Black Hawks Matter
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Re: New York Yankees
Meh... apparently a direct link doesn't work for anyone who's not a myspace user. Anyhow, here's my second blog entry on myspace (first was on DMB) comments and critiques on subject, substance, grammer, and writing style woudl be appreciated. Thanks - hope some of you enjoy it.!
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The legend of the New York Yankees began long before my time. In truth the Bronx Bombers have nearly the same number of World Series championships as I have years on earth. I admit I never saw the legendary Yankees teams of the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's and 1970's that created and strengthened the legend over the course of the last century. I suffered through some very dark times in the 'Mattingly era.' Teams that were loaded with power and RBI guys yet missing a key component, pitching. I stayed with them during those tough times because they were my team. You can't change your allegiance just because a team doesnt win, just ask any Red Sox fan who followed them before 2004! I didn't want to and I probably couldn't have if it crossed my mind. I firmly believe I would have been excommunicated from my family had I chosen any team but the Yankees. I was being put in Yankee hats and shirts before I was old enough to dress myself.
My entire family has been New York and Connecticut residents and Yankee fans for nearly a century. I grew up hearing stories about the great players on past Yankee teams. My grandparents and great aunts and uncles told me of the thrills they got watching guys like Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Allie Reynolds, Don Larsen, Lefty Gomez, Dill Dickey, and many other legendary names that now occupy a spot in Cooperstown or Monument Park.
My great uncle had been at the Stadium for Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 series and his best recollection was that on the way to the Stadium he was frustrated that he could only get tickets to see "that bum Larsen" pitch. Another great uncle of mine told me when he was growing up in Yonkers he would occasionally run into Babe Ruth in their 'gin mill.' Whether its true or not is really not the point, these guys were icons of baseball, their fame transcended the game and the ages. My grandparents had their championship teams and Yankee heroes they could talk about forever.
Not to be outdone by their parents in a conversation about great Yankee teams; my mother, aunts, and uncles talked about other Yankee legends like Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Bobby Richardson, Elston Howard, Whitey Ford, Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, Ron Guidry, and Reggie Jackson. Once again, a collection of players who through triumph after triumph carved their names into the history of baseball.
From the 'younger' generation of my family I heard about the electricity in the Stadium when Gator struck out 18 in a game. My Mom said it was the only time she had been at the stadium and heard people grumble when the Yankees got hits. The uncles and aunts told me just how amazing it was to see Mickey smack balls monstrously deep into the upper deck from both sides of the plate. They spoke of Reggie clobbering three home runs in one World Series game. They demonstrated the heated rivalry between Boston and New York during the late seventies by describing Bill Lee getting smacked around during a bench clearing brawl. It just seemed like amazing things always happened in Yankee Stadium. My parents generation also had their fair share of Yankee Legends and championships.
Sitting around a Thanksgiving dinner table with all generations present they swapped stories about Babe's unrivalled fame, the 1961 home run race between Mantle and Maris, DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak, Gehrig's iron man attitude, Whitey's consistent dominance, and Bucky Dent ripping out the hearts of Boston in 1978. All these stories shared a common theme, Yankee players accomplishing legendary feats. They made me believe baseball superstars and postseason legends should wear pinstripes and the World Series belonged in the Bronx.
Unfortunately, I never experienced a World Series championship and it took me until I was 16 to even see a Yankee playing in October, when it counted! I never saw a postseason legend perform and only got to watch a few players who were borderline superstars. The closest memory I could relate to their amazing and almost mythical stories was Dave Righetti no-hitting the Red Sox on July 4th, 1983. Unfortunately, I was only 5 so I don't remember much outside of listening to it at my Gramma's house on the radio at a picnic. The 'stars' of my youth were good players, but nowhere near the stature of Ruth, Mantle. or so many other former Yankees. I didn't really feel connected to the Yankee pride they bantered about so casually.
My family even vehemently prohibited me from cheering for certain teams in any situation. The Dodgers, Giants, Royals, Mets, and especially the Red Sox! My typically rebellious cousin Matt actually was a Red Sox fan for a year or so when he was young and you would have thought he broke a law. He was ostracized and made fun of at every family function. He finally saw the light after a while. Probably after someone threw his hat on the barbeque. However, the Red Sox were just about always better than my Yanks growing up. Thus, outside of envy, I wasn't sure why the Red Sox were such enemies until relatively recently. In essense the envy seemed kind of a pointless reason for hate based on history so I wasn't so sure what was the main reason I should hate the Sox. Surely, there had to be more to it? I'd find out just how intertwined the two teams are soon enough and with amazing results, hell - unprecidented results.
Probably the worst example of an irrational hatred of a player comes from my early years and it involves a zealous, talented thirdbaseman from Kansas City. Hearing some stories I thought George Brett was the personification of evil. Until I was about 8 I thought he had horns and a forked tail based on what I was told.. 'pine tar game Jamie, pine tar game!!' Whatever the hell that was! I had simply no idea at the time. Looking back maybe he did go a tab bit ballistic over that call. Now I know he's not as bad a human being as I was lead to believe. George was just another good player who habitually killed us. It really is amazing the passion baseball and its rivalries can invoke in people - especially among players.
I always imagined how much fun my family must have had going through all that. I never had a rivalry with another team or the personal loathing of a given player in another uniform because the Yankees hadn't been winning enough during my lifetime to develop one, and every player seemed to beat us. I really didn't get it.
