I know I really don't have much to complain about my Yankees ... 26 World Championships and 9 consecutive AL East Titles. Yet after the defeat by the Tigers, I need to vent. So let me whine.
Sandy Koufax Strikes 15 Yankees. Game 1 of the 1963 World Series. The Dodgers won the game, 5-2. (AP Photo)
I was 9 years old and my dad took me to Game 1 of the Fall Classic. We met a friend of dad's at the Old Homestead, one of America's great steakhouses on 9th Ave in the meat market district. His friend, who was not much of a baseball fan, gave us tickets in Section 3 behind home plate near Commissioner Ford Frick's seat. Tom Tresh hit a HR for the Yankees. But as the strike outs piled up more and more fans were rooting for the Dodgers. I asked my dad why, not understanding that the roots of Brooklyn Dodgers were still strong in the Bronx. Tough day for a very sad 9 year old as Sandy Koufax set a new World Series record with 15 strikeouts. 5-2 Dodger win.
Tim McCarver broke my heart when I was 10 years old and 40 years later I have to listen to his Babel on TV
Dad took me to Game 5 in 1964. Yogi Berra, a favorite of my dad's, was managing the 1964 Yankees. Mantle and Maris did not have great days. My favorite pitcher, rookie Mel Stottlemyre, was on the mound. He surrendered only one earned run through 7 innings. But the Cards had Bob Gibson (10 IP and 13K).
Bottom of the 9th. Yankees down 2-0. Tom Tresh hits a 2-run HR to tie the game.
Top of the 10th. Tim McCarver hits a 3-run HR and 10 year old Yankee Dave goes home sad!!! Do I dislike McCarver's stupid baseball commentary on FOX or am I still angry about the HR in 1964? Both!!!
For the fourth time in five seasons, Kansas City and New York squared off to determine the American League Champion. The Royals, after taking the initial 2 games of the series in Kansas City, stunned a Yankee Stadium crowd by edging New York, 4-2, in Game 3 to complete a convincing sweep of the 1978 rematch. Kansas City's first pennant was secured when George Brett blasted a three-run homer into the upper deck off Rich Gossage in the seventh inning of the final contest.
I watched the game on TV. After the game, I sulked and sat alone on my roof deck. Who knew that the Yankees would wait 16 years for another World Championship?
Cora Bunt Single. Griffey Single to Center. Edgar Martinez Walk-Off Double to Left. Mariners win 6-5.
With 11 year old Lou and 10 year old Georgie, fathers' Jay and I were in the Bronx past 1:30 AM with 57,158 other celebrating fans as the Yankees took a 2-0 lead over the Mariners in the ALCS. In the bottom of the 15th, "The King" hit a 2-run HR off Tim Belcher to give Mariano Rivera (3.1 IP) a 7-5 victory and one of the greatest nights of my life.
Needing to win only one game, the Yankees got sweep in Seattle. In game 5 the Yankees lost a 4-2 lead. Jack McDowell gave up 5 hits and 2 ER in 1.2 innings for the loss. A sad night, the end of Donny Baseball's Career.
This series was tough to take. There I was with 4 seats behind home plate at Yankee Stadium for all 11 playoff games thanks to Dutz. Now I have lots of unused tickets! Jay, G and the Mullet see Game 1. Nor, Lou, Manetti and I go to Game 2, the rainout. Never did see a game. Photo from seats below.
Had Moose won Game 2, this would have been a different series.
Jeter and Posada hit .500. Rest of team was awful!
If you want my opinion, it was not Joe Torre's fault!
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
Upon seeing this page, my friend Ty-Ty offered his wise perspective:
"I do feel for you. But at the same time, I must come clean and admit it really does put a smile on my face to see the Yankees lose. Call me a terrible person, call me a product of living in one of the most athletically-depressed, over-obsessed, fickle, self-loathing communities in the sports world.
And everytime one of my teams has gotten eliminated from anything, I feel miserable. Literally sick to my stomach. Aaron Boone was bad... But it makes it ten times better the next time. And thats why we all follow sports. For instance, I always think about how the ninth inning is exciting because its the percentages do not favor a comeback. Especially not in baseball. And if it happened all the time, it would be anticlimactic. It would be like the Sox winning the World Series by filling their roster with Mark Bellhorns and drawing 14 walks, getting hit by 3 pitches, striking out 27 times, and winning the game 5-4.
So my dear Yankee fan, Im just saying you guys needed this little drought. The Yankees (and more importantly the Yankee fans) are now hungry for a championship. It will mean something again. Winning a first round series will mean more. Getting to the World Series will mean more. So you may be down in the dumps now, but this might not be such a bad thing. They'll be back, and itll make the ride that much more fun."
By the way, Ty added that my 9th worst game took place on June 11, 2003 when six Astros pitchers combined to no-hit the Yankees. He should know, he was in the Section 39 in the RF Bleachers with the Munky, Lou and me. To date, it is the only no-hitter I've seen.
