Saturday, October 23, 2010

Yankeetorial: It had to happen this way

Fate waits.
While you hurry
Or while you wait.
It's all the same to fate.
-- John Irving --
"Setting Free the Bears"

Now that it's done, it seems so simple, so clean, so obvious: The 2010 Yankees were always destined to disappoint. They had nothing in common with 2009 -- no banana creme walkoffs, no emerging footnote characters, no tarnished stars seeking redemption... no fate.

Other teams, even the Rays, died gasping and grasping, spitting vinegar. Our lone shining moment -- Game One -- resulted from Ranger pitchers who could not throw strikes. We lost four times without even mounting final challenges.

All season, John Sterling lamented the warning signs...

No name pitchers beat us.

We failed to move baserunners.

Once behind, we just started looking to tomorrow.

And now... there is none.

For four months, we were baseball's best team. Yet without deadline salary-dumps, we would have missed the playoffs.

For six months, we laughed as injuries decimated Boston. Yet in September, we just barely held them off.

Fate. It was always lurking.

We had no prodigal son, no mythic hero. Javier Vazquez was supposed to achieve redemption. Joba and Hughes were supposed to ascend into manhood. Jeet and Jorge were supposed to have one last October.

Alas, fate proved Yogi wrong.

It was over long ago. We just refused to see it.
at

4 comments:

  1. TheWinWarblistOctober 23, 2010 at 9:50 AM

    Angel of God, El Duque's guardian dear, to whom his love commits him here there or everywhere, Ever this day and night be at his side, To light and guard, to rule and guide.

    ReplyDelete
  2. WhatmomwouldsayOctober 23, 2010 at 3:06 PM

    Get over it, you can't win them all. Besides you won last year, give someone else a chance. The Yankees will be fine next year, they are the New York Yankees.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BernBabyBernOctober 23, 2010 at 5:16 PM

    Jeet and Jorge did have one last great October



    ... in 2009.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 3:03 PM

    The Yankees (players and organization) were revved up in 2009. With the big new stadium and all you could feel it, even on TV. They got the big win. 2010 comes along and it's not the same fire in the gut drive. It may have been expected that they could repeat but that doesn't win games. In professional bull riding (PBR) there has never been a back to back repeat champ. It's as if the cowboy has used up all his "try" the season before. More people are involved in a team achieving a World Series Trophy but the motivation has to be continuous throughout the season in both sports.
    John

    ReplyDelete

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