You wouldn't know it from reading this blog, but I'm a pretty huge Yankee fan. It's hard to follow them when I'm at school and so busy and I don't get the YES Network here, but I love them - always have, that's the way my mom raised me.
Tonight was the last game at Yankee Stadium. They're moving into a new place next year, and I'm sure it'll be amazing, but it'll take another century for that place to have the memories the old one does. I watched the game on ESPN with tears in my eyes. Andy Pettitte, who has been struggling so much lately, which utterly breaks my heart, had the somewhat decent version of himself show up tonight, good enough to win. The Yankees beat up on the Orioles' starter and middle relief. And Mariano Rivera getting that last out, as Brian Roberts grounded out - what else can you say? In a year when more or less everything else has gone wrong for the Yankees, Mussina and Mo alone have been everything you could ask for (you too, A-Rod. And I'm sorry that Yankee fans won't appreciate you unless/until you pretty much single-handedly get us a championship.).
For the first time since 1993 (1994 doesn't count), it seems likely that the Yankees won't make the playoffs. The Rays went from incredibly bad to incredibly awesome, the Yankees were decimated by bad injuries this year, and they're in the most ridiculous division in maybe all of sports, so it's not that surprising, but it just won't feel right to watch what I can of the postseason when the Yankees aren't there. I got spoiled when I was younger and the dynasty of 1996-2001 was going on (though the 2001 World Series ended in the worst way possible), but their playoff appearances since the last time they were in the World Series consist of maybe the worst postseason choke of all time and three first-round exits, two of them to probably inferior teams. We've had to watch the Red Sox win twice. It's been pretty painful. So maybe it's the best that the Yankees left Yankee Stadium like this - they won. And it was a really good win.
