New York City, to New Yorkers, is heaven once more. For all right-thinking people, all is right with the world. And that’s because the New York Yankees have, after a long Republican drought, finally emerged as champions once again.

It is a Time of Celebration, in a world where even the most hope-inspiring of political figures has let the side down. Americans don’t let little things like politics get in the way of their right to have a good time — and the Yankees, by being enablers, have earned America’s thanks in that respect.

It’s inevitable, really. Mention “baseball” to a European and inevitable the picture he conjures up is a player in Yankee pinstripes. Manchester United? Richard Petty? The Montreal Canadiens? Aspirants to the iconic status that the Yankees enjoy in their fans’ culture. They have had Broadway musicals named after them. They have had doctoral theses written about them. Like Gray’s Papaya hot dogs, Mom’s apple pie, Coca-Cola and Chevrolet Camaros, they are an American Institution, so ingrained in their iconic status that they’ve gone beyond the simple definition of “good guys” and “bad guys”, “cool” and “uncool”, words that no longer apply. (Please note that I speak of the New York Yankees, the concept, rather than individuals. Steinbrenners? They, too, shall pass.)

There will be very little mourning in Philadelphia tonight. Not because the city doesn’t care about the Phillies, but because even the most partisan of opponents will recognize Greatness in their rivals when they see it. It is that Greatness that they respect, and like, no matter where it manifests, and it manifests more often with the New York Yankees than with most other teams, something only people from Boston (or Bobby Drakes) fail to understand.

God blesses the Yankees. ‘Nuff said.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 08:24 and is filed under Odds & Ends, Yankees. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.