I spent a good number of hours watching Major League Baseball these past few weeks as the Fall Classic reached its climax. Whether it was on live TV or on replay, I viewed the final games with much enthusiasm even if – as usual – my favorite teams are not slugging it out. I want to watch it because baseball is my second most favorite sport. I rarely watched baseball this season though, because ESPN decided to show only Yankees games. Of all the teams, why did they choose the Yankees? Sigh!
For everyone’s information, the New York Yankees are the winningest team in professional sports history. Coming into this season, they have a record of 26 titles and have held the championship at least once a decade except for the ‘80s. The team also happened to have a gigantic payroll of around $200 million. Most star players target the Yankees even if their salary would take a hit. Nevertheless, New York’s squad boasted of elite names this decade like Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Mariano Rivera and Roger Clemens. However, no matter how fat the paycheck was, bad luck hit them as their last championship run was the 2000 Subway Series against the New York Mets.
I fell in love with baseball as a kid. I loved the 90s Atlanta Braves so much as they featured the dominating pitching squad of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Denny Neagle. The Braves successfully produced a title in 1995 and eyed a back-to-back in 1996. They won the first two games of the World Series in ’96 only to be beaten four straight by the New York Yankees – the team that was always mentioned in encyclopedias. In the following years, the Braves went to win the most consecutive NL East pennants only to fall prey to the New York Yankees in 1999 again. The Yankees always buzzkilled my favorite team’s hopes and they remained dominant up to 2000. It is normal for sports fans to hate teams especially if these happen to always defeat the team they root for. It was usually the same case for me. Over the years, I hated watching Alaska Milkmen (PBA), San Antonio Spurs (NBA), Dallas Mavericks (NBA) and De La Salle Green Archers (UAAP) all for the same reasons. The hatred is deep that I sometimes cheer heavily (in front of my TV set) for the team that is battling San Antonio.
What about the Yankees?
To be honest, I do not hate them that much. I even have a Yankee cap here in the house. I respect them for dominating but I still have some amount of hate because I grew up seeing them killing my dreams. I even rooted for the Yankees to beat the Diamondbacks in 2001. Too, bad the pinstripe-clad team lost it. Just when it was the first time I rooted for them. Since then, the Yankees saw their highly paid squad destroyed year after year. They lost to Josh BecKKKKKKKett’s Florida Marlins. New York had the most humiliating defeats of all these years when they lost to their arch-rivals, Boston Red Sox in 2004 (the latter was down 0-3 when they staged the biggest comeback ever in my lifetime). Even if the Yankees acquired A-Rod and Giambi, they were still unsuccessful. For the biased haters, it was simply karma for having a highly paid pseudo-all star team.
2009. Last year of the decade. Yankees are on a nine-year drought and they started the year with a huge controversy. Alex Rodriguez admitted that he was using steroids. I have to admit that I idolized A-Rod a lot especially when he was slugging for the Seattle Mariners, but I could not help but poke fun at the Yankees because of that since I rooted against them 90% of the time. Days went by and the Red Sox steamrolled the Yankees in their first eight outings. I even blogged when I celebrated Boston’s eighth consecutive win against New York. The Yankees were not the threat it used to be.
Months rolled by and the Yankees started gaining their momentum. They snapped Boston’s consecutive wins and have overtaken them for the AL East pennant. By October, the New York Yankees were poised to make another case for the elusive World Series title. This got even stronger when my favorite team – the Yanks’ arch-rivals – was eliminated by the Anaheim Angels. In six games, New York disposed their West Coast opponents to face the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies for the World Title.
The World Series
The Fall Classic. Two titans faced each other for the shot at being immortal in history books. The Phillies have been there while the once-dominant Yankees only had few mainstays like Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Posada to proudly have the ‘been there, done that’ attitude. But going to this series, I had an inner feeling that this is the year for the pinstripe team. They are still highly paid but at least they had the right ingredients of winning it all.
Believe it or not, the nine-year drought brings the team wonders. It made even the multi-titlists (Jeter and company) hungry enough to get the World Series title. A decade ago, they were a young, promising squad. In the present time, they are doing their very best to achieve what seemed to be a piece of cake then because time is not anymore at their side. Nevertheless, the past champions especially ex-Red Sox Johnny Damon still have their experience as a vital role for the team’s success. The Yankees had an imbalanced payroll but because they were failures in recent years, their pride was not that huge. The Yankees also had the role players in Swisher, Gardner and Cano. I always believe that the best team is not composed of superstars. There should always be role players. The Yankees are going to win this because they wanted it badly just like Kobe Bryant did last June.
It would not surprise me if the Yankees win this one. I did not root for them, but I did not like the Phillies anyway so I was more of a neutral observer in watching this series.
Game 1 went the Phillies’ way as A-Rod and company had the jitters and Cliff Lee was simply outstanding. The Yankees finally broke through Game 2 after their sluggers faced Pedro Martinez. The tied series shifted to Philadelphia where the turning points occurred. Stealing one game from the road is huge, thus the Phillies (with their championship experience) were on the right track. Unfortunately for them, the Yankees really are an offensive juggernaut. That, combined with the experience of Andy Pettitte, the Yankees were able to snatch back the homecourt advantage.
