Over at River Ave Blues, our friends have come up with a series outlining the Yankees’ 10 best pitching performances and hits of the 2009 regular season.

Since I lack a single original bone in body body, I thought I’d come up with a similar list–except, of course, for the postseason, and one that combines hits, pitches and all-out instincts.  See if you agree or disagree–comments are always welcome!

10: Jeterian:  In the grand scheme of things, Derek Jeter’s ALDS game one game-tying home run may go unnoticed.  In a game the Yankees ended up winning by a comfortable margin, Jeter’s hit came relatively early, thus it perhaps lacks the drama of some of the later moments.

Still, until that hit, the Yankees were trailing the Twins, and the feeling of “oh no, not again…” was rampant–after all, these were Yankees that still hadn’t won a playoff series since 2004.

9: Pettitte Pizazz With his team down 3-0 in game three of a deadlocked World Series, the Yankees were in serious danger of going down in the World Series two games to one while on the road.  The Yankees, however, got help from an unlikely source–Pettitte himself, who blooped a single off of Cole Hamels that scored the game tying run.  The Yankees never looked back, taking a lead in the game (and in the series) that they would not relinquish.

8: Fundamentals 2, Angels 0 It’s one thing to win on a walk-off, another to win because of the other team’s miscues, and still yet another to do both of these in an ALCS game.  Helped by an unseasonably cold and wet night, Jerry Hairston Jr. helped the Yankees do just that–scoring after the Angels’ second baseman botched what could have been a double play ball–and the Yankees took a commanding two games-to-none series lead.

7: Halloween Hijinks Pettitte’s game-tying hit in Game Three of the World Series would have gone for naught had it not been for what happened almost immediately beforehand.  Alex Rodriguez (who else?) hit a long fly ball that looked, on first glance, as though it bounced off of the top of the wall in right field for a long double.  His teammates, however, saw differently:  the ball actually hit a camera that was hanging over the fence, and would have likely gone into the stand otherwise.  After a brief protest, the umpires conferred, watched the first-ever World Series replay, and issued their ruling:  two-run home run.

6: David Robertson, Miracle Worker Although A-Rod’s game-tying home run in Game 2 of the ALDS (see below) may have been the biggest moment at the New Yankee Stadium at that point, the home run did, alas, only tie the game.  Thus, as the Yankees proceeded to extra innings and Girardi burned reliever after reliever, he was eventually left to call upon David Robertson to come in and do the impossible:  get out of a two men on, no one out situation without giving up a run.

Robertson did not help his own cause at first–allowing a base hit–but the ball was hit so hard that Minnesota could not score, and instead was left with the bases loaded (and still no one out).  Let the miracle begin:  a line-out to Teixeira, a ground ball hit hard enough for Teixeira to make the out at home, and a lazy fly ball to center field.  The Yankees won the game in the bottom of the same inning.

5:  CC, completely in control Heading into the postseason, one of the biggest question marks the Yankees had was the ability of Sabathia to pitch on rest as short as three days–he had done so in Milwaukee, but done so so often in September that there was nothing in the tank in October.

Yankee fans, however, needn’t have worried.  Sabathia excelled on short rest–and perhaps not more so than in game four of the ALCS, which the Yankees would win 10-1.  Sabathia allowed just five hits over eight innings, and the not-so-hidden benefit of his dominant performance was that the Yankees were able to employ a ready and rested bullpen in the wake of a poor performance from AJ Burnett in Game Five.

4:  Matsui go Boom–The only thought going into Game Six of the World Series for Yankee fans (and one presumes the Yankees) was simple:  don’t go to Game Seven.  No one, it seems, heeded that call more than designated hitter Hideki Matsui, who got to work quickly, with a two run home run, two run single and two run double.  The six RBI night was enough to crown Matsui World Series MVP in a series with no clear-cut winner–and as far away as crowded bars in Manhattan, you could hear the chants of MVP! MVP! reverberating just as Matsui’s double (and RBI 5 and 6) landed, missing being a second home run by only a little.  Godzilla, indeed.

3:  Johnny Damon takes the 2-1 special: Keith Olbermann called this the smartest play in World Series history, and while you may debate this, the fact is that this play illustrates why sabermetrics, though important, cannot be the be all and end all–that an acute awareness for one’s surroundings can be as, if not more, important.

