The Mystique of the New York Yankees

The Merriam Webster Dictionary says mystique refers to "an air of mystery or reverence, and esoteric calling," and esoteric means "understood only by those specially initiated." Mystique is the New York Yankees.

I've been a Yankee fan for years. In fact, I vaguely remember my all-time sports hero, Mickey Mantle, and his rookie year of 1951. I was six then, and by the time I was eight I could name their line up, who played what position and their batting average. Of course, I had a baseball card for each of them. I also wish I knew what happened to those cards, because some of them are now valuable, but that's another story. Nevertheless, one of my biggest childhood thrills was seeing the then Kansas City Athletics, play the Yankees.

I believe the Yankee mystique lies within what the team has accomplished, and the special moments of some of the Yankees, indelibly etched on the memories of those who lived those moments. The Yankees became the New York Yankees, in 1913 and since then their won-lost record is 8,770-6411. They've won 27 World Championships, 40 pennants and made 48 playoff appearances. Their present owner, George Steinbrenner, bought the Yankees, in 1973 for $8.7 million dollars. Today, an estimate of their worth is $1.6 billion.

The article, "The Return of Mystique and Aura" remembers Babe Ruth, and his 60 home runs in 1927, and Lou Gehrigs farewell speech in 1939. The year 1956, included Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series and catcher Yogi Berra running to the mound and jumping in Larsen's arms. It was also the year Mickey Mantle won the Triple Crown. Casey Stengal is part of that mystique, as he managed the Yankees from 1949-1960. In those 12 years, the Yankees won 10 pennants and 7 World Championships. Billy ball, Reggie Jackson hitting three consecutive home runs, in a World Series game Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, all contribute to the mystique.

The Yankees, in my opinion, are a symbol of consistent power, prestige and class. They are the most successful team in professional sports history, and even their uniforms are part of the mystique. The Yankee pinstripes are veritably the same now, as they were in 1917. The home uniforms are white, with blue pinstripes and away uniforms grey. The Yankee uniforms have never, and will never display the players name on the back, because if your a Yankee fan, you know who the player is.

The only description of the New York Yankees, is they are the New York Yankees.

Merriman Webster Dictionary

Joe Posnanski: The Return of Mystique and Aura: cnn.com