Yankees Lose, Cope Wins
Without further ado, guest writer Mike Cope:
But enough, already. Because here's the deal: Ira Lester Hays is a Yankees fan. Outside the only home he's known so far is a stadium in the Bronx. That's all that's really kept me from getting into my normal Evil Empire tirade.
And that's where reality sets in. I love the game of baseball. I've played it and watched it since I was a kid, and I've coached it for nearly two decades. But Ira's health--that's real.
Besides, my anti-Yankees zeal is probably heightened by a since of self-flagellation. (It comes with my religious heritage.) In 1964, at the age of eight, I went with my dad to St. Louis to watch the Cardinals and the Yankees in the World Series. These are MY Cardinals: the team of Musial, of Gibson, of Brock, of Ozzie, and of the mighty Pujols. I've been a faithful follower . . . since the age of nine.
But at age eight, there was one player that loomed above all others for me: the Mick. So in this stadium filled with Cardinal red (the old Sportsmans' Park, not Busch Stadium) I was cheering on Mickey Mantle. I remember the plane flying overhead pulling a banner that read: "Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris too; we've come to put a hex on you." I can't remember what I preached on last week, but I remember that sign clearly from 41 years ago.
And that's the power of baseball.
Fortunately, the Cards ignored my betrayal and beat the Yankees in seven.
I've been calling it a Cardinals/Angels Series. I can't lose in that one -- my favorite team (the Cards) vs. the Angels (with former Highland member John Lackey now the go-to guy among the starters).
Play on, Ira!
By virtue of the Yankees' inability to cash in on Colon's back spasms and the Angels' substitution of a 22-year-old rookie, I now have "earned" the right to talk a little smack on Joe's blog.
But it's too easy, really. So big deal. I don't root for the Yankees. I also didn't cheer for the Uruk-hai in "Lord of the Rings." The Yankees' farm system consists of money to prey on the players no one else can afford -- this year to the tune of $205,000,000 in salaries. They can outpay the Rangers for A-Rod; but they can't make him hit in the playoffs.
But enough, already. Because here's the deal: Ira Lester Hays is a Yankees fan. Outside the only home he's known so far is a stadium in the Bronx. That's all that's really kept me from getting into my normal Evil Empire tirade.
And that's where reality sets in. I love the game of baseball. I've played it and watched it since I was a kid, and I've coached it for nearly two decades. But Ira's health--that's real.
Besides, my anti-Yankees zeal is probably heightened by a since of self-flagellation. (It comes with my religious heritage.) In 1964, at the age of eight, I went with my dad to St. Louis to watch the Cardinals and the Yankees in the World Series. These are MY Cardinals: the team of Musial, of Gibson, of Brock, of Ozzie, and of the mighty Pujols. I've been a faithful follower . . . since the age of nine.
But at age eight, there was one player that loomed above all others for me: the Mick. So in this stadium filled with Cardinal red (the old Sportsmans' Park, not Busch Stadium) I was cheering on Mickey Mantle. I remember the plane flying overhead pulling a banner that read: "Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris too; we've come to put a hex on you." I can't remember what I preached on last week, but I remember that sign clearly from 41 years ago.
And that's the power of baseball.
Fortunately, the Cards ignored my betrayal and beat the Yankees in seven.
I've been calling it a Cardinals/Angels Series. I can't lose in that one -- my favorite team (the Cards) vs. the Angels (with former Highland member John Lackey now the go-to guy among the starters).
Play on, Ira!
posted by jch at
6:57 AM
8 Comments:
Great memories of the '64 World Series Mike, thanks. It's nice that you took your opportunity here to trash the Yankees and decided to - mostly - take the high road. While I will be mourning the Yanks season for the next few weeks, I can grasp to the comfort that the Yanks (barely) made it farther than the BoSox - and at least didn't get swept in our series.
I know what you Yankee Haters (Yaters) are all thinking: Mike was way too easy on me. And he was.
A-Rod (still the regular season MVP in my books) and Matsui were disgusting. Ugh. On the other hand, Jeter, can't say enough good about this guy.
