Never Happy for the NYY...(Sorry for NYY Fans)
| |||||||||||||
That was the sentiment in the Yankees' clubhouse on Thursday night, where champagne-covered players talked about the thrill of winning the American League East title in one breath, quickly adding that it was just the first of four goals they have this season.
New York earned its seventh consecutive AL East crown on Thursday, thanks to a walk-off homer by Bernie Williams. With the win, the Yankees will have home-field advantage throughout the postseason, so the road to the World Series will go through Yankee Stadium if the Bronx Bombers have something to say about it.
"Each celebration gets bigger and sweeter. It's step one, but it's an important step," said Alex Rodriguez, who returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2000. "We have home-field advantage, and even after all of the doubts, all of the things that have been said about this team, we've overcome a lot of stuff."
Those doubts included six early-season losses to Boston, as well as a late-season charge by the Red Sox, who slashed the lead from 10 1/2 games to just 2 1/2 over the past six weeks.
"Circumstances were tough, but what gets you through this is the players. They pull for each other," said manager Joe Torre. "The things that happened early in the year, getting roughed up by the Red Sox, good things came out of it. My firm belief is that you find out how good you are when bad things happen."
With injuries to several key players, most notably pitchers Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown, the Yankees managed to post their third consecutive 100-win season, securing the best record in the AL once again.
"It's a lot of work," said Jeter, still dripping of champagne. "Six months, plus Spring Training, you have one goal, which is to win the division. It's always worthwhile."
"I know these guys have won seven in a row, but this was a unique year for us," Rodriguez added. "We've been through a lot of adversity, and everyone jumped off our bandwagon when the lead went from 10 1/2 to 2 1/2. We fought long and hard for this, showing the character this team has."
Now, the Yankees can rest some regulars this weekend and get themselves prepared for the grind of October. The fun starts Tuesday, when they will take on the A's, Twins or Angels in Game 1 of the Division Series.
"I like the attitude of the guys, which is that this was just the first step," said Tony Clark. "You appreciate it, you enjoy it, but we know there's work left to be done. The ultimate goal is to be the last team standing."
Mark Feinsand is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20041001&content_id=877449&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp