Today’s installment of Fire Al Yellon will tackle a sensitive subject: The women that Al has dated and the wrecked and mangled lives he leaves behind. In early 2007, Alicia Berkowitz was a nice Jewish girl from Naperville, Ill., who like going to Cubs games. By the end of the year, she was a committed lesbian in triple-intensive therapy. The reason for this transformation? Alicia contends it was because she allegedly pursed a brief, yet life-shattering relationship with a bald man in the bleachers in the summer of 2007. Today we will look at her story and shed some light on the secret dating world found in the “Friendly Confines”
Fire Al Yellon – Alicia, I want to thank you for being brave enough to talk about this. Before we start, is there anything you need? A glass of water, perhaps, or maybe a sandwhich….
Alicia Berkowitz - sandwiches…like baloney sandwi…….(breaks down sobbing)
FAY – My apologies. Why don’t we start at the beginning? Can you tell us how this all started?
AB – Well, it was late May during a White Sox v. Cubs game. Bob Howry had just served up a HR in the 8th and some White Sox fans were really giving me a hard time. They were calling me names like “fat-ass” and “butterface,” when all of the sudden this balding, paunchy little man came up and told them, “Well she certainly is today,” and shut them right up! Actually, now that I think about it, that didn’t shut them up at all. They called him a faggot and started to throw batteries at us until we fled to higher ground. After we caught our breath and the man who saved me quit crying, he introduced himself and asked if I wanted to head down to Kitty O’Shea’s after the game for a drink. I usually don’t go for men so…well…ugly, but I figured he seemed harmless enough.
FAY – So after the game you two got closer over a few Old Styles?
AB - Not exactly. Once we got to the bar, Al told me he ran a blog called Bleed Cubbie Blue and gave me his card. I’m not sure which weirded me out more, the fact that a 50-year-old was running a blog or that he had a business card calling himself Editor-in-Chief. Anyway, after a few beers, Al grabbed my arm and told me we had to “leave right NOW.” When I asked him why, he said it was because he had run into some guy called a PenFoe and he was going to kick his ass. I couldn’t figure out why anyone would call themselves something so stupid as PenFoe, but I figured that Cubs bloggers must have fake names like in a gang so we left and walked to my place.
FAY – After the bar did you invite him up or did you go your separate ways?
AB – Well I don’t want to give the impression that I just invite any guy up on the first date, but, like I said, he seemed harmless and a little shaken up about having to run away from the PenFoe so I asked if he would like to come inside and we started talking.
FAY – Can you tell us what you two talked about?
AB – Our divorces mostly. We both cried a lot, and then he showed me some pictures of his son which made him start crying again. Afterward, we started making out, but he ah..well, was having some trouble getting hard.
FAY – I see, did he indicate as to why he was having trouble getting an erection?
AB – He said that the only position that made him “comfortable” was to take me from behind with all the lights off. He also asked that I wear his shirt and put on some of my ex-husband’s Stetson cologne.
FAY – And none of this seemed a bit off to you?
AB – Maybe now that I look back on it, but at the time I was just drunk enough to not care and desperate enough to block out all the warning signs. Plus, every now and then he would do these little sweet things. Like after sex once, he leaned over and whispered “loud, standing applause” into my ear, which I thought was kind of cute.
FAY – Now that we’ve established how you got to know Al, can you tell us what dating him was like?
AB – Very bizarre. I would go to most of the day games with him, but he always seemed to disappear around the 7th inning. At first, I didn’t notice, but then he started coming back with these weird stains on his pants/shirts. When I asked them what it was, he just said “ketchup” and changed the subject really fast, but I know it wasn’t ketchup because that’s red and these were a kind of off-white.
FAY – I see. Were there any other problems in the relationship?
