April 9, 1996

The Royals manager was Aaron Boone’s Dad.

The Yankees were trying to replace Don Mattingly who retired at the end of 1995. Tino Martinez was the poor bastard who had to listen to people compare him to Donny Baseball.

The starting pitcher and the starting shortstop and the starting center fielder were all rookies.

Not a lot was expected of the kids who had unfamiliar names:

“Who the hell are Bernie Williams? Derek Jeter? Andy Pettite?”

Johnny Damon was the center fielder for the Royals - before the Red Sucks bought him to try and topple the Yankees years later, and way before he was on the Yankees 27th championship team.

I thought about me…

…I was 31 years old.

Knew my wife as a friend who worked at same place as me. We’d go to lunch once in a while.

I had just bought a house.

Lived there alone with my dog, Max.

I watched the game - it was the home opener, of course. It snowed. That’s why it’s a Yankees classic.

Up to that point, the idea that this Yankees team could win a championship was absurd.

They’d had a good year in ‘95 but lost Mattingly. I was devastated.

They hadn’t won anything since ‘78.

Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.

The five years after the airing of the game were pivotal.

- got married.

- bought the house I’m still sitting in.

- three boys.

Yankees won World Series 4 out of 5 years.

I put out 3 books.

I remember my Uncle Lenny saying:

“Late bloomer, huh?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You didn’t do jack shit the first 31 years.”

I laughed.

The Yankees won the opener on April 9, 1996.

It was a springboard for a lot of life.

I recall watching the game.

The snow and wind that day had me thinking:

“This is stupid. Why don’t they postpone this?”

Sometimes you can’t postpone things forever.

(Happy Birthday, Tom )