The New York Yankees and Ira Riklis

“Keep your eye on the ball,” goes the old adage. And it’s particularly appropriate for batters such as the Yankees Alex Rodriguez. Over his career to date, he’s hit 599 home runs—making him one of only seven players in Major League Baseball history to do so—by keeping his eye on the ball and knowing when to swing. But as Ira Riklis knows, in sports as in business other adages apply, perhaps the most important being: “keep your eye on the goal.”

A-Rod’s also a master at doing that. While he, the team and Yankees fans everywhere, are waiting for him to belt home run 600, something he’s taken longer to do than any of the other six players to reach that plateau after hitting number 599, he knows that the ultimate goal is winning—which the Yankees have been doing. In last night’s victory against the Cleveland Indians, he had some chances to swing away. Instead, the situation sometimes called for another approach—including a sacrifice fly that drove in a run to tie the game in the third inning. But don’t worry, the 600th home run will undoubtedly come sometime soon. Just remember to keep your eye on the ball as it heads over the fence!

Like other Yankees fans, Ira Riklis is waiting for the one good swing that will give A-Rod his 600th career home run. He’s been standing at 599 for three days now, so it shouldn’t be too much longer. But he could have been stalled for sometime after being hit in the hand by a pitch during yesterday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. It happened in the 8th inning with the bases loaded. The ball careened off his hand and A-Rod hit the dirt, which led to some anxious moments for the team and fans. But in the end, the damage was limited to a bruise and A-Rod earned a base, which drove in another run in the 12-6 Yankees victory.

When it was all over A-Rod laughed the incident off and expressed his disappointment that he couldn’t have belted his 600th in front of home fans at Yankees Stadium. For now, fans like Ira Riklis are content to know that their team has won 14 out their last 18 games and sit alone atop the Major League standings. Like their team, they’re focused on the future. A-Rod alluded to their main goal when he said: “Hopefully, some of these fans will come back in October and we’ll give them some real moments.”

The 64th Yankees Old-Timers’ Day held this past Saturday served as yet another reminder of the team’s rich history. Among all the storied franchises in major sports in the U.S., no team comes close to Ira Riklis’ home-town heroes. Saturday’s remembrances were tempered by the passing last week of former announcer Bob Sheppard and owner George Steinbrenner. Also absent was Yogi Berra, who suffered a fall near his home and was unable to make the event. Still, there were plenty of stars in attendance and plenty of memories of glory years gone by.

The Yankees are the only team that holds such an event each year. With 27 World Championships in their past, they certainly have a lot of celebrated old-timers to showcase. But for fans like Ira Riklis, there’s more to it than that. These events are like an annual reunion for the extended Yankees family of players, managers, personnel and—yes—fans, past, present and future, that help make this team what it is.

In addition to owner George Steinbrenner, the Yankees family lost another member this past week with the passing of long-time announcer Bob Sheppard. For fans like Ira Riklis, Sheppard—who has been called “a voice of God,”—was an important part of the experience of attending a game at the old Yankee Stadium. It’s been nearly three years now since he made his last call at age 96.

He served behind the microphone on game days for almost 50 years, having made his debut as the public address announcer on April 17, 1951, the same day that Mickey Mantle started his career in pinstripes. Years later, Mantle recalled, “Each time Bob Sheppard introduced me at Yankee Stadium, I got shivers up my spine.” And Sheppard said to him, ‘So did I.’” Ira Riklis can also remember Sheppard making the announcements at New York Giants football games. Like other fans, he’s missed Sheppard and his eloquent and elegant introductions.

Like Yankees fans everywhere, Ira Riklis today is reflecting on the legacy of George Steinbrenner, the team’s passionate principle owner for the past 37 years. Steinbrenner, who turned 80 just over a week ago, died of a heart attack early yesterday morning. He purchased the team back in 1973 when the Yankees were struggling after many years of success. At turns bold, brash, demanding and sometimes meddlesome, Steinbrenner cared deeply for his team and demanded excellence from it.

And it was excellence he got: the Bronx Bombers won 7 World Championships in his years as owner. As Andy Pettitte put it: “He expected a lot; he demanded a lot. He raised, I believe, the level of not only the Yankees’ organization and what they want to do — as far as winning championships — but he’s raised the bar around baseball for other teams to try to keep up and compete.” It was that drive towards success that made things exciting for Ira Riklis and other fans. When Steinbrenner first came on the scene, the Yankees were a fading empire. At last night’s All-Star game, the reigning World Series champion Yankees had more stars than another other team, the best record in baseball and a new, state-of-the-art stadium. George truly went out on top.

It went down to the wire, but when the final votes of baseball fans were counted, Yankees right fielder edged out the Red Sox’s Kevin Youkilis in the closest Final Vote race in the program’s nine-year history. Swisher helped himself out with a late “get-out-the-vote” plea on Twitter. Ira Riklis’ Yankees lent a hand as well, promoted him in New York, where interns in the media relations department held up banners reading “Send Swish” behind the set of “Today.”

Swisher makes the 8th Yankee to make the team, which does fans like Ira Riklis proud.It also makes his father, who played in the All Star Game as a catcher for the Cubs back in 1982. Swisher himself felt good while walking around Pike Place Market in Seattle where the team was playing the Mariners, several people came up to tell them they’d voted for him. “Things like that that make you feel so good,” he said. “People were telling me, everywhere I went. I’m just excited and couldn’t be happier for all the support.” Overall, he garnered some 9.8 million votes!

It was sixty-one years ago yesterday when Ira Riklis’ favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees, celebrated  “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” at the old (though it was fairly new then) Yankee Stadium. Just two weeks earlier, the Yankee star had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)—the condition that soon became known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

But as fans like Ira Riklis know, when the Yankee legend spoke that day it wasn’t out of self pity or fear of what the disease would mean for his future. Instead he talked about his many blessings.

“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

“When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift - that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies - that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter - that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body - it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that’s the finest I know.

“So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”

Yesterday, the team partnered with the ALS Association Greater New York Chapter to sponsor a text Campaign to help Strike out ALS. Fans attending the game, watching on TV and listening on the radio texted to a special number to make $5 donations towards ALS research.

On the 4th of July, we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence which led to our freedom from British rule. While less important in the overall scheme of things, true Yankees fans, such as Ira Riklis, may also know that owner George Steinbrenner also celebrates his birthday on the 4th. This year marks his 80th. Like any prominent person, George has those who like him and some who feel less favorably. But no one can deny that he’s dedicated to his team and to winning.

In speaking about his history with his boss, manager Joe Girardi mentioned this dedication, saying, “”When I think of George, I think about his passion for winning and his desire that 2009 is 2009 and let’s go and do it again in 2010.” Steinbrenner and  Girardi have a long history between them. Girardi played football at Northwestern, where Steinbrenner once coached. Since Steinbrenner started his coaching career under Woody Hayes at Ohio State, he and Girardi used to do a lot of Big 10 teasing back and forth. But that was in the past, now they’re on the same team, and fans like Ira Riklis are glad for the results they’ve achieved so far.