MLB Promotion & Relegation

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If Major League Baseball did promotion and relegation, like European soccer, this is how the six divisions would line up for 2014: 

American League East: Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Durham Bulls (Champions of the International League Southern Division).

American League Central: Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Indianapolis Indians (Champions of the IL Western Division, although they’d have to use a new name, because we won’t put up with multiple team names in the same sport the way English soccer does with several Uniteds and Wanderers, because we can’t put Indy in the same division as their parent club, the Pittsburgh Pirates).

American League West: Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, Las Vegas 51s (Champions of the Pacific Coast League American South Division).

National League East: Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pawtucket Red Sox (Champions of the IL Northern Division — can’t have them in the same division as their Boston parent club, can we?).

National League Central: St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Oklahoma City RedHawks (Champions of the PCL American South Division).

National League West: Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and a playoff to determine the last team, since they were the 2 lowest-seeded division winners in Triple-A: The Salt Lake Bees (Champions of the PCL Pacific Northern Division) and the Omaha Storm Chasers (Champions of the PCL American Northern Division).

Relegated to Triple-A ball, the 6 last-place finishers: Toronto Blue Jays (after being preseason favorites to at least make the Playoffs), Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros (though they’d probably be in Double-A or lower by now), Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs (yes, both Chicago teams would be relegated), Colorado Rockies.

Yes, the Durham Bulls in the AL East. They’ve got a place in The Show. They need to hold onto that place. Hold it like an egg. Come on, Meat! 

Baseball Drives You Nuts

 

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart.

The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again. And it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings. And then, as soon as the chill rains come, it stops, and leaves you to face the fall all alone.

You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive. And then, just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.

Man, that’s sadder words than “Game called on account of rain.” At least then, they make it up to you. But when a season is over, well, even Yogi Berra can’t deny that it’s over.

A. Bartlett Giamatti, then President of Yale University and a classical scholar, but not yet President of the National League or Commissioner of Baseball, wrote those words on October 2, 1977, after the Yankees once again edged the Boston Red Sox for first place.  And that was a year before the Bucky Dent Game, the Boston Tie Party, thus making him less a philosopher and more a prophet.

*

Baseball hasn’t broken my heart for a while. It has, however, continously since 1977, the first season I can remember with any reliability, driven me nuts. And if you think it isn’t designed to drive you nuts, I refer to yesterday’s regular season finale between the Yankees and the Houston Astros.

First of all, the Yankees were playing the Astros. You grew up with certain truths, and among them were “The Houston Astros are in the National League,” and “The Yankees do not play National League teams except in spring training and, hopefully, the World Series.”

The Astros lost their last 15 games this season, the longest season-ending losing streak in over 100 years.  They lost 111 games, 324 over the last 3 years.  That’s insane.  If they were an English soccer team, they’d have dropped from the Premier League to League One by now.

Meanwhile, the Yankees won 85 games. They finished in a tie for 3rd place in the American League Eastern Division, 12 games out of 1st, 6 games out of the 2nd AL Wild Card berth.

This would be a reasonable result for most teams, perhaps a reasonable result for a team with the kind of players the Yankees used to replace their stars.

But we are the New York Yankees. We expect more.

And, to make matters worse, this season of emotion, little of it good, would not end.  The game went 14 innings before the Yankees scored 4 runs in top of the 14th, including a home run by Mark Reynolds, to win, 5-1.

During the game, Yankee Fans experienced something Met fans usually experience in June: “For God’s sake, get this game, get this season, over with already!”

*

Now, we will never see either Mariano Rivera or Andy Pettitte in a Yankee uniform again, except on Old-Timers’ Day. The end of Derek Jeter’s career can now be seen without binoculars. The future of Alex Rodriguez is a big fat question mark. Robinson Cano’s contract has run out, and we don’t know if the Yankees will re-sign him. Mark Teixeira may never be the same. CC Sabathia didn’t look much like an ace this year. Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain both look like they’re on their way out, because they both pitched as if they should be. We don’t even know for sure if Joe Girardi is returning as manager — and many of us are undecided as to whether he should. A lot of us, perhaps a majority, are convinced Brian Cashman should go.

The titles of 1977-78, the near-misses of 1985 and 1993, the dynasty of 1996-2003… Bump that, even the title of 2009 is now drifting securely into that foreign country that we baseball fans so often like to visit, known as The Past.

Indeed, of the usual starting lineup of Title 27, and the five-man rotation we had, and the top two relievers, only the following are likely to be factors for us in 2014: Jeter and Brett Gardner.  (David Robertson was not yet one of the top two relievers, and Ivan Nova hadn’t yet reached the majors.)

The future? The Yankees begin play again, also in Houston, on April 1, 2014.  The first home game of the next season will be 6 days later, against the Baltimore Orioles.

To put up another Yogi quote, “In baseball, you don’t know nothin’.” How true, how true.

Baseball drives you nuts. If it wasn’t designed to drive you nuts, it sure has worked out that way.

Oh well, there’s always football, right?

“Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life. Football begins in the fall, when everything is dying!” — George Carlin

Last Yankees to Wear the Numbers

Before they were retired, of course — or before the players for whom they were retired wore them.

I’m also including numbers that will be retired, or should be.

1 Bobby Murcer, CF, 1974. Retired for Billy Martin, 2B, 1950-57; MGR, on and off 1975-88.

2 Mike Gallego, SS, 1994. Will be retired for Derek Jeter, SS, 1995-present.

3 Cliff Mapes, OF, 1948. Retired for Babe Ruth, RF, 1920-34.

4 Lou Gehrig, 1B, 1939. Retired for him. Only Yankee ever to wear it.

5 Nick Etten, 1B, 1945. Wore it while Joe DiMaggio was serving in World War II. Retired for DiMaggio, CF 1936-51.

6 Clete Boyer, 3B, 1961-66 (previously wore 34); coach, 1988, 1992-94. Last player to wear it, Steve Sax, 2B, 1989-91. Will be retired for Joe Torre, MGR, 1996-2007.

7 Cliff Mapes, OF, 1949-51. Yes, the same guy who was the last to wear 3 before it was retired for the Babe. Retired for Mickey Mantle, CF, 1951-68.

8 Aaron Robinson, C, 1945-47. Retired for Bill Dickey, C, 1928-46; MGR, 1946; coach, 1949-60 (wore 33 then); and for Yogi Berra, C, 1946-63 (started out wearing 35); MGR, 1964 and 1984-85; coach, 1975-83.

9 Graig Nettles, 3B, 1973-83. Retired for Roger Maris, RF, 1960-66.

10 Rick Cerone, C, 1980-84 (and would later return and wear other numbers). Retired for Phil Rizzuto, SS, 1941-56; broadcaster, 1957-96.

15 Tom Tresh, LF, 1961-69. Retired for Thurman Munson, C, 1969-79.  Tommy Henrich, RF 1937-50 and a fantastic player, wore both 7 and 15, but neither was retired for him.

16 Ernie Nevel, P, 1950-51. Only wore it for 3 games before being sent down, wore 26 upon his return. Retired for Whitey Ford, P, 1950-67. (Wore 19 when he first came up, missed ’51 & ’52 seasons due to Korean War service, got 16 when he returned and never looked back.)

20 Mike Aldrete, OF, 1996.  Should be retired for Jorge Posada, C, 1995-2011 (wore a few numbers before 20).

21 LaTroy Hawkins, P, 2008.  Got booed for wearing it.  Switched to Roger Clemens’ 22, and was not booed for it.  Last player other than its eventual honoree to wear this number full-time was Scott Sanderson, pitcher, 1991-92. Will be retired for Paul O’Neill, RF, 1993-2001.

23 Don Zimmer, coach, 1983.  Last player to wear it, Barry Foote, C, 1981-82.  Retired for Don Mattingly, 1B, 1982-95; coach, 2004-07. (Wore 46 his first season.)

32 Ralph Houk, C, 1947-54.  (Wore 34 when he managed, 1961-63 and 1966-73.) Retired for Elston Howard, C, 1955-67; coach, 1969-80.

37 Bucky Harris, MGR, 1947-48.  Only 2 players ever wore it, both in 1946: Herb Karpel and Gus Niarhos.  Karpel pitched 2 games, on April 19 and 20, the extent of his major league career, and wasn’t even the greatest ’46 Yankee who went to Richmond Hill High School in Queens in the late 1930s — he was a teammate there of Rizzuto.  Niarhos, a backup catcher from Birmingham, Alabama, was also a rookie in ’46, but had a much longer career, sticking with the Yankees until 1950, winning a World Series ring in 1949, and last played in 1955 with the Philadelphia Phillies.  Retired for Casey Stengel, MGR, 1949-60.

42 Mike Brown, coach, 1994.  Last player to wear it, John Habyan, P, 1991-93.  Also worn by Jerry Coleman, 2B, 1949-57; broadcaster, 1963-70.  Retired for Mariano Rivera, P, 1995-2013.

44 Mike Ferraro, coach, 1991.  Mainly worn by coaches before Mr. October arrived.  Last player to wear it, Terry Whitfield, LF, 1975-76.  He also wore 51 long before Bernie, and went on to play 4 decent seasons with the San Francisco Giants, where he had to switch from 44 to 45 because of Willie McCovey.  Retired for Reggie Jackson, RF, 1977-81.

