Maybe I'll finally get to see a Yankee ticker tape parade again. Let me explain.
I was born and raised in New Jersey, and when the Yankees won it all in 1978, my father took my sister and me out of school that day to go see the ticker tape parade in person. Sister Claire, my Catholic school's principal, agreed to let my father do this, but said it was a one-time thing; he couldn't take us out of class for the next year's parade.
You know what happened next, of course. There were no ticker tape parades from that year until 1996. I was at the last playoff game the Yankees won then - Game 2 of the 1981 World Series - but nobody then thought it would be 14 long years before they made the playoffs again, and 15 until another title.
And by that time, I was living in Texas, so I missed being in the city from 1996 until 1999. But I moved back to the New York area in October 2000, just in time to see the Yankees beat the Mets in the World Series. However, I didn't get to see the parade then, either. I tried to go to the ticker tape parade with some family members, but we didn't get there early enough - the parade route was so packed, we never got to see anything. But I thought to myself, I'll get to see it next time.
Little did I know that it would be another nine long years before the Yankees won again. Lots of pain in those seasons. The Yankees really should have won a title or two, but it was not to be.
That's why this year feels as good as 1996. After all the misery and disappointments after 2000, it's a thrill to see the Yankees finally vanquish their October (or is that November?) demons and win it all.
So now the Yankees are on top again. I will break down my thoughts on last night's game - and celebration - later today. But in the meantime, I just wanted to say that I will be waiting for that tickertape parade bright and early Friday morning.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
Yankees win. The Curse of Sister Claire is no more.
ReplyDeleteA-Rod gets his ring. Nobody can say anything anymore -- not even me. Matsui gets his ring. Teixeira gets his ring. Damon is redeemed, is "de-idioted." Girardi joins Huggins, McCarthy, Harris, Stengel, Houk, Martin and Torre as Pennant-winning Yankee managers -- and joins Houk and Martin as the only ones to win it as a Yankee player and the Yankee manager.
I tried to get in, even trying to talk my way into the Hard Rock or NYY Steak. No soap. But I did get to see Mickey Rivers, Jim Leyritz, Joe Pepitone and Fritz Peterson. (Considering my age and their respective successes, yes, it's in that order.)
I saw the last 3 innings on the big board in Times Square. And we celebrated like human beings, not like those animals in Boston.
And when it was over, I walked back to Port Authority, and, just because I'm that much of a wisenheimer (I used a different description on my blog, because I set the rules there), I walked down to the bottom level of Port Authority, to Gate 84, which is where buses to Boston board. I wanted to say a few words to Boston fans.
There weren't any. Nobody wanted to go to Boston last night! Oh well, maybe another time.
Have fun at the parade Lisa - wish I was going to be here for it! I think I will DVR it - it has been too long since the last one!
ReplyDeleteI surely thought it was going to be Phily's year. They was so dominating on the regualer season. i'm actually pretty surprised
ReplyDeleteA television blimp circled above the stadium during the entire game, and at one point the electronic lettering on the side beamed "Lisa, will you marry me? Love John."
ReplyDeleteThe blimp circled the stadium again, and on the next round it brought the answer: She said "yes."
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2009/news/story?id=4624540
whats going on you 2?
Congratulations Yankee Fans! Enjoy #27. See you next year.
ReplyDeleteNoreen
I can breathe! What a series. Phillies were a formidable opponent and really the only team that made me very nervous.
ReplyDeleteWhat a thrill. I think the thing that most impresses me about this team is that when thinking about MVP, yes, Matsui was incredible last night but this team is so deep and is so connected it could have been Jeter, Damon, Mo, A-Rod, CC, etc. They won because everyone contributed and they had each other's backs. This is what the Yankees are all about.
Jeanne B
In my opinion, wining the 27th edition of the World Series calls for a huge celebration.
ReplyDeleteThe New York Yankees have indeed achieved a huge feat... so lets go celebrate them.
I learn that the final ceremony will be held at the City Hall Plaza.
Like someone said, those who can't make it to the venue should watch it online.
A list of major free internet TV Channels can be found at:>
www.american-fun.com
Congratulations Yankee fans!
ReplyDeleteCheers, as always.
Uncle Mike - I'm still not sure if Girardi is the greatest manager in the world but only time will tell. Isn't it funny that many of the Yankees' best managers were one that had black marks when they got into the job? Huggins and McCarthy were failed NL managers. Stengel was too, but also considered a clown. Martin was known as a loose cannon and Torre was "Clueless Joe". The next few years for Girardi should be very interesting......
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... Based on Jonmouk's logic (if Leonard Nimoy will excuse me -- and as a Boston native, he'd better), when Girardi leaves, by whatever means, the next Yankee manager should be someone with a "black mark" against him, so...
ReplyDeleteUh-oh. It could be Don Mattingly! Noooo...
Then again, if A-Rod can win a ring, maybe anything really is possible.
I decided to check out the Boston Globe to see how they were handling the Yankees' victory. Not much, except Dan Shaughnessy's pre-Game 6 column was still up on the site, and he was practically predicting victory for Pedro (didn't work out for either of them), and said, "All these years later, he’s still pitching for the Red Sox." Then maybe the Phillies can ask the Red Sox to pay his salary. Maybe the Mets can get reimbursed, too.
Since Mo threw that final pitch on Wednesday, I have not gotten down from my cloud yet.
ReplyDeleteThis championship means so much to me in so many different ways that I can scarcely begin to scratch the surface to find the adequate words to express how happy and proud I feel. I haven't felt this euphoric in a quite a long time.
This is just so unbelievably special. I'm such a proud New Yorker - I'm truly born and raised here, still live here, and never, ever want to move away from here. Not to the suburbs, nor to anywhere else. Right here in the five boroughs.
To me, in my heart, nothing and no one represents the heart and soul of this city or the heart and soul of New Yorkers like the New York Yankees. I realize that New York is the sports hub of the world. I recognize that the Yankees are not the only baseball team that plays here or had played here, but no other sports team has been entrenched into the culture of this city like the Yankees. No one. For 106 years the Yankees have laid roots that run very deep, very long-reaching and anchored into the hearts of millions of generations here - from the Roaring 20's right up to this year at the end of the first decade of the 21st Century.
There's a reason why the Yankees are so rich and can spend as much. Just look at their history and all the peoples' lives they touch all over the country -- and even in parts of the rest of the world. When something is THIS successful, wealth is only a natural by-product of it all. And playing in the greatest city on planet Earth helps with that, too.
This is a truly special time for me and for millions of us right now. I feel like as New Yorkers, we can walk a little taller with a little more spring in our step.
And to the Phillies, they are a great team and played tough, but did they really think they were going to stop this juggernaut?
Our Champion 2009 New York Yankees. Let's try and repeat in 2010!