Sunday, November 3, 2024

Post: Mortem

In 2001 the New York Giants were destroyed by the Baltimore Ravens in The Super Bowl. I don’t remember a lot about the game including the score, the quarterback, the head coach, or really anything about the team or the game other than I’m pretty sure something happened early that told me it was not going to go well.  

This World Series, should I live long enough, seems destined to go in that box.

This was a Yankee team that no fewer than three major columnists said and I semi-quote, “were bad  at baseball”. Bad. At. Base. Ball. Can’t hit situationally, can’t field, can’t run the bases, had no feel for the game… could hit for power. So basically, a one tool team. 

A team out matched, out managed, out general managed and out owned.

Do you want to know how bad this team was? 

No, I’m not going to tell you that they played .500 ball for months or that “they run the bases like drunks”. 

I’ll tell you how bad they were. 

We didn’t get together at the stadium to watch a game. And we like each other.

The thought that we should schlep to the stadium and give Hal a ton of money to watch this particular brand of baseball was anathema to us to the point that it overrode our friendship and sense of comradery, and never caught on.

Your 2024 Yankees ladies and gentlemen.

So where do we go from here as fans? 

As much as I protest, I'll read the off-season articles as much out of habit as anything else. Plus, I always find the off-season interesting. The “How would I fix it?” vs. "Whatever moronic choices will be made by the Yankee Braintrust."

I’ll still come back here and write and post because no matter how much the Yankees piss me off this place is an oasis of intelligence and there aren’t many left. After all, how many blogs offer a thread on when WW2 began? Much less, the day after our team gets eliminated in five games.

Bottom line is, I’m still a baseball fan. I’m still a Yankee fan. I have no choice.

For the record it was 34-7, Kerry Collins, Jim Fassel, and according to Wikipedia…

“Baltimore allowed only 152 yards of offense by New York (the third-lowest total ever in a Super Bowl), recorded 4 sacks, and forced five turnovers. All sixteen of the Giants' possessions ended with punts or interceptions, with the exception of the last one, which ended when time expired in the game. New York's lone touchdown, a 97-yard kickoff return, was quickly answered by Baltimore on an 84-yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff.”

I looked it up.


14 comments:

13bit said...

I wish I could heart this whole post, Doug. ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE!! I’m in!! ❤️

HoraceClarke66 said...

Same here, Doug—though I doubt this postseason will be quite as forgettable as that Super Bowl. I wish it were.

AboveAverage said...

Fall Back

Fall Back

Fall Back

(Not from the any song by the Monkees, period)

TheWinWarblist said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TheWinWarblist said...

We do like each other. These our 2024 NY Yankees did not deserve a day with IIH IIF II...C.

Everything else: I do not care.

13bit said...

We should sup together next June.

AboveAverage said...

This comment has been withdrawn by the author because they wanted more coffee

Der Kaiser said...

I remember that Super Bowl better than any other, because it was the only Super Bowl I ever really cared about. I didn't know much about NFL football, and still don't, but I was excited to see the Giants winning. Not only were they winning, they looked great doing it, making exciting running plays, kickoff returns for touchdowns. I didn't remember any Giants names either, but looking them up I remember seeing great performances from Ike Hilliard and Tiki Barber.

Then they got flattened in the Super Bowl. I didn't have to look up Ray Lewis and Tony Siragusa, who looked like real giants tossing the so-called Giants about like rag dolls. The whole Giants team looked like elementary schoolers trying to stand up to a bunch of high schoolers in a brawl. The aforementioned double kickoff return just sucked any remaining fight out of them.

After that game I never cared enough about the NFL to follow it. If I happen to see a game on somewhere I might watch a bit, and when I hear that a team I like the sound of has won the Super Bowl, there's a brief spark of contentment akin to finding a bonus fry in the package thought empty. It lasts about as long, too.

I was always more interested in baseball than football. But it's getting harder and harder to muster any enthusiasm for the Yankees. Even when they're good they look awful. And when they're bad they're awfully bad.

DickAllen said...

Great post, Doug. As much as I loathe the Giants, I’m unfortunately addicted to the Jets, a team that finds ways to lose like a reincarnation of the Redsux.

But what keeps me coming back here is all of you. There is a consistent literary intelligence here that goes very well with my morning coffee, breakfast lunch and dinner.

Good or bad, I will keep coming back. Even as the Yankees teams that The Intern assembles keep playing drunken baseball, at least here I am among bretheren. Amen..

JM said...

Kaiser, I share your pain.

If the Giants somehow beat the Commanders today, a lot of bookies will be out a lot of money.

Publius said...
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BTR999 said...

Thanks Doug, you hit the BP nail on the head with this.

Oh, I remember that 3002 SB, the only one the Giants ever lost. They went in as underdogs and were totally outmanned and outcoached. The 2024 Yankees lost 2 WS games they could’ve/should’ve won and have only themselves (and of course their rudderless manager) to blame.

HoraceClarke66 said...

I just remember Jason Sehorn being embarrassed in that game, the Ravens running right by him.

It's a shame you remember that Super Bowl so well, Doug. It was one of the very worst in the last 25 years, a completely one-sided contest, dominated by a team of thugs...

HoraceClarke66 said...

...While I'm not a Giants fan, I generally root for them, because of all my Giant-fan friends. They played very exciting Super Bowls in 1987 and 1991, and pulled off thrilling, incredible upsets against the Patriots in 2008 and 2012. Just great games.

Unfortunately, they have now joined the city's parade of nepo mediocrities.