World Series Game Six

Marlins win World Series in six, Mike owes Scott the new Belle & Sebastian album.

.

You could see the writing on the wall Thursday night. Despite an amazing top of the ninth comeback by the Yankees in Game 4, the Marlins still went on to win the game in extra innings. The moment I knew the Yankees were not going to win this World Series was when Jeff Weaver came out to pitch in the 12th inning of that game. Weaver, who was awful all regular-season, and had not featured until this point in the post season as a result, gave up the winning homerun to some clown who had gone 0-for the century or something like that. It was then that I realized, 2003 was the year of the Floridians.

Things started out so well in the beginning of the year, when the Buckeyes of “The” Ohio State University finally put the University of Miami Hurricanes where the whole country wanted them -in the loss column - with an amazing win in the Fiesta Bowl. However, the promise of early January soon gave way to a darker reality, one foreshadowed by the 2000 Presidential election and the popularity of Grand Theft Auto, Vice City. It took only a few weeks for the land of Disney and Jeb Bush to re-assert it’s unworthy influence on the nation, when the faux-Oakland Raiders - the Tampon Bay Buccaneers - beat the real Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl.

It continued in the spring when the Tampon Bay Lightning won the division title in the Southeast, arguably the NHL’s weakest division. The “Bolts” went on to advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, losing only to eventual Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils, but still having a better season than the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders.

In late summer, the Philadelphia Phillies surrendered a good-sized lead in the National League Wild Card race, and then fell flat on their faces in a set of home and home series against the Marlins. Clinching the Wild Card was all the chance the Marlins needed. They went on beat the San Francisco Giants in the first round by not pitching to Barry Bonds, then paid off Steve Bartman in order to beat the Chicago Cubs for the National League pennant.

I was absolutely exhausted after the Yankees vs. Red Sox series, so I can only imagine how the players must have felt. Mentally, emotionally, and physically drained after fighting tooth and nail with their greatest rivals, they now had the unenviable task of playing Goliath to the completely unlikeable Davids of Florida. Florida’s slingshot took the form of the sneering, cocky Josh Beckett, who’s in desperate need of having that smirk wiped from his face.

Last night undoubtedly saw the end of an era in the Bronx. It’s sad to say, but still highly likely, that we’ve probably seen the last of Mel Stottlemeyer, Don Zimmer, and Lee Mazilli on the Yankee coaching staff. And if that’s the case, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Joe Torre call it quits. It would be a tragic end to an amazing run, and I for one hope cooler heads prevail. With George Steinbrenner at the helm cool heads seem to be woefully absent in the Yankee front office, and this winter is shaping up to the be the worst in the Bronx since 1981.

There can be only one good outcome from all of this…

The last time the Yankees lost in the World Series, Arsenal went on to win the Double. Let’s hope that history repeats itself.

- COME ON YOU GUNNERS!