It's Fan Feature Friday! If you're active in the Yankee Twittersphere, you know this lady! She's fiercely loyal. She's also the President of the Oswaldo Cabrera Fan Club.
Meet Gina Muscato...
When did you first become a Yankees fan? How old were you? What year was it? How did it come about?
I’ve been a New York Yankees fan ever since I can remember. My family is all Yankees fans, especially my dad, so it’s in my blood. As a kid, we played whiffle ball outside until dark then came inside to watch the Yankees on WPIX with Phil Rizzuto and Bill White.
Who is your favorite player of all-time?
Don Mattingly. He was the epitome of baseball in the 80's - the eye black under his eye, the jersey always covered in dirt. Mattingly played a flawless first base, and he was the best hitter I’d ever seen. He played with everything he had and left it all out there on the field. I really admired his heart. I’ll never forget my first visit to Yankee Stadium when I was like 7 or 8. Our seats were on the first baseline and my eyes never left him, not for a second the whole time he was on the field.
I’m desperately waiting for him to come home to the Bronx in some capacity AND for him to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It’s a crime he’s not in there already.
Who is your favorite most underrated player?
I don’t know if David Wells is underrated, but he was certainly a favorite of mine. How could he not be? He had such a colorful personality and always said exactly what was on his mind, for better or worse. But he was a workhorse and he won a lot of games for us. Of course, he pitched the perfect game in ‘98 and helped us win the World Series that year. I’m a fan of anyone who’d sneak a $35k Babe Ruth hat onto the mound to pitch in it.
"I drank a beer, and I had a career year." - David Wells
What is your most memorable moment as a fan?
Definitely Game 6 of the 2009 World Series against the Phillies. Being in the stands at Yankee Stadium watching my team win a championship — absolutely the most euphoric moment you can have as a fan. I’m so grateful… not a lot of people can say they were inside the stadium to witness a championship-clinching game, but I was there, and I’ll never forget it.
What would you like to see in the 2023 season?
World Series Championship #28. ‘Nuff said.
If you could sit down with any former Yankees player, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you talk about?
Babe Ruth. Come on! The two of us together having a couple beers…it would be a riot! I’d love to know what he thinks about the game of baseball today, the steroids era, the new Yankee Stadium. Honestly, though, it’s Babe Ruth…I’ll talk about whatever he wants to!
Extra Innings
I’ve dubbed myself the President of the Oswaldo Cabrera Fan Club on Twitter. It's completely unofficial, but I’ve got Rotowear's ‘Where’s Waldo’ tee and I bought the same pearl necklace he wears. People always tag me in tweets mentioning him or news stories or photos. It’s fun. I just love the energy and joy this kid plays with and I hope he’ll do great things for the Yankees for years to come.
On-Deck
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