To all the Yankee faithful who are celebrating today . . . I wore my official 2009 away jacket to work today. It's a great trophy and rememberance from the Championship 2009 season. I couldn't be prouder of a group of guys. They started out rough, pulled it together and took home all the marbles -- no easy feat, especially when you consider the world had counted them out after Game 1 of the World Series.
This will go down as one of the great Yankee teams, built in the tradition of the Bronx Bombers. They will also be remembered as the team that won it all the first year in the new Yankee Stadium, just as they did in 1923 in the old Yankee Stadium. It was mix of old timers and newcomers. They started out stumbling and trailed Boston at the All Star break. But, the pitching finally jelled and they not only overcame the Sox, but won going away.
After years of free agent busts, the Yankees struck it rich in the off season. Sabathia
was impressive and dependable. Burnett was not, but he did come through enough times to make a difference. Pettitte was a great addition. Teixeira had a horrible series, but more than carried his weight to get them there, leading the American League in home runs. And A-Rod. No one will call him Mr. Choke ever again. In many ways, he was the MVP of the series. Jeter gets his fifth ring and A-Rod gets his first. For all the newcomers this year, it was a huge reward for joining a team that was anything but a certain winner when the season started.
And, hats off to Joe Girardi. He took the blows, but in the end did it his way. He now has four rings, three as a Yankee catcher in the 1990s. This one was a long time coming, but worth every ounce. A few more tweaks in the off season and these guys will be even harder to beat next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment