9/11/01

This is cross-posted on TheYankeesBlog.com

Some events affect us so much that they will always be a part of us. That might be why it is tough for me to believe that six years have passed between now and September 11, 2001. My life was not directly altered. I did not know anybody killed. However, it would be difficult to imagine any human being who was not emotionally impacted in some way on that awful day. Ever since I began writing, I have always tried to write a special post on September 11. In these entries, I have made personal reflections. This year I would like to take a different angle. I am going to recall the small role that the Yankees played in the healing process.

At times we overestimate the impact of sports. We treat games as life and death matters. We wish harm on otherwise innocent human beings after they do something to hurt our team’s chances. Make no mistake, though. Sports are important. Part of this has to do with the manner in which we overrate sports. We turn athletes into heroes. The people of New York were devastated after 9/11. The Yankees were there. Visits to the wounded, victims’ families, and rescue workers could never come close to undoing the harm done, but they did provide some comfort to those affected. The men that these people idolized were there with them in their time of need. (Let’s be clear about one thing. The Mets did just as much to help in the aftermath.)

Eventually the games proceeded and provided a distraction from the otherwise grim news. In the months following 9/11, one could not turn on the news without seeing constant reports of funeral services for emergency personnel and civilians. Watching thousands get laid to rest for no other reason than they showed up to work and tried to save others is enough to make one question humanity. The one thing that everybody knew was that they could turn on the television at night.

The Yankees went on a magical run that October, but one must go even deeper than the terrorist attacks to truly comprehend what took place. The Yanks were playing to give a reeling city something to feel good about. This mission took on even greater significance because everybody knew that this was the last rodeo for one of the most beloved teams of all-time. From 1996 to 2001 a core of players captured the heart of a city through their grit and valor on the field. These guys were overpaid All-Stars. The Yankees did not go out and buy up every good player in baseball. They did not win because their payroll was obscene. None of this took place, despite this disingenuous revisionist history that Yankee haters across the country love to proclaim. These Yankees were a collection of quality players who liked each other and lived for big moments. They never failed it seemed. This was the end of the line, though. A number of core players had aged. Paul O’Neill, the heart and soul of the team, who once played in the World Series on one leg, was set to retire. Scott Brosius’ production was in decline, and the team was going to look for an upgrade. Tino Martinez was about to become the victim of the star lust that would possess the front office in coming years. Despite carrying the team on his back during the second half of the season, Jason Giambi was going to become a free agent. Giambi’s numbers were far superior to Tino’s even if his defense and clubhouse presence were not. Fans had embraced this team in the past because it might not have been the best collection of talent, but it was always the best team. Joe Torre and his players always exuded class. Even the most ardent haters at least expressed respect for this amazing collection of men. This was its last chance to deliver something special. It was an encore and a chance to begin the healing process.

Fans across the country embraced the Yankees unlike anytime before. They understood what New York was going through. the Big Apple had taken the brunt of what was an attack on all Americans. They wanted to see New Yorkers get a chance to celebrate. Even in Boston, many fans displayed signs expressing support. The Yankees truly became America’s Team. It almost seems unfathomable now.

The Yankees may not have won the World Series in 2001, but they gave New York a chance to feel good again if only for fleeting moments. Up against an Oakland team that had taken them to the limit a year before, the Yankees were on the verge of being wiped out. The A’s dominated the first two games in Yankee Stadium, beating eventual Cy Young winner, Roger Clemens, and noted big game pitcher, Andy Pettitte. New York had the daunting task of beating a 102 win team three straight times and twice on the road.

As the series shifted to Oakland, we saw the best of the Yankees. Everybody remembers the Derek Jeter flip to nail Jeremy Giambi at the plate in Game 3. There is no question that was the biggest play of the series. People just tend to forget the other key players in that pivotal game. Barry Zito pitched a one-hitter that night. The Yankees still won because that hit was a Jorge Posada homer, and Mike Mussina pitched the game of his life, shutting out a powerful A’s lineup featuring Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, and Eric Chavez over 7 innings before handing the ball to Mariano Rivera. Somebody always stepped up for those Yankees teams. They always found a way to do just enough. The right people always came up big. Orlando Hernandez put an uneven season behind him in Game 4 to once again deliver in October. New York pounded Cory Lidle to set up a Game 5 between the teams with a trip to the ALCS hanging in the balance for a second consecutive season. There was never any doubt who would win. Even with a shaky start from Roger Clemens and an early 2-0 deficit, the Yanks rallied to win 5-3. Derek Jeter fell into the stands making a catch in the 7th inning. Mike Stanton, Ramiro Mendoza, and Mariano Rivera pitched 4.2 shutout innings in relief of Clemens. Oakland, arguably the most talented club in the bigs that year, had just lost three straight to see its season end. The funny thing is that most Yankees fans and a ton of observers saw it coming. Even after being dominated in the Bronx and pushed to the brink of elimination, people knew that this team always found a way. Get one-hit in an elimination game? No problem, we’ll just shut out the opponent.

Next up was a 116 win Seattle Mariners team. Seattle had just broken the 1998 Yankees’ American League record of 114 wins. The core of that team was still in tact. This series was personal. The dynasty had begun after a painful Division Series loss in Seattle in 1995. These same players did not want their run to end at the hands of this same team, which also would supplant the 1998 squad’s place in history among dominant teams. The series was never even close. The Yanks took the first two games in Safeco Field, and won in five games. The knockout blow was a decisive 12-3 win in the clincher that left no doubt who the best team in the American League was, regardless of the twenty-one win disparity in the regular season.

The final curtain came against the Diamondbacks in the World Series. The team that could not fail finally did. The unbeatable closer was beaten with his team two outs away from a fourth straight championship. It was painful at the time, but nothing can taint the magic of that October. After falling behind two games in the desert, the Yankees never quit. They won the third game behind a dominant Roger Clemens. George W. Bush threw out the first pitch that night and got a complete standing ovation. Just like the Yankees being cheered in Boston, that seems unfathomable today, but we were together as a nation back then. Games 4 and 5 were among the most amazing ever witnessed. On consecutive nights the Yankees hit game-tying 2 run homers with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. Even more special was the fact that Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius, the two stalwarts heading out the door, were the guys to hit them. The homers were one final gift to the fans by players who had done so much. Paul O’Neill scored in front of Martinez in Game 4. Chuck Knoblauch scored the eventual winning run in Game 5. They also were guys about to leave who played big roles in their final hurrah. The fans showed their love for the team by chanting O’Neill’s name in the 9th inning of Game 5, his last ever at Yankee Stadium. Everybody stayed in the stadium to sing Sinatra’s New York, New York in unison after these wins. Fans got to come together after the tragedy to celebrate this team one last time.

The fall of 2001 was a special time in the New York area. Those great Yankees left us with perhaps their finest performance, even if they fell short of the ultimate goal. A city that needed a reason to feel good got that reason. A great team made one final magical run. Its fans got the joy of both events. Charles Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” That quote applies to New York during that time. Nobody ever wants to go through something like that again. I also cannot imagine another October full of such special memories. What the Yankees did will never come close to making up for what happened, but they did at least begin the healing process in some small way.