Read the arguments from Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek about which champion they believe was the was best in 2009.
The New York Yankees are polarizing, either you love them or hate them. There never seems to be much grey area. It is because of the extreme nature surrounding the team that it becomes hard for many non-Yankee fans to acknowledge the Yanks’ accomplishments. The 2009 season was an important one for the Yankees, whose legacy was in a state of flux after changing stadiums, restructuring the pitching staff, and dealing with missing the playoffs for the first time in a very long time. The Yankees stood on the precipice of losing some of their mystique, but in the end the Bronx Bombers came through in the clutch the way they always seem to. They won their 27th World Series Championship, making them arguably the most successful sports franchise of all time. This season’s championship was important for many more reasons that the obvious record connected with the number 27.
The most poignant aspect of the New York Yankees World Series championship was the fact that the team was able to win one for the boss – George Steinbrenner. The hardest boss to work for in baseball is in failing health, and the team wanted to win at least one more for Mr. Steinbrenner. With the team under the direction of his sons – Hank and Hal Steinbrenner – the Yankees set out to make the big guy proud. In a “win one for the Gipper” fashion the Yankees marched to victory and made sure their boss was celebrated almost as much as the actual title. Joe Girardi, Johnny Damon, and others evoked the name of Mr. Steinbrenner during post game interviews, and expressed gratitude to him for the many years of service that made their collective dream a reality. Whether you are a Yankees fan or not, saluting a hero so important with the success of the franchise, and baseball in general, is usually an inspiration. The Yankees did honor one of their heroes by winning a championship this season.
The Yankees’ journey to the championship was not an easy one. Sure every Yankees hater will argue that winning comes easy for the Yankees because they just buy victories, but that was certainly not the case this season. Much like the tumultuous scene of the 1970s, the Bronx was burning in 2009. The heat was definitely on Joe Girardi and the boys to prove they could win. After being unseated from their perennial playoff perch in 2008, a great deal of uncertainty surrounded the future of the coaching staff, many players, and tradition of the franchise. The acquisition of perhaps the top three free agents – C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixiera – was both a blessing and a curse for the Yankees. It put the team in a position to win, but it also raised already heightened expectations for a team that sets out every single season to bring home the World Series championship. This pressure became almost palpable when Sabathia struggled early on in the season and the team was bested by the Red Sox eight consecutive times. Had the free agents been busts, I seriously doubt critics would have pitied the Yankees or even blamed the free agents.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt the most significant aspect of the Yankees’ accomplishment this year was the perpetuation of one of the greatest legacies in sports. Yankee Stadium has always been the cathedral of baseball. Many describe it as sports’ Mecca. So much baseball lore surrounded the hallowed grounds of the old stadium, which was the haunting grounds of Babe Ruth and other Yankee legends. There was a genuine sense of urgency in many around baseball that if the Yankees failed to be successful in their new home, they would have lost some of their storied tradition and legacy. In an unrehearsed speech concluding the final game in Yankee Stadium last season Derek Jeter said, “The great thing about memories is that you are able to pass them along from generation to generation. And although things are gonna change next year… there are a few things with the New York Yankees that never change – that’s pride, it’s tradition, and most of all, we have the greatest fans in the world.” Winning was an important part of maintaining the rich tradition that Jeter spoke about, and winning the championship was the best way to maintain that legacy. In a fashion fitting only for the Yankees, they won the World Series at home in the Bronx just like they did some 86 years earlier when they won it all in 1923. The Bombers had an enormous amount of pressure on them to succeed in one of the most challenging of times (i.e. following the first absence from the playoffs in 13 years, the departure of one of the all time winningest coaches, and cast of new faces that may not have gelled). Despite the hackneyed cries of detractors that the team “bought the title,” the Yankees overcame the enormous obstacles and pressures to protect and perpetuate their legacy for perhaps another century to come.
