New York Yankees

It's amazing how quickly things can go south.

Just one out from a crisp 4-2 victory Friday night, Mariano Rivera surrendered a two-run homer to Jason Bay, and the New York Yankees went on to lose the first game of this three-game set against the Boston Red Sox.

Then, just one out from taking a 6-1 lead to the fifth inning Saturday afternoon, A.J. Burnett gave up a grand slam to Jason Varitek, and New York went on to lose a marathon 16-11 contest.

Coming into Friday’s opening game of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, New York was already struggling to find a clutch hit with runners on.

They were hitting just .232 as a team with runners in scoring position (RISP), and were currently standing at third-worst in the league as a result.

I was exhausted as I looked out the window on the train ride home. As a die-hard baseball fan, I had just been through an absolute whirlwind. The day of my baseball-loving life.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 was a very special day for me. I was privileged enough to make my first trip with my friends and family to the new Yankee Stadium.

Like fingernails to a chalk board...

Like the slip of your knife while slicing lemons...

Like the explosive burst of a midsummer's moth on your newly waxed windshield...

Chewing foil...a thorn in your sock...sand in your eye...a dead battery...that one driver who cannot figure out what to do when the light turns green...

Josh Beckett is all of this to me.  All of this.

And so much more.

Yankees-Red Sox begins again tonight at fenway. I hold no opinionsfor its outcome. No predictions. No forecasts. 

I hold my breath.

The New York Yankees must join the rest of the sporting world and sell naming rights to their new stadium. If they can't do it today, because of the economy, they must take care of it as soon as they can. 

The Dallas Cowboys, the world's wealthiest sports franchise, is currently negotiating a naming rights deal, the Washington Redskins play in a stadium named "Fed Ex" and the storied Manchester United Soccer team plays in Old Tafford—not "Manchester United Stadium."

Marissa Friday is a lifelong New York Yankee fan. One of her dreams is to work for the Yankees one day. She thought an unpaid internship with the Sports Museum of America in lower Manhattan would help build her resume. Little did she know that she might lose her baby in the process.

The Yankees have many traditions in their organization. One of the most well-known traditions is the great men that have graced the outfield in center field.

Joe DiMaggio. Mickey Mantle. Tom Tresch. Bobby Murcer. Mickey Rivers. Bernie Williams.

Each of those players had their own set of special skills. Some won gold gloves. Others won MVPs. Some were All-Stars. All were Yankees.

All of them won World Series Championships and all of them represented the position of center field with a type of grace that not all players possess.