In the ninth inning of a tie game on the road, with two out and Phil Coke (!) warming in the bullpen, Johnny Damon worked a miracle at-bat against Brad Lidge, finally singling after what seemed to be an eternity.  Then, with Teixeira at bat, the Phillies over-shifted–something of perhaps little consequence in a regular season game, but made all the difference in this situation.  After stealing second base, Damon noticed that no one was covering third base–so he took it.  The decision, which had to be made in hundredths of a second, meant that if successful, Damon could score as easily on a passed ball or wild pitch as on a base hit.

2:  AJ and an Empire State of Mind AJ’s postseason can be explained very simply:  when he pitched at home he was great; when he pitched on the road he was awful.  Fortunately for the Yankees, his most important pitching performance came at home–Game Two of the World Series.  After having being beat soundly by Cliff Lee in Game One of the Series (which many Yankee fans will tell you did not feel like Game One of the World Series), the Yankees were at risk of going down two games to none, and then having to go to Philadelphia to try to salvage the series.

Philadelphia’s surprising Game Two starter–Pedro Martinez–pitched better than most expected, but it was Burnett who had the endurance to outlast him.  Burnett went seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits–and impressively (for Burnett) walked just two.  In a game that the Yankees won by a low score of 3-1, Burnett’s performance was nothing short of exactly what the Yankees needed.

1:  It’s an A-bomb, from A-Rod You might disagree about where this home run is placed, but after having seen it in person, I admit I am biased.

It’s not just that A-Rod’s home run was a bottom of the ninth, game-tying blast, or that it happened in the postseason, or that it happened after the Yankees’ vaunted set-up and closer duo of Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera faltered, just a bit but enough to give Minnesota a 3-1 lead, or that A-Rod had long been the scapegoat for Yankee postseason woes, or that the entire 2009 season seemed to be about A-Rod’s redemption after admitting he used steroids, or that the way the season started and ended for him–first and last pitch home runs was an incredible story, if not a bizarre coincidence–

–It was the fact that A-Rod’s home run was an aggregate of all of those, coming in a game that itself was incredibly close and well-played.

It’s not often that you can say one hit changes everything–but this time, you can.

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Ah, Fordham University.

If I could do a good Michael Kay impression, now is when I would do so.

However, since I can’t (not even a little), I’ll just leave you with this instead:

Yankees World Championship Trophy Pays Visit To Fordham University Rose Hill Campus This Sat., Jan., 23

***27th World Series Hardware treks up the Deegan to be displayed at Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame ceremonies, and during Rams vs. Temple Men’s Basketball Game***

New York, January 21, 2010 — The New York Yankees 2009 World Championship Trophy will depart from Yankee Stadium, travel north on the Major Deegan Expressway, across Fordham Road, and arrive at another venerable Bronx institution – Fordham University –  this Saturday, January 23, from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm for a special visit to the Rose Hill Campus.

Fordham will play host to the World Series hardware – the Bronx Bombers 27th championship trophy – will be on display during Fordham Athletics’ Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in the McGinley Center , and later at the Rams vs. Temple men’s basketball game at the Rose Hill Gymnasium. The public is welcomed (tickets for the Hall of Fame brunch are priced at $50 adults/$25 students and children, while game tickets are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for children).

An astounding number of Fordham connections helped the visit the visit to materialize. Recent Fordham/WFUV alum Ryan Ruocco (’08) tipped off executive athletic director Frank McLaughlin (‘69) with the brainchild. The idea was hatched because Michael Kay (’82), YES Network’s Yankees play by play voice and 1050 ESPN Radio host is Master of Ceremonies for the Hall of Fame proceedings. Ruocco works with Kay at both YES and ESPN. McLaughlin went into action, contacting a pair of Fordham grads now with the Yankees, Assistant Director of Corporate/Community Relations Rocky Halsey (’98) and Director of Stadium Tours Tony Morante (’79), who will escort the trophy to his alma mater.

Men’s swimming record holder Akira Kosugi (CBA ’96), football Patriot League champions   and 2004 graduates Kirwin Watson (FCRH), wide receiver Javarus Dudley (CBA) and quarterback Kevin Eakin (FCRH), Ioana Dragan (CBA ’02, Women’s Tennis), and Sophie Namy (FCRH ’00 Rowing) – champions all – will be inducted into the hallowed Fordham halls, where they join the likes of Frankie Frisch, Vince Lombardi, Wellington Mara and Vin Scully in the Fordham pantheon, with the Yankees championship trophy present and accounted for.

