Talk about a double-header.
As if one heart-stopping New York sports event wasn’t enough, uber-fan Art Pinkus decided to take in two – in the same day, in different states.
After watching his beloved Giants whack the Jets, 35-24, at the Meadowlands in New Jersey yesterday, Pinkus, who is celebrating a birthday, headed to The Bronx to see the Yankees stave off elimination and beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-4, in Game Three of their best of five playoff series
“It’s a great birthday,” said Pinkus, who wore a Yankee cap with his blue and white Giant jersey. “How could it not be?”
Pinkus’ interstate sports odyssey began early yesterday when he took a bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, where he met up with friends who drove from Chelsea.
After the football game, the group drove back to Manhattan to drop off the car, and met up with Pinkus’ wife Carol.
“I went home, got changed, got some food, and had a drink,” he said.
Then they took the D train to Yankee Stadium for more fandemonium.
The two-stadium commute took about two hours, including the snack break.
“Fortunately, we didn’t have to choose” between which games to attend,” said Pinkus, who turns 56 today. “The timing was perfect. It’s just karma. It’s all coming together.”
When they weren’t cheering Plaxico Burress and Johnny Damon, Pinkus and pal Rick Shoor were applauding the scheduling gods who made this day possible.
The warm temperatures helped.
“The weather’s been perfect,” Shoor said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better day for sports.”
Another set of New York double-header fans – Jeremy Neuer, 33, a corporate real-estate executive, and his cousin, Scott Rosen – also enjoyed the ride.
The Jersey duo started their day tailgating at Giants Stadium six hours before the 1 p.m. kickoff, and were not planning to get back home until nearly midnight.
They drove separately from the Meadowlands to the House that Ruth Built.
Neuer arrived there in an hour, beating his friend by 30 minutes. He enjoyed a cigar in the parking lot while he waited.
“It’s one of the great things about living in New York,” he crowed. “Where else can you do something like this?
He said the comeback win by the Yanks – who had fallen behind 3-0 before their bats finally came alive – “just makes the day sweeter.”
Even though Neuer and Rosen, 49, an Equinox fitness executive, hold season tickets for the Giants and the Yankees, the opportunity to see both teams in one day was rare.
“It’s a very cool experience. It’s the ultimate doubleheader,” said Rosen.
“This was a very nice thing,” Neuer said.
“I wish we could go to a Rangers game after this.”
Additional Reporting by Leonard Greene and Ed Robinson