Being a Yankee fan, sometimes, sometimes a lot, people give me a really hard time. To them it's like I have sold out. I cheer for the Yankees just because they win and they win just because they have the most money to throw around. This doesn't offend me but people couldn't be more wrong. See I grew up in a time and neighborhood where baseball, for the most part, was old news. No one could stand to watch 9 innings of baseball because it moves slower than football and basketball. But baseball will always be "Americas Pass Time" because of something that I call the Spirit of the Game. There is just something special about baseball and it isn't about who wins or loses. But the Yankees have always done and continue to do that something special the best. Don't believe me? Still determined to hate pinstripes? Take a look at what your missing out on.
July 9th 2011
Derek Jeter becomes the first Yankee to hit 3000. He is also the 2nd player in all of Major League history to hit # 3000 out of the park.
"It means a lot," Jeter said. "It's a number that has meant a lot in the history of the game, because not too many people have done it before. To be the only Yankee to do it ... to be the only Yankee to do anything is pretty special."
Jeter then went on to hit five for five.
My favorite part? How teammates rushed to meet him as he crossed home plate.
"That was obviously very spontaneous," Posada said. "Everybody ran out there and gave him a big hug. I told him I was proud of him. I got a little emotional because I was so happy for him."
Alright and if that doesn't make you feel good inside, this will
July 11 2011
Robinson Cano goes to the Home Run Derby for the first time, and wins it.
"It's the kind of thing that you dream of as a kid, watching back in the day, guys like [Mark] McGwire and [Sammy] Sosa," Cano said. "You want to know how it feels to hit a long ball and the fans cheer for you."
The third round of the Derby turned into a Yankees Red Sox throw down. Adrian Gonzalez hit set the bar high with 11 home runs, but Cano didn't look to worried when he came back up to the plate. Maybe that's because his dad was the one pitching to him.
"Every time he hit a home run in the last round, I said, '10 more, nine more, eight more,'" Jose Cano said. "And when he got the last one, I said, 'Just one, just give me the one, that's it.'" (Quotes taken from MLB.COM)
This was something else to watch. I bet even David Ortiz was excited to see the 12th ball leave the park. How could you not cheer for a father and son team like this?
The day I turned 18 my dad and I were on a subway heading towards the new Yankee Stadium. We stood shoulder to shoulder with all the Yankee fans headed to the game. Over the roar of the subway you could hear everyone talking baseball. I was taking it all in trying to wrap my head around the fact that this was actually happening when my dad nudged me with his elbow and nodded towards a group of fans standing near us. There was an old man in a faded Yankee hat, and with him his son, his grandson, and his great grandson. Four generations on their way to the game, something that to us looked like they did a lot.
That's it. That's why I love baseball. That's why I love the Yankees.
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