2013 Major League Baseball: World Series- Boston Red Sox vs St. Louis Cardinals

Heh, enjoy it boys.

Meanwhile, goodbye Mariano. We will desperately miss you.

Excellent image, Kush.

I'm no Yankees fan, but Mariano's exit was awesome to watch. You couldn't help but look at those shots of Jeter in the dugout and wonder what he was thinking.

That was a classy goodbye ceremony. I'm also glad Michael Kay shut up during the whole thing.

Where from here? It's hard to comprehend the stark reality of who the Yankees are now that the Core-4 are all but gone. The period after a 5-Championship dynasty is most certainly going to feel hollow and empty. It will definitely take a few years for Yankees fans to dig their feet in and start to pay full attention to the rebuilding of the franchise and farm system. It's not a fair weather fan sort of thing but more of a reflection on just how special the past 18 years have been. It's going to be especially interesting to see how younger fans who have only known success will deal with it. Those of us who suffered through the 80's are not looking forward to a return to the yawnstipating mediocrity but it's a pill that will go down a hell of a lot easier after witnessing 5 championships and arguably the best baseball team ever in the 1998 Yankees.

Four Championships in five years isn't supposed to happen in sports anymore. With free agency, player unions, and a far more balanced equity system than in years past it's near impossible to retain the core of a team for so long. Sure the Yankees owe a lot of it to no salary cap but nearly all of the Core-4, at some point during renegotiating their contracts, agreed to creative contracts and deferred money in order to make the money work and stay with the Yankees. I think that was the biggest take home from those guys; they all were team players through and through and it speaks to their character at how they are received not only by fans but by other players and other teams fans. What could anyone possibly have bad to say (that isn't empty rhetoric, appeals to emotion, or tawdry jealousy) about Jeter, Mariano, Pettite, Bernie Williams, and Posada? I think it absolutely kills people, and it's evident in this thread, that the Yankees had so much success and with the core group of players at the center of those championships, it was done the right way. I'll never understand such seething hatred for accomplishment but then again I don't hate the Red Sox.

Great words FSeven. I grew up watching the Core-4 Yanks with my grandfather. Now it looks like he is going to die this year and the Yankees are starting their rebuilding with some key retirements. Definitely an emotionally charged baseball moment for me. Some fun stats:

1,173 Strikeouts
MLB Record 652 Saves
Yankees Win Percentage when they were ahead with Mariano Rivera entering the game: .950.

Truly a great player and a great guy.

Gotta love the Core-4 stuff being brought up. It's like a sly way of implying that it's not the money Yankees spend, but their commitment to developing players. It's a cool way to ignore the ease in which the Core-4 have been retained, and the ease with which the Yankees have continually added to them.

This is pretty much why people dislike Yankee fans more than the team.

Jayhawker wrote:

Gotta love the Core-4 stuff being brought up. It's like a sly way of implying that it's not the money Yankees spend, but their commitment to developing players. It's a cool way to ignore the ease in which the Core-4 have been retained, and the ease with which the Yankees have continually added to them.

This is pretty much why people dislike Yankee fans more than the team.

/agreed

The point is they have the money to keep those guys! Look at all the great core guys that LEAVE their 1st team because the Yanks or other high market teams pay them a boatload of money to leave. If you can't admit that they would not have the rest of those players or keep the core players because of money then..?

Dammit. Rays lose, 7 game winning streak stopped.

Cleveland up 7-1 in the 5th. Looks like we might have a tie for the wild card tonight.

Bitter Jays fan mini-rant incoming: After all of your jubilant posts lately, Stele, I'm really happy that my Blue Jays are doing their best to play stopper for the Rays. Another loss for you guys this afternoon. =P

Yeah this is awful.

Texas won too.

Rays and Rangers tied for wild card now.

Cleveland up 5-1 in the 6th.

The Cards are rolling and have a decent shot at taking the best record in the NL. With their rookie pitchers, more home games is better than putting them on the road, so it's worth picking up. They have home field for the first round already, but getting the best record also lines them up against Pittsburgh or Cincy instead of LA in the first round. At least the Cards are winning out to give themselves a shot.

They rolled the Cubs 7-0 last night, and are up 6-0 today. They need a Braves loss, though, as Atlanta took the season series 4-3. Right now they are ties with Atlanta.

My favorite AL team has been Texas since Nolan Ryan got involved, so its fun to see them finally start winning. Should be an exciting final day of the season.

AndrewA wrote:

Bitter Jays fan mini-rant incoming: After all of your jubilant posts lately, Stele, I'm really happy that my Blue Jays are doing their best to play stopper for the Rays. Another loss for you guys this afternoon. =P

/dislike

karmajay wrote:
AndrewA wrote:

Bitter Jays fan mini-rant incoming: After all of your jubilant posts lately, Stele, I'm really happy that my Blue Jays are doing their best to play stopper for the Rays. Another loss for you guys this afternoon. =P

/dislike

Hey.... when your team was favored to win the Galactic Baseball Championship during the preseason, and you end up as one of the worst teams in the league, playing the spoiler is all you can hang on to and cheer for. And really.... the Rays. Ugh.

