Okay, so perhaps a better throwback matchup would have been if the Yankees were preparing to face the Dodgers. But let's face it. Since the Dodgers bolted from Brooklyn, the matchups haven't been nearly as exciting.
This will do, however. In fact, this will do quite nicely.
In a sport which depends so much on tradition and is so steeped in its own history, a matchup between two of its elder statesmen is perfect.
These are troubled times, baseball fans. Wild cards, rampant overspending, and owners more concerned with bottom lines than play within foul lines have quite possibly damaged baseball.
But the World Series, which begins tonight in New York's new baseball cathedral, should be perfect.
Let's face facts. Baseball purists will never really fully embrace teams in Tampa Bay or Colorado. Those teams that sprouted from the 1990s-era expansion seem like poor partners next to the storied franchises that have operated for over a century.
Last year's series was a great feel good story. The first team to ever reach 10,000 losses versus a team that rose out of the ashes of mediocrity to become a powerhouse. It just wasn't a good baseball history story.
It wasn't a throwback. It was actually an abomination; a tribute to the reforms that are wrecking the game. A game had to be delayed due to winter weather. Catwalks played a part in the game for the first time ever.
But this year its different.
They've only met once before. 1950. Casey Stengel in charge of the Yankees at the pinnacle of their history. The dynastic Yankees against the youthful "Whiz Kids" of Philadelphia.
As they would do from 1949 to 1953, the Yankees won, this time in four games.
But dig a little deeper and you'll find that this was a great series. The first three games were all decided by one run (1-0, 2-1, 3-2).
The Yankees were the defending champions. The Phillies' last pennant had come in 1915.
Fast forward 59 years.
The Phillies are now the title defenders and the Yankees are the ones who haven't won a World Series in awhile. The Yankees are still the talent rich, big name team they were when Joe Dimaggio and Yogi Berra took the field in 1950. The Phillies are still a mix of relatively young talent.
The matchup looks just as even as the box scores were from 1950. Consider tonight's matchup: CC Sabathia, the sturdy stallion of the Yankee rotation, against Cliff Lee, the deadline acquisition that has seemed to master the National League.
The Yankees have power throughout the lineup. The Phillies have speed and hit for average. They also have their bopper in Ryan Howard.
Yes, this is the World Series we've all been waiting for.
Hopefully the Phillies will wear their throwback uniforms at some point. This is too good a chance to pass up.
The series has implications for both teams too. For the Phillies, a second consecutive championship could signal the next great dynasty in baseball. For the Yankees, winning now would exorcise the demons of so many failed championship runs and would validate some of the exorbitant funds spent to put this franchise together over the last decade.
One thing is for sure. This series is going to be the best one we've seen in awhile.
And unlike 1950, I doubt either team can win this in four games.
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