World Series: Can my Yankees do to the Phillies what my Nats couldn’t?
After Six Years, Center Stage Again – The Times
The New York Yankees winning their 40th American League pennant is cause for celebration in and of itself. The 2009 World Series has more going for it than that, though. For the third time, the Yankees have won the pennant when they open/re-open a stadium — 1923 Yankee Stadium’s first year, 1976 renovated Yankee Stadium, and 2009 new Yankee Stadium. The Northeast Corridor chauvinist in me is happy that the Series features two teams from it as the Philadelphia Phillies won the National League pennant setting up a rematch of the 1950 World Series, which was won by the Yankees. For Mets fans, this is probably a nightmare series, but who cares about Mets fans? It is kind of a battle for the state of New Jersey too — though I doubt the Phillies have many Jersey partisans above 40° N. This years series is all of these things, plus one more. For me it is a chance for baseball redemption, perhaps even revenge.
Long-time readers know that my friend Cliff (aka The Ombudsman) and I have an annual wager on the outcome of the Washington Nationals/Phillies season series — the Cheesesteak/Half-Smoke Challenge. After I won the inaugural challenge in 2006, Cliff has taken it three years running. This year, he ran away with it, winning the season series 15-3. No, I’m not going to reopen the Challenge, nor would I suggest that his half-smoke be taken away from him in the event of a Yankees victory, but some revenge courtesy of the Yankees, would be a nice condiment on that half-smoke, no? We’ll see if being a baseball bigamist pays off.
Yankees in 7.
New York Yankees, Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Northeast Corridor, Washington Nationals, Nats, World Series, baseball
I was rooting for the Angels, that's too bad they lost. Go Phillies!!