Everything started with an email.
On July 26, 2022, just a couple of months after graduating from high school, an 18-year-old who had already been rejected for a position once before decided to try his luck one more time. He pressed send as his heart raced and fingers twitched with excitement and nervousness. Twenty-four hours later in the beige-leather interior of his mom’s Lexus, he received a response from the man he had been trying to reach — Pinstripe Alley managing editor Andrew Mearns. After
being asked for a mock piece that would be “indicative of something we might publish on the site,” the 18-year-old happily obliged, feeling fortunate even to be asked for a sample, and sent a Google Doc with an article on Joey Gallo.
The article was fundamentally sound, but not good enough. Not nearly good enough.
So came a large round of edits suggested by Andrew, and the young writer sent it back after making major changes. And after a suspense-building wait, a small dream come true.
I am, of course, writing (and reminiscing) about my story of joining this incredible site.
Since that late July day, I’ve had the immense pleasure of working at Pinstripe Alley. Talking Yankees (and baseball in general) with my wonderful co-workers, hearing their opinions, seeing their reactions through some of the best and worst times, and of course, giving mine too when I wasn’t busy screaming at the TV for all the right or wrong reasons, was just a bonus for me. The real prize? Being a young, aspiring sports journalist who got to write about his favorite team every week for an outlet he had been reading consistently since the middle of high school.
My favorite memory of my time with Pinstripe Alley was easily writing an article for my grandfather’s birthday. I’ve been a Yankees fan since I was born, and it’s because of him that I fell in love with the men in pinstripes and my favorite player ever, Derek Jeter. Having that published on this site and reading it aloud to him was one of the best, most impactful moments of my writing career, even today. I will never forget it, and I owe this site everything for creating a memory like that for me.
Pinstripe Alley wasn’t just a place where I got to write about the Yankees; it was where I learned the ins and outs of journalism on a stricter, more regimented schedule. And while I admittedly wasn’t always the best at it, especially during stressful times in college, my amazing editors greeted me with the utmost grace and acceptance. And, most importantly, it showed me early on how important that part of the job is when entering the real world.
There aren’t many words to describe how I felt when I got Andrew’s email about becoming a member of the staff here at Pinstripe Alley. In that moment, I had accomplished a goal that I had set for myself, and it helped me grow not only as a writer but also as a professional.
For four years, I woke up every week and wrote about my favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees. Now, I’m stepping into the real world, with two college degrees and a full-time sports editor job on the horizon. And had it not been for Pinstripe Alley and the amazing people at this site, I don’t believe I would have made it to where I am today and, more importantly, where I intend to be in the future.
When I began this job, I was just a kid. And to many, I still am. But Pinstripe Alley afforded me all sorts of different new experiences that helped me as I stepped into my college newsroom, my internship newsroom, and my now-sports editor newsroom. The experience I gained here was invaluable, but at the crux were the people, and the people who not only made such an incredibly accepting atmosphere for a relatively inexperienced kid, but who also loved the team just as much, if not more than I do. That is what makes this place so special, and I’m so excited to continue reading as much content from this outlet as possible.
So, after four years here at Pinstripe Alley, it’s time I bid this site adieu. But every word I wrote, and every article I published, is one I’m proud of because of where it was posted and the team it’s about. I’ll never take any of it for granted, and I can’t say thank you enough to everyone on this incredible staff and all of you amazing readers. Until next time.
