Well as most of you know, I was traded to the Mets last week. I flew from Denver, where the Braves were playing the Rockies, to New York on Friday night to join my new team for two games before the All Star break. Of course there’s mixed feelings on the whole thing, me being from Atlanta and having a great four years with the Braves, but overall I am very excited. I’ll be playing in front of a packed house, in a brand new stadium, in one the country’s best sports cities. I’ve always loved the passion for professional sports that New York fans have, so this should be a great experience for me.

And rest assured, I’m in safe hands with the Mets… like the Braves, they are also a Delta team! Clearly I’ll be pulling for David Wright now in the Delta Jeter/Wright Batting Challenge.

Personally, I haven’t yet experienced switching from one big league team to another, so it’ll take some getting used to. Adjusting to new teammates, a new home field, a new city, the look of a new uniform (although, I did grow up wearing orange and blue at Parkview High School so I think that should be a comfortable adjustment), etc. But it’s a really exciting time for me, and I’m looking forward to it.

I played two games with the Mets in New York before leaving for the All Star break. I headed down to Florida to take a much needed break from a long baseball season and then dove right back in last Thursday against you-know-who…the Braves…in Atlanta! That was definitely a weird experience: using the visitor’s clubhouse and stepping into the batter’s box for the first time not in a Braves uniform. And not to mention one of my best friends, Brian McCann, was right behind me catching.

Everyone comes back fresh from the All Star break and looking forward to the second half of the season. You’ll see most guys spending time with their families over the break; going to the beach or lake, or just hanging out at home with some rare downtime.

So for the next several months until the end of the season I’ll be making the great city of New York my home away from home. A country boy goes to the big city! Thanks for all the support and I hope you continue to keep up with me and Delta throughout the rest of the season…

I’ll be here, just in a different uniform.

Jeff
New York Mets

Happy Pride everyone!

This weekend marks Delta’s continuing presence at Pride events held throughout the U.S. Hundreds of Delta employees will participate in New York City’s Heritage of Pride celebration and the Twin Cities Pride celebration in Minneapolis.

And we haven’t forgotten our hometown…Pride events in Atlanta have moved to Halloween weekend this year and Delta will again be an official sponsor.

So, what do we have planned for the big weekend? Delta’s Marketing team, working with several of our agency partners, will ensure the rainbow colors are flying high – along with Delta’s red, white and blue. We’ve got Delta’s classic “MINI Cooper with wings,” tons of great giveaways for the thousands that will be lining the parade route and a seriously tricked-out DJ truck that’ll be playing some of this summer’s hottest dance music.

I’d like to give props to our audio production partner – DMI Music & Media Solutions with consultation from Joel Salkowitz, Program Director of Pulse 87 FM in NYC – for creating an amazing four-hour set that will be sure to keep the energy flowing this weekend.

Some of the standout tracks include:

• Manny Lehman “Body Rock”
• Keri Hilson ft. Timbaland “Return the Favor” (Mike Rizzo Funk Generation Club Mix)
• Ron Reeser - Dan Saenz ft. Myah “Everything”
• Kaci Battaglia “Crazy Possessive” (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Mix)
• Pink “Please Don’t Leave Me” (Digital Dog Remix)

Many of the songs from the Pride playlist can currently be heard onboard Delta via the “Party in the Sky” show and this month’s “Delta Pride” show.

As always, we’d love to know what you think of Delta’s onboard entertainment options.

Have a great weekend!

Chris B.
Sr. Product Manager
In-Flight Entertainment