Winning It All On An Anniversary

On November 4, 2001 one of the most exciting World Series ended with one of its most exciting games. Mariano Rivera walked off the mound as Luis Gonzalez infamous bloop landed. It was the only World Series to be played into November until this year. Eight years to the date later, Rivera and the Yankees have a chance to erase those memories and start a new chapter.

In some ways, this feels like 1996. The Yankees had a World Series drought and reached the World Series again in the first year of a new era. The Yankees easily handled the ALDS against the best hitter in the American League that season (Juan Gonzalez and Joe Mauer). The Yankees faced a familiar, tough foe in the ALCS and won that series with Andy Pettitte on the mound. And both years they faced the defending World Series champion, went down early, won big, dramatic games in the other team's park, and then came back home with a veteran lefty on the mound ready to close out the series.

I feel like all that is beckoning that tonight is the night. The night that Andy Pettitte starts, Jorge Posada catches, Derek Jeter hits, and Mariano Rivera closes--just like old times. The night Rivera gets over his postseason past and the Yankees start a new chapter. And the night that the Yankees win World Series #27. Let's hope that it's more than a feeling.

Some linkage:

• Some great stuff from around the blogosphere on Johnny Damon's amazing double steal. River Avenue Blues calls it "Jeterian" (sort of). Jayson Stark calls it "historical". Big League Stew calls it "instinctual".  Keith Olbermann calls it "the smartest play in World Series history". Can't Stop The Bleeding wonders if it's "the most incredible athletic feat in all of humankind".

• David Wells has had some great postseason moments as a member of the press from farting the on the TBS set to his New York Post columns. His two recent columns: Kate Hudson being a huge help for A-Rod and knocking down Chase Utley tonight. Boomer, I couldn't agree with you more.

• Buster Olney breaks down the key matchups for Game 6. Big League Stew says that Game 6s have not been kind to Andy Pettitte. Cole Hamels and Bretty Myers may or may not have a rift but Tyler Kepner puts it all in context. Yankees and Phillies fans go for worst behaved on the Daily Show. Jon Heyman wonders about Pettitte on short rest as does Newsday. Mike Lupica says that Girardi better be right about this move. RealClearSports says that Manuel made a mistake by starting Pedro twice and they really want to talk to him about his pitching plans. And Eduardo Perez writes for Baseball Tonight that the Phillies have the edge because Andy Pettitte is on the mound. I am very, very happy Perez wrote that because I don't think he's been right about one thing all season long.

• The New York Daily News says the Yankees need to win so that Mark Teixeira's nightmare can end. Ian O'Connor says that Tex needs to hit so that A-Rod can produce. I agree with Ian here; A-Rod has had way too many ABs where he was leading off an inning or they just never got to him during a rally because of Teixeira's struggles.

• I have no clue if anything Phil Mushnick wrote about Mike Francesca is true, but if it is, shame on you FatMan and you should resign. What is true, the Big Apple may have a "Jeter Bridge" according to the New York Post. This bridge would be best in the fall and have all the intangibles you look for in a bridge.

• Joel Sherman tweeted yesterday: "Tdy is Yanks' 16th offday since end reg sked (hv plyd 15 plyoff gms) Yanks' 16th reg-sea offdy (AS break included) was 9/17, 147Gs into sked". Wow. And with $1.8 million made per team, according to Darren Rovell, I don't think anyone on their side is complaining.

• Lastly, want to join the rest of the blogosphere in congratulating Shysterball's Craig Calcaterra on all his success and his latest decision. Quitting his day job to become a blogger makes him a hero amongst the rest of us who long to do just that. This blog started as a hobby at the beginning of the year, but I have found great love in doing it. Hopefully Craig can inspire me to follow his path.