Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli opened up about his childhood yesterday in a Q&A session with fans as part of an “open house” at Steiner Sports in New Rochelle, N.Y. on Monday night.  When asked why he didn’t wear batting gloves that when Cervelli was growing up in Venezuela, he simply couldn’t afford them.  He noted that Jorge Posada didn’t wear them either, eliciting a big chuckle from the crowd.

Cervelli also showed his humble side when discussing 2009 World Series shares.  When asked whether he received a full share, Cervelli confirmed that he had, but said he was not aware that it was the other players that had voted for him, and that he would thank them tomorrow, drawing another hearty laugh.

Reserve outfielder Marcus Thames, currently on the disabled list, was also in attendance Monday night.  In recalling the first-pitch home run off Randy Johnson in his first Major League at bat in 2002, he remembered that Yankees manager Joe Torre had promised to bring him up at the first opportunity, and fulfilled that as soon as another player was injured.  Thames also told the group, many of them children, how excited he was to be back in Pinstripes this year.

Young fans also took photos with the two players and toured the Steiner Sports warehouse, which stores memorabilia from 100 years of Yankees and sports history.