46 Terry Mulholland, P, 1994.  A very good pitcher, normally wore 45 in his career, but Danny Tartabull was then wearing that on the Yankees.  Will be retired for Andy Pettitte, P, 1995-2013.

49 Kerry Dineen, CF, 1975.  Wore it for 7 games, got sent down, returned the next season wearing 47, played 4 games, got traded to the Phillies, played 5 games with them, and that was it.  Retired for Ron Guidry, P, 1975-88.

51 Chuck Cary, P, 1989-91.  Will be retired for Bernie Williams, CF, 1991-2006.

You’ll notice I haven’t included Number 24.  Whether it is retired for Robinson Cano, already the greatest 2nd baseman in team history, largely depends on how this contract situation works out.  If he leaves, I don’t think it will be retired — not for Robbie, not for Tino Martinez, not for anyone else.

As for Number 13, for Alex Rodriugez, I don’t know.  But Roger Clemens’ 22 is still in circulation.

Then again, so are Lefty Gomez’s 11 and Allie Reynolds’ 22, and they have Monument Park plaques.  (Red Ruffing has a plaque, but his 15 is retired for Munson.) So are Waite Hoyt’s 11, Herb Pennock’s 16, Catfish Hunter’s 29, Dave Winfield’s 31 and Goose Gossage’s 54, and they’re in the Hall of Fame.  So are Lou Piniella’s 14, Willie Randolph’s 30, David Cone’s 36 and Hideki Matsui’s 55.  And none of those guys disgraced themselves the way A-Rod and Clemens did.

Close Out the Game, Mariano, Man!

I wrote this in 2009, as the Yankees were going for Title 27.

It’s 7:00 on a Saturday.
The regular crowd shuffles in.
There’s an old man sitting next to me
who once shared with Babe Ruth some gin.

He says, “Son, this new park has no memories.
Back there, I sure knew how it goes.
But it’s going to be sweet when the game is complete
all because of the man who will close.”

La, da-da, da-de-da…
La-da, da-de-da, da-dum…

Close out the game, Mariano, man.
Close out the game tonight.
Well, we’re all in the mood for a victory.
And he’ll get us feeling all right.

Now John in the press box, a friend of mine.
He says, “Yankees win!” with such glee.
And he’s quick with a quip about Jeter’s big flip
and there’s no place that he’d rather be.

I hear, “Bill, I believe this is killing me.”
It’s from Mantle with his ghostly face.
“Well, I’m sure that I would be more comfortable
if we were still at the old place.”

Oh, la, da-da, da-de-da…
La-da, da-de-da, da-dum…

Now, Paul was a right-fielding warrior
who helped lift Yanks out of their strife.
And he’s talking with Whitey, a lefty not righty.
In October he showed lots of life.

Reggie Jackson is talking with Bucky Dent.
They both made Red Sox fans go get stoned.
Yes, they shared them a drink they call champagne and
I think it was Dom Perignon!

 

Close out the game, Mariano, man.
Close out the game tonight.
Well, we’re all in the mood for a victory.
And he’ll get us feeling all right.

It’s a pretty good crowd for a recession
and the manager, Girardi, will smile.
‘Cause he knows as he’ll go he can always trust Mo
and forget about life for a while.

And the organ, it sounds like a carnival
as the Bleacher Creatures finish their beer.
Twenty-six World Series, new park, new memories?
They say, Mo, you gotta finish one here!

Oh, la,da-da, da-de-da…
La-da, da-de-da, da-dum!

Closed out the game, Mariano, man!
Closed out the game tonight!
We were all in the mood for a victory!
And he’s got us feeling all right!

Top 10 Mariano Rivera Moments

The Yankees were officially eliminated from Playoff qualification last night.  This is only the 2nd time in the last 19 years that this has happened.

And you don’t care about the circumstances, so I won’t discuss them.

Tonight, the Yankees play their last home game until April 7, 2014.  Ivan Nova starts against the Tampa Bay Rays’ Alex Cobb.

Presumably, regardless of the score, Mariano Rivera will come in to pitch the top of the 9th inning.  And there is a rumor going around that, with the season-ending series in Houston against the Astros having no effect on the Playoffs, he will not appear in those games, making tonight his last career appearance, and making it at home,

Top 10 Mariano Rivera Moments

These items are in chronological order.

NOTE: I have updated it to include his final appearance at The Stadium.

1. October 4-5, 1995.  Game 2 of the American League Division Series.  This was the 15-inning epic against the Seattle Mariners.  Mariano, not yet having proven himself, pitched the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th innings for the Yankees.  When Jim Leyritz hit that opposite-field drive through the raindrops at 1:22 AM, Mariano was the winning pitcher.

Mariano also pitched in Game 3, but in Game 5, when David Cone was running out of gas, manager Buck Showalter had him warm up, but not come in, until Cone had thrown 147 pitches — a number that wouldn’t have made Catfish Hunter, Jim Palmer or Steve Carlton flinch but a monumental total by today’s standards — and allowed the Mariners to tie the game.  Mo got the last out in the 8th, but Buck didn’t trust him to pitch the whole 9th, and he brought in Jack McDowell, a starter, and it didn’t work.

Buck didn’t learn how to handle Mo properly.  The next manager, Joe torre, would.

2. Collective Entry: The 1996 Season.  Until August 1995, Mariano was a starter.  He was converted to a reliever, and in 1996, if you didn’t have a lead on the Yankees after 6 innings, it was “Game over.” Because Mariano would come in, as the setup reliever, and pitch the 7th and 8th innings, and John Wetteland would pitch the 9th, and you wouldn’t have a chance.  In 1996, Mo pitched 107 2/3 innings, and struck out 122 batters, breaking the Yankee record for relief pitchers held by Goose Gossage.

So when Wetteland decided to sign with the Texas Rangers for the 1997 season — apparently, North Texas and team owner George W. Bush was more in line with his evangelical beliefs than those liberal New Yorkers and New Jerseyans — Rivera was promoted to closer.  He also started throwing that cutter, and the rest is history.  But it’s also worth noting that never again did Mariano pitch as many as 81 innings in a season.

3. October 5, 1997.  Game 4 of the Division Series at Cleveland.  Mariano came in for the 8th inning, and allowed a home run to Sandy Alomar Jr. to tie the game.  Ramiro Mendoza then allowed the winning run in the 9th, and the Yanks lost the game to the Indians.  The Indians won Game 5 and the series.

A lot of people wondered if Mo could bounce back from such a mistake.  He did.  One of the hallmarks of the Torre Era — at least, until October 2004 — is that the Yankees learned how to treat any loss as just one game, and move on to the next one.  Mo did not let this defeat bother him.  Nor the one in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series (which had been Number 7 on this list before I updated it).  Nor the ones in Games 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS.

Before “The Sandman” became Mo’s most common nickname, I took to calling him “The Silent Assassin,” because he never seemed to say much, never seemed to betray emotion, and still managed to leave the opposition dead.  He never let himself get too down from a mistake, or too high from an achievement.  NCIS Rule Number 11: “When the job is done, walk away.”

4. October 21, 1998.  Game 4 of the World Series.  The Yankees complete the sweep of the San Diego Padres, with Mariano getting the last 4 outs.  In the postseason of the greatest season any MLB team has ever had, Mo pitched 13 1/3 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, and no runs, for 3 saves.

5. October 27, 1999.  Game 4 of the World Series against the Atlanta Braves.  Mo finishes the Braves off, and is named Series MVP.  In the 9th inning, he breaks 3 bats, 2 of Ryan Klesko’s and 1 of Ryan Lockhart’s.

In a postseason that featured the Yankees going 11-1, Mo pitched 12 1/3 innings, allowing 9 hits, 1 walk, and no runs, for 2 wins and 6 saves.

6. October 26, 2000.  Game 5 of the World Series against the Mets at Shea Stadium.  Mo’s streak of 33 1/3 consecutive scoreless postseason innings — slightly breaking the record of Whitey Ford, who still holds the World Series record — had come to an end in Game 2, but Mo still became the first pitcher to record the last out of 3 straight World Series.

In  Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, Mo became the first player to be involved in World Series-ending plays for 4 straight seasons.  But, that time, it didn’t work out for him, or for us.  And, because it didn’t, Buster Olney put a picture of Mo with his back turned to the camera on his book about this season, and in particular this game, titled The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty.

And how did Mo react to this proof of his fallibility? Pretty well.  In 2002, he kept on closing games out.  That the Yankees didn’t win another World Series for 8 years was hardly his fault.

7. October 16-17, 2003.  Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.  The Yankees were down to their last 5 outs, and losing 5-2 to the Red Sox.  They came back to tie it.  Mo pitched the 9th, 10th and 11th innings.  He hadn’t pitched 3 innings since April 19, 2000.  Somehow, he got through it.  But we all knew he couldn’t pitch the top of the 12th, so we had to win it in the bottom of the 11th.

That half-inning lasted one pitch, and Aaron Boone sent it into the left-field stands.  The Yankees ran onto the field, and Mo ran out to the mound, collapsing in exhaustion.  But he had a look of unbelievable joy on his face.  He had given everything he had, and was the winning pitcher in a contender for the title of “the greatest game in Yankee history.”

