Looking back on an impressive run

It's not everyday a string of 13 consecutive playoff appearances officially comes to an end. Only the Braves know what that kind of run means and how hard it is, regardless of payroll or anything else, to achieve it. They won one World Series in that time span. Ask the Red Sox about 2006, or the Mets about 2007. Ask the Angels about 2005, or the Diamondbacks about 2008. It's not easy to put together a string of playoff runs. In this case, we're talking a maximum of six consecutive appearances out of those teams had everything worked out, not 13. The Yankees won four World championships, reached the Fall Classic six times, advanced past the first round seven times and won the division in 10 of those 13 seasons, failing only in 1995 and 1997 when the streak was still new and 2007 in its final year. There have been teams who have won more championships in that span (Jordan's Bulls, Bird's Celtics, and past Yankees dynasties), and teams who have won titles more impressively (the '97 Marlins, 2007-08 Giants, 2004 Red Sox, 2004-05 Tampa Bay Lightning,) than some of these championships, but for a team with the most historic success of any American sports franchise, this run fits right in with everything else they have accomplished.

Today I am not embarrassed, I am not upset, and I am not bitter. I am proud to be a New York Yankees fan. As I have said for awhile, sports are cyclical, most teams have their ups and their downs and during their ups they try to be the greatest and during their downs they try to rebuild, but I'm damn lucky to be born into a team where the ups outweight the downs most of the time. The 2008 Yankees do not deserve to play baseball in October. They let injuries, particularly to club leader, Jorge Posada, Ace Chien-Ming Wang and Ace in the wings, Joba Chamberlain, get the best of them. Their young guys weren't quite ready to add depth yet, and more importantly, the Rays, Red Sox and Angels (for now) were better teams. Could things have been different if a laundry list of things went the Yankees way? Absolutely. It's rare when an entire team slumps with runners in scoring position at once, or when guys you have to rely on all collectively fail or underachive and barely anybody fills in. Could the Yankees have won a few more games if things were different? Yes, but you can say that about any team, and more importantly, this organization has nothing to be ashamed of.

The New York Rangers had hockey's highest payroll for a long time in the early portion of this decade and didn't sniff the postseason. The Knicks are an embarrassment to basketball. The Mets, despite having the highest NL payroll choked in October last year. The Red Sox were too battered in 2006 and the Patriots all of a sudden look human this year, after having maybe the most talented team to ever play football fail to win the championship last year. Stuff happens, especially in baseball over a span of 162 games where one year you will not win and there's nothing we as fans can do to change that. We are now an underdog, and this team is going to have to proof it belongs in the postseason from now on, while it can still be expected with the financial resources Yankees ownership has always been willing to place back into its rosters.

With all of that said, let's review a little of what has transpired for over a decade:

1995:

Don Mattingly is finally welcomed to the playoff party and the 79-65 Yankees clinch the first ever wildcard birth, finishing second in the new American League East after a strike shortened, regular season. After tidy wins in the first two playoff games at Yankees Stadium in over a decade (including Mattingly hitting a homerun in his first at bat and Leyritz completing an extra inning comeback in game two with a homerun) the Yankees fell victim to three straight road losses at the Kingdome in Seattle. Joey Cora bunted and ran out of the baseline twice (both times called safe), Edgar Martinez punished Yankees' pitching and Ken Griffey Jr. hit five homeruns to absolutely obliterate New York en route to scoring the winning run on a Martinez double off Jack Mcdowell in extra innings of game 5. This marked the first time I was heartbroken over baseball when my dad explained what had happened the night before.

1996:

The Magical year for Yankees fans. Everything came together under new manager, Joe Torre, who replaced old manager Buck Showalter and turned past failure into future success. New York was in first place (92-70) on their way to a division title for all 162 games and Torre pushed all the right buttons with a deep, talented team and an amazing pitching staff to run the tables on the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles on their way to trying to win their first World Series since 1978. New York came back from an 0-2 deficit after being swept at HOME and outscored 16-1 to take the final three games ever to be played at Fulton County Stadium. One of the most improbable comebacks was complete when Jor Girardi tripled and John Wetteland held it to lead the Yankees to a 4-2 series victory over three Hall of Fame starters and the defending champion, Atlanta Braves. I never, ever, saw the stadium that crazy and haven't since.

