These Are A Few of My Favorite Things (Yankees)

As I get ready to head down to the Canyon of Heroes to watch the 2009 Yankees be adored by over a million fans in a ticker-tape parade, there are a lot of things over the past day since the Yankees won to make me smile.I've listed a few of them here (and some pictures including the one on the right which was Deadspin making fun of all the unoriginal coverage). Enjoy!

Bing!

The Great Introductions

• The hook from the Hartford Courant:

The shortest curse in baseball history is over. Third-graders everywhere who had never seen the Yankees win the World Series in their lifetime can now sleep easy.

The Yankees ended nine years of title-less slumber — granted, a mere catnap for some franchises — when they beat the defending champion Phillies 7-3 Wednesday night before 50,315 at Yankee Stadium to win the 2009 World Series in six games.

• A little more verbose/grandiose from Tyler Kepner at the New York Times:

A sliver of time for other teams is an epoch for the Yankees, who define themselves by championships. For eight seasons, they led the majors in victories, payroll and drama. They built a ballpark, created a network and expanded their brand around the globe. But they did not win the World Series.

Now they have done it. There is a 27th jewel in the Yankees’ crown and a peaceful, easy feeling across their empire.

Joe Girardi and everything else about the #27

• I should have linked to this story when I saw it this morning, but if you haven't read about the heroism of Joe Girardi, you really should go to LoHud and read the story. It is amazing. Joe Girardi, the man that he is, actually stopped on his way home to help a victim of a car crash. Wow.

• See that picture on the right from the New York Post? Yes, Joe Girardi got pied by A.J. Burnett (H/T Ben). You gotta love that! Also to love? When reporters get pied (just watch this video from The Star-Ledger)
  

• Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News has 27 things about the 27 New York titles. IIATMS has 27 reflections. Dave Schoenfield has 27 facts for ESPN and he also ranks the 27 Yankees title teams.

The Core Four/The Dyansty Boys adding another ring

• It was all about the "Gang of Four" who felt something that must have been similar but different according to Jayson Stark. They earned one for the thumb according to the New York Post.

• Some Mariano love from Rob Neyer and The Big Lead. Baseball-Reference gives some love to Andy Pettitte. 

• As Deadspin writes (and provides the picture on the right), it really never gets old:

So they spent more money than anyone else. So they didn't have to wait as long as anyone else. Ask us fans if it feels any less amazing. It doesn't.

Totally agree

Godzilla, A-Rod and being careful about what you say about (or do) to both

• The New York Times says that while perception has changed, A-Rod is just being A-Rod. If that's the case, keep on doing what you're doing. I give the credit to Kate Hudson.

• Matsui's fans in Japan went wild according to the New York Times. Damon and Matsui headline the names of the biggest free agents from The Biz of Baseball. The New York Daily News wonders if the Yankees can let Matsui go after a performance like this in the World Series (I say: yes, absolutely). 

• Matsui got the best of Pedro in 2003, Pedro got the best of Matsui in 2004, and after Matsui got the best of Pedro in 2009, Pedro decided to act like a baby according to Amy K. Nelson. Maybe the New York Post's cover was appropriate after all.

• River Avenue Blues points out that a lot of people were wrong about Matsui, A-Rod and a lot of other things this baseball season. Funny to go back and see all those overreactions by people.

A few great recaps to take us home

• The Purist Bleeds Pinstripes posts pictures and tells the story from Blondies where Elliot Stabler made an appearance (!). Very upset I missed that one, though The Hill was a great crowd last night.

• LoHud has a slideshow with audio overlay. And in case our memories were short IIATMS points out the banner on the right is already up to remind us the Yankees did, indeed, win.

• And a great job by Big League Stew recapping the exchange between Joba and Harlan Chamberlain. Sometimes you get frustrated with Joba on the mound but when you see him and his dad together, it's hard not to get some emotion.

Thanks again for reading and following along and putting a smile on my face (John Sterling had a big part in that too). I will have pictures and stories from the parade route. One last thing to make you smile before I go: the Yankees are the 2009 champions.