Uncle George

-

The Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday night.

They haven’t been a participant in the World Series since pummeling the hapless Phillies in 2009.

That’s a long time in Yankees land and is made all the more disconcerting because if Uncle George were alive to see them get swept by the cheating Astros he would’ve gone off!

We didn’t hear much from the Yankees last night, other than this hurts.

We don’t know if their best player, Aaron Judge will be resigned.

We have no idea if they will solve the shortstop problem by adding a superstar one or handing the job to a rookie.

Aaron Boone?

George would’ve fired him long before last night.

Brian Cashman?

He would’ve been a true Cashman had Uncle George had 20 more years.

No way Harper, Machado, Schwarber, Correa or others would’ve signed elsewhere.

Now, George wasn’t perfect. 

The Yankees went a long time without a title from 1978 to 1996 and the ‘96 -‘00 teams were built when George was suspended.

He wanted to deal Mariano and was talked out of it. He didn’t want to start the ‘96 season with a rookie shortstop, but Jeter performed from day one.

He hired and fired Billy 4 times!

But Yankees fans could always count on Uncle George to go off! And then reload.

He had tears in his eyes when he said:

“I want the Yankees to win every day because Yankees fans have better days when the Yankees win.”

I took a lot of flak yesterday as people thought I’d be genuinely depressed over the loss.

I thought about it for about 5 minutes. There was no pain involved.

The Yankees had a good year and were a capable squad that could’ve won it all.

They didn’t.

A combination of bad luck and cold bats.

A couple of major injuries derailed them and they could never quite get their footing back.

I thought back to ‘01 when the Yankees lost Game 7 on a walk-off bloop hit.

Uncle George was livid that they didn’t 4-peat!

“I’m embarrassed for New York,” he said.

Imagine how he would’ve felt last night!

We need some of that fire back.

The Yankees will compete for the title again next year. I’m pretty confident of that…

…but Uncle George’s rage would’ve been a welcome thing after that sweep.

Ah well.

170 days to opening day.

Go Phillies!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Buddy, Dave

-
Way back in 1997, I started working with a steel erection company out of Syracuse. I was coming straight from a long stint with a steel erector here in Buffalo so I knew my stuff when it came to steel erection safety rules. On day one, I met with the safety director and he was just getting started as a safety guy, but man, he certainly cared about the guys he worked with. Dave was a good man from the start. He’d say things like: “You’re so full of beans.” Just a down to earth, hardworking guy who became a fast friend. We drove all around New York State setting up jobs. I always let Dave drive so that I could rest. One fine day, way up North of Syracuse, we passed a state trooper.  I glanced at the speedometer. “You’re screwed,” I said, and seconds later, the lights came on. Dave was beside himself.  The cop stopped by the window, grabbed the license and registration and headed back to his vehicle. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “You’re pissed, but you’re such a good guy that I be...
Read more

Mom & Ollie

-
Image
 Ollie Stadium is a mess. The heavy rains rendered the backyard a mud pit and even though we threw in the side yard, the Big O was looking for more, and we were both covered in mud. I had to take some steam out of him somehow so I suggested we go visit Grandma. Ollie hates the car, but he laid quietly as we made the trip. We even brought the football because there is plenty of room to play at Grandma’s. Mom opened the door and started laughing. I thought about the love she had for every single dog we ever had. Oliver was quick to give my Mom a kiss, and then he stood beside her. The love between Mom and Dogs is a mutual bond. Through the years, Mom would make breakfast for the dogs.  Fried eggs, toast, bacon… She would wrap Christmas gifts for them. “To Jeter, Love Santa,” she would write on the cards. They played with the big chicken that made a lot of noise. Mom tossed the football and Ollie brought it back to her. As the visit drew to a close I headed for the door.  “C...
Read more

Eyes on the Horizon

-
Image
My sister’s book is out there! Go get it!! It makes me so proud to see the book on Amazon, knowing that it’s very, very great! It’s been a long, long time since we were out in California, brainstorming my stories long before they were published. Carrie Lynn was writing, writing and writing some more through the years and I kept telling her… …”Go for it!” Well, she did!  To amazing results. Of course I was able to read the book as it was being put together, but I ordered a copy from Amazon yesterday and can’t wait to read it again. The shoe is on the other foot now as I have been sitting on a lot of my writing lately. I plan on getting it out there before the end of 2024, but for now: Carrie takes center stage! And it’s so great… …go get a copy!
Read more