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So…things have changed. The Red Sox were flying high when they were at home playing Tampa Bay and Baltimore. Papelbon was not only the next Clemens but better than Rivera. Beckett and Schilling were going to both with the Cy Young. Life was good and the Yankees sucked. It’s not so fun on the road is it Red Sox fans??
More to come. I am not longer sitting by quietly like I have the past year or so.
For Yankee fans, especially younger fans, 1996 started the magic. I don’t believe it’s over just yet - and unless there is a change in ownership or a change in salary rules, it will ever be over - but 1996 was fun.
1993 the Yankees finished behind Toronto (remember, there was no wild card and only 2 divisions, so the division winner played for the Pennant). 92 the Yanks were terrible, 1991 and 90 were worse. And it was pretty bad until you get to the very early 80s and of course the late 70s.
1994 the Yankees were on their way to having a great year with the second best record in baseball and bar far the best record in the American League (can you guess who had the best record…the Expos…Pedro Martinez was on the team. So was Moises Alou, Cliff Floyd, Larry Walker, Mike Lansing, pretty good team). We were over 100 games in and then BAHM!!...the strike. Freakin strike. It killed baseball until the great 1998 year when the Yankees were on their way to winning 114 games and sailing through the playoffs, they were considered one of the greatest teams to ever play, David Wells pitched a perfect game and the nation, even non baseball fans, were glued to the homerun race between Mark and Sammy. GREAT year. Don Mattingly was one year away from leaving the game that year too. Sad times.
Then 1995 the Yanks lost a heartbreaking series with Seattle in the first Wild Card season (Boston won the division and the Yanks got the Wild Card). Remember Tino Martinez was on Seattle then, and Randy Johnson coming in during the 9th inning of game 7. Edgar Martinez was on fire during the series. Even though the Yanks lost, it was one of the greatest playoff series I have ever seen. WHY WHY WHY did they leave Cone in the game during the 7th inning? He threw OVER 140 PITCHES!! I still lose sleep over it.
Then 1996 came along and a 12 year old named Jeff Maier became my best friend. He was the kid who interfered with the Derek Jeter home run against Baltimore that tied the game and let the Yanks go on to win the divisional series, and eventually win the World Series. The Boston Globe had a great article on him today that is a must read for all Yankee and Baltimore fans. By the way, in 97 and 96, Baltimore was much more of a rival and threat than the Red Sox. Anyway, read the article. Jeff is now playing college ball and broke his school’s hit record. He’s batting over 400. It’s a good story, read it.
or cust and paste
http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/baseball/articles/2006/04/19/blast_from_the_past/
It’s nice to see Pedro is up to his old crap down in NY. He is a punk headhunter coward and now that is ability is declining he is resorting to his school yard nonsense. I hated him when he was here, and I hate him with the Mets. Punk.
Here’s the thing about Wakefield that Red Sox idiots don’t get. Every single year he starts off getting shelled. A knuckleball pitcher does not do well with the cold dry air of spring. It’s not until the hot heavy deep summer humidity that the ball really starts to jump. I see it every year. I like Wakefield because he reminds of a normal guy who by a stroke of luck and good timing found himself in a decent baseball career in a huge baseball town. But he gets shelled this time of year. I am a little curious as to why Josh Bard had such a hard time seeing the ball. I know it’s a killer to try to catch a knuckleballer, but the hitters seemed to have no problem. Anyway, at least they made it interesting in the 9th.
As for the Yanks, why did they do that to Proctor? I have kids. I could barely talk on the phone after the latest scare with our 2 month old. His newborn had serious surgery and Torre put him out there. I know he didn’t want to risk Wright but it was a tough spot for Proctor to pitch in. Either way, they should have won it long before. They left 10 men on and had only 2 hits with runners in scoring position.
With the Sox and Yanks having the exact same record last year, every game DOES count.
Ahhhh. The season has started. Yesterday I had the same feeling I get when I take a sip of coffee the first thing in the morning. Or when I sit down at Virgies in Somerville on a Saturday night with my buddy Jay and have my first beer of the night. I LOVE baseball and it’s been a long, dark winter without it. This feel good namby pamby nonsense that the Red Sox media has been shoveling got me to my breaking point. The pitching is MUCH better than the Yankees, Crisp is MUCH better than Damon, etc. You get the point. Even this hypocritical crap about bashing Damon. When Renteria turned down 250K less per season from St. Louis to come here, no one said a word. Let me say that again. Renteria was offered 1 million more over FOUR YEARS by the Red Sox and he came here. That was fine. But when Damon was offered 3 million a year more PER YEAR to go to another championship caliber team, he is Judas and Demon and all that other juvenile crap that plays over so well here. This moronic town is the only place that loves to put obscene phrases on T-shirts and have their kids wear them to pre-school.
So it began with both teams winning impressively. Good for the Sox. Good for the Yanks.
Play ball my Red Sox fans, I am ready to do battle. Yankee brethren, it’s gonna be a good year.