The Call of the Wild

Posted on by

BRONX, N.Y., Oct. 22 — Well, it was wild, and seeing as anyone visiting here either saw what was there to be seen, or read or heard a play-by-play of how the game went, perhaps I should share some of that wildness. But I have to start with the most peculiar sound — and behavior — I ‘ve ever heard in Yankee Stadium.

Seventy-three years ago today Republican presidential nominee Herbert Hoover first referred to the “American spirit of rugged individualism.” And the New York I have known all my life has been a place where that phrase is embraced with a fervor matched in few other locales. So it really was astonishing to see, and hear — and then see and hear again and yet again — the Yankee Stadium crowd take part in something that was half joint cheer/half wave when cheering for Jorge Posada. Based on Hip! Hip! Jorge!, it traveled around the Cathedral almost magically until it peaked, perhaps during his fourth at bat, with the whole Stadium yelling and gesturing in unison.

Call me a curmudgeon, but it kinda creeped me out. And the thing that finally pushed me over the edge on it was what it shares with the Wave — while it was going on virtually no one is paying any attention to what our poor catcher is actually doing on the field. We’ll have to see if it comes back for the Series, and then try to figure out what it means for the people — and future — of New York.

But the real Calls of the Wild were the group chants and taunts that dominated the airwaves, so to speak, starting in the bottom of the eighth with:

  1. “We will, We will rock you,” followed by my favorite:
  2. “Overrated” (to the four syllable beat of “Let’s Go Yankees”)
  3. “We Want Nelson!” (also to beat of “Let’s Go Yankees”)
  4. The fourth installment of “Hip! Hip! Jorge!”
  5. “No Game Six!” (to the beat of “We Want a Hit”)
  6. “A–hole” (toward Mr. Paniagua for throwing a pitch at Shane’s head)
  7. “World Series!” (like “Let’s Go Yankees” again, with “world” a two syllable word)
  8. “Na Na Na Na; Na Na Na Na, Hey He-ey-ey, Go-od Bye!”
  9. “Sayonara” (this last one in the ninth when Ichiro came to bat).

We yelled, cheered, taunted, sang, and taunted again. And we told all the Yankees that we love them, and being in New York.

BTW, TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!