CC Sabathia steps in the mound in Game 4. The Yankees built an early lead but the Phillies did not want to lose another home game. They were able to tie the game but as soon as the Phillies are set for a new inning to try and gain the lead, the dominating Yankee top-of-the-batting-order delivered runs. Derek Jeter. Johnny Damon. Mark Teixeira. Alex Rodriguez. As soon as one of the earlier guys get into the bases, an RBI was waiting to happen as A-Rod resurrected his ALCS form. Even if the pitchers escaped A-Rod, they will still be facing the offensive catcher Jorge Posada. Philadelphia is even lucky that Hideki Matsui cannot be a designated hitter due to NL rules. Nevertheless, the Yankees were able to create a new lead. Philly was able to inch again as it tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Citizens Bank Park crowd went roaring. Brad Lidge shut down the first two Yankee batters easily and was just one strike away of striking out Johnny Damon. The experienced hitter did not give up and eventually got to first base. That, ladies and gentlemen, was the turning point of the Series. It was just one strike away but the experienced and gutsy Damon was able to reach the base. They already had two outs but it was sufficient enough. Remember, the Yankees’ top-of-the-order. Damon went to steal two bases in one sequence and it paved way for the tie-breaking run off Alex Rodriguez’ bat. The Yankees added insult to injury when Posada drove the next two runs. All the Phillies’ fans could do was sigh and get depressed because after all the hoping of staging a comeback, they were always beaten in the next inning possible by the Yankees. This time, the game’s best closer – Mariano Rivera – went off to finish the next three Philly hitters.
The 3-1 lead is just so huge. Even if the Phillies dominated the Yankees in Game 5, it just reminded them that they need to do the same feat twice. Mind you, the Yankees were giving the Philadelphia crowd a scare even up to the last inning of that game. I was actually hoping for a Game 7 when the series shifted back to New York in Game 6 so that I could watch it live on TV. Unfortunately, the Yankees pulled the plug like euthanasia on the struggling Phillies as Hideki Matsui drove all but one run of the Yankees in their 7-3 win.
The Yankees are back on top. Hate it or not, they have found a way to be successful again. This could pave for future multi-titles or this could be a one-timer. As a baseball fan, I was entertained by watching this series. “It was just the right time for the Yankees to win again.” I said to myself. But given my past experience on how this franchise killed the rest of the league in the ‘90s after they defeated a defending champion, I am actually feeling a bit sick for stating that it was the right time. It is because the Yankees have tasted it again.
The Yankees may end up crushing everyone again. Sigh!
For everyone’s information, the New York Yankees are the winningest team in professional sports history. Coming into this season, they have a record of 26 titles and have held the championship at least once a decade except for the ‘80s. The team also happened to have a gigantic payroll of around $200 million. Most star players target the Yankees even if their salary would take a hit. Nevertheless, New York’s squad boasted of elite names this decade like Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Mariano Rivera and Roger Clemens. However, no matter how fat the paycheck was, bad luck hit them as their last championship run was the 2000 Subway Series against the New York Mets.
I fell in love with baseball as a kid. I loved the 90s Atlanta Braves so much as they featured the dominating pitching squad of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Denny Neagle. The Braves successfully produced a title in 1995 and eyed a back-to-back in 1996. They won the first two games of the World Series in ’96 only to be beaten four straight by the New York Yankees – the team that was always mentioned in encyclopedias. In the following years, the Braves went to win the most consecutive NL East pennants only to fall prey to the New York Yankees in 1999 again. The Yankees always buzzkilled my favorite team’s hopes and they remained dominant up to 2000. It is normal for sports fans to hate teams especially if these happen to always defeat the team they root for. It was usually the same case for me. Over the years, I hated watching Alaska Milkmen (PBA), San Antonio Spurs (NBA), Dallas Mavericks (NBA) and De La Salle Green Archers (UAAP) all for the same reasons. The hatred is deep that I sometimes cheer heavily (in front of my TV set) for the team that is battling San Antonio.
What about the Yankees?
To be honest, I do not hate them that much. I even have a Yankee cap here in the house. I respect them for dominating but I still have some amount of hate because I grew up seeing them killing my dreams. I even rooted for the Yankees to beat the Diamondbacks in 2001. Too, bad the pinstripe-clad team lost it. Just when it was the first time I rooted for them. Since then, the Yankees saw their highly paid squad destroyed year after year. They lost to Josh BecKKKKKKKett’s Florida Marlins. New York had the most humiliating defeats of all these years when they lost to their arch-rivals, Boston Red Sox in 2004 (the latter was down 0-3 when they staged the biggest comeback ever in my lifetime). Even if the Yankees acquired A-Rod and Giambi, they were still unsuccessful. For the biased haters, it was simply karma for having a highly paid pseudo-all star team.
