Hideki Matsui, in what turned out to be his last game with the Yankees, drove in 6 runs, including hitting a home run, a blast, off a "blast from the past," Pedro Martinez. I don't think any Yankee homer -- not by Chris Chambliss, Reggie Jackson, Bucky Dent, Don Mattingly, Jim Leyritz, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Derek Jeter, even Aaron Boone -- has ever made me feel better, because of what Pedro the Punk represents.
Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, the holdovers from 2001, got their rings, Posada his 4th (his 5th title, though I don't think he got a ring for 1996), the others their 5th. For Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia, their 1st. And Pedro never appeared in another major league game.
The slates had been wiped clean. As Hank Steinbrenner requested, the universe had been restored to order.
But look at what has happened in the 10 years since Brian Cashman has made the Yankees his team, rather than George Steinbrenner's or Gene Michael's: No World Series wins, no Pennants, 4 losses in the ALCS, 2 losses in the ALDS, 1 loss in an AL Wild Card Game, and 3 seasons of missing the Playoffs completely.
Meanwhile, the despised Boston Red Sox have won 2 World Series, for 1 of them beating the Yankees in the ALDS, clinching at Yankee Stadium, along the way. And the Mets have won New York's most recent Pennant.
Those 2 facts are unacceptable.
Explain to me why Cashman still has a job.
It's been 10 years since the Yankees won a World Series, or even a Pennant. Ten years. How long has that been?
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Now that CC Sabathia has retired, Brett Gardner is the last player remaining from this team -- and he played for the Yankees in 2008 as well, making him also the last remaining player who played home games at the old Yankee Stadium.
The Red Sox have won 2 World Series, the San Francisco Giants 3, and the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals 1 each. The Giants hadn't won one in 56 years, since they were in New York. The Royals hadn't won one in 30 years. The Cubs hadn't won one in 108 years! The Astros had never won one, doing it in their 56th season. And the Nationals, formerly the Montreal Expos, had never won one, doing it in their 51st season.
Also in that span: In the NFL, the New Orleans Saints reached their 1st Super Bowl in 43 years of trying, and won it; the Seattle Seahawks won their 1st Super Bowl in 38 years of trying, including 1 previous failed appearance; and the Philadelphia Eagles won their 1st NFL Championship under any name in 57 years, including 2 Super Bowl defeats.
In the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks won their 1st Stanley Cup in 49 years, the Boston Bruins won their 1st Stanley Cup in 39 years, the Los Angeles Kings won their 1st Stanley Cup in 45 years of trying, the Washington Capitals won their 1st Stanley Cup in 44 years of trying, the St. Louis Blues won their 1st Stanley Cup in 52 years of trying, and the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights each reached their 1st Finals.
In the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks won their 1st title in 31 years of trying, the Golden State Warriors won their 1st title in 40 years, the Cleveland Cavaliers won their 1st title in 46 years of trying, and the Toronto Raptors won their 1st title in 24 years of trying.
The New York Giants, New York Jets, New Jersey Devils, Brooklyn Nets, New York Islanders, New York Red Bulls, Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons and Red Wings, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers have also moved into new buildings.
The St. Louis Rams and the San Diego Chargers have both moved back to Los Angeles, where they are building a new stadium. The Oakland Raiders have announced their move to Las Vegas, where they are also building a new stadium. Also building a new stadium are the Islanders (who used Brooklyn's Barclays Center only as a stopgap facility) and the Texas Rangers.
Baseball Hall-of-Fame players Robin Roberts, Bob Feller, Duke Snider, Harmon Killebrew, Gary Carter, Stan Musial, Ralph Kiner, Tony Gwynn, Yogi Berra, Monte Irvin, Jim Bunning, Bobby Doerr, Red Schoendienst, Willie McCovey and Frank Robinson have since died.
So have Hall-of-Fame managers Sparky Anderson, Dick Williams, Earl Weaver, Hall-of-Fame executive Lee MacPhail, Hall-of-Fame umpire Doug Harvey, and Hall-of-Fame broadcasters Dave Niehaus, Jerry Coleman, Lon Simmons, Felo Ramirez and Dick Enberg.
Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Kris Bryant, Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper, Gary Sanche, Michael Fullmer, Corey Seager, Clint Frazier and Carlos Correa were in high school. Gleyber Torres was 12 years old, Juan Soto 11, and Elvis Luciano, the 1st MLB player born in the 21st Century (2000 counts, not just 2001), was 9.
Current Yankee manager Aaron Boone was closing his player career, with, of all teams, the Houston Astros. Carlos Beltran, newly hired as manager of the Mets, was playing for them. Barry Trotz of the Islanders was the head coach of the Nashville Predators. David Quinn of the Rangers was the head coach of the minor-league Lake Erie Monsters.
Pat Shurmur of the Giants was the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. Adam Gase of the Jets was an assistant coach with the Denver Broncos. David Fizdale of the Knicks was an assistant coach with the Miami Heat. Kenny Atkinson of the Nets was an assistant coach with the Knicks. John Hynes of the Devils was an assistant coach with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Chris Armas of the Red Bulls was an assistant coach with the Chicago Fire. Domenec Torrent of NYCFC was an assistant coach at FC Barcelona. Katie Smith of the Liberty was playing for the Detroit Shock.
By beating the Phillies, the Yankees dethroned them as World Champions. The other titleholders were the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Heavyweight Champion of the World? According to the WBA, it was Nikolai Valuev. According to the WBC, it was Vitali Klitschko. According to the IBF and the WBO, it was Vitali's brother, Wladimir Klitschko.
Canada, Britain and Korea have since hosted the Olympic Games. South Africa has since hosted the World Cup. Brazil and Russia have since hosted both.
California, Oregon, Alaska, Washington State, Maine, Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado, Maryland, Vermont, Montana, Rhode Island, New Mexico and Michigan had legalized "medical marijuana." But no State had yet legalized it for recreational use. Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire had legalized same-sex marriage.
But, at least for a little while longer, the idea that corporations were "people," and entitled to the rights and protections thereof, was not merely absurd, but legally false. Six Justices then on the U.S. Supreme Court are still on it now: Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, John Roberts, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor.
The President of the United States was Barack Obama. George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, their wives, and the widows of Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford were still alive. The idea that Joe Biden, then the Vice President, could become President was understandable. The idea that Donald Trump could ever become President was ridiculous.
Mike Pence was a Congressman from Indiana, the 3rd-ranking Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bernie Sanders was an all-talk-no-action Senator. Elizabeth Warren was the Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel. Kamala Harris was the District Attorney of San Francisco.
The Governor of the State of New York was David Paterson. The Mayor of the City of New York, newly re-elected the day before, was Michael Bloomberg. The Governor of New Jersey was Jon Corzine, but, the day before, he had been defeated for re-election by Chris Christie, a former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.
Andrew Cuomo was the Attorney General of the State of New York, Bill de Blasio was a City Councilman who had just been elected Public Advocate and thus next in line for the Mayoralty, and Phil Murphy was the U.S. Ambassador to Germany.
The Pope was Benedict XVI. The current Pope, Francis, was then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The Prime Minister of Canada was Stephen Harper. The holder of the Nobel Peace Prize was about to be awarded to President Obama. There have since been 2 Presidents of the United States, 4 Prime Ministers of Britain, and 2 Popes.
There were still living veterans of World War I and the Mexican Revolution. There were still living people who had survived the sinkings of the RMS Lusitania, the SS Morro Castle, the SS Eastland, and the USS Juneau.
Manchester United had won England's Premier League, and Chelsea had won the FA Cup. Each would repeat this feat in the season recently begun.
The 2nd volume of Stieg Larsson's Millennium/Lisbeth Salander trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire, was published. So was the 2nd volume of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire. So was Nicholas Sparks'The Last Song, also made into a major motion picture. J.K. Rowling had completed her Harry Potter books, and the film version of the 6th one, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, premiered. George R.R. Martin was working on the 5th Song of Ice and Fire novel, A Dance With Dragons, and the TV version of Game of Thrones hadn't debuted yet.
Major films of the Autumn of 2009 included 2012, Precious, The Invention of Lying, A Serious Man, Zombieland, An Education, Saw VI, The Men Who Stare at Goats, The Young Victoria, Old Dogs, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, the animated Jim Carrey version of A Christmas Carol, a live-action version of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story Where the Wild Things Are, the football-themed film The Blind Side, and the film version of David Peace's novel about the struggle between English soccer managers Brian Clough and Don Revie (a struggle that, in real life, Revie didn't know existed), The Damned United.