AndrewA wrote:
karmajay wrote:
AndrewA wrote:

Bitter Jays fan mini-rant incoming: After all of your jubilant posts lately, Stele, I'm really happy that my Blue Jays are doing their best to play stopper for the Rays. Another loss for you guys this afternoon. =P

/dislike

Hey.... when your team was favored to win the Galactic Baseball Championship during the preseason, and you end up as one of the worst teams in the league, playing the spoiler is all you can hang on to and cheer for. And really.... the Rays. Ugh.

haha why the hate on the Rays? They aren't the Red Sox or Yankees! Unless it is hate due to us beating you a bunch. (this should be worded as changing our losing ways but then the next sentence doesn't make sense) I totally understand that. It is one of the big reasons I hate the Eagles so much, beating us in the playoffs a few years in a row before we stomped our superbowl year.

Maybe he's just one of those fans that hates everyone in their division?

Personally I just hate the Yankees and Red Sox. I kind of enjoyed Baltimore having a good year last season.

6 runs in the first. Rays answering the bell today.

Well, the Ray won. I guess if Texas wins there will be a one game match fro the 2nd wild card spot?

The Rays almost managed to squander that lead though. Fitting that the Jays end on a loss though.

As for why I hate the Rays: they consistently beat the crap out of the Jays.... especially down in Tampa.

karmajay wrote:

Well, the Ray won. I guess if Texas wins there will be a one game match fro the 2nd wild card spot?

Yep. Texas up 6-2 in the 9th.

And I think it's @Texas tomorrow, since the Rays lost the season series 4-3. That last lost to Texas 10 days ago or so really hurt.

Well there we go. 8:07 eastern, Mon night, on TBS.

Game 163!

Go Rays!

So we basically get single elimination games Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. I'll take it!

I just wish these games started earlier than 8:07pm. With the slow pace of playoff baseball, it'll be late nights and highly caffeinated mornings for me throughout the playoffs.

karmajay wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Gotta love the Core-4 stuff being brought up. It's like a sly way of implying that it's not the money Yankees spend, but their commitment to developing players. It's a cool way to ignore the ease in which the Core-4 have been retained, and the ease with which the Yankees have continually added to them.

This is pretty much why people dislike Yankee fans more than the team.

/agreed

The point is they have the money to keep those guys! Look at all the great core guys that LEAVE their 1st team because the Yanks or other high market teams pay them a boatload of money to leave. If you can't admit that they would not have the rest of those players or keep the core players because of money then..?

One of the most underrated parts of being a Yankee fan is the hateration. I like to immerse myself in its rich, life-giving powers.

Prederick wrote:
karmajay wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Gotta love the Core-4 stuff being brought up. It's like a sly way of implying that it's not the money Yankees spend, but their commitment to developing players. It's a cool way to ignore the ease in which the Core-4 have been retained, and the ease with which the Yankees have continually added to them.

This is pretty much why people dislike Yankee fans more than the team.

/agreed

The point is they have the money to keep those guys! Look at all the great core guys that LEAVE their 1st team because the Yanks or other high market teams pay them a boatload of money to leave. If you can't admit that they would not have the rest of those players or keep the core players because of money then..?

One of the most underrated parts of being a Yankee fan is the hateration. I like to immerse myself in its rich, life-giving powers.

Ahhh yes...now I know how Lo Pan felt.

IMAGE(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aMK55X7Czx0/UV2zEdwRoAI/AAAAAAAAAGU/ZU6BCzsQX5E/s760/lopan.jpg)

Yes! 1-0 Rays through the first. Good start.

Evan, doing Longoria-ish things.

A bit irritated Cruz is playing but I guess it is the rules so I can't argue.

Kind of like that year they were bankrupt and MLB was managing them and somehow they were able to sign Cliff Lee.

Anyway, I'm having trouble watching the game due to the suspense! hehe

karmajay wrote:

Anyway, I'm having trouble watching the game due to the suspense! hehe

Yeah this elimination baseball is intense. Every pitch I'm anxious.

2 extra umpires and no one sees that sh*t?

Run stolen from the Rays, plus the inning should have still been going.

f*cking baseball. Should have had replay years ago.

EDIT: gif...

IMAGE(http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3317281/badcall163_medium.gif)

Woohoo! David Price complete game! Go Rays!

To Cleveland!

Congrats to the Rays. Great game all around. Cruz made the final out. That's a shame.

FSeven wrote:
Prederick wrote:
karmajay wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Gotta love the Core-4 stuff being brought up. It's like a sly way of implying that it's not the money Yankees spend, but their commitment to developing players. It's a cool way to ignore the ease in which the Core-4 have been retained, and the ease with which the Yankees have continually added to them.

This is pretty much why people dislike Yankee fans more than the team.

/agreed

The point is they have the money to keep those guys! Look at all the great core guys that LEAVE their 1st team because the Yanks or other high market teams pay them a boatload of money to leave. If you can't admit that they would not have the rest of those players or keep the core players because of money then..?

One of the most underrated parts of being a Yankee fan is the hateration. I like to immerse myself in its rich, life-giving powers.

Ahhh yes...now I know how Lo Pan felt.

IMAGE(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aMK55X7Czx0/UV2zEdwRoAI/AAAAAAAAAGU/ZU6BCzsQX5E/s760/lopan.jpg)

For thus pic to be accurate, it needs to have a Yankee cap on and money flying out of his mouth!

Also, go rays! Tired, i was amped the while game!