Now, as a Syracuse graduate, I have to say that most of the time I am completley unaware that Fordham even has a basketball team, but my favorite memory from my time at Fordham?

Walking the long way from FMH to McGinley, past the baseball fields in the fall and spring, listening to the ping of baseballs off of the aluminum bats…

…(Yes, I’m overly sentimental, so what?)

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Since it’s now officially after Christmas and thus time to give the Christmas playlist a rest (yes, I know I’m Jewish.  Yes, I still like my Latin Christmas hymms), I decided to give ye olde 2009 Playoffs Playlist a whirl.

Jay Z, Black Eyed Peas, Metallica, etc.

“I Gotta Feeling” played for about two seconds before I felt myself surrendering to the memories of this past October and November.

It’s been almost two months now since the Yankees won the World Series, and sometimes I still have to remind myself that it happened.

When the ground is covered in snow and a bleating rain falls outside your window, the memories of autumn nights full of baseball and Brooklyn Lager seem as though they happened so long ago, a faint glimmer of a warmer season.

I know it happened–we were all there–but remembering moments, remembering the utter and pure elation that comes when your team wins it all, can be a hard thing.  It’s easy to remember an event, where you were when, but it is harder to remember a feeling.  In my case, I was so (momentarily) distracted by the accidental breaking of my camera, such a trivial thing, that I almost forgot to let it go and celebrate the moment.  Thank G-d, though, I remembered before it ws too late.

It still feels like a dream.

Like I went to sleep on an early November night and woke up on Boxing Day as though nothing had happened…but it did happen.

I have souveniers, clothing, photos and even music that say it happened.

It happened; we were there, and we won’t forget.

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Postseason shares were officially released by MLB today. You can see the MLB’s press release here, though it does not contain a full list.

The Yankees’ have a pot of over $21 million, which means a full share is $365,052.73–in other words, enough money for a house. A small one. But still.

It’s a new record, and of course here come the Evil Empire comments, but hey, if you win the World Series, you can kinda do what’d you like with the fruits of your labor.

I’m down with that.

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Is it too early for this? I think not.

Here are my top ten Yankee moments from 2000-2010–feel free to leave a comment with any you think I missed!

10. Subway Series A lot of you might argue that this is too far down on the list, but the 2000 Yankees team was perhaps better lucky than good. If the most remembered moment of that series involves Roger Clemens throwing the barrel of a bat at Mike Piazza, then, well, it’s probably not a very good World Series.

09. Jobamania Not since, perhaps, the coming of Derek Jeter had a Yankee rookie been so heralded. In one year Joba Chamberlain had risen from the lowest levels of the minors to becoming one of the most recognizable names in New York, and perhaps most of all, along with Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, signalling the first ripened fruits of a reborn Yankee farm system.

08. Boston Massacre(s) A rare regular-season five game series in Boston in 2006 that saw the Yankees sweep will always bring smiles to the faces of Yankee fans. As nice as it was, however, the four game sweep in August 2009 may have been even more meaningful–the law of averages coming full bore after an 0-8 start and a sweep that included perhaps the best regular season game all year–a 15 inning scoreless affair ended with an Alex Rodriguez home run.

07. Jeter Flies into the Stands (h/t Matt Lorenzo): This one moment perhaps sums up what Derek Jeter means to the Yankees. During a regular season game in 2004, Derek Jeter attempted to catch a foul ball, and in doing so ended up diving into the stands along the third base line. He emerged bruised and bloody but never the worse for wear; the Yankees went on to win the game in extra innings.

06. Aaron Boone Plays a Pick Up Basketball Game At some point between the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Aaron Boone played a pick up game of basketball and tore his ACL, and the Yankees needed a third baseman. Enter Alex Rodriguez. Fans love him or hate him, but his mark on the team this decade–from playoff goat to playoff hero, from HAH! to Cynthia to Madonna to Kate, from hip surgery to 500 home runs, his mark on the team is indelible.

05. Mariano’s 500th save…and first RBI It might be this moment, much more than the 2000 World Series and even more than the Luis Castillo dropped pop up that best exemplifies the differences between the Yankees and the Mets. More importantly, it exemplifies just how much Rivera has meant for the Yankees–whatever the fault with the save statistic, only one other pitcher in MLB history has that many, and unlike Rivera, he does not have a stellar postseason record. Every year this decade Yankee fans appreciated Mo just a little more and in 2009, he was the only closer not to blow a lead in the postseason. It’s not a coincidence.

