Grieving Yankee fan father
Dayne Koster was basically born a Yankee fan. At the hospital, his father, Wayne, had a baby Yankees helmet and jersey waiting for him. After “Mama” and “Dada,” his third word was “Yankees.” Almost nightly during the season, Koster and his dad would talk about the team.
That’s why Koster is torn about his favorite team returning. His father won’t be there to share it with him. Wayne Koster passed away on June 17 at the age of 72 — two days before the birth of his grandson Dominic — from lung cancer and a stomach ulcer. The family didn’t know about those issues until an autopsy was performed, because Wayne resisted going to the hospital, fearful he would catch the coronavirus.
“This would be the first season that would be happening that he won’t be able to watch with me. It does hurt a lot,” Koster said. “He was so excited to see Gerrit Cole pitch. He was so excited to see a healthy Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton mash home runs. It’ll definitely be bittersweet watching that first game against the Nationals and not be able to talk to him after the game.”
It’s been a draining couple of months for Koster, a 32-year-old office manager at Restaurant Depot. His mother, Diane Stumpf, contracted COVID-19, and there wasn’t much optimism she would survive because she is a diabetic. Both of her legs were amputated from the knee down, but she has survived. Then came the birth of his first child. Dominic, named after former St. John’s star Sir’Dominic Pointer. His wife, Alyssa, had her labor induced after being diagnosed with preeclampsia. Two days later was Father’s Day.
“What a whirlwind of emotions,” the Bayside native said.
Sports have always been a release for Koster, a way to block out everything negative going on in his life. He attended the Yankees’ 2009 World Series clincher and Mariano Rivera’s finale, and goes to 20 games a year with his wife. While Koster knows it will be strange to have baseball back without his father around, he is excited about the Yankees returning.
“It would bring a little sense of normalcy,” he said. “Every night for God knows how long, at 7 p.m. I would turn on the YES Network and watch a Yankees game, and I would not have a care in the world for three hours. I would definitely love to just relax and unwind and watch them play.”