1997:

Trying to defend their championship status, the 96-66 Yankees met up with a very talented Cleveland Indians team under a new format of 2-2-1 in the postseason. The Indians had won 110 games in 1995 and lost to the Braves, then failed to reach the World Series in 1996 before meeting the Yankees, who were wildcard winners yet again, during this year. We all know what happened next: Jaret Wright pitched his way into game five, and one day after new closer Mariano Rivera blew game four to Sandy Alomar on a three run blast, the Yankees lost 4-3 to the Cleveland, leaving the tying run in scoring position in the ninth. At this point, I blamed baseball for any and all bipolar mental issues I may or may not have had, after they gave me heartbreak, elation and equal heartbreak in a three year span.

1998:

Probably the greatest team to ever play on a baseball diamond (or at least in the past 71 years) the 114-48 Yankees started 1-3 before destroying everybody in baseball (except the Angels). Perhaps the only drama came in the ALCS when the Yankees, down 2-1 had El Duque walk into Cleveland and shut down the tribe one game after Chuck Knoblauch was caught arguing while New York gave away game three. After that, the Yankees won six straight to win the Pennant and the World Series. This team had no flaws and included 10 players on their roster with 10 or more homeruns. Even with an absurd amount of talent, nobody, including myself, knew how charmed the Yankees would be in the years to come. All we knew was Tino Martinez was god, Derek Jeter was collecting rings while Nomar and A-Rod battled for "the most talent" and the Padres folded after the Yankees came back to win game 1 and then embarrass Trevor Hoffman in game 3. At this point my Chad Curtis crush meter was rising.

1999:

At 98-64, the Yankees were a full 16 games worse than the year before, and still finished with the best record  in the league. Maybe it was their +169 run differential, or the fact by now they were drawing 3 million fans per year, but something told us we would beat the Braves in the battle for team of the decade, while simultaneously celebrating being crowned "team of the century". From the 11-1 postseason, to beating Boston in the ALCS, to sweeping the Braves, to Chad Curtis' walkoff in game three (and saying hello to his Mom in lieu of agreeing to a Jim Grey interview), the Yankees had won back to back titles and showed no signs of slowing down. At this point, I was in 7th grade, hormonal, and my biggest attraction remained whether I could see a 3-peat like my father before me and his father before him.

2000:

With an 87-74 record, this was by far the weakest of all championship teams. Nevertheless, after backing into the postseason with a hideous September, New York was set to to make another run deep into the playoffs. And they didn't disappoint. Beating the Athletics "Big 3" was a start, revenge against the Mariners (4-2) was the next step, and beating the Mets in their first ever Subway Series was the finish, as no win was more than two runs, but the Yankees won at Shea handily, in five games. Besides winning three consecutive titles and their last of the run, they had one other thing snapped this year. By coming back against the Braves in '96, and sweeping the Padres and Braves, the Yankees won 14 consecutive World Series games before the Mets beat El Duque (his first playoff loss) in game 3. By now I was on my way to high school and was convinced this would carry into college.

2001:

Welcome to my freshman year of high school where the Yankees were the greatest team in sports (again) and I was transitioning into my own "big leagues" by trying not to get run over in the hallways by guys twice my size. At 95-65, it was more of the same for the division winning Yanks, and after a valient comeback against the Athletics in the division series, New York finished off Seattle for the second year in a row, by beating the 116 win team in five games. Then came Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, the Diamondbacks fresh to the World Series scene and a magical series. In a series eerily similar to 1996, the Yankees were blown away in game 1 and shutout in game 2, but would recover as the series switched locations. Of course, games 3-5 were three of the best World Series games ever played and the Yankees won all of them, creating the greatest moments of Scott Brosius and Tino Martinez's careers and the dubbing of Derek Jeter as "Mr. November". Unfortunately, a 15-2 beating back in Arizona forced game 7 and then Mariano Rivera decided to blow his first playoff game in four years in game 7 and The D bags won for the first time ever.

Let me say this about 2001. If I could trade any series but 96 to make this one a win, I would. Having grown up in New Jersey and being born in New York, and having my parents work in New York and my sister living there, I knew first hand the kind of impact September 11th had on the Big Apple. Everyone in the tri-state was more than likely effected and lost a loved one, or knew somebody who had, myself included. The Yankees' playoff run that year was an actual inspiration, none of that is media fluff when you hear it said. The city absolutely needed something like this to happen and it's my biggest regret as a fan not to see the Yankees win that year. I mean that. I'd go through TWO 2004's just to see Mo close it out and the Yankees celebrate on the field in Arizona. Let me also say this: I yelled three different times before Luis Gonzalez even took a swing for the middle infield to stay back on that play. Gonzalez wasn't going to bunt, and if he did the corner infield would have been in. The guy hit 58 HR's and was clearly juiced up, you play for a hard hit or a pop up, not a slow roller. No doubt in my mind Jeter makes that catch of he plays back.