8. June 28, 2009.  Mo is the all-time leader in saves, with 652.  But I’m not going to include his record-breaking 602nd save, which allowed him to pass Trevor Hoffman.  I’m including his 500th.  Why? Well, yeah, it came against the Mets, at Citi (Pity) Field.

But the most amazing thing about this 4-2 Yankee win, which Mo saved for Chien-Ming Wang, occurred in the top of the 9th.  Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, who had driven the Yankees (among other teams) crazy since he became the closer for the Whatever They Were Calling Themselves Back Then Angels of Anaheim, had been acquired by the Mets, and Met fans were talking about how he was going to replace Mo as the best closer in New York.  This game settled that.

Jorge Posada led off the inning with a single.  Melky Cabrera grounded into a forceout, then stole 2nd base.  Brett Gardner drew a walk.  Johnny Damon lined out.  Derek Jeter was intentionally walked to load the bases, because this was an Interleague game in a National League park, and the designated hitter was not allowed, and so the pitcher had to come to bat.  The Yankees were up 3-2, and could have sent up a pinch-hitter to try to get a run or two (or three, or four) home.  But manager Joe Girardi trusted Mo to pitch the bottom of the 9th, so he sent him to bat in the top half.

In 1,114 career appearances, Mo has come to the plate only 4 times.  Three of these were official at-bats.  None of those resulted in hits.  This was the other one.  And he worked K-Rod for a walk.  The Mets’ closer couldn’t even get a pitcher with (at the time) 2 career plate appearances out.

After the game, Mariano said of the achievement, “The RBI is the best.  It was my firs tRBI.  It was my 500th save.”

9. September 22, 2013.  Mariano Rivera Day at Yankee Stadium II.  His Number 42 was retired, with the inference that there will be a Plaque in Monument Park, once his final stats are in.  There was a partial reunion of the 1996-2003 Dynasty, with guests Joe Torre, Paul O’Neill, David Cone, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui, and of course the still-active Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte.  Metallica were on hand to play “Enter Sandman” live.  And Mariano gave a very humble speech.  If only the Yankees had won the actual game…

10. September 26, 2013.  The ovation that followed his final “Enter Sandman.” The ovation that followed his closing out the 8th inning.  The ovation that followed Jeter and Pettitte coming out to the mound to relieve him, so that he could get one more standing ovation from the Bronx faithful.

Last night, a lot of girls cried because Cory Montieth’s character was written out of Glee.  A lot of women, and a lot of grown men, cried because Mariano, though very much still alive, was saying goodbye.

More than any player, even Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera has been the reason for the Yankees’ success since 1996.  He is the most valuable player in all of baseball in his generation.

And through 19 seasons, he has never acted high and mighty, never put on an act of “Don’t you know who I am?” Not once has he ever said, “I’m Mariano Rivera, dammit/bitch!” He has been class all the way, as if being the greatest relief pitcher ever hasn’t affected him at all.

And that’s why Mariano Rivera is so admired.  Not because of what he’s done, but because of who he is.

The 10 Worst Days In Yankee History

The Yankees were bad last night.  Both on the field and in the organization.

The less said about the Mariano Rivera bobblehead debacle, the better.  The only consolation is that, if it had been the Mets, they wouldn’t even have been able to afford the bobbleheads.  And whose doll would they have had? They’ve got David Wright and 24 guys named Joe Shlabotnik.

On the field, the Yankees lost 7-0 to the Tampa Bay Rays.  For the 8th consecutive start, Hiroki Kuroda — who had spent his first season and three-quarters in Pinstripes as our most consistent pitcher — failed to win.  Not that it mattered, because, last night, the Yankees couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a freakin’ boat.

*

Yesterday was a bad day.  The Yankees have had a lot of bad days over the last 2 years, from their 2011 choke-job in the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, to Mariano Rivera’s season-ending injury in May of last year, to the bats going quiet in last year’s Playoffs, to the injuries that have dogged Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira ever since, to Brian Cashman’s what-the-hell acquisitions in the off-season, to the continued incompetences of Boone Logan, to the completion of the collapse of Joba Chamberlain, to the meltdown of Phil Hughes, to the baseball establishment’s continued and ramped-up vendetta against A-Rod while David Ortiz continues to be permitted to play professional baseball.

But those are not really bad days.  These were.  This is a list I first did in October 2010.  It is in chronological order, 1 through 10, and not ranked 10 down to 1.

Top 10 Worst Days In Yankee History

1. September 23, 1910. This was a time when the Yankees had not yet won their first Pennant, and the idea of the Yankees becoming a “dynasty” was a joke.  At this moment, they weren’t doing too badly.  They were 17 games behind the 1st-place Philadelphia Athletics, but they were a respectable 79-60.

But manager George Stallings wasn’t happy.  He goes to see team owner Frank Farrell.  (Farrell actually co-owned the team with former New York Police Commissioner Bill Devery, but according to Marty Appel’s book Pinstripe Empire, Devery was just on the board for public relations, to give the gambling mogul Farrell a little respectability.  Farrell was the boss.) Stallings tells Farrell that Hal Chase, a good hitter and considered the best-fielding first baseman the game has ever seen, has been throwing games. It becomes a situation of, “Either he goes, or I go.”

Naturally, desperate to bring in as many fans as possible, what with the Yankees (still officially called the Highlanders at this point) being the 3rd team in New York, behind the mighty Giants just a few blocks away and the (thus far) perennial contender Dodgers in Brooklyn, Farrell tells tell Stallings, “Here’s your hat, George, what’s your hurry?”

Siding with the game-fixing pretty-boy star over the manager? Can you imagine the fuss that the tabloids and ESPN would make if that had happened today? Can you imagine Mike Lupica’s Daily News column? Selena Roberts’ rant in Sports Illustrated? Lupica and Roberts blathering together on The Sports Reporters? Bill Plaschke riffing on Around the Horn?

If that had been the extent of Farrell’s mistake, that would have been bad enough. But who did he hire as the new manager? Chase himself. Just 27 years old, no managerial or even coaching experience in any sport at any level, and already suspected by many as a game-fixer, and Farrell made Chase the manager.

Now, I ask you, does losing a postseason series, or even losing an incredibly important player to a potentially season-ending or even career-ending injury, seem worse than that?

How did Chase do in his 1st full season, in 1911? Not well: 76-76, 6th place, 25 games behind the A’s. Chase was then relieved of the managerial duties, and Harry Wolverton was appointed. He managed the team to its worst season ever, 50-102, a whopping 55 games behind the Boston Red Sox.

In 1913, Farrell hired Frank Chance as manager. Chance was known as “The Peerless Leader,” for leading the Chicago Cubs to 4 Pennants and 2 World Series. But those successes were with Chance himself (a pretty good player) at 1st base, not with Chase at the position. After 2 years of getting frustrated over Chase continuing to throw games and the team going nowhere in part because of that, Chance quit, went home to California, and managed the Los Angeles Angels to a Pacific Coast League Pennant. Chase was soon gone from New York as well, new owners Jacob Ruppert and Til Huston not wanting his maledictory influence around any longer.

Oh yeah, what about Stallings, the man the old regime threw away so foolishly? Did he ever go on to anything of note? Yes, he went to the Boston Braves, and led them to win the 1914 World Series. It would be another 9 years before the Yankees won one.

2. August 16, 1920. The Yankees, now playing at the Polo Grounds and in their first season with Babe Ruth, are playing the Cleveland Indians.  Those teams are in a 3-way race with the Chicago White Sox. Submarine-style hurler Carl Mays hits Indian shortstop Ray Chapman with a pitch.

The impact makes such a sound, and the ball comes back to Mays with such force, that Mays thinks Chapman actually hit the ball — shades of the Roger Clemens-Mike Piazza incident 80 years later — and throws to 1st base. This backs up Mays’ claim, which he held for the last 51 years of his life, that he did not intentionally hit Chapman, who was known at the time for hanging over the plate.

The audience gasped at the sound of horsehide on skull — there were no batting helmets in those days.  Chapman got up, and told Yankee catcher Wally Schang, “I’m all right. Tell Mays not to worry.” He took some steps, then collapsed, with his left ear bleeding. He never regained consciousness, and died the next day. He was 29.

Aside from the possibility of Mike “Doc” Powers of the 1909 A’s, whose death may not have been caused by an on-field injury but was surely worsened by it, Chapman is the only Major League Baseball player to die as the result of an on-field incident.

The Indians won the game, 4-3, and went on to win the World Series in spite of Chapman’s death, with rookie Joe Sewell taking his place, and building a Hall of Fame career.

Understandably, despite his protests of non-intent, Mays was vilified by all and sundry, partly because he already had a reputation as a difficult man; people wanted to believe he did it on purpose. It’s probably the biggest reason why, despite a career record of 207-126, he’s not in the Hall of Fame.  Baseball Reference has a “Hall of Fame Monitor,” in which a “Likely HOFer” is at 100, and it has Mays at 114, meaning he should have made it.  They also have “Hall of Fame Standards,” in which the “Average HOFer” is at 50, and it has Mays at 41, which means he’s close.  Put it together, and Mays may just have had what it takes.

So the only uniformed person ever to kill another person on a Major League Baseball field, intentionally or otherwise, was a Yankee.

