I'm Not The Only Commuting Nut Out There

Some of you may remember when I wrote about properly positioning yourself on subway platforms and other keys to executing a successful commute. Many who don’t go through the relentless daily grind of trying to transport yourself more than a couple miles within the tri-state area probably thought I was insane, or some kind of obsessive at the very least. Well, I’m not alone. The notion of properly positioning yourself on the subway went mainstream today in a NY Times article .

I quote:
“Which side of the car should you stand on?"

“The nonplatform side, so you’re not hurled onto the platform at the next stop by angry-looking passengers” getting on or off, Mr. Russianoff said. “I grew up on the D line, the Brighton line, in Brooklyn. It opens on either side, depending. To know the 11 stations from Sheepshead Bay to DeKalb Avenue, that’s knowledge given only to native sons and daughters. You ping-pong back and forth.”

What subway car should you ride in if you’re going to Yankee Stadium?

That is a once-and-future question. The last game at the old Yankee Stadium was played on Sunday. The first pitch at the new Yankee Stadium is months away. But the two ballparks are just across the street from each other. The same trains will still go there.
Even so, New Yorkers like Zack Hample, the author of “Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan’s Guide for Beginners, Semi-Experts and Deeply Serious Geeks” (Vintage, 2007), may have to adjust their subway strategies. For now, he remembers the ride to the Yankee Stadium as if it were yesterday. Which it was, almost — he was there on Sunday.
“I live on the Upper West Side,” said Mr. Hample, who has snagged more than 3,790 balls from 44 major league stadiums. “I take the No. 2 train to 149th Street, and I just know I’m supposed to be in the middle door of the third-to-last car, and that way, when we get to 149th Street and I have to run up the stairs and transfer to the No. 4 train, I’m exactly where I need to be when the doors open. I’m right in front of the staircase.”

And the one-stop ride from 149th Street to 161st on the No. 4? To position himself, Mr. Hample does not count the cars on the No. 4; he checks out the benches in the station. “The bench closer to the back of the train — I have to be at the last door of whatever car stops in front of that bench,” he said. “When the train pulls into 161st Street, I’m in the right place again for the staircase.”

Well played Mr. Hample. Well played. I'll be watching out for you on my train lines pal. You could be a worthy adversary indeed.