04. Babe, Bucky, Boone, any Questions? One swing on an October night in 2003 summed up everything it meant to be a Yankee, and everything that, until 2004, it meant to be a Red Sox. Eighty-four years, summed up in ball that sailed over the left field fence. Never mind the ultimate consequences, that one moment, those few minutes–if one ever asks you why you are a Yankee fan, just find a video of that swing.

03. Nine Innings From Ground Zero. Nevermind the ultimate result of the 2001 World Series–what matters is that in October 2001, the Yankees played. They fell behind Oakland two games to none and then won three straight, partially due to perhaps the greatest play of Derek Jeter’s defensive career; they beat the 116-win Mariners in a five game ALCS (remember the No-game-six chants?), and then, most remarkably of all, they managed to perform the same feat in back-to-back World Series games: Tying each game with a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Even today, so many years later, no one in New York will be surprised at all when you tell them that it was Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius that hit those home runs. The most chilling moment, however, may not have been the home runs, but instead when, in game five, the entirety of the Stadium started chanting Paul O’Neill’s name, a moving send off to one of the Yankees’ most beloved right fielders.

02. Goodbye, Hello I must confess, if you had told me as recently as 2005 or 2006 that the Yankees would ever leave the old Stadium, I would not have believed you. Still, despite the flaws, they pulled it off as well as such things can be pulled off–the farewell ceremonies were done while the Yankees were still in the playoff hunt, they got the glory of one more All Star game in New York City, Mariano Rivera threw the last pitch, and then, when they moved across the street, they won it all in year one. The old Stadium was not baseballl’s cathedral because of its aesthetics; it was baseball’s cathedral because of everything that happened on the field. If 2009 is any portent, the ghosts moved across the street, and the Yankees wasted no time in Christening their new digs.

01. 27 This isn’t much of any debate. The Yankees won two World Series titles in the decade, and they actually won more games when they missed the playoffs in 2008 than they won in the 2000 season. In 2009 the Yankees were the best team in baseball, played like it, and had a postseason to remember. Whether it was Alex Rodriguez carrying the line up on his back through the ALDS and ALCS, Matsui’s rampage in the clincher or Mariano Rivera simply playing G-d, the 2009 World Series may very well be the most satisfying World Series for Yankees fans since the 1996 team upset the defending Atlanta Braves.

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At the moment, only one thought is going through my mind: No matter what, I will never feel like this again.

The Yankees will win more championships, but there’s nothing like the first time you’re really old enough to appreciate it, and the first time you get to watch it with the same people you have watched with the entire season.

There were seven of us tonight–Amanda, Ben, Joe, Mark, Larry, Brent and myself–and from the get-go, you knew something was up.

The Angels long having been left in the dust, we wanted more. The ALCS alone was not enough.

Brent and I were among the first to arrive. See how clean, how prepared the bar looks? Yeah, by the fifth inning, not so much. By then you could sense it.

A very blurry Ben and Larry.

If you ever get a chance to go to a bar and watch a game with Larry, I highly, highly recommend it. He is an optimist prime!

Brent and Mark.

I have it on good authority that those wings are very, very good. I can’t eat anything fried so I’ve got no idea, but Blondie’s has amazing soft pretzels, so I gorged on them. Actually, by the fifth inning I was so distracted by the game and OHMIGOD CHRIS MELONI that I wasn’t hungry at all.

Brent is gettin’ jiggy wit it!

If you’re an astute observer, you’ll notice who the baserunner is–it kind of sums up everything.

We can sense it. Us and our pitchers of Brooklyn and Miller Lite–so many that we get one on the house–we can sense it.

Mark wanted proof he was here. Ergo, proof he was here.

Celebrating someone doing something in front of a CBS camera man. I can’t really remember what it was, except that after Matsui’s double we all jumped up and started chanting MVP! MVP! and really, at that point, there was no doubt.

Oh, and, GUESS WHO WAS IN THE BAR WATCHING THE GAME?!?

CHRIS MELONI THAT’S WHO!

They handed these signs out towards the end

I’ve also got videos:

1) That girl playing air guitar and generally making an ass of herself? Yeah?

That’s me.

2) The final out. We kind of went crazy. If you can’t tell.