Amazingly, this is not often cited by Yankee Haters (Flushing Heathen, Chowdaheads and others) as a reason why they hate the Yankees. That’s probably because it’s been 93 years, and pretty much everybody who cared about Chapman and the Indians at the time is gone. But it’s still a dark day in Yankee and baseball history.

3. June 20, 1939. This was the day the Mayo Clinic published its report on the health of Lou Gehrig. Amoyotrophic lateral sclerosis, shortened to ALS, and usually called Lou Gehrig’s Disease after its most famous patient.

In the 74 years since, many people, including physicist Stephen Hawking, have lived years, even decades, with ALS. Gehrig lived only 2 years after his diagnosis, leading some people to think the disease’s namesake, ironically, may have had something else. Whatever it was that he actually had, it was the end of his career, and Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day, July 4, 1939, was one of the most glorious, and yet saddest, days in baseball history.

Aside from Gehrig and Hawking, other victims of ALS include Chinese dictator Mao Zedong; Senator Jacob Javits of New York; musicians Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, Charles Mingus and the still-living Jason Becker; actors David Niven, Dennis Day, Michael Zaslow, Lane Smith; and, from the world of sports, English football manager Don Revie.

Despite Gehrig’s death, the Yankees won 106 games in 1939, sweeping the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. And there have been people who have said that, even on Lou Gehrig Day, they didn’t know he was dying. But the day the world found out that he had to retire was still an awful day.

4. December 16, 1953. The Yankees trade Vic Power, Don Bollweg, Jim Finigan, Johnny Gray, Bill Renna and Jim Robertson to the A’s for Loren Babe, Harry Byrd, Tom Hamilton, Carmen Mauro and Eddie Robinson.

Byrd was a decent pitcher, who simply didn’t get run support with the A’s. But he didn’t do much for the Yankees. Other than him, the only name in this trade that you really need to know is Vic Power. Or, legally, Victor Pellot (Pay-OTT), which is what he always called himself.

Born in 1927 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico as Victor Felipe Pellot Pove (first name, middle name, father’s family name, mother’s family name, as is common in Spanish-speaking places), Power was a sensational fielder at 1st base, and in the 1952 season batted .331 with 40 doubles, 17 triples, 16 home runs and 109 RBIs for the Yankees’ top farm team, the Kansas City Blues, playing in Blues Stadium, which eventually became Kansas City Municipal Stadium, and was always a pitcher’s park.

In 1953, Power batted .349 for the Blues, winning the American Association batting title, with 39 doubles, 10 triples, 16 homers and 93 RBIs. At the time of the trade, he was already 27 years old.  Clearly, he was ready for the major leagues,

And still, the Yankees hadn’t yet brought him up to the majors. This at a time when the Yanks’ starting 1st baseman was Joe Collins: Good player, no doubt about it, but Power was probably already better.

So why would they trade him for 5 guys who amounted to nothing in Pinstripes? The official reason was that he was “too flashy” or a “hot dog,” for the way he fielded at 1st base.  They said it wasn’t “the Yankee way.”

Turned out that the real reason was that general manager George Weiss was a bigot and didn’t want black players on the Yankees. To make matters worse, Power was dating a white woman at the time.  That was the final straw: He was “uppity,” as was said at the time of black men who acted out of line with what white men in positions of power demanded. Off you go to, the House of Mack.

The A’s had already been integrated for 5 years, and Power broke into their starting lineup right away in 1954, and became a star after their move to Kansas City where he’d starred in Triple-A, and later with the Cleveland Indians.

He won 7 straight Gold Gloves, batted over .300 3 times, led the AL in triples in 1958 with 10, and made 4 All-Star teams. In 12 big-league seasons, he batted .284, collected 1,716 hits, including 290 doubles, 49 triples, 126 homers, and never seemed to be all that controversial after leaving the Yankees.

After his retirement, he went back to Puerto Rico and became a youth baseball coach, living until 2005, dying of cancer at age 78.

Late in life, as the number of Hispanic players in the majors grew and interest in their forebears did the same, he gave some interviews in English, and did not seem particularly bitter about his treatment by the Yankees.

Was the decision to trade him justified? In any way?

Well, in 1954, the Yankees did get a new starting 1st baseman, Bill “Moose” Skowron, and he was terrific for them until 1962, playing the position superbly and hitting with more power than any righthanded Yankee would between Joe DiMaggio and Dave Winfield.

And a year later, in 1955, tired of the mounting criticism from civil rights groups, Yankee owners Dan Topping and Del Webb overruled Weiss, and promoted outfielder/catcher Elston Howard to become the first black Yankee. Unlike Power, he was quiet, unflashy, already married to a woman of his own race, and did his job well, and was thus “worthy of the Yankee uniform.”

Ellie became the first black Most Valuable Player award winner in the American League — in 1963, after the National League had already had black MVPs Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella (3 times), Willie Mays (the 1st of 2 he would win), Don Newcombe, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks (twice), Frank Robinson and Maury Wills.  With Mickey Mantle injured for two-thirds of the season and Roger Maris for one-third, Ellie practically carried the Yankees that year, both with his bat and his position: It’s no accident that Whitey Ford won 24 games, and that Jim Bouton, in his first full season with the club, won 21.

Based on the successes of Skowron and Howard, it can be argued from a competitive standpoint (if not from a moral one) that the Yankees lost nothing by trading away Power. Still, they should have gotten something more for him than 5 who’s-he’s.

And I wonder how much good it would have done in the community to have a terrific player who was not only black, but Hispanic, especially as the racial makeup of The Bronx was beginning to change.

But Weiss thought it would upset the Yankee fan base, which he publicly considered to be white businessmen from Westchester, Connecticut and North Jersey — and, privately, knew it was also working-class white guys from the City and Jersey, who would not, at the time, have appreciated a black man taking a white Yankee’s job.  The Yankee fan base of 1953 was, regrettably, not as socially evolved as those of the Dodgers and Giants in the years preceding, making it possible for Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, Monte Irvin, and finally Willie Mays to play and excel in New York City.

Know this: Power, despite playing less than 4 full seasons with the Indians, was named one of the team’s 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players; Howard is honored with a Plaque in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park; but Weiss has no Monument Park Plaque, although he was, unlike the other two, elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

5. October 18, 1960. Actually, this date is just a stand-in for the real date, which we may never know for sure. Topping and Webb decided they’d had enough, and started looking to sell the Yankees. First, they fired manager Casey Stengel on October 18, with Casey reading a resignation statement to the press, and then saying, “I guess this means they fired me,” and, “I’ll never make the mistake of being 70 again.”

A few days later, Weiss, racist, cheap and mean, but incredibly baseball-savvy, was forced out of the GM’s position. And Weiss made a prediction: Topping, Webb, and whoever succeeded him as GM would so badly mess up the Yankee farm system that the dynasty would collapse. “I give them five years,” Weiss said at the time.

What did Topping and Webb care? They knew that, even if Weiss’ prediction came true, they weren’t going to be around to get the blame. The new guys would, whoever they turned out to be.

At first, the moves paid off: Knowing his record as a successful major league coach and minor league manager would get him taken by one of the 4 new expansion teams of 1961 and ’62, or by an established team wanting a new manager, Topping and Webb promoted Ralph Houk to be the manager, and Roy Hamey became the GM. Result: 1961 World Championship, 1962 World Championship, 1963 Pennant. Hamey was kicked upstairs, Houk was named GM, and Yogi Berra was made manager: 1964 Pennant.

But then they screwed up: They fired Yogi, and new manager Johnny Keane was a bad fit. What’s more, years of trading 3 prospects for 1 guy who could help you win the Pennant this year finally stopped paying off: Except for Mel Stottlemyre, Bobby Murcer, Roy White, and a few guys who didn’t pay off until the Yankees traded them away (future Pittsburgh Pirate star Bill Robinson, for one), the farm system was bone-dry. And Weiss, who’d started out in the 1920s by building the Yankee farm system into the greatest talent-development program in the history of North American sports, wasn’t there to fix it.

Weiss turned out to be right on the money: After he and Casey were fired, the Yankees won the next 2 World Series and the next 4 AL Pennants, but in Year 5, 1965, they crashed to 6th.

And the new owners, CBS (yes, the TV network), and the man they assigned to run the team for them, Michael Burke, were the ones who ended up getting blamed by the fans and the media, not Webb and Topping.

(That’s Webb on the left, Topping on the right.) As hard as it was to be a Yankee Fan from 1979 to 1995, and again from 2002 to 2008, and at this moment in 2013, it was never worse for the franchise from 1965 to 1975. Especially as the Mets became the more popular team in town, with the newer ballpark, and Stengel and Weiss reunited there.

And the worst moment of all was in 1969, when their successors, Gil Hodges and Johnny Murphy (another Yankee legend, as a relief pitcher, joining the ex-Dodger Boy of Summer) built a Met team that won the World Series, with the Yankees no longer even having Mickey Mantle to keep them happy with a few home runs.

The Yanks didn’t get back to the postseason until 1976. By that point, Topping, Webb, Weiss and Stengel were all dead. And CBS had sold them to the group headed by George Steinbrenner. The rest is history. And psychology. Often abnormal psychology.

