Friday, September 11, 2009

Raining in the Bronx

Tonight Derek Jeter broke Lou Gehrig's record for most hits by a Yankee. When he's finished playing, he will be remembered as one of the greatest players and competitors who ever lived.

On the 8th anniversary of September 11th, Oriole rookie Chris Tillman served up the record-breaking hit and is on course to win his second game of the season--his first ever against the Yankees in the new stadium.

In another forgettable Oriole season, this night will stand out for Jeter, for Tillman, for Ripken and for the spirit of Gehrig. It's only fair that Jeter breaks the record against the Orioles whose player eclipsed Gehrig's consecutive game streak.

The Orioles may also break the record for consecutive losing seasons.

The dynamics of baseball have changed. The Yankees are the darlings of the bailout plan. They are Bank of America. Their asset portfolio is strong. It will take a Herculean effort for someone to beat them this year. Major League Baseball has become a three to four team sport--New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. The rest is AAA.

In an eerie twist, Ronan Tynan, the Irish tenor, sings God Bless America to an empty Yankee stadium after the rain delay. Jeter addressed the press with the game still going on and the rest of the Yankee starters sent home. In the bleachers, a few fans remained holding an American flag--reminding us of that incredible run by the Jeter-led Yankees in 2001 on pure emotion--when it was hard not to be a fan of the Bronx Bombers. Pictures of the missing still plastered on subway tunnels.

The stage was set for this season during the winter months. The economy and the new books about Joe Torre and Roger Clemens could have been a foreshadowing. The biggest economic recovery for baseball would occur with a Yankees vs. Red Sox playoff and a New York vs. Los Angeles World Series.

There would be no higher drama in October.

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