Star Trek fans were reeling from J.J. Abrams'"Bad Reboot." George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were both still reeling from the backlash to their previous year's teamup, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Daniel Craig was into his tenure as James Bond, David Tennant into his as The Doctor, Tobey Maguire into his as Spider-Man, Christian Bale into his as Batman, Brandon Routh was the last live-action Superman, Edward Norton was the last live-action Hulk, and Adrienne Palicki was getting ready to play Wonder Woman.
The Number 1 song is America was "Fireflies" by Owl City. TV shows that had recently debuted included Modern Family, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Vampire Diaries, Archer, Community, The Good Wife, Cougar Town, The Middle and White Collar. Soon to premiere was Jersey Shore. No one had yet heard of Sarah Manning, Jane "Eleven" Hopper, or Special Agent Maggie Bell.
Louis Tomlinson, Diona Reasonover, Taylor Lautner, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Jack Gleeson, Ty Harmon, Selena Gomez, Hallie Eisenberg, Cole & Dylan Sprouse, Cara Delevingne, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Ezra Miller, Cardi B and Josh Hutcherson were all 17 years old. Tanner Scott Richardson, Trey Smith, Miley Cyrus, Nici Minaj, Zayn Malik, Halston Sage, Debby Ryan, Ariana Grande, Ally Broke, Liam Pain, Niall Noran and Molly Quinn were 16. Julia Michaels, Meghan Trainor, Harry Styles, Dakota Fanning, Justin Bieber, Saoirse Ronan and Halsey were 15. Gigi Hadid, Ireland Baldwin and Kendall Jenner were 14.
Timothee Chalamet, Sasha Pieterse, Sophie Turner, Abigail Breslin, Katherine Langford, Normani Kordei, Tom Holland, Lauren Jauregi, Zendaya and Bella Hadid were 13. Lorde, Hailey Baldwin, Hailee Steinfeld, Dylan Minnette, Chloe Grace Moretz, Camila Cabello, Maisie Williams, Dinah Jane, Kylie Jenner, Dean-Charles Chapman and Bella Thorne were 12. The McCaughey Septuplets, Aimee Richardson, Ariel Winter, Jaden Smith, Rico Rodrigue, Amandla Stenberg and Nolan Gould were 11. Isaac Hempstead Wright was 10.
Noah Cyrus, Jackie Evancho, Dylan Douglas, Frankie Jonas and Willow Smith were 9. Maddox Jolie-Pitt and Rowan Blanchard were 8. Carys Douglas and Quvenzhane Wallis were 6. Aubrey Anderson-Emmons was 2.
Inflation was such that what $1.00 bought then, $1.19 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 44 cents, and a New York Subway ride $2.25. The average price of a gallon of gas was $2.40, a cup of coffee $2.60, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries, shake) $6.27, a movie ticket $7.52, a new car $23,252, and a new house $272,900. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that day at 9,802.14.
Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan was still the tallest building in the world, but was about to be surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Nintendo Wii was the leading home video game system. Pinterest, Instagram and the iPad had yet to make their debut. Vine has since come and gone.
In the Autumn of 2009, most of the world was still dealing with the effects of the economic crash of the year before. The Republic of Ireland voted to enter the European Union. Robert Enke, goalkeeper for German soccer team Hannover 96, committed suicide at age 32 by jumping in front of a train. There was a political demonstration in the African nation of Guinea that resulted in the army's massacre, killing 157 people. An earthquake in Indonesia killed over 1,100. An attack on journalists in the Philippines left 58 dead. And a series of terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Iraq killed nearly 300 people.
Al Martino, and Soupy Sales, and Tommy Henrich died. Basketball prodigy Samaya Clark-Gabriel was born 34 days before, and the 1st of Kris Jenner's grandchildren, Kourtney Kardashian's son Mason Disick, was born 20 days after.
November 4, 2009. The New York Yankees won the World Series for the 27th time, having won the American League Pennant for the 40th time.
Their fans are still waiting for Pennant 41 and Title 28. There have been reasons to hope for them in the 10 years since, but they haven't come.
I fear they won't come as long as Brian Cashman is the Yankees' general manager.