Still, the Bronx Zoo period of 1976 to 1979, and George’s doings in the 1980s, were no crazier than what the Topping/Webb/Weiss regime did. Only more public about it.

And, while most baseball historians now consider Topping and Webb to be the ones to blame for the crash — albeit not letting CBS and Burke off the hook for their feckless reaction to it — again, what do they care? As Casey would say, They’re dead, and you can look it up.

6. August 2, 1979. Yankee catcher and Captain Thurman Munson dies in a plane crash at the airport near his home town of Canton, Ohio.

I don’t think I have to explain why this was so devastating. Even if you’re not old enough to remember Thurman as a living person and an active player, you can see the results on the field: No more World Series wins until 1996.

You’ve no doubt seen the YES Network’s Yankees Classics showing of the ABC Monday Night Baseball broadcast of the game played on August 6 after the Yankees got back from Munson’s funeral — a broadcast that made even Howard Cosell seem like a comforting figure. You’ve almost certainly seen YES’ Yankeeography of Thurman, and you may even have read Marty Appel’s excellent biography Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain.

I am old enough to remember. I heard the news on TV, and I fell out of my seat. Literally. I still feel like slumping down in my seat as I type this.

7. September 12, 1985. This date may not be familiar to you, but I’m never going to forget it. This was “Baseball Thursday” in New York. It remains the only day in the joint 1962-present history of the Yankees and the Mets when both teams were at home on the same September day and were both playing the team they were fighting for a Division Title.

In the day game, the Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium, 7-6, to take 2 out of 3 in their series and go a full game up on the Cards in the NL East. In the night game, the Yankees began a 4-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, who led them by 2 1/2 games. The Yankees had lost their last game, but had won their last 11 before that to get back into the race.

Before the game, attended by 52,141 at the original Yankee Stadium, public-address announcer Bob Sheppard introduced Robert Merrill, the Brooklynese baritone who long graced the stage at the Metropolitan Opera.

Merrill, as he had done so many times and would do so many more, would sing the National Anthems. As the Blue Jays were based in Canada, he began with “O Canada.”

And boos rang down from the stands at Yankee Stadium. Seriously. The same building that had hosted Joe Louis’ knockout of Max Schmeling was now hosting the booing of the National Anthem of America’s closest ally.

I was watching this game on WPIX-Channel 11, and I was sickened. I was thrilled that the Yankees won the game, 7-5, behind the pitching of Ron Guidry (his 19th of 22 wins that season) and a home run by catcher Ron Hassey, and enjoyed all the “Baseball Thursday” hype (which only intensified as both teams won, the Mets moved into sole possession of 1st, and the Yanks closed to within a game and a half), but there was no excuse for booing “O Canada” just because the opposition was based outside the United States of America.

I wonder what President Ronald Reagan thought of it; I wonder if the hyper-patriotism he inspired in many was a partial cause.

The next night, before the 2nd game of the series, Sheppard prepared to introduce Merrill again, and this time, the St. John’s University speech professor and World War II veteran took no chances. He reminded the fans that Canada was America’s ally in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. If that was too far back for them to remember, he reminded the fans that Canadian diplomats had helped get the American hostages out of Iran just a few years before. And as such, their Anthem should be respected.

Merrill: “O, Canada… ”

50,000 or so Yankee Fans: “Boooooooo!”

Players, managers, executives and owners of the Yankees have disgraced themselves. This is one of the few times, and by far the biggest time, that Yankee Fans have disgraced themselves. Indeed, they disgraced the entire country they thought they were supporting.

Buck Martinez, a Blue Jays catcher (and later manager and broadcaster for the team), looked at the Jays’ roster, noting its September expansion, and told the press, “Some patriots. They’re booing 25 Americans and 3 Dominicans.”

8. July 30, 1990.  Commissioner Francis T. “Fay” Vincent permanently banned Yankee owner George Steinbrenner from the day-to-day management (although not the actual ownership, and financial responsibilities and receipt of income thereof) of the team.

This was because George had hired Howie Spira, a private investigator and compulsive gambler, to find damaging information about Yankee star Dave Winfield and his charitable foundation, in order to discredit Winfield.

If Spira ever found anything, it has never been publicly revealed. For that reason, Dave, in the exact opposite of what George intended, was the only one of the three who came out with his reputation enhanced. Spira turned to Vincent, and George was banned. George was, however, permitted to apply for reinstatement after 2 years, and in 1993 reinstatement was granted.

The Yankees were already in last place at the time — 1908, 1912, 1966 and 1990 remain the only last-place finishes in the team’s history — and I actually went to the game that night, against the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees won, 6-2. Only 24,037 attended, and what a relief there was in the crowd. I’m not ashamed to admit it: I took part in the “Steinbrenner sucks!” chant.

If you had told us that night that, as a result of the banning order, Gene Michael (whose initials, appropriately, are GM) would rebuild the organization, top to bottom, and within 6 years we’d be World Champions again, I think we would have taken it. But if you had told us then that, at the ticker-tape parade following said World Series win, we’d be chanting, “Thank you, George!”, we’d have wondered what you were smoking.

And yet, both came true: Both the Yankees and their Boss were rehabilitated, restored and redeemed.

9. October 20, 2004. I don’t think I need to explain what this date is, but here goes: It was Game 7 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. And the only occurrence of these 10 to be an actual game, and postseason series, defeat. Boston Red Sox 10, New York Yankees 3. The Red Sox came from 3 games to 0 down, and won 4 straight, the only such occurrence in the history of Major League Baseball postseason play.

A humiliating defeat, one that lasted 4 hours and 31 minutes, and it was essentially over in the first 2 innings. No sudden shock, like there’s been in a lot of Yankee wins and Red Sox losses (sometimes the same): This was equivalent to Chinese water torture — or, since he lived in both The Bronx and Boston, perhaps the better analogy is to Edgar Allan Poe and his story “The Pit and the Pendulum.”

The Red Sox, and their fans, celebrated the long-awaited slaying of the Pinstriped dragon, at Yankee Stadium. And on Mickey Mantle’s birthday, no less. Actually, since the final out was at 12:01 AM, October 21, it was on Whitey Ford’s birthday, too.

(Bastards.) Has this defeat been avenged? Well, the Yankees did win the Division in 2005 and ’06, clinching at Fenway Park in the former while the Sox finished 3rd in the latter. But the Sox won the whole thing in 2007, too. In 2009, something happened that I’ll refer to in Worst Day Number 10 that put the Sox’ victory in doubt, and the Yanks clinched the Division at home at the new Yankee Stadium against the Sox.  In 2011 the Sox restored themselves to the position of “baseball’s ultimate choke team.” In 2012, the Yankees spoiled the Sox’ celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park (set up as such because the Highlanders/Yankees were the opponents in its first game, April 20, 1912).  But now, in 2013, it is the Sox who’ve won the Division, and the Yankees who will miss the Playoffs.

But is what has been done since 2007? In order to truly exorcise this demon, must we beat them in a postseason series?

Or maybe we should just accept that the Sox got even, and just treat them as a regular opponent, with no special meaning, in regular-season games. Nah, what fun would that be?

10. December 13, 2007. The date of the Mitchell Report. Because of the people that came forward to testify, and because of the information that was provided, more accusations of steroid use fell on the 2 New York teams than on anyone else. Essentially, the Yankees became the face of steroid use and human-growth hormone use in baseball. While the Red Sox, who had just won their 2nd World Series in 4 years after not winning any for 86 years, got off almost completely scot-free.

The head of the commission doing the investigating? George Mitchell, former U.S. Senator from Maine, former Senate Majority Leader, a longtime Red Sox fan and a member of the Red Sox board of directors. Having been a Washington insider for so long, Mitchell, a genuine hero for the way he protected the American people from conservative attacks on civil liberties and the social safety net, and for his efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland (successful) and the Middle East (he’s still trying), should have understood the concept of “conflict of interest.”

Yankee Fans wanted to think the Report was an attempt to railroad their team, to make their achievements of 1995 to 2007 look illegitimate, while at the same time absolving the Red Sox and making them look like the Good Guys against the Yankees’ Evil Empire. Fans of every other team celebrated the report, because it made the Yankees look bad.

Except the Report proved nothing. Most of the accusers were of questionable credibility. Anything specific that landed on Yankee players took place while A) said players were not in the Yankee organization or B) in seasons when the Yankees did not win World Series, i.e. Jason Giambi (2002-08), Garry Sheffield (2004-06), and Andy Pettitte (one instance in 2002, and that to come back from an injury rather than to gain an unfair advantage). And if the Report was so right, where was the accusation against Alex Rodriguez, who admitted to using steroids prior to becoming a Yankee (but not after)?

On July 30, 2009, results of steroid tests were leaked revealing that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, the biggest bats on the 2003-08 Red Sox mini-dynasty, had flunked them. The Mitchell Report did not mention this.

Indeed, considering all the revealed cheaters, all the as-yet-unproven suspects, and their failures from 2004 to 2008, the Yankees now appear to have been the team most hurt by steroid use. But, even with an apparently squeaky-clean title won in 2009, fans of 29 other teams still think the Yankees are dirty for this reason (and others).

Let them think that. They’re idiots. Especially if they excuse what the 2004 Boston self-proclaimed “Idiots” did.

