After finally clinching a 2015 MLB postseason berth the New York Yankees partied like it was 1999. Could you imagine Derek Jeter doing that?
By Robby Sabo
The New York Yankees are playoff bound. We now know this thanks to their 4-1 result over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at The Stadium.
And because of it, the new hot-button word surrounding the team – hitting social media and publication headlines hard – is “finally.”
Finally, the Yanks are back to the MLB Postseason after two miserable non-playoff seasons. Finally, they’ll play ball in the crisp, cool, cold weather of October. Finally, they’ve reserved their rightful place in the baseball world.
This sentiment is the very essence of being a Yankees fan these days. After all, 27 World Series Championships does something by way of arrogance in a fan-base.
While one fan-base (Mets) are ecstatic to finally be playing meaningful baseball down the stretch, fans of the Yankees feel it’s their birthright.
The strange thing is, this version of the Yankees couldn’t be further from that state of mind.
As soon as Dellin Betances ended the game the only way he knows appropriate (the strikeout), these guys partied like it was 1999 upon realizing they had made it to baseball’s second season. Alex Rodriguez was hugging everybody in sight and John Ryan Murphy got so wild you’d think he was on a ship slowly heading for the sea’s bottom.
Empire State of mind. #ChaseFor28 pic.twitter.com/I4QPfngxab
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 2, 2015
Bear hugs all around: The @Yankees are headed back to the #postseason: http://t.co/hHOWf7x1El pic.twitter.com/z6p3bwASPb — Cut4 (@Cut4) October 2, 2015
Good times were in the air. An accomplishment of the highest order was met. Get the champagne ready, for guys were about to get soaked.
Even with the biggest smile smeared on your face while watching, something didn’t feel right.
Could you imagine a Derek Jeter squad celebrating like this for only clinching a guaranteed one extra game in October?
Your father’s Yankees, or even your childhood Yankees would’ve have graciously accepted the Wild Card spot and moved on. They would’ve taken it as a matter-of-fact reality and immediately turned their attention to unfinished business.
Could you imagine a Derek Jeter squad celebrating like this for only clinching a guaranteed one extra game in October?
Only when the real goal is accomplished did they truly celebrate.
The 2015 Yankees, on the other hand, acted as though their final goal was complete.
These are the Yankees. The team who proudly wears Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, and Berra on their sleeve like a cherished pin. They act great and don’t apologize for being great. Their manager even chooses his number as the franchise’s next World Series target (No. 28) for crying out loud.
Most will point to the two-year drought, or the fact that very few picked them to make the playoffs before the year began, as to why this celebration was so wild. This is very true. New York was an older team coming in and the production they picked up from elder-statesmen such as A-Rod and Mark Teixeira was truly remarkable.
Therefore it’s easy to understand why that once businesslike matter-of-fact nature the dynasty squad once had is now gone.
Nevertheless, it’s still incredible to watch the Yankees go this nuts over clinching a one-game Wild Card Game. It’s outrageous actually. The minute they start acting like every other club in Major League Baseball, is the minute they start to get lumped into the average category.
Jeter knew this. Joe Torre knew this. George Steinbrenner knew this. Even Gene “Stick” Michael and Buck Showalter knew this when they built that dynasty club of the late 1990s.
It goes back to the fact that this organization is different now.
The stadium is different.
How often have we pointed to the empty seats at Yankee Stadium this year? Even if you’re one who argues building new Yankee Stadium was a good idea, you simply can’t argue it’s changed things drastically. They’ve priced out the diehard fan and sounds from the stadium have yet to, and will never get as loud as moments like this:
On that night in 1995, old Yankee Stadium almost came crashing down.
The players are different too.
The Yankee fan hasn’t had a chance to hold onto and adore a young, homegrown player. Brian Cashman and company have brought in one high-priced free agent after another. This, despite win totals, turns-off the diehard fan at the highest degree. These fans understand what breathes success in MLB these days. A young core is needed, and while they now seem to be on track with Greg Bird and Luis Severino making their marks, it’s still going to take some time for it to fully take hold.
Lastly, the New York Mets.
Could you imagine the dynasty Yankees ever being beaten to the punch by their little brothers? Never. The powers that be in the Bronx would always stay ahead of the curve and continue their dominance over the New York City baseball landscape.
Now, however, Sandy Alderson and company have caught on quicker than the Yankees. No longer can a team simply buy championships due to the overwhelming penalties handed out. Development is the new focus keyword in the big-leagues and the Mets sure have destroyed the Yankees in this regard.
One team’s arrow is trending upwards, while the other is stuck in a horizontal, mysterious state.
Throw all of these reasons together and the equation is quite simple to understand. Just the fact the Yankees are celebrating a one-game Wild Card clincher tells you everything you need to know. This is the case whether or not Rob Manfred is fully pushing these 10 celebrations or not.
Two New York baseball teams celebrated postseason berths in the last week. The only issue is this: only one team was supposed to celebrate it.
These are the Yankees. Only World Series Championships are supposed to matter.
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