Yankees are throwing out first pitch from space

April 15th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

For physics class senior year of high school, I did a project on the International Space Station. Three things I remember from that project:

1) I took out a book from the children’s section of the library to get my facts. It had nice color illustrations and easy-to-read sentences. If you’re asking why I didn’t just use Wikipedia, it had yet to be invented. So much easier to be lazy as a student these days.

2) I showed that clip from Armageddon where the Space Shuttle Atlantis blows up in space. I said I hope this doesn’t happen to the International Space Station. (I think this counted as my “multimedia” portion of the project.) No one laughed. Come one guys, look how funny I am!

3) When it was time for questions, my friend asked me how it was possible for fire to exist during that explosion because there is no oxygen in space. I had no good answer. Thanks a lot, smartass.

This was perhaps the last time I had consciously thought of the International Space Station. (Sidenote: I took Astronomy sophomore year of college. Space is effin crazy. Something to think about. Why am I talking about all my schooling in this post?) But thanks to the Yankees and my penchant for consuming sports news, the ISS is back in my life today.

That’s because the Yankees are throwing out the first pitch from space tomorrow.

Reisman, 40, docked at the International Space Station on March 12, carrying dirt from the Yankee Stadium pitcher’s mound, a Yankees banner, and a hat autographed by Yankees principal owner George M. Steinbrenner.

“Launching on the space shuttle and living aboard the International Space Station is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Reisman said. “But as a lifelong Yankees fan, throwing out the first pitch at a Yankees-Red Sox game is also a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I am really honored to have this opportunity in such a historic season in the House that Ruth Built, and I would like to thank the Yankees for being so supportive of our mission up here in space. From Earth’s orbit, but still deep inside the Yankees Universe, let me say, Go Yanks New York Yankees !”

One question here: how in the world is this ever going to get to home plate in the Bronx? Seems entirely implausible. I’m calling shenanigans.

{HTs: FanHouse | River Ave. Blues}