3) New York, New York, one more time:

It was after this last song that tragedy struck:

I’ve had my camera for three years. In those three years I have without fail remembered to use the wrist strap when doing stupid things. Without fail.

Except last night.

While celebrating, one of us who shall remain nameless, knocked the camera out of my hand and it hit the table and then landed on the open lens on the floor.

Had the camera been off, or had it landed on the backside, it would have been fine.

Alas, such was not the case.

Meh.

BUT DUDE. MELONI! MATSUI! TWENTY SEVEN WORLD TITLES!

The best part?

Being able to experience it with friends that have been there every step of the way.

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Generally speaking, I try to remain calm. There are few things that really get me riled up–human rights, civil rights, etc…and fans that have the gall to ask if Mariano Rivera can handle the pressure.

Look, I know we’re all on edge. I know the Yanks missed the chance to clinch on Monday and that we’re scared to death of a Game Seven given recent history.

That doesn’t give you license to lose all semblance of reality, however.

Has Mariano failed before? Yes. I don’t deny it.

The thing is, those failures are so rare, so abnormal, that they stand out because they are so deviant from the norm.

Just remember, over fifteen years, Mariano’s postseason ERA is still less than one. Regardless of what he may or may not do tonight, you don’t have a postseason ERA over a time period that long and that low if you can’t handle the pressure.

The Yankees have some issues. Pettitte on short rest, Canó not hitting at all, the possibility Joe Girardi might start Hairston again–all of these are legitimate concerns (though, as I’ve argued, starting Pettitte is still the right move).

Mariano Rivera is not one of them.

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It’s tempting to judge a decision as right or wrong based on whether or not it works out.

While this may be the case in some aspects of life–ie, surviving on a desert island–it is not necessarily the case in baseball.

Since so much in baseball depends simply on pure luck, it is entirely possible to make the wrong decision–starting Hairston in Game 2 of the World Series–and not be penalized for it.

On the other hand, it’s entirely possible to make the right decision and have it backfire. History abounds with plenty of these and I’m sure you can find an example without much thought.

The decision to go with a three-man rotation–invariably one that requires each pitcher to make at least one start on three days’ rest, could end up the most egregious example of a right decision that doesn’t work if the Yankees cannot win tonight or tomorrow.

I’ve had this argument with a few of you, but let’s rehash why the three man rotation is the right decision. It goes something like this:

1) Chad Gaudin has pitched one inning since September. One. Asking him to suddenly make a start–against the Phillies, no less-would be like asking my brother, who hasn’t done much running since the birth of his son six months ago, to have run the NYC marathon last Sunday.

2) Joba Chamberlain, the other option for a fourth starter, utterly bombed in his last start. Don’t try to tell me different–I had the misfortune of seeing that one in person!

Anyway, for what it’s worth, the Yankees actually really have needed Chamberlain in the bullpen, as Hughes has more or less run out of gas, and Girardi, for whatever reason, still seems scared of using Robertson (though he’s getting better).

Joba’s last performance from the bullpen, in Game Four, was stellar, even with the mistake to Pedro Feliz.

***

That the Yankees would go to the postseason with a three man rotation has its roots in the injury to Chien Ming Wang and the fact that, well, Sergio Mitre is still Sergio Mitre.

A healthy Wang that pitches anywhere near his performance pre-June 2008 is a more than competent fourth starter, and this discussion never happens. In fact, it’s tantalizing to think about just how good the Yankees would have been this season if Wang had been healthy and, well, Wang all season long–they won 103 games more or less without him (he had two wins).

***

Such as it is, the three man rotation is the best choice the Yankees could have made given their circumstances.

It should also be noted that Gaudin in the bullpen has allowed Girardi the flexibility of playing bullpen mix-and-match (even if sometimes he shouldn’t), but that has kept the bullpen from being burnt out.

Tonight, the Yankees have a full bullpen available–even AJ Burnett in an emergency–to back up Pettitte’s start.

It’s not a bad place to be.

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(Idea h/t to Amanda Rykoff)

With apologies to the Blue Jays, Orioles, Indians, Royals, Twins, Rangers, Mariners, Athletics, Nationals, Mets, Braves, Cubs, Pirates, Brewers, Reds, Padres and Dodgers.

We have waited.

Since Luis Gonzalez blooped and since the demons of the Angels and since the great ALCS hangover and since the Collapse and since the Angels again and since the underachievers and since the midges and since the Final Season.

