Casting Lines on the Floor, and Lines on His Face, He Reflects on the Day

Well, my friends, we have come to the end of the countdown.

#1-2001 World Series-New York Yankees v. Arizona Diamondbacks

Jonathan, you were correct my friend. I have mentioned in early posts that there is certainly no love lost between the Yankees and I (as if "The Yankees" were aware of my disdain and dislike me as well), but I'm also not a big fan of the Diamondbacks. With that said, this World Series was simply incredible.

This series took place in New York less than two months after the 9/11 attacks. As you could probably tell from reading posts from the past week and a half, I love baseball. Obviously it is not everything in life, but sometimes baseball allows us to escape from some of the painful realities in our life for a short time. This World Series was such an opportunity for baseball fans across America, but New Yorkers especially.

I know that there are some who read this blog who abhor George Bush, and I certainly do not think the man walks on water as some do, but this video that I found of the President throwing out the first pitch for Game 3 of the '01 Series is probably a more eloquent telling than I can provide of what this World Series meant to so many.

With all of the geopolitical externals set aside for a moment, this Series also featured a large turning point in the ebb and flow of baseball history. The Yankees came into the Series as the 3-time defending champions, and the Diamondbacks franchise had only been in existence since 1998.
On the field this Series featured a game winning homerun by Tino Martinez in Game 4, a 12th inning game winning single by Alfonso Soriano in Game 5, tremendous pitching performances from Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, and Randy Johnson, along with the extremely enjoyable "Byung-Hyun Kim" face.

I still remember Paul O'Neill striding to the plate at Yankee Stadium in Game 4 as the intro to The Who's "Baba O'Riley" played in the background. He stepped up to the plate just as Roger Daltrey was belting "Out here in the fields, I work for my meals, I get my back into my livin'." Best at-bat music I've ever heard.
Of course, the Diamondbacks took the 2001 World Series title with a game winning hit from Luis "I can't believe they stuck me with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver" Gonzales. The Yankees have not won a World Series since and Steinbrenner is probably taunted with "Year 2000" chants daily. One can only hope.

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Well, that's it folks. I hope you all have enjoyed the countdown. I know that there are different opinions on what should be in this space, but that's the beauty of conversation and sports. For those regular readers that could care less about baseball, I'm going to try to get back to other topics, starting tomorrow.