Top 10 Uniform Numbers That Should Be Retired

On Sunday, the Yankees retired Mariano Rivera’s Number 42.

Here are the Yankees’ Retired Numbers, as of now:

4 Lou Gehrig, 1st base, 1923-39, number retired on July 4, 1939

3 Babe Ruth, right field, 1920-34, June 13, 1948

5 Joe DiMaggio, center field, 1936-51, April 18, 1952

7 Mickey Mantle, center field, 1951-68, June 8, 1969

37 Casey Stengel, manager, 1949-60, August 8, 1970

8 Bill Dickey, catcher, 1928-46, coach 1949-60, April 18, 1972

8 Yogi Berra, catcher, 1946-63, coach 1975-83, manager 1964 & 1984-85, April 18, 1972

16 Whitey Ford, pitcher, April 6, 1974

15 Thurman Munson, catcher, 1969-79, August 2, 1979

32 Elston Howard, catcher, 1955-67, coach, 1969-80, July 21, 1984

9 Roger Maris, right field, 1960-66, July 21, 1984

10 Phil Rizzuto, shortstop, 1941-56, broadcaster 1957-96, August 4, 1985

1 Billy Martin, 2nd base, 1950-57, manager, on and off 1975-88, August 10, 1986

44 Reggie Jackson, right field, 1977-81, August 14, 1993

23 Don Mattingly, 1st base, 1982-95, August 31, 1997

49 Ron Guidry, pitcher, 1975-88, August 23, 2003

42 Mariano Rivera, pitcher, 1995-2013, September 22, 2013

In addition, Monument Park Plaques have been given to Miller Huggins (Monument) and Joe McCarthy, who never wore a number (even though McCarthy managed in the major leagues until 1950); to Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing and Allie Reynolds, without their numbers being retired (11, 15 and 22, respectively); and to George Steinbrenner (Monument), Jacob Ruppert, Ed Barrow, Mel Allen and Bob Sheppard, who were nonuniformed personnel.

Removed from circulation, but not yet officially retired, are the 6 of Joe Torre, the 20 of Jorge Posada, the 21 of Paul O’Neill, and the 51 of Bernie Williams.  Presumably, the 2 of Derek Jeter and the 46 of Andy Pettitte will also be retired.  The 13 of Alex Rodriguez? At this point, who knows.

Other uniform numbers retired in major league sports in 2013: The Atlanta Braves have retired the 10 of Chipper Jones, the Philadelphia Eagles the 5 of Donovan McNabb, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the 99 of Warren Sapp; in the fall, the Brooklyn (formerly New Jersey) Nets will retire the 5 of their player, now coach, Jason Kidd; the Colorado Avalanche the 52 of Adam Foote; and, finally, mending fences with their greatest living icon, the Chicago Bears the 89 of Mike Ditka.

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Top 10 Uniform Numbers that Should Be Retired

Note: The Pittsburgh Steelers (70, Ernie Stautner) and the Washington Redskins (33, Sammy Baugh) have retired just one number, but have removed several others from circulation.  No Steeler will ever again wear Terry Bradshaw’s 12 or Mean Joe Greene’s 75; no Redskin will ever again wear Joe Theismann’s 7 or John Riggins’ 44.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have only 2 retired numbers — Bill Barilko’s 5 and Ace Bailey’s 6 — but they have (Canadian spelling) “Honoured Numbers,” including Tim Horton’s 7, Darryl Sittler’s 27 and Doug Gilmour’s 93.

10. Joint Entry: Several players for the Philadelphia Athletics.  Across the Bay, the San Francisco Giants have retired numbers for players from their New York era, so why not the A’s? The A’s do hang banners for their 5 Philly-era World Championships, but they don’t recognize their retired numbers from there.

They should have: 2, Mickey Cochrane, catcher, 1925-33; 3, Jimmie Foxx, 1st base, 1936-42; 7, Al Simmons, left field, 1924-32 with comebacks in 1940-41 and ’44; 10, Lefty Grove, pitcher, 1925-33; and 32, Eddie Collins, 2nd base, 1906-14 and 1927-30, also coach 1931-32, which is when he wore the number.

Because Connie Mack lost a lot of money in the “Federal League War” of 1914-15, and lost his life savings in the stock market crash of 1929, he had to sell off both the dynasties he built.  As a result, all of these guys spent some productive years with other teams: Collins and Simmons with the Chicago White Sox, Cochrane with the Detroit Tigers (who should retire 3 for him and for Alan Trammell, instead of merely removing it from circulation), and Foxx and Grove with the Boston Red Sox.

9. Joint Entry: Several players for the Oakland Raiders.  The Raiders do not retire numbers.  They should retire 16 for George Blanda (quarterback, 1967-75), 12 for Ken Stabler (quarterback, 1970-79), 32 for Marcus Allen (running back, 1982-92, which Al Davis would never have done while he was alive even if he did retire numbers, due to their nasty falling-out), and 75 for Howie Long (defensive end, 1981-93).  If others should be packed away, don’t tell me, tell them.

8. Joint Entry: Several players for the Dallas Cowboys.  The  Cowboys don’t retire numbers, either.  Rather, they have their Ring of Honor.  Five ought to do it: 74, Bob Lilly, defensive tackle, 1961-74; 12, Roger Staubach, quarterback, 1969-79; 33, Tony Dorsett, running back, 1977-87; 8, Troy Aikman, quarterback, 1989-2000; and 22, Emmitt Smith, running back, 1990-2002.

7. Joint Entry: Two quarterbacks for the Philadelphia Eagles.  11, Norm Van Brocklin (1958-6); and 7, Ron Jaworski (1977-86).  The Eagles just retired McNabb’s 5, and he’s one of two quarterbacks to lead them into the Super Bowl.  Jaworski is the other.  But Van Brocklin is the last quarterback to lead them to a championship, so even though he was only there for 3 years, he should be honored.  (Yes, there are players who’ve been with some sports teams for less who’ve had their numbers retired — some, even without dying young.)

6. 1 Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins, goaltender, 1938-49.  In his rookie season, he helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup, while posting 10 shutouts, earning him the nickname “Mr. Zero.”  He also helped them win the Cup in 1941.  He’s in the Hall of Fame.  But while the Bruins have retired every other single-digit uniform except 6, they haven’t retired 1.  Brimsek’s predecessor, Clarence “Tiny” Thompson, is also in the Hall of Fame, but 1 hasn’t been retired for him, either.

5. 8 Gary Carter, New York Mets, catcher, 1985-89.  Met fans who chose Mike Piazza as the team’s all-time catcher in a 50th Anniversary poll in 2012 forgot 3 things: 1, The greatest catcher in your team’s history has to actually be able to play the position of catcher, and Piazza couldn’t play it worth beans; 2, A Hall of Fame catcher who helped you win a World Series should be ahead of a catcher not in the Hall of Fame who didn’t help you win one; and 3, Carter had just died, so remembrances of him would have been fresh.

Carter was elected to the Hall in 2003, and he lived until just before spring training in 2012, so they had 9 seasons in which to retire his number — 8, if he would have been too ill to attend in 2011.  The Montreal Expos retired his 8 (although it was unretired when they became the Washington Nationals), but while the Mets have taken it out of circulation, they haven’t retired it.

4. 4 Red Kelly, Detroit Red Wings, defenseman, 1947-60.  In 1954, he was awarded the first Norris Trophy as best defenseman.  He helped the Wings win the Stanley Cup in 1950, ’52, ’54 and ’55.

They traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who converted him to a center, and he helped them win Cups in 1962, ’63, ’64 and ’67.  This made him the only man to win as many as 8 Cups without ever having played for the Montreal Canadiens.  He then retired, and became the first head for the Los Angeles Kings.

If you think Nicklas Lidstrom was the best defenseman in Detroit history, then you at least have to put Kelly alongside him in the starting lineup.  The Leafs have made his 4 an Honoured Number, but the Wings haven’t so honored him.  They should, while he’s still alive.  (He’s 86.)

3. 43 Tris Speaker, Cleveland Indians, center field, 1916-26; manager, 1919-26; coach, 1947-49.  Speaker retired before uniform numbers were introduced, but, like Honus Wagner with the Pittsburgh Pirates (33), he returned as a coach, to aid Larry Doby in his transition to center field, which he hadn’t played before.

Since he was their greatest player and one of only 2 managers to lead them to a World Championship, he should receive the honor.  (Though I have no idea why they gave him 43.)

2. 99 George Mikan, Los Angeles Lakers, center, 1947-54.  True, he only played for them in Minneapolis, but the league never would have lasted long enough for them to move to Los Angeles if Mikan hadn’t been the face of the league from 1948 to 1954.

The Lakers have a banner honoring Mikan and their other Minneapolis-era Hall-of-Famers, but that’s not the same thing.

1. 6, Hector “Toe” Blake, Montreal Canadiens, left wing 1935-48, head coach 1955-68.  He won a Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 1939, and the Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1944 and ’46.

But his true contribution was as head coach, winning 8 Cups, including 5 in a row: 1956, ’57, ’58, ’59, ’60, ’65, ’66 and ’68.  Until Scotty Bowman came along, he was the greatest coach in NHL history.  Yet, for all their retired numbers, the Habs have never honored him with the honor.

