When you travel as much as I do, and I am sure some of those reading this, you never expect to receive a pat on the back for doing your job. Well call me very pleasantly surprised, even call me blown away. Getting the call from Delta to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park before my beloved Red Sox trampled the Tampa Bay Rays was amazing. Definitely one of the moments I will always remember.

Again, part of my job for Akorri, a software vendor of performance and utilization management software, is traveling to different regions of the country and occasionally the world to set up sales teams and get regions off the ground. Knowing this includes a “healthy” amount of travel I try to make sure I get where I need to go in an economical yet timely manner … trying to minimize wear and tear. Delta has been there for me.

Been loyal for a reason

I guess being relatively loyal paid off, flying Delta 200,000+ miles out of some 300,000+ miles flown last year. As it stands, as I write this on a flight tonight, I have flown over 75,000 miles on Delta this year already. Again, service is a big component of why I fly Delta, but so is going to the places I need to go too. So being selected to represent all “road warriors” that fly Delta was an honor. It also put a bit of stress into my usually cool demeanor (so I am told).

The Call

Got the call from Delta while on vacation and the family had flown Delta to visit the kids grandparents and Uncle in Florida. When ever I get a call from the 404 area code could be two things; a buddy who lives there or I start to think there may be a travel issue with my flights. To my very pleasant surprise it was Delta asking me to throw out the first pitch, there was no hesitation. So now the pressure starts to build.

The Plan

My goal was to practice my pitch prior to the May 3rd game … well things did not quite work out for me in this part of my plan. I flew home from the west coast on Thursday night red-eye out of LA. Got in and after spend a few hours with my kids left before a day full of meetings. Got home later that night, spent quality time with my wife which did not include any pitching side work. Saturday was just the next day, and had little time to practice, besides it was raining.

Plan B … relax

So had to go to plan “B” aka try and relax. Not so easy when you keep thinking about the fact that 25,000 plus plus fans would likely be in their seats. In my job I am up in front of people speaking constantly, groups of all sizes, this was very different.

You get to Fenway Park at 6pm and they walk you down on to the field where you can watch the remainder of batting practice from the field, see the players come up to stretch and loosen up for the game. Note that the people I picked to go with me, my Wife Kristen, neighbors Kurt and Tara. Kurt who is a road warrior, Chairman’s Club on US Airways, and has been for a long time, remarked after taking the video from the field that there are a lot of positives being with Delta based on our comparisons of the two companies loyalty perks. Oh yeah he also did his best to make me even more nervous leading up to the pitch – thanks Kurt!

Now my nerves are in hyper drive for 45 minutes leading up to the pitch. One by one the guys you watch from the stands come out past you, Big Papi, Manny, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Beckett and Youkilis … given they are the reining World Series Champions it is quite amazing. Talk about feeling out of shape. Plan B consisted of me throwing the ball from the mound and neither bouncing it in front of home plate or sailing it into the backstop.

The Pitch

Pictures are better than words…

As you can see in the video mission accomplished but I am still getting grief about the fact that I was low down towards the grass – was told to stay away from the rubber by the Red Sox folks. I have to thank Buffi from Delta for make sure myself and the others that were invited to the box had a great time. Truly memories that I will treasure for ever.

Want to become a SkyMiles member? Earn 1,000 extra bonus miles from this link if you sign up now. Learn more about program benefits here.

Rob Strechay

SkyMiles Medallion Member

Delta is proud to be the Official Airline of the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival recently wrapped up in New York City, and Delta Air Lines had a starring role!

As the official airline for the Festival again this year, I’m proud to say that this is just one of many sponsorship platforms that Delta uses to demonstrate positive change in the communities we serve; and, New York is certainly no exception. As many New Yorkers know, The Tribeca Film Festival was founded by actor Robert De Niro and others following the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan with an annual celebration of film, music, and culture. For those outside of the New York City area, TriBeCa is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan. The name is an acronym for Triangle Below Canal Street.

It was indeed a privilege for me to represent Delta Air Lines, as I presented the best actor and actress awards during the Filmmaker Awards ceremony last Thursday evening. Over the weekend, we participated in the Tribeca-associated Delta Family Festival Street Fair on Greenwich Street. Great times were had by all! As you can see, a few of us even met the original cast of the movie ‘Gotta Dance.’ It just so happened that we chose their movie at a private screening for our premium customers on Saturday afternoon and then we bumped into them walking down the street right after!

The 2008 festival ran from April 23rd through May 4th, and included 121 feature films and 79 short films representing 41 different countries. Among them were 53 world premieres, 6 international premieres, and 30 North American premieres.

At Delta Air Lines, our passion for New York is stronger than ever. Supporting the community through our significant role in the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival is just one of the many ways that we demonstrate our dedication and commitment to this great city.

Thank you for your support of Delta Air Lines. We appreciate your business.

Brian T. Rutter

Director - Sales & Marketing

New York

Hey everybody,

Greetings from Denver, Colorado, where we have arrived to take on the Colorado Rockies, the defending National League champions. In my first post as a guest blogger, I talked about spring training and getting ready for the beginning of the season in Atlanta. This time I wanted to update you on the season so far, but also take a minute to give you a little background about me.

A Little History

I grew up in the Atlanta area (home of Delta) and it was a dream-come-true when I was selected by the Atlanta Braves in 2002 out of high school. I had planned to attend Clemson University (on a football scholarship, actually) but the opportunity to play major league baseball in front of my hometown fans was too much to pass up. After spending a few years working my way up the minor league system, I joined the big league team in 2005 and have been the starting right fielder ever since. As for my personal life, I’m 24 years old, and this past off-season I married my childhood sweetheart, Catie. We have a dog named Bruiser and we moved into our first home just a few months ago. You can learn more about me here if you’re interested.

On Opening Night

The MLB season is just underway and so far so good. On opening night we were in Washington, D.C. to take on the Washington Nationals. It was an electric evening, with President George W. Bush in attendance. I have to say this was the first time I’ve ever been frisked three separate times before entering the locker room! When the President threw out the first pitch, it was as if a sea of light bulbs erupted at the same time. It was an incredible sight.

For all of you who travel to Washington, D.C. in the future, I would certainly say that going to a Nationals game is something you must now check out. The new stadium is beautiful, and the surrounding area will one day grow into a great atmosphere for baseball fans.

In terms of ballparks, where is your favorite place to watch a baseball game? Is it a historic place like Wrigley Field in Chicago or Fenway Park in Boston, or do you prefer going someplace new and high tech, like Turner Field in Atlanta, or PNC Park in Pittsburgh? Everyone has their reasons for their favorites, so I want to hear yours.

On the Start of the Season

I feel good about the start of our season. We’ve only had a handful of games, but the team just came off a great series again one of our biggest rivals, the New York Mets, and came away with two victories in two games. It’s always great to beat your rivals early in the season.

So now I’m here in our team hotel and it’s the start of an 11-day road trip (10 games) that will take us from here in Colorado back to Washington, D.C. (yes, again) and then down to Miami, Florida to take on the Florida Marlins. We have an off-day on Monday, April 14th in Miami/Fort Lauderdale.

As some of you may have heard, I’m a golf freak. Is there a great golf course in the area that you suggest I try to take some of my teammates too? Is there a restaurant for either lunch or dinner that the guys on the team should check out in either Denver, Washington, D.C., or Miami/Fort Lauderdale? Does anyone have any ideas for what to do on my off-day in MIA?

I look forward to checking back in soon.

Best,

Jeff

Delta is proud to be the Official Airline of The Atlanta Braves.