Since Spring Training ‘roids scandals, since an inauspicious start, since April rain, since 0-8, since having to start a .190 AA catcher (and the dreamy eyes of doom), since a Return, since the first walk off, since a dropped pop up, since the Boston Sweep Party, since it was cold, then warm, then cold again.

Since the start of October, since the excision of demons with one ninth-inning swing, since parting finally with the idle among us, since out-fundamentalling a team that couldn’t handle cold weather, since Halloween, since fall back weekend.

We have waited.

Now there is only one thing left us: One more win.

So close, and still we wait.

We wait as the college basketball season starts and football reaches the midpoint of the season.

We wait, leaving no discussion point unturned: Can Andy pitch on three days’ rest? Should Girardi be fired if Hairston starts for Swisher? Can Mariano pitch two? Even three? Will it rain? Is Utley still the MVP even if the Phillies lose?

We come up with playoff play lists and theorize as to how much someone would have to pay for us to part with game six tickets. We muse about the travesty of nightfall at 5.30 in the afternoon and laugh as beat writers post game threads 24 hours in advance (a mistake, they say…).

We wait.

In Spanish, the verb “esperar” means to wait.

It also means to hope.

We wait, and we hope.

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With the help of some friends via Twitter, I’ve compiled a preliminary 2009 NYY Playoffs Playlist.

A few caveats:

1) This playlist is supposed to be more about the team than any individual player, so I haven’t included At Bat music–yet. I did include “Enter Sandman”, because it’s significance–a game about to end, a win about to go down–transcends just Mariano.

2) Please add any you think should belong in the comments below.

So here we go:

“New York, New York” –Frank Sinatra. This one is, of course, timeless. It belongs on any Yankees-related playlist.

“Enter Sandman” –Metallica. As discussed above, while it’s Mo’s song, it’s about more than just Mo. If Mo’s coming into a game, 9 times out of 10 it’s because the Yankees are winning–something the entire team does together.

“We Weren’t Born to Follow” –Bon Jovi. Interestingly enough, while TBS played this song all the time, FOX has not. This is remarkable if only because of Bon Jovi’s association with the state of New Jersey, which is the Connecticut of the Yankees-Phillies. You follow?

“I Gotta Feeling” –Black Eyed Peas. This is one of the songs featured in the YES season-ending montage/”Get Ready for the Showdown” video, and, well, it’s really catchy. It also describes the way many of us have been feeling this entire season and now postseason: pure optimism. We’ve got a feeling, it’s going to be a good night. Mazel tov!

“Run This Town” and “Run This Town Yankees ’09 remix” –Jay-Z/Rihanna. Right now, is there another artist more associated with New York City and New York City sports than Jay-Z? You’d be hard pressed to find one. The Yankees ’09 Remix is my preference over the other one because it’s, uh, slightly more family friendly.

“Empire State of Mind” –Jay-Z/Alicia Keys. I’m not a rap/hip-hop person. Most of my music is either alternative rock or medieval folk music (don’t ask). However, seeing Jay-Z and Alicia Keys perform it live for Game Two–there’s just something about the atmosphere of being there.

“Glory Days” –Bruce Springsteen. Always have to give Bruce a nod. If we’re talking New Jersey music, then one can’t mention Bon Jovi without mentioning Bruce Springsteen. At any rate, this is exactly what this season’s felt like: a return to Yankee Glory Days of the end of last decade–when I was, indeed, back in high school.

“Let it Rock” –Kevin Rudolf/L’il Wayne. At one point, Nick Swisher’s walk up music, it’s a stadium anthem that’s kind of just stuck with me. Anyway, there’s something about the line “stuck his middle finger to the world” that’s just too New York to not include.

“Don’t Stop Believing”–Journey. Okay, so this song might be a little more apt for the small market teams like Minnesota that didn’t have much of a chance to do anything, but even so, being a baseball fan is like being religious: keeping the faith, keeping the hope and keeping belief.

“Don’t Stop Me Now” –Queen. This one’s featured in a YouTube mashup of all the Yankees’ walk off wins from the 2009 regular season. In the immortal words of Eric–who was at the Stadium to watch game three of the ALCS along with me–WE. CANNOT. BE. STOPPED.

(Added at request)

“Showdown” –Black Eyed Peas. Do you need me to explain this? Really?

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