Game 34 – Warrior Wishes Come True In New York!
So far, we have made warrior wishes come true at 33 NFL games this year. This has been another wild week, as we have hosted warriors in Green Bay, Nashville, Indy, Cleveland, Detroit & now we are heading to New York Sunday & DC Monday.
Lately, the warriors have been treated to some of the most dramatic games all season. From the Bears holding off the Packers in Lambeau to a blocked FG attempt returned for a touchdown. Then this past week in Detroit we saw Aaron Rodgers throw up a Hail Mary with no time left on the clock to beat the Lions. In each game the road team won. How was this game going to end? We hoped the Giants could break our losing streak…
While warrior wishes were coming true at the Flyers game Saturday night in Philly, I was on my way to NY. My dad flew to Philly & took a bus to the big apple.
I picked my dad up around 1:30am in Manhattan. We stopped in Times Square to get some famous New York thin crust pizza before driving to a Walmart parking lot in New Jersey to get a few hours of sleep.
We met up with the warriors at Redd’s just down the street from MetLife stadium. It was an honor to be hostinga 10 year Army Veteran (Patrick) & 3 Vietnam Veterans (Ken, Harvey & John) at the Giants game.
We made our way over to the stadium shortly after everyone had arrived to tailgate with our friend Ed & his amazing tailgate crew!
Ed has been there helping us make warrior wishes come true literally from game 1. He has welcomed each of the warriors with open arms and always goes above and beyond year after year to create an unforgettable experience for them.
This years New York experience was going to be better than ever, Manhattan Beer Distributors sponsored this experience giving us the opportunity to go all out!
Plus, Ed & his crew bought a new RV & had it wrapped displaying some of the Giants biggest legends. 12 speakers sat atop the roof of the RV blasting music to get the party started. The grill was fired up & it was tailgate time!
The warriors were blown away by the tailgate experience. Ed brought out an authentic “WWE” championship belt that was custom made with the Giants logos and Super Bowl championship logos. The guys each had the opportunity to take pics with the belt.
Ed didn’t stop there, he had gift bags made up for each of the guys complete with brand new Giants jerseys, jackets, t-shirts & more! He even got our friend Mike an authentic Antonio Brown Steelers jersey! (Mike was our guest in Pittsburgh in 2012, he now lives in the New York area & his girlfriend helped us secure a sponsorship from Manhattan Beer. It was awesome catching up with him and hearing about all the amazing things he is doing to inspire others. Learn more about the warriors below)
For the 4th straight year Ed & his crew continued to raise the bar & Helped us make Warrior Wishes come true in New York, from the food to the gift bags, we are truly thankful for his generosity & friendship.
The Giants were hosting the Jets, with both teams being from New York, ticket prices were sky high! Standing room only seats were selling for around $300 a piece. Thankfully Manhattan Beer gave us the opportunity to get the guys front row tickets in the 300 level. Since ticket prices were so expensive, my dad & I did not plan to go to the game. As we walked the warriors into the stadium, my dad found a ticket on the ground! Which gave him the chance to go in and make sure they were having a great time throughout the game.
While they were inside the stadium having fun, I was watching the game on a TV in the parking lot. We were treated to our 4th straight crazy game as the Jets found a way send the game into overtime. They scored a field goal on their first drive in OT. The Giants were able to drive the ball down the field and set up for a game tying field goal. The kick sailed wide of the goal post giving the jets the win & extended our losing streak…
My dad & I waited for the warriors after the game back at Redd’s. We planned to take the guys on a tour of ESPN after the game.
It was about a 2 hour drive to Bristol, CT. The guys were bummed about the Giants loss, but excited for the behind the scenes tour of ESPN. We were greeted in Bristol by John, a security guard at ESPN. John himself served our country & was more than happy to be out tour guide.
John walked is down the halls of the world wide leader in sports. From the news room to the Baseball tonight set, the guys got to see it all. One of their favorite stops on the tour was in the cafeteria. There was a section covered in dog tags, pictures & quotes, dedicated to the men & women who have served & work at ESPN.
We wrapped up the tour around 9:30pm & thanked the warriors one last time before getting back on the road for our overnight drive to DC.
We would like to thank Manhattan Beer Distributors for their partnership and for helping us make warrior wishes come true at the Giants game, Redd’s for allowing us to park and for providing shuttle service to and from the game, Ed & his tailgate crew for going above and beyond for the 4th straight year to help us make Warrior Wishes come true at the Giants game, New Era for providing Giants caps & our friends at ESPN for providing an unforgettable tour of the ESPN campus.
TOGETHER WE MAKE WARRIOR WISHES COME TRUE!
