beast of the east
Active member
At the Lehigh game, I had the pleasure of running into Ryan Asselta, a weekend sports anchor for Fox News. He was covering the game for Fox, and interviewed Lavin after the game. He is one of our own, almost.
Ryan's Dad John grew up in the shows of St. John's, in Queens VIllage, went to Holy Cross HS, and taught at St. Francis Prep. Right after marriage John and his (late) wife Eileen worked waiting tables the bars in Bayside on Bell Blvd, and at the Sly Fox. John had SJU tix for years, as did his Dad at one point. Ryan remembered attending a bunch of games with his dad and grandad and looked over at the corner in the seatback section, and whistfully said, "That's where we used to sit.. It's been a long time since I've been here".
You see, Ryan grew up across the River, in NJ, and after graduating from college embarked on a broadcasting career with Fox that took him to Fort Myers and for the last 7 years, Boston. Six months ago, he was transferred to weekends in NY, where he is waiting to hear if he will be permanently assigned here.
During HS and college summers, Ryan worked the concessions at Shea Stadium, for his beloved Mets. He and his brother Jamie worked there way up to the box seats behind home plate, menu service for the elite ticket holders. Jerry Seinfeld once tipped him a ridiculously low amount on a big order and complained about the price of bottled water.
I hadn't seen Ryan since we had vacationed with his family a dozen years ago. He was really happy to be back at CA, and when I cautiously asked him if he had become a Boston fan of the sox and Pats, he smiled and said, "No way. I root for three teams - the Mets, the Jets, and St. John's."
Let's hope he lands back home in NY for good, where he belongs. You can catch him weekends on Fox - he's a great young sportscaster.
Ryan's Dad John grew up in the shows of St. John's, in Queens VIllage, went to Holy Cross HS, and taught at St. Francis Prep. Right after marriage John and his (late) wife Eileen worked waiting tables the bars in Bayside on Bell Blvd, and at the Sly Fox. John had SJU tix for years, as did his Dad at one point. Ryan remembered attending a bunch of games with his dad and grandad and looked over at the corner in the seatback section, and whistfully said, "That's where we used to sit.. It's been a long time since I've been here".
You see, Ryan grew up across the River, in NJ, and after graduating from college embarked on a broadcasting career with Fox that took him to Fort Myers and for the last 7 years, Boston. Six months ago, he was transferred to weekends in NY, where he is waiting to hear if he will be permanently assigned here.
During HS and college summers, Ryan worked the concessions at Shea Stadium, for his beloved Mets. He and his brother Jamie worked there way up to the box seats behind home plate, menu service for the elite ticket holders. Jerry Seinfeld once tipped him a ridiculously low amount on a big order and complained about the price of bottled water.
I hadn't seen Ryan since we had vacationed with his family a dozen years ago. He was really happy to be back at CA, and when I cautiously asked him if he had become a Boston fan of the sox and Pats, he smiled and said, "No way. I root for three teams - the Mets, the Jets, and St. John's."
Let's hope he lands back home in NY for good, where he belongs. You can catch him weekends on Fox - he's a great young sportscaster.