If you’re wondering why a hockey player was nicknamed “Toe,” it’s because, when he was a boy, his baby sister couldn’t pronounce “Hector,” and it came out “Hec-toe.”

Playoff Droughts As Of Fall 2013

The Pittsburgh Pirates clinched a Playoff berth last night.  So did the Cincinnati Reds.

When I was a kid, neither of these occurrences would have been considered a big deal — outside their markets, anyway.  The Pirates won the National League East in 1970, ’71, ’72, ’74, ’75 and ’79, and almost did it in ’73, ’77 and ’78.  The Reds won the NL West in 1970, ’72, ’73, ’75, ’76 and ’79, and almost did it in ’74 and ’78.  They faced each other in the NL Championship Series in 1970, ’72, ’75 and ’79 (with the Reds winning all but the last).

Even now, the Reds making the Playoffs isn’t a big deal, as they’ve now done it in 3 of the last 4 seasons.

But the Pirates hadn’t made the Playoffs since George Bush was President.  The father, not the son.  September 1992.

How long has it been? Well, since I just did a “How Long Has It Been” piece for September 1992, on the last time the Yankees were this weak (or worse), you can check that out.

The Pirates’ management finally figured out that 20 years of being cheap wasn’t working.

And, yes,  Yankee Fans, I am well aware that  the Bucs’ roster includes former Yankees A.J. Burnett, Russell Martin and — ugh — Kyle Farnsworth.

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The Pirates’ had the 2nd-longes Playoff drought of any current team in North American major league sports.  When it came to how recently they’d made the Playoffs, they were 121st out of 122.

(That counts MLB, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL — but not the WNBA, MLS, or the Canadian Football League.)

Major League Sports Playoff Droughts

Last made their League’s Playoffs in 2013: Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians (not yet clinched but they will), Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds; Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks; Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs.

Last made Playoffs in 2012: San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals; Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons,  Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins; Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz; Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils,  Arizona Coyotes (formerly “Phoenix Coyotes”), Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators.

Last made Playoffs in 2011: Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks; Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers; New Orleans Pelicans (formerly Hornets), Portland Trail Blazers; Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning.

Last made Playoffs in 2010: Minnesota Twins; Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles; Charlotte Hornets (formerly Bobcats), Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns; Colorado Avalanche.

Last made Playoffs in 2009: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Colorado Rockies; Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers; Detroit Pistons; Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets.

Last made Playoffs in 2008: Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs; Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans; Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards; Dallas Stars.

2007: Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

2006: New York Mets, San Diego Padres; Sacramento Kings; Edmonton Oilers.  This means the Mets have the longest Playoff drought of the New York Tri-State Area’s 9 teams.

2005: Houston Astros.

2004: St. Louis Rams; Minnesota Timberwolves.

2003: Miami Marlins (then Florida Marlins).

2002: Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders.

2001: Seattle Mariners.

1999: Buffalo Bills.  They haven’t made the Playoffs in this current century.

1996: Winnipeg Jets.  (The current team with the name made it as the Atlanta Thrashers in 2007.  The former team with the name made it in their last season in Winnipeg, before moving to become the Phoenix and now Arizona Coyotes.)

1993: Toronto Blue Jays.

1985: Kansas City Royals.  They got close this time, and haven’t officially been eliminated yet, but they’re 3 games out of the 2nd AL Wild Card slot with 6 games to go.  They haven’t made the Playoffs since the Reagan years, since portable phones were the size of a tape dispenser, since a desktop computer took up the entire top of your desk, since people were actually devoid enough of taste to listen to Duran Duran.

Yankees Honor Mariano, Then Dishonor His Generation of Yankees

On occasions like Old-Timers’ Day or the retirement of a uniform number, the current players owe it to the former players to put up a good fight.  Not necessarily to win, but to at least look like they’re trying to win.

Yesterday was Mariano Rivera Day, the first “day” for a player at the new Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees honored Mariano with the retirement of his uniform number 42, and the presentation of a few gifts.  (Implicit in this is the eventual dedication of a Plaque in his honor at Monument Park, but they can’t cast the Plaque until his career truly is over, and they have final statistics that they can put on it.)

On hand were many representatives of the 1996-2003 Yankee Dynasty: Joe Torre, Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez, David Cone, John Wetteland, Jeff Nelson, Hideki Matsui.  And, of course, the still-active Derek Jeter and yesterday’s starting pitcher, the also-retiring Andy Pettitte.

Also on hand were members of the family of Jackie Robinson, for whom Number 42 was retired throughout baseball, with the provision that players then wearing it could continue to do so for the rest of their careers.  And, 16 years later, Mariano is the last one.  A Plaque was unveiled in Monument Park honoring Jackie, making him the first player who never played for the Yankees to be honored there.  (Jackie is, of course, a part of the history of the old Yankee Stadium, having played World Series games there for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, ’49, ’52, ’53, ’55 and ’56 — most notably stealing home plate in Game 1 in ’55.)

The opposing San Francisco Giants also presented Mo with a gift.  Their pitching coach is Dave Righetti, who had been the Yankees’ all-time saves leader until Mo surpassed him.  “Rags” never won a Series with the Yankees (though he was a part of the 1981 Pennant as a rookie starter), but he’s helped the Giants win 2 of the last 3 World Series.  (They won’t make the Playoffs this time.)

With all that talent on hand, you’d think the Yankees would have at least put up an effort.

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Certainly, Pettitte did.  He had a perfect game going until the 5th inning, before walking a batter, who was subsequently erased in a double play.

And then, on WCBS — the Yankees have announced they’ll be on WFAN next season — John Sterling said the N-word.

No, not that N-word.  Not the one that Jackie Robinson faced time and time again in his struggle first to integrate baseball, then to make it fully integrated, and later to make it more fair for those who integrated it.  Sterling said, “Andy Pettitte has pitched a no-hitter through 5 innings.”

It’s one of “the unwritten rules of baseball” that you do not say the word “no-hitter” while one is in progress, because it will jinx the pitcher.  You can say, “He hasn’t allowed any hits.” Or, “He is pitching hitless baseball.” Or, “No (member of the opposing team) has gotten a hit yet.” Anything, so long as the word “no-hitter” is not used.  (Author John Thorn, who’s written a bunch of books about baseball and is now MLB’s Official Historian, once wrote, “Strangely, the words ‘perfect game’ can be spoken without similar effect.”)

But Sterling said, “no-hitter.”

I’ve heard broadcasters use the word plenty of times.  When Andy Hawkins had one going for the Yankees against the Chicago White Sox in 1990, Phil Rizzuto used the word on WPIX-Channel 11 many times.  Hawkins kept the no-hitter, but he walked a few batters, and errors by Mike Blowers at 3rd base, Jim Leyritz in left field (he was a rookie and had never played the position before) and Jesse Barfield (normally a great fielder but he lost the ball in the Comiskey Park sun) led to 4 ChiSox runs.  Hawkins pitched 8 innings — with the home team winning, a bottom of the 9th was not necessary — and allowed no hits, but lost, 4-0.  A candidate for the strangest game I’ve ever seen, right up there with that 4th of July marathon the Mets played in Atlanta in 1985.

At least 5 times, on YES, Michael Kay has used the word “no-hitter” and jinxed a game.  Usually, when something like that happens, it doesn’t matter: The pitcher gives up a hit, and still wins.  Sometimes, with help from the bullpen.  But it usually only costs the pitcher’s team the no-hitter, not the game.

This time, Sterling said, “Andy Pettitte has pitched a no-hitter through 5 innings.” Naturally, in the 6th, Andy allowed a hit, and then a run.

That wouldn’t have been a big deal, except it was only 1-0 Yankees at that point.  Mark Reynolds, who drove the Yankees so crazy last year for the Baltimore Orioles and has been a good pickup this year, hit a home run.

Andy pitched into the 8th, but allowed the runner that would decide the game.  Joe Girardi pulled him, and, to a standing ovation, left the mound at Yankee Stadium (either one) as an active pitcher for the last time.  (Assuming he doesn’t get injured, he has one more start this season, it’s on the road, and he will not be pitching in the Playoffs.  No current Yankee will.)

David Robertson couldn’t prevent the run from scoring, and Girardi had to bring Mo in for a 5-out save.  Bringing him in for more than a 3-out save is always a risk, as he has been damn near unhittable for 3 outs since 1997, but for more than that, he’s had his troubles.  (It’s why, when people call him “the greatest relief pitcher ever,” you have to consider the guys in the pre-Dennis Eckersley days who pitched the last 2, 3, even 4 innings of games, including Yankee stars Joe Page, Luis Arroyo, Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage.) Mo got the 5 outs without making it any worse.

But the Yankees didn’t get the job done with the bats.  Until Reynolds led off the 3rd with his homer, the Yankees had no baserunners.  Ichiro Suzuki drew a 2-out walk that inning, but got caught stealing.  Robinson Cano singled with 1 out in the 4th, but was stranded.  Brendan Ryan doubled with 2 out in the 5th, but was stranded.  With 2 out in the 6th, Cano singled and Alfonso Soriano walked, but Curtis Granderson struck out.

