RIP 2017 Yankees

Alright guys. Apologies for the delay but I needed time to process what happened and then I got sick with a cold and an ear infection because I am five years old. Lets begin!

The Yankees lost game seven of the ALCS (it was surprisingly difficult for me to type that). While I still feel dead inside (I laid in bed all day Sunday, most of it in the dark), I am able to try and spinzone all this to a positive.

I will not use the “r” word that rhymes with “shmee-shmuilding” because if I hear that goddamn word one more time I’ll lose it. You know how often it’s being used? My brother who was on a goddamn hike during game seven because he cares that little about sports sent me a text after that said “This was supposed to be a shitty re******** year.” I use my brother as a guide to understand how well-known something in sports is. If he knows, everyone knows.

And yes, I get that we weren’t supposed to be good this year. But once old expectations are erased, new ones are formed. Oh, we didn’t suck as anticipated? This team is capable of actually winning a World Series? Then winning a World Series is the new expectation. We were up 3-2 in the series. And yes, I understand we made a comeback down 0-2, but we were one win away. One win. That will always be tough to swallow. I’m not going to dive into details about the series because it’s moot now. It was extremely close and a few differences here and there and it could be us in LA right now.

That being said, if our baby bombers were able to get within one win of a World Series their first year, can you imagine the potential dynasty we may have on our hands? This team already showed us nothing scares them. Down 0-2 two series in and row and they came back both times. In fact, they seemed to thrive. You can’t teach that.

Last year when Arod “retired” aka the Yankees pushed him out, I was devastated. For someone like me, born in 1990, Arod was the last hair of my old teams that I was clinging to, even though it really died with Derek’s retirement. But it felt like the official end of my childhood. While Gary did make things exciting at the end of last season, headed into this season, for the first time in my life, the Yankees felt completely foreign to me. We had no clue what this team was going to look like. That annual comfort of knowing my boys were coming back wasn’t there for the first time in my life.

But then something magical happened almost instantly. The Yankees completely dominated in spring training. Obviously, that means nothing. But it isn’t a bad thing either. The Yankees carried it over to the season and the magic began. Aaron started being Aaron and every at bat of his was a must watch, thus every game became a must watch. This team gelled like no Yankee team I’ve ever seen before. They’re young. Naive, but just the right amount. Goofy. Willing to play the game right but have some fun in the process. And more importantly than anything, they love the game and they love each other.

Do you know how long I’ve waited for a team to show this much passion? For so many years I’d be yelling at my tv for guys to get off their bums and stand by the dugout railing. Involve themselves in the game. Look excited and confident. Show perseverance if we’re down in the count (literally). And that’s what this team does. Every single game they seem genuinely excited to be there. No game is over until it’s over (RIP Yogi).

Now don’t get me wrong, I’d die for those Jeter/Bernie/Mo teams. That’s my childhood. But those teams were stoic. They know that. It’s how things were back then. They’d never do the thumbs down or the Toe-night show and that’s completely fine. It was a different time. But there can be two styles of playing that are equally lovable for different reasons. And this current Yankees team is absolutely captivating to watch.

Think about how genuinely lucky we are to have such a dominant team again so soon. I mean, I’m an atheist but I feel so goddamn blessed. Not even one shitty year putting a new team back together again. In fact the opposite. A potential new dynasty. The Bronx has been revitalized. Everyone’s saying Yankee Stadium hasn’t been that #lit in a decade. And we have this team to thank.

For me, as much as I wanted a World Series for my personal enjoyment, I wanted it more for this team. This specific group of guys. You know it’ll change before next season. Hell, Girardi is already gone (separate blog to come). But regardless, buckle in folks, because the next *hopefully ten* or so years are going to be fun.