Young Yankees fans are building a catalog of stories from this season. Their stories will rival the ones their Dad tells them about the teams he saw…
No doubt, young Yankees fans have heard from their Dad the stories about those teams he saw at the old Yankee Stadium. The one about the time Mickey Mantle, on a ball Joe DiMaggio should have caught, got jammed up by a drain in the outfield, causing damage to his knee that plagued Mantle for the rest of his career.
About the time when Derek Jeter went racing out to field a foul ball from his shortstop position, diving headfirst into the stands, and then emerging bloodied but with the ball in his glove.
Or about the times Yankee Stadium shook with excitement and drama as “Enter Sandman” by Metallica was blasted over the speakers as Mariano Rivera strolled in from the bullpen, set to record another save.
These young Yankees fans listen closely to their Dad, they watch the videos, and they catch some of the passion emanating from their Dad as he tells the stories from their seats in the stands, and on the drive to the ballpark.
Young Yankees Fans Will Have Stories To Tell Too
But it’s not the same as what these young Yankees fans are witnessing this season. Oh, they’ll have plenty of stories to tell their children too.
By then, will they look as “old” to their kids as their Dad does wearing a #5 Dimaggio jersey (photo above) when they don their worn out #99 Aaron Judge shirt, standing next to their son who is wearing a jersey with a name and number no one can forecast?
A torch is being lit this season by the 2019 Yankees. It’s set to be passed from these young Yankees fans to the next generation. It’s a Yankees thing. And no one else can understand.
The stories are many and varied. Young Yankees fans might begin with one that’s freshest in their memory, catalog it in their long-term memory, to be related decades later.
Like the time the 2019 Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays on two successive nights by first blowing a lead that sent the games into extra innings. And how the Yankees came storming back to score not one run to win, not, two, not three, but four and five runs in one inning to put the games away.
And how the Yankees All-Star catcher, Gary Sanchez, crushed a mammoth 461 ft. three-run homer to ice one of the games. And how the Yankees MVP of the season, DJ LeMahieu, dribbled a ball to the left side of the infield to score two runs with the bases loaded. And how Aroldis Chapman, another 2019 All-Star, came on to record the save in both games.
These young Yankees fans will struggle with a tall tale about the 2019 Yankees losing the ace of their starting staff, not one but two of their top power guys, their set-up man in the bullpen, their shortstop – and still, with all those injuries, the team found ways to win and to remain on top of a tough AL East Division.
In a game of Trivia with their kids, these young Yankees fans will ask who was the Yankee’s third baseman to come out of nowhere to hit .300 for the team in 2019. And what was the name of the Yankee’s first baseman that year? The story of how Gio Urshela and Luke Voit came to the Yankees will follow. And how Yankee fans would loudly cheer, V-o-o-oo whenever Voit came to bat.
Oh, the stories that will be told.
We can appreciate past Yankees history. But we cannot relive it, even when relayed by someone we trust dearly. Aaron Judge will one day be Mickey Mantle in the eyes and soul of a future generation.
The M & M boys sure were something in ’61, weren’t they? Yes, they were. And so is this version of the Yankees we’re seeing now in 2019. Young Yankees fans are being treated to something special. Collect those memories. Store them in a safe place.
Just like your Dad, you’ll want to pass your tales and stories on to the next generation of young Yankees fans. It’s a Yankees thing. No one else can understand…
Story Updated 7/9/2019 6:15 a.m. EST
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Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