My family had guys like Ruth and Mantle to watch day in and day out. I grew up with Wayne Tolleson, Alvaro Espinoza, Matt Nokes, and Dennis Rasmussen. All fine ballplayers and individuals, just not legendary names. In addition to some awful teams we also had off the field problems. Feuding players and managers who came and went faster than a Nolan Ryan heater. George Steinbrenner was public enemy number one in New York. I remember the signs at the Stadium directed at him. "Hey George go wreck the Mets!" or "Hey George go take a ride on the garbage barge!" Those were two that stick out in my mind in addition to countless other mean spirited signs that could only pop up in New York City. It was kind of embarrassing to be a Yankee fan in those days. I had the love for the team but they made it relatively tough to be a die-hard fan that hung on to every pitch.
Fortunately, I had some tremendous players to keep my faith alive year after year. I had Dave Righetti, Rickey Henderson, Don Mattingly, Willie Randolph, Dave Winfield, and Ron Guidry. What I didn't realize at the time was that many were past their primes while others were truly outstanding baseball players on a sub par team. At least by Yankee standards. Unfortunately, they too shared a common theme. Failure to win.
However, those Yankee teams had some bright spots and did provide me with some fun nights at the Stadium, as well as long nights watching TV or listening to the radio. Conversely, I still had no idea what it felt like to follow a team that would be in a position to win a World Series. A team that would have the whole fan base out in the streets excited, jubilant, and zealous. "Yankee fever" my family called it.
Until I was about twenty-five I wasn't sure I would ever be able to talk baseball on the same level as my family and share Yankee thrill stories. The game of baseball had changed too much. I didn't think any team in the league was capable of continued dominance like the Yankee teams of the past that would be talked about, remembered, and revered through the ages.
Well, I was wrong. I can now sit at the table with all generations of my family and swap baseball stories. I get the rivalries. I get the pride. I get the emotion. Lastly, I now understand the semi-arrogance of being a Yankee fan surrounded by Met and Red Sox fans. The Yankee teams from 1996 until 2001 were nothing short of amazing to watch. It was exciting to finally be a Yankee fan watching my team in October. Going to the playoffs for 10 straight years, making the World Series 6 times, and winning 4 championships will do that I guess. They brought me so many thrills I couldn't possibly remember them all.
The best part is most of my family that had shared so many stories about the past got to see it all too. I can talk to them about the dream season of 1998, the destiny team of 1996, the Subway Series, perfect games by David Wells and David Cone, Dwight Gooden's no-hitter, Shane Spencer's September 1998 Roy Hobbs impression, Derek Jeter's backhand flip to the plate that saved a season, and Mariano Rivera's unparalleled dominance in October. I think I can contribute to the family baseball chats quite well now!
Most importantly I got to talk to them about the place in baseball history this recent Yankee dynasty has carved out. Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Ford, Maris, and Munson might have been legends but I can't believe they were any more fun to follow than these recent Yankee teams. Guys like Paul O'Neill, Joe Girardi, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettite, Mariano Rivera, Scott Brosius, David Cone, David Wells, Joe Torre, and Jorge Posada are just as revered in New York as many of those players my older family members sang about. At least they are to me.
Even the role players and guys who didn't stay long were likeable and still make me smile. Yankees like: Homer Bush, Jimmy Key, John Wetteland, Chad Curtis, Chilie Davis, Cecil Fielder, and Graeme Lloyd contributed as much to this dynasty as the big name players. Speaking of Graeme Lloyd, is there a Yankee fan around who doesn't remember him rushing out of the pen to stick up for Tino after Armando Benetiz's uncalled for and intentional beanball after Bernie's long HR to put the game away? Llyod still has my respect and I smile when I see him because of his team commitment!
The players, both starters and fill ins, were consistently exciting to watch. More importantly, the players performed and carried themselves as champions. They spoke with class and played with a desire to win that assured them a place in the storied history of the New York Yankees. Quite simply they were exactly what my family had been talking about when they mentioned 'Yankee class.'
Through their actions, play, and demeanor this group of players has carved out their own nitch in baseball history. I think Joe Torre is to be thanked as much as anyone for the return to greatness the Yankees have achieved. He reinstalled pride in pinstripes. Thanks Joe, it was a fun ride as a fan! On a personal level, I finally understand the magic which appears annually, when the leaves turn colors outside of Yankee Stadium.
I have to believe watching them invoked the same thrills and emotions in me that my family must have felt all those years ago. It has been a treat to be a part of. I look forward to many, many more successful summers in the Bronx. For better or worse, a dynasty ended after the 2001 World Series.
Many of the players from those amazing teams were gone or not returning. I didn't realize it at the time but the face of the team changed when Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez didn't suit up for spring training in 2002. I still love the Yankees as much as ever though. Aaron Boone once again ripping the heart out of Red Sox nation in October of 2003 was one of the best baseball moments of my life.
There was just something about the teams from 1996 until 2001 that will be etched in my mind for the rest of my life. Taking nothing away from players of the current, recent to ancient past, and future Yankee teams but the teams I followed in the latest (1996 - 2000) dynasty are as important to New York baseball history as any of the others.
From time to time, quite often actually, I watch the World Series and season highlight videos from 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001. It's at least five years removed but the key moments can actually make me a bit nervous at times. Occasionally thay can send shivers up my spine even after a decade. I still break out with a broad smile when I see replays of something like Tino's storybook grand slam in the 1998 series. Same feeling befalls me when I watch Brosius' face lighting up in a giant grin while pumping his arms in the air like a school boy after his two out, 9th inning, game tying, two run homer in game 5 of the 2001 World Series, the day after Tino had done the exact same thing!
I still remember exactly what I was doing and who I was with for most of those memorable moments. I got to share them with a ton of friends and family. I feel privileged to have done so. I will take most of those memories to my grave. The rest of my family can have their "Mr. October," I am content with my "Mr. November."
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Link to blog is here: http://collect.myspace.com/index.cfm...85CF1015553593
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"Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
Last edited by Lcsulla; 05-16-2006 at 10:39 PM.
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