Tonight, your New York Yankees won 100 games for the 21st time—21 times in 93 seasons since they first accomplished the feat, 21 of 89, if you take out the strike-shortened years. Almost one in every four seasons, and maybe double the number of times anybody else has done it.
It was also the 20th time they've won a division title, if you count the 1981, strike-season playoff, and the 1994 shortened strike season. (Which I do.) Twenty in 44 seasons, since they won the first one in 1976.
It was the 49th time they've finished first in the regular season, since 1921, or 49 out of 99 seasons. The 55th time they've made the playoffs.
This is not bad.
And you know, even if it doesn't go beyond this—which it almost certainly will not—it was a great season.
I know I caterwaul as much as anyone around here—gotta give those JuJu gods their burnt offerings—but I've had a great time following this team. As I have so often in the past, following other Yankees teams for whom, well, not everything worked out in the end.
Another great year, much like this one? 1980. The Yanks overcame all kinds of injuries (Bob Watson, Graig Nettles, Ruppert Jones), came from behind constantly, won 103 games, and held off a formidable Orioles team.
Sure, in the playoffs our luck changed. Mike Ferrarro sent Randolph around third when he should not have, Cerone and Nettles hit bullets right at guys, and Goose Gossage attempted—yet again—to show that he could throw a fastball past George Brett (spoiler alert: he couldn't).
But did that erase six months of ecstasy and camaraderie? (Also, coincidentally, the title of Heddy Lamarr's memoirs.) No, it did not.
Same thing for 2003, and 2017, and even 2001 and 2004, which ended in the most dispiriting, awful experiences in my ill-spent, sports-following life.
Even in 2004, collapsing against the hate Boston Red Sox in ignominious fashion...did not negate six wonderful months of following a gutty, resilient team (also with no starting pitching) that staged something like 61 come-from-behind victories.
It was a great year.
So are they all with you guys, with my other Yankees-crazy friends, with just the wonderful, daily rhythm of the long season.
It's a team that has won like no other team has ever won, at least in America. It just doesn't always win it all (and it won't this season).
But so what? It was a great year.
Friday, September 20, 2019
This has been a great year
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10 comments:
Someone mentioned on the radio yesterday that Houston has three straight years of 100+ wins. In the history of the Yankees, they only did it once...2002-2004. Yet in those years, they didn't win a World Series. Plenty of back to back belly to belly 100+ wins though. Interesting.
I only care about one statistic, one number. 28. Nothing else matters for the Yankees. All else is hollow fluff and glitter.
Fuck you Hal.
It's HEDY!
In addition to being Delilah, she is also in the inventor's hall of fame.
Winnie, don't forget the back page cover count. That also matters, only slightly less.
There's a doc about Hedy on PBS...includes the story about her contribution to WiFi.
And everyone should get a trophy. How sad that a great franchise has fallen so far, The fan's & media celebrate a division title and the Red Sox celebrate WS titles.
The team rooted for by racist townie assholes is mathematically eliminated. They are now celebrating a serial sexual assailant.
Pish, Mr. Doyle (though I loved your 1978 postseason!).
With 3-4 rounds of playoffs, October success becomes more happenstance than ever before. Anything can happen in a short series. Multiply that by 3-4, and you're talking almost a crap shoot.
I've complained loud and long with many others here about this and that thing we don't like about the way the Yankees are trending. But I will also say that 27 straight winning seasons constitutes a certain greatness—as does this division title, especially with 30 guys going to the EL.
They deserve the celebration.
HC, It wasn't a crap shoot back in the late 90's before HOF Brian Cashman was able to put this stamp on this team. No team wins by just hitting HR's. You need pitching and the ability to hit with runners on, something Mr Cashman doesn't quite get. And regardless of how many winning seasons they've had, we've still only had 1 WS in almost 2O yrs.
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