Open Mic: 2001 World Series

The second game of the series saw more of the same from the nonexistent Yankee offense. This was of course due to another outstanding pitching performance by the Diamondbacks, in this case, Randy Johnson. (random side note: Randy Johnson has to be the second best innuendo of a "Johnson" name in sports, of course coming right after Magic. I can't picture Randy with a queue of ladies waiting outside of the locker room for him though.) Johnson held the Yankees to three hits during his complete game shutout. Pettite had been pitching well all night on his end of the duel until a Matt Williams three-run home run in the seventh put the Diamondbacks up 4-0 and wrapped thing up for the night. The series was looking fairly ho-hum to this point. Arizona was pitching too well and the Yankees had nothing to rally around. All that changed over the three games played at Yankees Stadium.

Home field advantage is usually pretty helpful. The crowd is on your side. They cheer at the right times and really know how to let the opposition get an earful of colorful remarks that would never be able to be printed. The Yankees crowd brought this advantage to a level unseen in my lifetime. The Yankees were an immediate rallying point for the city, and nobody could root against a city that had just endured such a hardship. There may have been fans who were cheering harder for Arizona, but nobody was rooting AGAINST the Yankees. George W. Bush threw out the first pitch, which I am almost certain went right down the pipe, drawing raucous applause from all those watching. It's hard to believe that he was, at least for a few months, loved, (or at least accepted), by the nation. Clemens came out to pitch a gem that shined just a little brighter than it may have through conditioning alone. (Perhaps there was some kind of cream he used to polish it with.) Anderson pitched well for Arizona, but was pulled after a hit was given up to Bernie Williams and Posada walked. Brosius got a two out RBI and the game ended three innings later with that same 2-1 score.

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