2002:

Poised to reach the World Series for a record tying 5th straight year, a 103 win Yankees team looked strong and unbeatable. Well, turns out, they were. New York happened to get stuck with the Angels in the first round, who not only personally owned them, but were the hottest team I've ever seen enter a postseason. Nothing went wrong for those guys and they steam rolled through the Yankees in four games in the ALDS, coming back to win game 4 at home and set off their first playoff celebration in a long time en route to winning the World Series during another terrific matchup with the Giants. It was at the end of this year when I officially started to dislike the Angels, but I knew they would be a flash in the pan.

2003:

101 more wins, another division title and more home field advantage for New York. Their dynasty was still in full effect and they proved it by powering through the Twins in four games in the ALDS. That left arch-rival Boston, for the second time in four years and the series did not disappoint. We all remember this one, whether it was all the close games, the Pedro-Zimmer bout, or Aaron Boone homering off a dominant Tim Wakefield after an amazing comeback in the 11th inning of game 7 at the Stadium. The Yankees lost the World Series to Josh Beckett and the Marlins in what seemed to be a fluke but it didn't matter, the real World Series was on that field with the Red Sox.

This year and the following year I actually had the same exact reaction. Complete and utter shock. In 2003 I thought Boston was better andin 2004 I knew the Yankees were. I still remember on a Tuesday night watching the Sox take a 5-1 lead, being depressed as I talked to my then girlfriend on the phone, then coming downstairs for the 7th inning to watch the Yankees' season end with my Dad. All of a sudden the comeback in the 8th took place and in the early morning the game was over. My Mom, whom we thought was asleep for 2 or 3 hours by then, started screaming with joy from her bedroom when the game ended, reflecting on the mood downstairs between my Dad and I. I didn't go to school the next day because there was no way I was concentrating. It was that good.

2004:

At 101-61, the Yankees were basically just as good as the year before (yet had no starters with 15 wins or more), steamrolling through the regular season and once again beating the Twins in four games in the ALDS. Anybody should have known something so similar couldn't possibly end the same way, and 86 years of hunger waited the Yankees as they took the field for game 4 at Fenway Park. New York almost had a perfect game from Mike Mussina in game 1, then Pedro was outdueled in game 2. By the end of the 19-8 embarrassment at Fenway, reporters started to ask Stephen King if this was more frightening than anything he could think up. It was that over.

Luckily for me, they cancelled the series after that and baseball was no longer played. Mariano Rivera especially didn't blow his 3rd and 4th career postseason saves on back to back nights.

2005:

Another 97-65 season, another division title, and another playoff appearance. This time, things were a little tougher as New York suffered a slow start before catching fire headed into the postseason. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they ran into the Angels, AGAIN, and lost, AGAIN. Yankees ace Randy Johnson was terrible in game 3, and that to me, was the turning point. From here on out, things would only get worse.

2006:

Another slow start, but another 97 wins and the Yankees were in the postseason again, this time while Boston sat at home. At this point, four million fans were coming to the ballpark per season to see the Yankees make constant runs towards October. This time the problem was Detroit, as inexplicably a team who lost game 1 at the stadium after Chien-Ming Wang shut them down and Derek Jeter went 5/5, was able to get off the mat in game 2 down 3-2 to Mike Mussina and battle back to win the game and then the series. Embarrassing losses in games 3 and 4 made the series almost seem surreal from Kenny Rogers and his magical regaining of a mid 90's fastball to the Tigers players spraying champagne into the crowd. Unfortunately for them, the same pitchers who shut down the Yankees and A's, forgot how to field when it mattered most. This also marked the very beginning ideas for Sox and Pinstripes, as this would be the year Jeff and I started to battle in Ian Brown's "Brownie Points" blog.

2007:

The final year of the run and the first time the Yankees failed to win the division since 1997. At 94-68, it was the lowest win total for the Yankees since 2000, which could have been a good thing, but turned out not to be. A date with the jumpstart Indians and the combination of CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, along with some bugs killed the Yankees' chances at advancing past the ALDS for the first time since the 2004 strike. To make matters worse, in the irreplaceable first year of Sox and Pinstripes, the Red Sox won their first World Series in 89 years...Or so I'm told. Nevertheless, 2007 marked the last time the Yankees would reach the postseason, but the third consecutive year they made an impressive late season run just to do that.

So here's to the Yankees one last time before eight other teams become more important. It was a hell of a run, and one that will not be forgotten when a new one begins in 2009.

Total Wins in Regular Season: 1254

Total Losses in Regular Season: 831

Games above a .500 record: 423

Playoff Record:79-49