Local Students Join in Celebration of Baseball
It was a day when everyone wished they could be a kid again, as a piece of baseball history came to town for all Long Islanders to see. The New York Yankees’ 2009 World Series trophy was unveiled in all its splendid glory on April 21 at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislature Building in Mineola. On hand to give it a warm welcome were County Executive Ed Mangano, Legislators Nicolello and Vincent Muscarella and Denise Ford, along with a class of eager fifth-graders from St. Joseph’s School in Garden City.
The World Series Trophy Tour has been displayed at various public showings, but this is the first time it has made a stop in Nassau County. Mangano expressed his enthusiasm about the momentous occasion to a room filled with delighted baseball fans. “This trophy is an important trophy for our youth, it is an important trophy in many of our lives as we grew up as Yankee fans, fans of Major League Baseball. In fact, the original trophy was originally called the Commissioner’s Trophy,” Mangano stated.
Each year, a new trophy is made for the World Series winning team. Tiffany & Co. designed it, and each year it goes on a Victory Tour. “We are happy that two days of the Victory Tour are spent here in Nassau County,” Mangano stated.
The trophy features 30 flags, each one of them representing a Major League team, with latitude and longitude lines symbolizing the world. ”It gives me great pleasure to welcome this World Series trophy to Nassau County. I am thrilled that we have young and old alike that are eager to take a photo with it and join in the celebration and be part of Yankee history and Major League Baseball history,” said Mangano.
St. Joseph’s principal, Dr. Eileen Kilbride, escorted Mrs. Keefe’s fifth-grade class as they walked a few short blocks from their school carrying a Yankees banner. Students Kathleen and Caroline, who have both been to several Yankee games, expressed their glee at being the chosen class to view the trophy in person. “It was so much fun!” they said. Even though it was a day for Yankee fans, one student, James, felt it best not to take sides in New York baseeball. “I’m kind of a Mets fan and Yankees fan, a little of both,” he said.
Legislator Muscarella, an avid Yankee fan, was excited to support his fellow sports enthusiasts. “It’s a wonderful day, a day when we can all relieve our youths. We have young people here and the senior citizens always remember back in their youth, the days of Little League. It’s a great day to have a little piece of history in Nassau County,” he stated. Muscarella was already looking to have another successful year. “I wish the Mets well. There’s nothing better than a Subway Series, I hope we have one again, but in my heart, I will always root for the Yankees.”
Fans had a the once-in-a-lifetime chance to take photos with the winning trophy, which was on display for two days in the chambers of Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislature Building in Mineola and at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City.
