NewsMilano opens Touch Boutique at Citi
Actress hoping to spread her love of baseball through shop
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
04/18/09 1:46 PM ET
NEW YORK -- Actress Alyssa Milano is a well-known Dodgers fan, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a soft spot for the New York team that previously went by the same moniker."I bonded with my father over baseball," Milano said. More specifically, they bonded over the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team the Milano clan grew up following until the franchise moved in 1958.
"My father was absolutely heartbroken when they left New York," Milano said, so her family turned to the Yankees "out of spite."
But when Milano and her father moved to Los Angeles so she could pursue an acting career, it didn't take long for the love of the old New York team to rekindle in Tinsel Town.
"New York sort of came to L.A. in my life," Milano said.
And her father?
"In '88, he made it official," Milano said. "He was like 'OK, I'm a Dodger fan again.'"
Saturday afternoon, Milano was on hand to commemorate her own part in New York baseball in the brand new Citi Field.
The actress was on hand for the grand opening of her flagship Touch Boutique, which features team logo fashion for the female fan. The boutique is located on the Excelsior Level of the stadium and is easily accessible in the Mets new shopping area.
In April 2007, following what Milano calls "the most intimidating meeting" of her life with officials from Major League Baseball, the Hollywood actress got the green light to launch "Touch" apparel.
"I think what they related to was the fact that I was a woman talking passionately about sports," Milano said of that fateful meeting. "I think for them it was more [than clothes]. It [was] about this allowing the female fans to have a voice."
Out of what she deems necessity, Milano had been vocal in her efforts to involve women and bring female fans to the forefront of baseball.
The busy actress recently wrapped her book tour for the aptly titled, "Safe At Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic", and said her favorite moments involved meeting pairs of fathers and daughters.
"In Major League Baseball, we have one female GM, we just got the first woman physical therapist in L.A.," Milano said. "So I think we are a little behind [the curve]."
Besides boosting revenue, Milano hopes bringing her apparel into the stadium will encourage female fans to support their baseball team by wearing clothing made specifically for them.
Although there are no plans to expand Touch Boutique into other stadiums, Milano wouldn't rule out the possibility, and said she would love to have a shop in Dodger Stadium or Boston's Fenway Park.
Whatever happens, Milano -- who is waiting to hear on an untitled TV series pilot -- has been thrilled with the feedback and demand from female fans.
"I've actually had players come up to me and say, 'thank you for giving the fans a face'", she said. "And there couldn't be a better compliment for me."
Brittany Ghiroli is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