Eduardo Nunez led off the 7th with a single.  Reynolds struck out.  Ryan singled, but a reliever came in and struck out Vernon Wells and Ichiro.

Alex Rodriguez led off the 8th with a single, and Cano doubled pinch-runner Zoilo Almonte to 3rd.  But Soriano grounded to 3rd, and Almonte was thrown out at home, leaving runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out.  Granderson struck out again.  Nunez singled, but Cano tried to score and was thrown out at home.  And the Yankees went out meekly, 1-2-3, in the bottom of the 9th.

Giants 2, Yankees 1.  This is not the right way to honor Mariano.  Indeed, it was as if an entire generation of Yankees had seen everything they worked for planted firmly in the past, with the present a mess and the future a mist.

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So here is where Major League Baseball stands, with 1 week remaining in the regular season:

* The Boston Red Sox have clinched the American League East.  The Oakland Athletics have clinched the AL West.  The Detroit Tigers have a Magic Number of 2 to clinch the AL Central.

* If the current Wild Card standings hold, the Tampa Bay Rays will get the 1st AL berth, and the Cleveland Indians the 2nd.  The Texas Rangers are a game and a half back, the Kansas City Royals 3 1/2, the Yankees 4, and the Baltimore Orioles 4 1/2.

* The Yankees’ elimination number is 3: Any combination of Yankee losses and Cleveland wins adding up to 3, and the Yankees don’t make the Playoffs, for only the 2nd time in the last 19 seasons.  And since the Indians have 3 home games against the Chicago White Sox followed by 3 road games against the Minnesota Twins, who have already lost 94 and 90 games, respectively, and the Yankees still have to play 3 home games against the Rays before closing with 3 games at the Houston Astros (whose 105 losses are easily the most in the majors), it seems incredibly unlikely that the Yankees can make it.  Even if the Indians do take a nosedive, the Rangers would also have to lose a good chunk of their last 7 games to give the Yankees a shot, and they’re playing the hopeless Astros.  So Yogi Berra can safely call Girardi and say, “It’s over.”

* The Atlanta Braves have clinched the National League East. The Los Angeles Dodgers have clinched the NL West.  The St. Louis Cardinals have a Magic Number of 5 to clinch the NL Central, but the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates are both only 2 games back, so that race is hardly decided.

* The Reds and Pirates, in addition to still having a shot to overtake the Cardinals for the NL Central, currently hold the 2 NL Wild Card slots.  The Washington Nationals are 5 games behind them, and are almost certainly out of it.

Oh well, my fellow Yankee Fans.  We didn’t give it a good shot, and we lose Mariano and Andy, and we have the unresolved A-Rod situation, and rumors are running rampant that Jeter will only play one more year, due to his contract situation.  And CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda really tailed off.  And we don’t know if Ivan Nova can keep up his comeback.  And we don’t really have a 5th starter.  And Robertson hasn’t exactly looked like a worthy successor to Mariano the last couple of years.  And, at least for the moment, we still have Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan stinking up the bullpen.  And Joe Girardi refuses to throw out his binder, and with George Steinbrenner dead, it doesn’t look like he’s about to be fired.  And Kevin Long is still the hitting instructor.  And Brian Cashman is still the general manager.  And the hated Red Sox won the Division.

Not good.

Oh well, you’ve still got the New York Football Giants to root for, right?

Not really: As legendary WCBS-Channel 2 sportscaster Warner Wolf would say, “If you had the Giants and 37 points, you lost! Come on, give me a break!”

Top 10 Andy Pettitte Moments

Andy Pettitte announced his retirement today.  For the second time.  Effective at the end of this season.

I’m gonna miss this guy.  Two years ago, the first time the Hooded Hawk retired, I wrote this for the previous version of my blog.  It does not need to be updated.

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There is no pitcher who has thrown more pitches with me actually in the ballpark than Andrew Eugene Pettitte of Deer Park, Texas. Except for Mariano Rivera, there is no pitcher who has appeared in more games with me on hand. And no pitcher has more postseason wins.

Time to salute this important figure in Yankee History – recent and overall.

Top 10 Andy Pettitte Moments

10. August 2, 1999. This one is personal, so I put it at Number 10. It was the 20th Anniversary of the death of Thurman Munson, and I felt that I had to be at Yankee Stadium (the original) on the night.

The Yanks played the Toronto Blue Jays. Diana Munson threw out the first ball. Andy was making his first start since the trading deadline, when Joe Torre convinced George Steinbrenner not to trade him, and George said we’d “find out what kind of man he is.”

Pitching for the Jays was David Wells, a tough opponent no matter what uniform he was bursting out of.

Andy proved his point, and Joe’s, and mine and that of anyone else who wanted to keep him. Yanks 3, Jays 1. Andy goes 8, and so does Boomer, but a Derek Jeter homer in the bottom of the 8th settled it.

9. October 9, 2003, ALCS Game 2. The Boston Red Sox had won Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, so, as had so often happened, the Yankees needed Andy to turn things around. He did, holding the Sox off long enough for the bats to kick in. Yankees 6, Red Sox 2. The series was tied, and the Yanks went on to win the Pennant on Aaron Boone’s home run.

8. September 18, 1996. Beats the Baltimore Orioles, 3-2 at Yankee Stadium, for his 20th win of the season. He wins a 21st on September 28, 4-2 over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. This made him the youngest Yankee pitcher to win 20 (or 21) games in a season since Jim Bouton in 1963. In other words, the youngest in my lifetime.

Andy would win 21 again in 2003.  In the 10 years since then, how many pitchers have won 21 games in a season? 12.  Only 5 of those are lefthanded.  And only one of those 12 (or one of those 5) has pitched for a New York team, the Yankees’ CC Sabathia in 2010.  The last Met pitcher to win at least 21 games in a season? Dwight Gooden in 1985.  The last Met lefty to do it? Only 1 Met lefty has ever done it, Jerry Koosman in 1976.

7. September 21, 2008. There was only one man – well, only one man left, anyway – who could start the last game at the old Yankee Stadium. Andy held off the Orioles long enough for the bullpen to take over, and the Yankees won, 7-3.

6. October 21, 1998, World Series Game 4. The Yanks already led the San Diego Padres 3 games to 0, and baseball teams don’t blow such leads in the postseason. (Unless the other team cheats.) Andy went 7 innings at Jack Murphy Stadium (or whatever it was being called then), and Jeff Nelson and Rivera finished up. Yanks 3, Padres 0, and the 24th World Championship was won.

5. October 17, 1999, ALCS Game 4. The day before, the Yanks had gotten clobbered by the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 13-1, and they needed to stop The Scum’s momentum.

Andy did the job, bending but not breaking. The score was 3-2 Yankees when Mariano relieved Andy in the 8th. A Boston pitching and fielding meltdown in the 9th led to 6 runs and a final score of 9-2, as the Red Sox fans – as usual, blaming the umpires for their team’s failures – threw loads of garbage onto the field.

The Yanks won the Pennant the next day, and the Game 3 loss turned out to be the only game they lost in that postseason, going 11-1 and taking their 25th World Championship.

4. October 26, 2000, World Series Game 5. In Game 1 of the only real Subway Series since 1956, Andy had been outpitched by the Mets’ Al Leiter, but the Yanks won anyway.

This time, the same 2 pitchers went at it, and when Leiter finally tired in the 9th, the Yanks won, 4-2, to clinch their 26th World Championship. Andy pitched well for 7 innings, although he was not the winning pitcher – that was Mike Stanton. But Andy kept the Mets at bay long enough for the Yankee bats to win it, giving them a World Series triumph they absolutely had to have.

If we had lost a World Series to the Mets, nothing in the Yankees’ past would have meant anything. But since we DID beat the Mets in a World Series, there’s nothing any Met fan can say anymore that has any meaning. Andy was a big part of making that happen.

3. October 13, 1996, ALCS Game 5. Pitches 8 innings as the Yankees beat the Orioles, 6-4 at Camden Yards, to clinch their first Pennant in 15 years.

2. November 4, 2009, World Series Game 6. Outpitches Pedro Martinez and shuts down the potent lineup of the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Yankees win, 7-3 – interestingly enough, the same score as the last game at Yankee Stadium I – and win their 27th World Championship, their first at Yankee Stadium II.

In so doing, Andy became the first pitcher ever to start and win the clinching games of all 3 postseason series in one season. (Derek Lowe had won all 3 clinchers for the 2004* Red Sox, but didn’t start all 3.)

1. October 24, 1996, World Series, Game 5. He already got rocked by the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 at The Stadium, but the Yanks managed to tie the Series anyway. In the last game that would ever be played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (win or lose), if he hadn’t gotten this right, most of the others wouldn’t have happened.

He gets it right, getting out of a big jam in the 5th but fielding 2 grounders: One, he throws to 3rd base to get the lead runner; the other, he throws to 2nd base to start an inning-ending double play. He pitches 8 innings of 5-hit shutout ball, and the Yankees beat the Braves, 1-0. Two days later, the Yankees win their 23rd World Championship, their first in 18 years.

Andy was only 24 years old, but had won a bigger game than most pitchers will ever get into.

There would be more big games for Andy Pettitte. Now, there will still be big games, but he will not be a part of them, save as a spectator.

Andy, you’re one of us now. I wish I could say that was a good thing.