A Day I Will Remember Forever

This morning was bad, and by morning I mean afternoon (since that's when I usually wake up when I work nights). I'm kind of sick...congestion, runny nose, just don't feel like doing anything. But I know the Yankees are playing game 6 of the World Series, up 3 games to 2. Pettitte on the mound facing off against Pedro. Yea, that's what made me get up this morning.

I'm still slightly annoyed that the Yanks didn't finish off the Phillies in game 5. They came back but just came up short (ugh Jeter, why did you have to hit into the double play in the 9th!). See, the Denver Nuggets are playing the NJ Nets at the IZOD Center, and while I'm not a fan of either team, it would be cool to watch Carmelo Anthony go off on the Nets (he was okay, 22/4/1). So if the Yanks had won game 5, I would have gotten a chance to make it out for the Nuggets/Nets game. But oh well, World Series takes precedent over two teams I'm not even a fan of. I gave away the tickets to a friend (obviously not a Yankee fan). Even my girlfriend (a Nets fan) didn't want to go to the Nets game, because she'd rather watch the Yankees in the World Series(Nets/Nuggets tickets were going for 3 dollars on stubhub).

I wake up and take my time getting ready. Drudge through some daily chores and by 5 p.m., I'm ready to leave for work in Chelsea section of Manhattan. I have to be at work at 6, so leaving at 5pm is early, considering I can usually get from Fort Lee, NJ to my work in about 30 minutes on a normal day. But this isn't a normal day. Yankees play at home in the World Series, plenty of traffic on the George Washington Bridge, so I left at 5 instead.

Listening to more traffic reports, there are accidents on the Cross Bronx Expressway, GW Bridge backed up 40 minutes. So I go through my routes of getting from my house toward the bridge. Roads are closed, redirected, held up by police. After sitting in a lane for about 10 minutes, I tried another road,...and then another. It's about 5:30 and I haven't even been able to get out of my home town. I'm pissed. Drake and Lupe Fiasco are getting me through it though.

I decide to call in to work and let them know I'm running late. I decide to try and take the Lincoln Tunnel from Hoboken. Go down River Road in Edgewater and make it toward the entrance of the tunnel by 5:50 pm. Still going to be late, but probably not as bad. I was wrong. Traffic was bad there as well. Still pissed, I make my way through the tunnel and head downtown to Chelsea. Park, and manage to get to work by 6:30. An hour and a half to get 11 miles. Heck, I could have driven to Philly in that much time!

But I'm at work now, time to focus on baseball and the Yankees. Pettitte pitches great, even on 3 days rest (yea take that critics (certain WFAN host) and shove it!). Matsui's success against Pedro continues. He ends the night with 3 hits for 6 RBIs (and the MVP trophy). Yanks have a fairly comfortable 7-3 lead, Joba and Marte help the Yanks get through the 6,7 and part of the 8th. Time for Mo! No problem getting through the 8th, Yankees don't score any more runs, onto the 9th!

I tell my co-worker: The 2 most comforting songs played back to back are Metallica's Enter Sandman and Frank Sinatra's New York, New York. The former for being Mariano Rivera's intro music as he comes out of the bullpen and the latter (as any Yankee fans and New Yorkers know) plays at the stadium when the Yankees win.



His response: Amen brother!!!!!!

Mo takes care of the 9th, as usual. Yankees win. In office Yankee fans are excited. Laughing, high fives, a hug. Excitement, joy and happiness take over, we joke about the centaur story about A-Rod and how the Phillies are done. It's all summed up in this picture:

I know some Mets fans enjoyed that!

It's 2am, time to go home. I get to my car, make my way up the West Side Highway and onto the GW bridge going into NJ. Ugh! More F'ing traffic! two left lanes are packed with trucks and some cars. It looks like the right lane is closed and further down the two center lanes are closed as well. Once again I'm annoyed, but still happy about the victory and number 27!

Someone starts honking. At first I think it's at me, but I didn't do anything, I only moved forward half an inch. But then I realize, they are honking a tune. Not sure what tune, but I know whoever is honking is Yankee fan coming back from the game and pumped from the win. Other fans coming home start honking too. I think about joining in on the honking, but that would be out of sync and lame. Only one thing to do. Roll down the windows (in 45 degree weather), open the moon roof, crank the stereo up all the way, and hit play on my iPod:



I'm sure some of the honking cars could hear it, I saw some truckers rocking out to it. BEST TRAFFIC EXPERIENCE EVER! And a day I will remember forever. Yankees are world champs again! Mo, Jeter, A-Rod, Teixeira, Jorge, Swisher, CC, Burnett, Pettitte, Joba...WORLD CHAMPS! So a lot of crap happened today, but I'll remember how I enjoyed number 27 sitting in traffic on the GW Bridge for the rest of my life.



Onto 28! [Images from Yahoo!, Washington Post, SI Advance, Deadspin]