stadium. That definitely worked on me!

On-Deck

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Jonna M. Perlinger