Lucky Youngsters
Posted by Steve Lombardi on October 5th, 2005 · Comments (14)
From October 3, 1995 through this coming Friday (10/7), the Yankees will have played 119 post-season games in the span of 120 months.
In the 167 months from October 29, 1981 through October 2, 1995, the Yankees played in no post-season games.
I wonder if Yankees fans, say, age 21 and younger realize just how fortunate they’ve had it during this run?
As a 23 year-old lifelong Yankees fan, I can say that I certainly appreciate the tremendous success that they have had. My only regret is that up until I went to college in 2000 I did not follow the regular season closely. I always watched the post-season, but I never got to experience the magic of that ‘98 regular season or any others.
They also can’t appreciate how crazy things used to be around here… Stein vs Winnie. Billy vs Stein. Bucky getting fired in Boston. The 1990 Season. The Dallas Green era. The Pine Tar Game…
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all bad; the 1985 AL East race, Donnie – Winnie for the batting title, Rickey Henderson in his prime, getting to watch Phil Niekro pitch…
Sure do.
It’s all me. I lived in the Hudson Valley during the dark years. Moved to Virginia in 1995. Since then I’ve lived in South Carolina and now Ohio. Naturally, I don’t get to visit The Stadium anymore.
I’m 24 and I definitely appreciate what the Yankees have done. My father has been telling me since ‘96 that we may never see another team and run like this. I know it has to end one day, but it’s been a huge priviledge to watch all this, and I hope it continues as long as it can.
Wait a minute, I thought that payroll = wins and postseason success?
SL, I love throwing your point about the 14 year postseason drought into the face of an RSN (or other) moron who complains that Yankees success is due to the high payroll.
Sh*t, I even heard people using the “it’s the payroll” fallacy when the Yanks won the division THIS YEAR.
Steve and I are around the same age, and of course we remember the 1965-1974 period too — which in some ways was worse than the 1980s (at least the 1980s had some great players). I used to read books about the great Yankee dynasties, and couldn’t believe that this was the same team that consistently finished 15-20 games behind Baltimore every year!
Paul – Actually, I got a late start – 1973. So, I was spared some of that. Man, 1965-72 was just brutal. (And, 1974 was not that bad!)
I can’t imagine how some fans today would have reacted to 65-72.
True, 74 wasn’t bad at all — my error.
Anyone born in the mid 70’s is in the same boat as those under 21…..years of misery until around 1993 and 1994 when you started to see signs of life.
whats more impressive- the Yankees run since 1995, or the Braves run of 14 straight divison titles?
The Braves. They’ve been doing it longer.
I teach middle school – grades 5-8. Half of the students (grades 5-6) have been born SINCE the Yankees started their postseason run; all of my students have no memory of the Yankees going home after game #162.
Man, I feel old.
First off, this site is a great read. As a Yankee fan on this side of the pond the net offers me my only opportunity to feed my Yankees hunger.
Other UK baseball supporters always have a bit of a dig at me for being a glory-boy, but I counter with the fact that the first Yankee game I ever went to 05-17-90, (retrosheet.org tells me we lost 4-1 to the Twins.)was part of a season where we went 67-95.
Anyway, keep up the good work. Unit goes tonight, another late one for me I think.
Thanks for the kind words Geyv!