Sunday night I happened to watch the end of the Yankees-Orioles baseball game, and I just had to comment.

I grew up a Yankees fan, for as far back as I can remember. Certainly by the time I started Little League at 8 or 9. I know we had a blue baseball helmet which some of us marked with the intertwined "N" "Y" which is the Yankee logo. There isn't necessarily a rational reason for why I've always liked them, and there have been a few times in my life I've tried very hard not to, but my heart seems to always take me back to the pin stripes.

I know some of you hate the Yankees, and I don't blame you. I understand. They're really the exception in my life. Most of the sports teams I back are always the loveable losers (i.e. Aggies, Jazz, etc.). So it's okay if you hate the Yankees. We can still get along.

But I was moved by the last game at Yankee Stadium. It really brings back a lot of memories from the past. I started following the Yankees when Mantle and Maris played the outfield and Yogi was the catcher. When Casey managed and long before Billy Martin, Reggie and George Stenbrenner. I always dreamed of going to the stadium (yes, maybe even playing there). Roaming centerfield, shortstop, hitting a home run over the porch in right and into moument park before they hid it behind the centerfield fence. When we got to go there this summer, I was almost too excited to take it all in. I wish now I'd enjoyed it more, walked around more, saw the entire park, maybe even checked out the bleecher creatures. I can't imagine what it'll be like next year in the new park. It'll take some time to have the new park feel "right".

I thought the last night at the park was cool because the players really looked like they were enjoying themselves. All the big salaries didn't seem so important as they were "mugging" for the cameras, scooping up dirt on the pitcher's mound, walking around the warning track waving to the fans. It seemed a lot more like how baseball's supposed to be--you know, "fun"!

Anyway, I thought most of it was pretty cool. And wait'll next year! (Boy, I hate the sound of that.