Say, Mike Lupica, how 'bout them Yankees? Since they're finally playing the Red Sox, I figured you might actually watch the games:
"If you were at the Stadium on Thursday night, it was hard to tell whether Muhammad Ali was on the field to have the Yankees honor him or for him to honor the Yankees.
It all had something to do with Academy of Hospitality Services giving the Yankees its Six-Star Diamond Award and Legends Hospitality - I think they serve great food down near the field whether the seats are empty or not - getting a Five Star Award."
Whatever. What about the game?
"But aren't those the awards Al Pacino was trying to win for his casino in 'Ocean's 13'?"
Didn't see the movie. What about the game?
"It actually seemed like another one of those moments where the Yankees were celebrating the Yankees."
So what? Why don't you write another love letter to Theo Epstein?
Also, what about the game?
Did you watch the baseball game?
"Then, when it was all over, the Yankees surrounded Ali, and it was supposed to be more moving than all the All-Stars crowding around Ted Williams at Fenway that time."
It probably wasn't supposed to be more moving that that.
I'm sorry the Ali tribute did not move you, Mike Lupica.
Now, what about the game?
"If they want to give the champ a day, or a night, as a way of christening the new ballpark, fine with me.
Just not with some grand version of a supermarket opening."
Nice dig.
A chance to rip the Yankees for their pregame activities.
Say, did you even watch the game?
"The last time a regular season was declared over, finished, done after a tremendous extra-inning game at Yankee Stadium, was 2004.
Capt. Jeter did the face plant, Flash Flaherty finally won it with a hit into left, and the Red Sox were twice as far behind the Yankees as they were when A-Rod's ball landed in the seats this time.
Three months later they won it all."
"They" is the Red Sox in that last sentence.
Yes, we all remember when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. You remind us of it as often as you can.
Your boys Tito and Epstein couldn't have done it without some of that Curse-Breakin' Steroid Magic.
For the record, the regular season was not declared over after that game in July 2004 and the regular season was not declared over after Friday night's Yankee victory.
Also, even if the regular season was declared over, it wouldn't have any bearing on the postseason results.
So you are challenging an imaginary opposing viewpoint that not only never existed, but is non-existable.
"You don't play classic Yankee games in August, you play them in October."
Whatever, pal.
Your seething hatred of the Yankees is really a bit much.
If you're going to disrespect a 15-inning, 2-0 walkoff win (against the Red Sox, no less), then you simply don't enjoy baseball games. Which may explain why you fixate on the pregame ceremony and Al Pacino movies:
1) If you hate baseball so much, maybe you have the wrong job.
2) Why did you even go to the game? Just to complain about the pregame ceremony? Or did you think it was October?
3) Why did you write this article four days ago?:
"In so many ways, in a home season dominated as much by talk of ticket prices and empty seats and easy home runs, this is the first great moment of the new Stadium. We thought we might get that in May when the Red Sox got their first look at the place. We did not, not with the Yankees unable to get a game off the other guys. And really it was much too early for both teams, we didn't know how the season would look for either one of them, what the narrative would be this time around between Boston and New York.
But now we are more than 100 games into this. The Yankees have caught the Red Sox and passed them since the All-Star break. So this is a good time for the Yankees to show they have enough team to start changing the New York-Boston narrative back to the way it used to be before October of 2004. A good time for the Yankees to get at least three of four and bang around Boston's starters and Boston's relievers, maybe have somebody make the kind of swing for New York that Jason Bay made off Mo Rivera in the very first game the two teams played this season.
A good time to make it seem like old times around here. New park, old swagger."
I have an odd suspicion that you'd be cool with Friday's "classic" game if Ortiz or Pedroia or Youkilis had hit the game-winning homerun, rather than what's-his-name.
Actually, perhaps the best thing about an ARod walk-off HR vs. the Red Sox is that it deeply saddens Mike Lupica.
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