THE YANKEES WIN THE PENNANT

A proud night indeed – long-awaited, and much-deserved.  Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and the New York Yankees finished off the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles tonite to win the franchise’s 40^th pennant, and advance to the World Series for the first time since 2003 to meet the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. 

While it’s hard to believe that it’s only been 6 years since the Yanks’ last trip to the Big Dance, it has felt like an eternity.  The dark days of 2004, and the ensuing chaos which followed (numerous Boston titles in various sports, a Yankees team that no longer knew how to win, the departure of Joe Torre) have loomed like a dark shadow over our hallowed franchise in a world clearly turned upside down.

But not anymore.  No matter what happens from here, this has been a season to be proud of.  The pride is back.  And victory and glory will soon be ours once again.

The Angels, for their part, went out of the ALCS the way they came in: with inexplicable defensive errors leading to crucial runs.  While these errors no doubt speeded the Angels’ demise, the Angels were nevertheless outclassed by a better team.  Honorable mention goes to the Angels’ formerly weak-hitting catcher, Jeff Mathis, who played brilliantly on defense and offense, powering 5 doubles and otherwise looking like the second coming of Johnny Bench. 

C.C. Sabathia was the ALCS MVP – a choice we agree with – though Mariano and A-Rod were close runners-up.  Since the All Star Break, the Yankees have been the indisputable best team in baseball with Sabathia on the mound.  They will have Sabathia against a very excellent Phillies team on Wednesday night in Game 1.  Given that both the Yanks and Phils have been playing like champions this post-season, while both having similar flaws in their armor, the World Series promises to be a classic matchup, which I believe will be determined simply by who wants it more.

Finally, and at the risk of being disowned by my father, I think it would be remiss not to acknowledge Girardi for his contribution.  The one thing I really like about Joe (aside from the fact that he was the catcher on the great 1998 team) is his commitment to being positive, and understanding how important that is for the team.  In a world where attitude tends to make all the difference, Joe’s commitment to focusing on what is going right for the team is a constant step in the right direction. 

Bottom line: 110 wins down; 4 to go.  Bring it home, boys!

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