You live and breathe with a team, you follow every pitch, every at bat, every out. This doesnt start in June, it starts in the cold months of feburary. We talk if A-Rod will come through, we talk if Pettitte's shoulder can hold up, we talk about if this is finally the year. Though we are not the Cubs, nine years is a long time, I was 13 years old the last time the Yankees won, and it was almost foriegn to me at this point. As fans we go through some much with a team, whether its buying tickets, or following them on the internet, reading stories, watching games, and adjusting your opinion on the team almost daily. Its hard to describe what it feels like when your team does come through when you finally win it. Its nothing I can explain, maybe pure joy, like everything in life is perfect, I dont know. If you haven experienced it, you just would not understand, I will leave it at that. I cant tell you how many state of the Yankees conversations I have had with my buddy Rapps at the end of each disappointing seasons. They have been to many to count. Thats all that popped in my mind after they won, how this season would not end in one of those discussions, that it would begin with "Champions."
This one was special, going into mid Aug, I thought the Yankees would win, that they were determined and nothing was going to set them off course. I remember talking to my buddy Rapps a few years back, and I said, if the Yankees every get by the Angels, they will 100% win the World Series. The Angels, not the Red Sox were the real curse to break. And when the Yankees took down the Angels, you just knew this was going to be our year. It didnt matter if we were playing the big Red Machine, we were not going to lose focus.
I dont know where to begin, the season is so long, so mnay ups and downs you try to remember rock bottom. For me, it was in going into the All Star break. Yes, they turned it around somewhat after the somewhat turning point in Atlanta. But the Yankees were swept by the Angels going into the All Star break. Everyone had the same feeling, we just cant beat the Angels. What are we going do, they just never lose to us. After the break this team just went on a run, playing over .700 baseball, and practically never losing at home. It was a sight to see. Once mid Aug. came around, I couldnt see the Yankees losing their grip, I couldnt see them not winning the whole thing. They were simply by far the most talented and best team.
This World Series does a lot for the likes of the big four (Jeter, Mo, Pettitte, Posada) and A-Rod. For the big four, another ring which is now five for them, something you might not see for a very long time if not ever a team that has been together long enough to win five times. Remarkable. And for A-Rod, he gets the Peyton Manning monkey off of his back, he finally can be called a World Champion and nobody can ever, EVER take that away from him. Not only did he win, they won BECAUSE of A-Rod. Believe me, if A-Rod was not playing, the Yankees would have been long home right now. Which makes me pose the question? What would happen if some of those Yankees fans got their wish, and A-Rod opted out and signed with another team after 2007? Remember, it was very close to happening, A-Rod opted out, and the Yankees said goodbye. Not after A-Rod, realizing the mistake he just made, called back the Yankees and asked them to renegotiate.
The Yankees if not for that would not have been where they are right now which is World Champions. Pretty amazing stuff. What if Tex not had that terrible meeting with Larry Lucchinao Theo Epstein and John Henry and signed with Boston? The Red Sox, not the Yankees, might be celebrating title number 8. Its just amazing how things happen, and how the team clicked this season and the lack of injuries that occured also was a huge benefit. We worried A.J might go down, he did not, Matsui and Posada were healthy all year for the most part, Swisher filled in admirably for Nady, Damon even played 140 games.
Matsui's performence in Game 6 will go down in Yankee lore as one of the most clutch postseason games of all time. We will be taking about, "Hey, do you remember Matsui Game 6 of '09" in 10 years. Not to mention this was off of Pedro as well, most likly his last game ever against the Yankees in what was a brilliant career. Seeing Pedro like this is like seeing Reggie Miller in his last years. He couldnt take over like he used to; a liability more than a game changer. The Pedro rivialry can be only parrellel to Reggie Miller vs the Knicks. Pedro was despised like Reggie, brought the best out of Yankee Stadium like Reggie did with the Garden, and performed the best on that stage and even at home, Boston and Indiana against the Yankees and Knicks. Playoff classics were prevelant in both rivalries. And even though the Knicks-Pacers rivalery ended long before Reggie retired, his last game at the Garden was sort of sad. An old enemy going away, no one to despise and be angry at anymore. Nobody you could love to hate. It feels the same way now about Pedro, an old piece of my childhood is gone, and there is not another pitcher in the league I can love to hate, at least not even close to Pedro stature.
The Phillies were a good match, but again, nothing was going to stop this 114 win Yankee team, who might go down as one of the most effective Yankee teams of all time. It certainly has to go up in the top 10, absolutley has to.
Was this different than the Giants winning, yes. When the Giants won, I was so shocked that it did not intially sink in until a day later. It was maybe the most euphoric I have ever felt in my life. It was also the first time I had ever seent the Giants win, so it might have tasted sweeter. However, this one is and will be awsome. Winning a championship puts you on cloud nine for the whole year. LITERALLY THE WHOLE YEAR. You can always say, "we are the champs" whenever someone brings up the Yankees. Not to mention those bogus "2000" and "Yankees suck" chants can go away for the whole year. Every magazine article about baseball and preview of the 2010 season will be about the Yankees winning the previous year, and every so often during the year we will be reminded the New York Yankees are the champions. Its great.
Baseball is now offically over, the book shut on 2009, but the New York Yankees are back where they belong, and that is on top. I am as happy as I can be.
- Lew
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