Some people say that I am very charismatic and am able to talk people into doing things that they normally would not do. A good example of this would be when I was in Ohio recently and convinced my waitress at the Hard Rock Café to give me a pin she had received for getting a certain amount of compliments. Last night, I did something similar to that – which I am not only very proud of – but I am almost positive that Doug would be proud of me too.

I went to Cheers after last night’s Relo Networking Dinner and remembered that the Yankees game was on. Considering that everyone in the bar – including the bartender – were wearing Red Sox regalia, I was sure that there was no way that I would be able to watch the game. But to my surprise, the game was on one of their small television screens, so I started to watch it.

After people began realizing who I was rooting for, I got a few heckles. Then, when the game went into extra innings, I really wanted to see if the Bronx Bombers were going to pull of the much needed victory against the Minnesota Twins…

…and that’s when the bartender switched channels and turned on the Red Sox game.

Without thinking, I shouted, “Hey! What are you doing?! Put the Yankee game back on!” – which needless to say sent the bar into a complete silence. At that point, I didn’t care if I was in “the enemy’s” backyard, I wanted to see if the Yankees were going to win. After some wicked banter with the bartender and a little polite begging – I actually got a Boston bartender to switch from a Red Sox game to a Yankees game – and I got to watch them win in our arch-rival’s hometown.

Doug would be so proud of me.

Every time I watch a Yankees game, I think of Doug. He was the world’s biggest Yankee fan and he would have hugged me if he was there last night. I remember that he owned at least a dozen different Yankee hats and T-shirts and made sure to almost never miss a Yankee game. To him, it didn’t matter if they were losing by a hundred points, because he always believed that they would come back and win – and they usually did.

One of my favorite Doug stories that I still tell to this day is what he once said to me about the Yankees. He said that they had the uncanny ability to be at the losing end of a game and comeback and win right at the end of the game. I have seen them do it on many occasions and think of Doug each and every time they do it. He was such a die-hard fan of the Yankees that to him, they were the best team in baseball – win or lose.

This year, the Yankees are once again in the playoffs and have the chance to win the World Series. I don’t find it coincidental that they have not one a World Series since they lost their biggest fan – but hopefully this year, they will pull it off. But even if they don’t win, I will always be proud of the victory I had last night in Cheers…

…and I hope that Doug is too.