But now that my Yankees are out there truly will be a void in my daily conversations with Ira. He really does have a view of Yankee Stadium from the NICU windows and so from Day One my conversations with Ira have centered around Yankee baseball. (Do you know how hard it is to make up a one-sided conversation?) So laugh all you want, make fun of the payroll, rub our faces in the dirt, call A-Rod "Choke-Rod" and Johnson "Johnsucks". It's just that I really am sad that Yankee baseball is no longer a conversational piece between Ira and me.
(Feel sorry for me yet?)
Joe - it bugged me to no end growing up as a Dallas Cowboys fan that there were those that didn't care who beat the Cowboys - the Redskins, 49ers, or Steelers - as long as someone did. I don't want to become one of "those" to you. As I've stated here before I was a huge fan of the Pinstripes in the 70's and 80's - but just couldn't get into the buying your way to a ring of the 00's. While I'm sorry you've lost your conversation starter with Ira - I'm more grateful than any game played that he's growing up like Dad.
Well I must say that in the bottom of the 9th, with 2outs and 2 guys on, we were pulling for the Yanks. Hoping just hoping that Ira's team would make it one more series. You see, I think its a jealous stance I take on the team, b/c they just seem to win all the time over the last decade. It's time to let the 'stros have a chance. So theres where my money is this year-Houston. I heard someone say "how great of a game was the 18inning, 6hr competition, when no one scored from 10-18". Well, when you can play that many people in different positions, and have no runs ... that is a great game. Games are not always determined by offense, but the skill to hold off scoring from the other team(especially while they stole 241 bases in extra innings, yeah I know exaggeration).
So I still glanced at the NY hat this morning, and it still brought about joyful thoughts of the Hays team.
Here I am, guest-visiter by way of Mike's blog. I'm the die-hardest of the die-hards when it comes to the Angels...started rooting for them when they got in the playoffs (in '79, when they were still called "playoffs"). I live, eat, and breathe Angels. I couldn't even sit down last night. And, of course, I hate the Yankees to boot. That's easy.
Having said that.
Very few players are more fun to watch than Derek Jeter. A-Rod has already been cheated out of two MVP's and he deserves one this year too. Joe Torre is the second best manager in the game and a class act. Bernie left with his head high last night (and a nice ovation from Angels fans, notice?). If Colon doesn't win the Cy, then Mo should. And maybe Mo should anyway. Giambi showed a TON of guts this year doing what he did. Randy Johnson isn't really a Yankee, I think we all know that, but he's one of the best pitchers I ever saw.
Yes, they're overpaid, bad for baseball, Steinbrenner sucks, all that. But credit where credit's due...that's a great team. And it was one heck of a series.
My friend was too chicken to post his comment on this blog. He's a Texas Rangers fan so you'll have to forgive him. He simply said in an e-mail to me:
A-Fraud...4-32 post season
In response, I wrote the following:
That's all you got? That's pitiful. A-Fraud? Can't you be original for once? I think what you are trying to say is that A-Rod choked and anyone in the world will agree with that. But you can't deny that he was the reason that we even made it to the playoffs. And that alone will be the reason why A-Rod will be awarded the regular season MVP award. His hot bat and incredible defense saved us at the end of the season.
You see, we Yankee fans won't turn on A-Rod like Mariner and Ranger fans did. Are we disappointed? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, we are glad he is with us instead of against us.
Maybe if he had more playoff experience...oh wait, the Rangers have never made it the playoffs. Their guys get thrown in jail for assaulting cameramen.
out -- Joe "Still A Proud Yankee" Hays
Ahem, I take offense to your slam on the Rangers. They have in fact made the playoffs, they have just never won a playoff game. They won the AL west several years ago, they may have done it with a sub .500 record, but they did it none the less. I think it was the Yankees who swept them. This is one of many reasons that I love to hate the Yankees, and I hate to love the Rangers.
I just find it amusing that this year the northeast, the mecca of baseball where noone cares about any baseball team if its not red sox or yankees, won't be represented in the world series.
And the fact that the yankees payroll exceeds the COMBINED payrolls of the astros-cardinals and the combined payrolls of the white sox-angels.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home