Let's Hear It For The Musse!

OK I don’t care if you are a Yankee fan or not…you can’t deny that today was a great moment for Mike Mussina…and you cannot deny that he truly is the comeback story of the year in the AL…maybe in all of Major League Baseball.

He is now the oldest pitcher in history to earn 20 wins in a season. Considering that he ended last season by being benched by Joe Torre…I would say that he has a lot to proud of. More importantly, he did with so much class that even the strongest Yankee hater would have to give him credit. I will admit it…it made me cry. The fact that it was against Boston was icing on the cake.

I also got to watch the Centerstage Interview with Jorge Posada…which I loved. He was open, honest, and just plain funny. He made me laugh and cry several times over the course of that one hour. Aside from his comments about Joba…it was a great interview.

Speaking of Joba…I am aware that he had a rough day. Cut him some slack…as it is hard to near perfect all of the time.

Now back to game two and that damn Ponson. I understand why they replaced Pettitte with Ponson but it still bugs me. He just pisses me off so much.

You Live For The Fight When Its All That You've Got

So this is the only time that I am going to address the whole "no playoffs" for the Yankees on the blog. It is not because I am mad or ashamed or disappointed...but simply because I feel like what I have to say only needs to be said once.

I am proud of my Yankees.

Sure the season has not played out the way that I would have hoped. Sure they have caused me some frustration and a lot of harassment...but nonetheless...I am proud of the Yankees.

You can say what you want about them...some of my favorite negative comments are:

- They can't hit with runners in scoring position.

- They have too many over the hill players to be competitive in a young man's league.

- Too many players are concerned with staying healthy than taking risks because they want to to preserve their big paychecks.

The list goes on and on. To all of that I have to say...look at the big picture.

First let's talk about a few of the major milestones that have been achieved.

- There are at least three players who will finish above or right over 100 RBIs.

- Derek Jeter became the all-time hit leader at Yankee Stadium.

- Mike Mussina reached 19...possibly twenty wins in a single season.

- A-Rod moved up to #12 in the all-time home run hitter.

- The Yankees broke another league record in home game attendance with over 4 million tickets sold to home games for the 4th year in a row.

But the thing that I am the most proud of would have to be the fact that as of this posting, the Yankees are on a 7 game winning streak.

Think about that for a moment as that in itself is pretty damn amazing. But now take into consideration that they have achieved this in spite of the fact they knew that there was virtually no chance of making it to the playoffs. Even with such a bleak future they still managed to pull together and make the big plays needed to win. To sum it up...the Yankees have played like Yankees. Even without a playoff appearance...no one can take that away from them.

The biggest thing that has stayed with me since watching the final game at Yankee Stadium is how happy the team was to play that game in front of their fans. There were geninue smiles and they made us fans feel like we were part of the Yankee magic. Thanks to the YES network, I have been able to hear Derek Jeter's ending speech several times and I will admit it...I believe it. I believe that he and the rest love being Yankees and love their Yankee fans.

So let Boston rally its way to another championship. (I'll be honest though...I am pulling for the Phillies.) Let the Angels fight for their share of a title. Let the Mets choke as they are prone to do. I really don't care. The Yankees have shown that they still have what it takes to be winners. So what if it is too late to make it to the playoffs? There is no denying that the Yankees have shown more class and more heart than most teams combined. And that is why I love them.

Besides...there is always next year.