AB – As things progressed, they definitely got worse. He was very jealous and controlling and starting deleting my friends numbers from my cell phone. When I asked him why he was doing this, he told me he was “banning” those people from speaking with me. We hardly ever went to the movies or dinner because he kept saying how he had to get up really early in the morning for work. This really bothered me because every now and then he would go out to dinner but it was only with his “buddies” from the ball park or the blog.
There was this one guy, Smooth Jazz something or other, who really bothered me. He was really possessive of Al and a total jerk. Once we all went out on the town and saw John Cusack over at the Goose Island Brewery. This Jazz douche went over and asked Mr. Cusack for an autograph and, when he refused, started to stare him down until one of them blinked. I mean who the fuck does that? I guess our biggest problem overall was that Al just seemed more interested in men and being at the ballpark than being with me. I mean, I love the Cubs as much as anyone, but Jesus Christ there is a world outside of Wrigley Field. Al is like 50 some years old and I kept telling him he was going to die alone if he didn’t spend some time on his life outside of the Cubs.
FAY – And what was his response to that?
AB – I’ll never forget this, he just looked up at me with this really blank stare, like he was confused by my question, and said ,“What life?” After that, things started going down hill but I stuck it out until…….
FAY – Until when Ms. Berkowitz?
AB – Until, *long pause* I’m sorry I just don’t think I can do this.
FAY – Ms. Berkowtiz please, I know this is hard, but the readers of FAY would really like you to finish your story.
AB - *Takes deep breath and composes herself* One day when the Cubs were on the road, I came home from the gym a little early. I called Al to see if he wanted to spend the day together, but he told me he was very busy editing some cartoons for his blog. I decided to go over to Al’s and surprise him. The door was unlocked so I let myself in and that’s when I saw this
(Warning this may be unsuitable for children and a bit NSFW)

AB - (con’t)- I couldn’t believe what I had seen and when I confronted him about it he just told me to go away and that if I told anyone that he was going to “ban” me like he had banned all the others. He even threatened to ban my parents! I was so afraid of what he might do..
FAY - You mean afraid he might harm you in a physical way?
AB - No, not like that, Al is a complete pussy and I could totally kick his ass but he is more then capable of pithy little retributions. Things that aren’t a big deal but are really annoying you know? He would send letters trying to apologize but then would demand I respond “or else”. When I refused, he told me that what I had done was “The worst thing that had ever happened in his life” and that I had violated “the relationship guidelines” by not forgiving him. I thought I loved Al, I really did, but after spending 3 and a half months with him in such a fucked up relationship I was a total wreck. It’s taken over a year of therapy for me to be in the place I am now.
FAY - Which is?
AB – I’m happy to say that I am in a healthy, committed relationship with my girlfriend Anna. After Al my therapist told me I needed to be with someone a little more masculine, so now I ride bottom while she rams me with the strap on. I can honestly say that for the first time in a long time I feel a bit more hopeful. I still have my bad days, sometimes I wake up from nightmares filled with visions of men in scruffy little goatees and the smell of wax paper and baloney but I think I’m finally on the right track.
FAY - Well Alicia I certainly hope so. I want to thank you for being brave enough to confront your demon’s and wish you nothing but success in your recovery.
AB- Thank you.
FAY - Well readers there you have it, a first hand account of what its like to date a narcissistic ego monster like Al, I hope this will be a lesson to women and men everywhere not to fall victim to this predators web of lies. From all of us here at Fire Al Yellon good night and good luck.
Ed. Note- All the above is alleged and or not true. Any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental.
im confused as to how u know hes talking about this specific woman?
“You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren’t happy in one place, chances are you won’t be happy anyplace.”
by All The Way on Feb 18, 2009 10:19 PM CST
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This is a really good point. It’s Arizona for christ’s sake I would imagine there are a ton of leather skinned skanky women hanging around the Cubs hoping to give a ballplayer a handjob in exchange for a signed napkin after practice. How could Al possibly know this was the exact skank the original poster was referring to? Fear not, because gentlemen Yellon clears this up right away.