2009. Last year of the decade. Yankees are on a nine-year drought and they started the year with a huge controversy. Alex Rodriguez admitted that he was using steroids. I have to admit that I idolized A-Rod a lot especially when he was slugging for the Seattle Mariners, but I could not help but poke fun at the Yankees because of that since I rooted against them 90% of the time. Days went by and the Red Sox steamrolled the Yankees in their first eight outings. I even blogged when I celebrated Boston’s eighth consecutive win against New York. The Yankees were not the threat it used to be.
Months rolled by and the Yankees started gaining their momentum. They snapped Boston’s consecutive wins and have overtaken them for the AL East pennant. By October, the New York Yankees were poised to make another case for the elusive World Series title. This got even stronger when my favorite team – the Yanks’ arch-rivals – was eliminated by the Anaheim Angels. In six games, New York disposed their West Coast opponents to face the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies for the World Title.
The World Series
The Fall Classic. Two titans faced each other for the shot at being immortal in history books. The Phillies have been there while the once-dominant Yankees only had few mainstays like Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Posada to proudly have the ‘been there, done that’ attitude. But going to this series, I had an inner feeling that this is the year for the pinstripe team. They are still highly paid but at least they had the right ingredients of winning it all.
Believe it or not, the nine-year drought brings the team wonders. It made even the multi-titlists (Jeter and company) hungry enough to get the World Series title. A decade ago, they were a young, promising squad. In the present time, they are doing their very best to achieve what seemed to be a piece of cake then because time is not anymore at their side. Nevertheless, the past champions especially ex-Red Sox Johnny Damon still have their experience as a vital role for the team’s success. The Yankees had an imbalanced payroll but because they were failures in recent years, their pride was not that huge. The Yankees also had the role players in Swisher, Gardner and Cano. I always believe that the best team is not composed of superstars. There should always be role players. The Yankees are going to win this because they wanted it badly just like Kobe Bryant did last June.
It would not surprise me if the Yankees win this one. I did not root for them, but I did not like the Phillies anyway so I was more of a neutral observer in watching this series.
Game 1 went the Phillies’ way as A-Rod and company had the jitters and Cliff Lee was simply outstanding. The Yankees finally broke through Game 2 after their sluggers faced Pedro Martinez. The tied series shifted to Philadelphia where the turning points occurred. Stealing one game from the road is huge, thus the Phillies (with their championship experience) were on the right track. Unfortunately for them, the Yankees really are an offensive juggernaut. That, combined with the experience of Andy Pettitte, the Yankees were able to snatch back the homecourt advantage.
CC Sabathia steps in the mound in Game 4. The Yankees built an early lead but the Phillies did not want to lose another home game. They were able to tie the game but as soon as the Phillies are set for a new inning to try and gain the lead, the dominating Yankee top-of-the-batting-order delivered runs. Derek Jeter. Johnny Damon. Mark Teixeira. Alex Rodriguez. As soon as one of the earlier guys get into the bases, an RBI was waiting to happen as A-Rod resurrected his ALCS form. Even if the pitchers escaped A-Rod, they will still be facing the offensive catcher Jorge Posada. Philadelphia is even lucky that Hideki Matsui cannot be a designated hitter due to NL rules. Nevertheless, the Yankees were able to create a new lead. Philly was able to inch again as it tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Citizens Bank Park crowd went roaring. Brad Lidge shut down the first two Yankee batters easily and was just one strike away of striking out Johnny Damon. The experienced hitter did not give up and eventually got to first base. That, ladies and gentlemen, was the turning point of the Series. It was just one strike away but the experienced and gutsy Damon was able to reach the base. They already had two outs but it was sufficient enough. Remember, the Yankees’ top-of-the-order. Damon went to steal two bases in one sequence and it paved way for the tie-breaking run off Alex Rodriguez’ bat. The Yankees added insult to injury when Posada drove the next two runs. All the Phillies’ fans could do was sigh and get depressed because after all the hoping of staging a comeback, they were always beaten in the next inning possible by the Yankees. This time, the game’s best closer – Mariano Rivera – went off to finish the next three Philly hitters.
The 3-1 lead is just so huge. Even if the Phillies dominated the Yankees in Game 5, it just reminded them that they need to do the same feat twice. Mind you, the Yankees were giving the Philadelphia crowd a scare even up to the last inning of that game. I was actually hoping for a Game 7 when the series shifted back to New York in Game 6 so that I could watch it live on TV. Unfortunately, the Yankees pulled the plug like euthanasia on the struggling Phillies as Hideki Matsui drove all but one run of the Yankees in their 7-3 win.
The Yankees are back on top. Hate it or not, they have found a way to be successful again. This could pave for future multi-titles or this could be a one-timer. As a baseball fan, I was entertained by watching this series. “It was just the right time for the Yankees to win again.” I said to myself. But given my past experience on how this franchise killed the rest of the league in the ‘90s after they defeated a defending champion, I am actually feeling a bit sick for stating that it was the right time. It is because the Yankees have tasted it again.
The Yankees may end up crushing everyone again. Sigh!
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