Bronx, N.Y., Oct. 31, 2001 — A long time for a used-to-be young man to stand and hold his ground, and this guy is waving his arms too!

It had been a tough almost 10 years leading into that 1975 baseball season, and the Yanks hadn’t quite emerged from a dismal tunnel of despair and defeat. Thankfully over .500 at 83-77 (same total of games as this year), we finished 12 games out, third behind Baltimore and East Division winner Boston.

And we have played so many wonderful games since, so many come-from-behind wins, so many titles, so many great times, I never would have guessed that it would take this long. Twenty-six years ago I saw the best World Series game I had seen in my young life, and though it was delivered by the Cincinnati Reds and AL East rival Boston, I had recently come to my “if your team beats mine, they had better beat everyone else” philosophy that I have followed ever since, so I was strongly in the Red Sox corner against the Big (Bad) Red Machine.

The magic Bernie Carbo and particularly Carlton Fisk made that cool autumn night I have carried with me ever since. You can rest now, Carlton. You can stop frantically waving your arms. The ball is fair; your success is assured; your place in history (to all of baseball and to me) is secure. But I have just witnessed a better World Series game, and it’s time to bask in its glory.

John Sterling used the expression “precipice of defeat” for the dilemma we had faced and were rescued from by Tino’s mammoth shot for the ages. I couldn’t agree more. I could go on about how wonderful the night was, how blessed I am to be a Yankee fan. I could discuss home plate ump Ed Rapuano’s almost manic need to talk after he and el duque argued in the third, speaking asides to, in succession, the Yankee ball boy, Willie Randolph and Scott Brosius. I could also tell you how happy I am that my niece (graduated from Temple U) attended tonight’s game with me. (We haven’t seen a game together in years, and the last win we shared was ended by a Mel Hall walk-off, so it’s been some time!) But now I’m on the “precipice of exhaustion.”

Good Night!

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!