Maybe I’ll finally get to see a Yankee ticker tape parade again. Let me explain.
I was born and raised in New Jersey, and when the Yankees won it all in 1978, my father took my sister and me out of school that day to go see the ticker tape parade in person. Sister Claire, my Catholic school’s principal, agreed to let my father do this, but said it was a one-time thing; he couldn’t take us out of class for the next year’s parade.
You know what happened next, of course. There were no ticker tape parades from that year until 1996. I was at the last playoff game the Yankees won then – Game 2 of the 1981 World Series – but nobody then thought it would be 14 long years before they made the playoffs again, and 15 until another title.
And by that time, I was living in Texas, so I missed being in the city from 1996 until 1999. But I moved back to the New York area in October 2000, just in time to see the Yankees beat the Mets in the World Series. However, I didn’t get to see the parade then, either. I tried to go to the ticker tape parade with some family members, but we didn’t get there early enough – the parade route was so packed, we never got to see anything. But I thought to myself, I’ll get to see it next time.
Little did I know that it would be another nine long years before the Yankees won again. Lots of pain in those seasons. The Yankees really should have won a title or two, but it was not to be.
That’s why this year feels as good as 1996. After all the misery and disappointments after 2000, it’s a thrill to see the Yankees finally vanquish their October (or is that November?) demons and win it all.
So now the Yankees are on top again. I will break down my thoughts on last night’s game – and celebration – later today. But in the meantime, I just wanted to say that I will be waiting for that tickertape parade bright and early Friday morning.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
