And So, the Yankees Are Human, Just Like the Rest of Us

First thing's first, I am not a Yankee fan.

In fact, as my Met upbringing would dictate, I love to hate the team from the Bronx.

Of course, I respect and appreciate the prowess of the storied franchise. Their 26 World Series titles, the long list of Yankee greats and the magic of Yankee Stadium make that almost a necessity in the baseball world.

But, I am a New Yorker, and thus, in this time when New York City has become outright what it has always been in the hearts of New Yorkers across the country -- the root of all that is American -- I was pulling for Joe Torre's bunch to bring home their fourth consecutive Series title.

And as all great things do -- this most recent version of the Yankee dynasty had to come to an end eventually, and this time the Arizona Diamondbacks are responsible for a new chapter of baseball history.

It was supposed to end differently, or so it seemed. The mighty Yankees, the model of consistency for all of Major League Baseball for once did not come through.

Mariano Rivera, Mr. Automatic, blew his first save in his last 24 postseason chances when Tony Womack's RBI double tied Game 7 at two. Rivera then took the loss, something he had never experienced in 51 career playoff appearances, when Luis Gonzalez drove in the World Series clinching run with a looping single to center.

Not even Yankee golden boy Derek Jeter could save things then, as Gonzalez's flare sailed well out of Jeter's reach. It was, apparently, just not to be.

But, things will be ok. If there's anything that September 11th has taught us, it's to put things in perspective.

Sure, a Yankee win would have put some much needed smiles on the faces on thousands of battered New Yorkers and, perhaps, would have provided a moment of elation, in an otherwise tattered time.

But, we can all understand now, that what we witnessed Sunday night was just a baseball game. The sports world has taken its rightful back seat to America's real heroes (see Mayor Rudy's customized Yankee hat, complete with "PD" and "FD" flanking the Yanks logo, for a perfect example), and the lesson learned Sunday night is that no one -- not even the seemingly invincible New York Yankees -- is unbeatable.

New York learned that long before Game 7's conclusion. America, as we now know it, is not untouchable, and neither are the Yankees.

In some ways, maybe, this is a more fitting ending to the 2001 World Series than a Yankee win would have been. New York, Washington and all of America has been dealt a hand of humility -- and now, so have the Yankees.

Make no mistake, however, and hear it here first -- by this time next season, we'll all be lauding another Yankee title. Just as New York City will once again be recognized as the greatest city in the world, so shall the Yankees regain their crown as baseball's kings.

It just makes sense.