May 23, 2021: Welcome to the 2000s

We’ve made it, into the 3rd century of baseball; welcome to the 2000s! As my viewing of the Baseball Seasons episodes continues, we enter the new century. As the years have went on, I’ve liked the show a little less each time; this one was no different.

Earlier in the 60s, 70s, and even in the 80s, the show had more stories. The focus would be on the storylines throughout the year. Lately, they’d start off with the World Series Champs, and really focus only on the playoffs that year. Before, you wouldn’t necessarily know who would win it all, and although there would be plenty of attention on the postseason, rightfully so, there was a lot more “meat on the bones” to digest during the ups and downs of the 162 game regular season. This is the true beauty of baseball. I try to explain this to my son. Baseball is a game of failure. The best teams will lose 60x during the regular season. The best hitters will only get hits 3x in 10 ABs. Baseball, like life, is about dealing with these failures. It’s about how you fare through the long haul. And yes, although baseball like any sport, is about that champion every year, it’s that journey, navigating through the long season, to me, that is really what it’s all about. It’s this journey that was so well told in the earlier episodes; it’s this journey that has been lacking in the last few.

2000 was a great year for baseball though. An all New York World Series was really, really cool. It’s especially cool because we live in a town with 2 baseball teams. The way the city of New York reacted when both of their teams made it to the final series… can you imagine how Chicago would react if the Cubs and Sox met for it all? With the Cubs in their golden era, we were waiting for the Sox to get their act together. Now that the Sox appear to have their act together, the Cubs are on the downslide? Well, that’s the rumor. There’s still 100+ games left in the 2021 season that will tell that story.

But back to 2000 and the Subway Series. Normally, I hate teams, other than my teams, that have a lot of success. Enough is enough. I don’t like seeing any other team win too much. The Yankees fit that description to a tee. 27 World Series titles; I should hate these guys. And although I did enjoy seeing them lose the following year in 2001, I actually didn’t mind these Yankees, who after beating the Mets in 2000 won their 3rd straight World Series title. Roger Clemens was always one of my favorite pitchers. I wasn’t necessarily a Derek Jeter fan, but I did like Bernie Williams. The Yankees were loaded, and unlike the other loaded team of the time, the Atlanta Braves, the Yankees made the most of their postseason appearances.

After their 26th World Series title in 2000, the Yankees would win their 27th nine years later in 2009. That is where they sit today. Meanwhile, I had to wait 40 years to see the Cubs win the first in my lifetime, their 3rd all time. 24 World Series titles separate the 2 franchises; the Yankees success dwarfs pretty much all other franchises. Only one other franchise, of course the Cardinals, have double digit titles with 11. The Cubs are actually tied for 10th, including with the other team in Chicago, with the most World Series titles at 3. It’d be nice to add to that total; I’d be OK with the Yankees, and most definitely the Cardinals, never winning it all again. Speaking of the Cardinals, the rubber game with the Cubs is tonight in St. Louis. I’ll be watching.