Many baseball “experts” point to the Yankees’ collapse against the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS as the most devastating loss in team history. I can’t imagine any loss hurting worse than the Yankees’ defeat to the Pirates in the 1960 World Series, but I was still 21 years away from being born so I didn’t have to suffer over that.
Personally, the worst defeat I’ve endured as a fan was the Yankees’ loss in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. Three outs away from a four-peat (I doubt we will ever see one of those again in our lifetime), Mariano Rivera blew the save and ultimately the game in the ninth inning.
It was more than just a loss, though. Paul O’Neill’s career came to an end that night. As did the career of Scott Brosius. Tino Martinez played his last game as a Yankee (until he came back in 2005 for one final season). Plus, the Yankees were playing for more than just their fans that season, they were playing for everyone in New York following the horrific tragedy on Sept. 11.
I remember feeling numb after that game and didn’t move for at least an hour after it was over. The loss wasn’t just the end of a series or season. It was the end of an era and that was hard to take.
In 2004, I wasn’t devastated after the Red Sox series. I was angry. The Yankees had a very unlikeable team that season, led by A-Rod, Kevin Brown, Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown and Kenny Lofton, and for them to choke the way they did, it “ticked” me off. I felt bad for the Yankees after 2001. The last thing I felt for the 2004 team was any sympathy.
The reason I bring this all up today is that the eight-year anniversary of Game 7 in 2001 was yesterday.
Amazingly, last night Mariano Rivera was on the mound eight years to the day to with a chance to wrap up a World Series. This time he came through, sealing the Yankees’ 7-3 victory over the Phillies and a 4-2 World Series triumph.
Sitting in the stands last night, I couldn’t help but to think back to that night. The Yankees had reached the World Series once since then (they lost to the Marlins in 2003), choked against the Red Sox in 2004, lost three consecutive first round series from 2005-2007 and embarrassingly did not reach the playoffs last season despite an obscene payroll. Fittingly, with that bumpy road about to end, the ball was in Mariano’s right hand. Rivera didn’t miss a beat after 2001 and never let that loss affect him on the field.
I always hoped, though, he would get one last chance to win a World Series. He has never let on that the loss in 2001 still bothers him, but I’d bet, deep down inside, it was a game he wanted to get out of his system.
Sure the Yankees have several good people on the team (CC, Teixeira, Swisher, Coke to name a few) that had never won a championship before last night. However, for me, the person I was happiest for after the game was Mariano – the ultimate player, competitor, teammate and person.
It’s finally time to close the door on 2001.
******
If Andy Pettitte never steps foot on a mound again, he certainly went out in style. The Yankees needed him to match Pedro Martinez last night and turn the game into a matchup of the bullpens, but he did more than that. Despite pitching on three days rest and not having his best stuff, Pettitte recorded key outs when he needed to and most importantly, he knows how to pitch with a lead better than most pitchers. I still don’t think throwing Pettitte on short rest was the smartest idea, but you have to give Joe Girardi credit. It worked.
******
If Hideki Matsui never plays another game for the Yankees, he certainly went out in style. From his first game in the Bronx when he hit a grand slam against the Twins to last night’s 6-RBI performance, Matsui has had a great run with the Yankees. Because of his health questions, I’m not sure resigning him is the right move, but nonetheless, Matsui’s time in New York will always be remembered positively.
******
While Matsui (World Series MVP) and Sabathia (ALCS MVP) go home this winter with trophies, A-Rod was the Yankees’ postseason MVP. Finally, we can just watch him play in the regular season and not have to wonder about him melting down in the postseason. The discussion will eventually turn to if he belongs in the Hall of Fame despite the fact he abused steroids while in Texas. That’s another story for another day. For now, we can finally just focus on him becoming a world champion and the greatness he displayed in October.
******
It’s a minor storyline that won’t get mentioned in most places, so I’ll say it: The Jerry Hairston Jr. acquisition was worth every penny in the fifth inning when he executed a sacrifice bunt that helped lead to three runs. The Yankees have had some bad role players over recent years, but this season they improved the bench with the likes of Hairston and Eric Hinske. You can’t underestimate how important the reserves can be.
******
I don’t know about you, but it bothers me like crazy that Freddy Guzman now has a championship ring and Don Mattingly doesn’t.
******
The crowd, to put it kindly, was less than stellar last night. In this age of Facebook and camera phones, the attention span of people is a lot less than it used to be. I sat in left field and the people in front of me spent $460.00 each on their tickets and flew in from out-of-town to come to the game. If they watched 50 percent of the pitches, I’d be surprised. One guy was more focused on taking pictures and immediately posting them on Facebook, desperately seeking attention and comments from his friends. The other was involved in some instant-messaging type of chat for close to an hour. Whatever happened to just watching the game? The people behind me speculated that Johnny Damon left the game because he got hurt after getting hit by a pitch (it was Teixeira you idiots) and someone thought it was Posada who hit the home run and broke into the played-out “Hip-Hip Jorge!” chant. Just an embarrassing display all night long.
The way the new stadium is built, the sound doesn’t hover over the field like it did at the old stadium. However, most the real fans, thanks to Stubhub, are on the outside looking in. In the end, you get a quieter stadium when you add those factors together.
On the streets, though, that’s another story. The energy outside the stadium was insane and the party lasted well into the morning. A good portion of those people I doubt had tickets, but that didn’t stop them from coming to the stadium.
You can only imagine the size of the party in Japan today.
******
I would like to thank everyone who has read the blog throughout the postseason. We’ll have more posts throughout the offseason as the Yankees are always up for making moves. We’ll wait a couple of days to start speculating, though. Enjoy the championship and if you have the chance, attend the parade. I’m sure it will be quite a scene.
Here’s some pictures from last night to wrap things up:
