It may sound aggressive but seriously, the Diamondbacks return to the Fall Classic is a nostalgia trip for us NYC baseball fans. Is it not?
I remember being in the stands when President Bush landed via helicopter and those choppers were flying around the Stadium before Game Three as the President was land by the Press Gate for a historical first pitch. It was a surreal feeling as was that entire series following September 11th. I mean for the President to throw that pitch for a perfect strike was quite divine and itself a moment of healing and unity for NYC and America!
Personally, the 2001 World Series was the second stanza of my connection with the Steinbrenner family. I remember jumping around the suite with Haley Swindal Tantleff and Stephen Swindal , the grandchildren of George Steinbrenner, after Scott Brosius hit a magic game-tying home run and then Soriano’s walk off single. Those three walk off nights against the Diamondbacks in the fall classic is just what New York City needed as a way of healing from the horror of September 11th over a month earlier. I remember feeling crushed after that bloop Single by Gonzo, Luis Gonzalez snatched what would have been a fitting World Series from NYC, but also knowing deep down that World Series and the dramatics was what this city needed to help us slowly heal. Who could forget MR. NOVEMBER DEREK JETER , America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani donning his Yankees cap in his usual box at the old Yankee Stadium. The way the teams wore NYPD, FDNY caps to honor the first responders and the fallen first responders during that series . There so much more from that Series than any other to make it memorable.
The Diamondbacks were the team to crack the dynasty, and I am sure that isn’t lost on any Yankee fan. The group that won in 96, 98, 99 and 2000 would split up following that bloop single and the Yankees really haven’t been the same since.
But, as far as the romantic nature of baseball, I would have to believe and I hope I’m not the only one feeling nostalgic with the Arizona Diamondbacks returning for the first time since that magical October into November.
I don’t know who to root for here in 2023 but the nostalgia will not be lost on the last time Arizona was in the World Series, and of course the bloop heard round the world by Luis Gonzalez.
OneLegUpAlex 