Kids & Family

Long Valley Boy Spends Day as New York Yankees Slugger's 'All-Star'

Jack Gumersell had lunch with Mark Teixeira and private tours of Yankees Stadium.

Lunch with New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira and a private tour of the team’s dugout and stadium sounds like something on commissioner Bud Selig’s to-do list.

But it was Jack Gumersell, 6, of Long Valley who had the special treatment, not some Major League Baseball executive.

Gumersell is now an All-Star, which is a pretty big deal in the “bigs.” He’s actually one of Teixeira’s hand-picked All-Stars through the slugger’s foundation called HarlemRBI, which is used to provide inner-city youth with opportunities to “Play, Learn and Grow,” according to its website.

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Teixeira puts together a team of nine All-Stars – six of whom he picks, another three chosen by online voting. Thanks to a submission by his mom, Adrienne, Jack Gumersell was considered and subsequently chosen as Teixeira’s first All-Star.

So on Wednesday Jack, along with 100 family members and friends, made a pilgrimage to The House (Derek) Jeter built, and sat down with his favorite baseball player, Mark Teixeira.

Find out what's happening in Long Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The youngster had a tour of the Major League Baseball Fancave, where he dined with Teixeira, then toured the Harlem RBI Facility, and finally the stadium itself.

Editor's Note: Mark Teixeira was named Patch's Commissioner of Baseball in 2012, as the player is an avid reader of the hyper-local community news site.

In addition to his pinstripe-filled day, Gumersell got a personal tour of the ballclub’s dugout and shook hands with Manager and former Yankee Joe Girardi as well as coach Tony Pena.

Gumersell spent the rain-shortened game in a luxury suite as well, courtesy of the team.

The event would be special for anyone baseball fan, young or old. But for Gumersell, this day was hard to imagine three years ago.

Gumersell, just before turning three, fell from a second floor window at his Long Valley home onto the driveway below. The fall required emergency brain surgery, a medically-induced coma, and two separate hospital stays. Months of follow-up tests, a neck brace and relearning some physical and verbal skills brought Gumersell back over time to becoming the thriving preschooler he was.

After the traumatic experience, Gumersell dubbed himself a Rock Star. He even had his own shirt that said so. But on Wednesday, Gumersell went from Rock Star to All-Star, and had the experience of a lifetime. 


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