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Manny Stiles

Sports is my crack. ArmchairGM is my pipe.

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Funeral for a Friend - R.I.P. New York Yankees Dynasty (1994/1995-2007)

by Manny Stiles

created September 21, 2008, last edited February 10, 2009

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Just two years ago I wrote a eulogy of a dear old friend. The year was 2006 and a friend that I traveled through 14 seasons of baseball joy with was gone. The longest consecutive playoff run in the history of baseball had come to an end and the Atlanta Braves Dynasty was gone.

Today, I commemorate another friend's passing. The New York Yankees Dynasty officially ended. Yes, I said 'friend'.

Sure, we were never "tight" but we were always intertwined. I can't imagine baseball without having the villainous pinstripes at which to spew my special brand of witarcasm. From 1992 - when I renounced my California Angels allegiance - through the beginning of 2007 - when Matt Silverman "acquired" my services - I didn't have a favorite baseball team. I enjoyed some teams more than others but I had 25 (until '93), then 27 (until '98) then 29 "favorite" teams - every team BUT the Yankees.

The Yankees made me cheer for teams and players I had never otherwise considered root-worthy. And oddly enough the elimination of the Bronx Bombers happens today, the last game of Yankee Stadium is being played and it doesn’t mean a damned thing. More odd is the fact that the Yankees are hosting the Baltimore Orioles – which happens to be the original name of the renowned franchise.

Some people differ on what is the true definition of a 'sports dynasty'. By definition a dynasty is a group in power for a length of time that spans generations. Personally, I believe that a dynasty should extend as long as the TV series Dynasty (Nine years). Three championships in 4 years does not meet that qualification, Patriots fans. But a 14 year playoff by the Atlanta Braves run did...

The New York Yankees had a chance to tie that record this season merely by extending their playoff appearance run just one more year. The Yankees booted their tenured manager Joe Torre and replaced him with Plan B, Joe Girardi. The seeds were sewn and now it is harvest time and the Yankees are closing their historic building with a big, fat "ABSENT" mark in the October roll call.

The Braves and Yankees of the 90's and 00's are akin to the Yankees and Dodgers of the late 70's and early 80's, the Yankees and Dodgers of the late 40's and 50's, the Yankees and Cardinals of the late 20's and the Yankees and Giants of the Early 20's. Point is, every time the Yankees have a serious run of success, there's an NL team there to counterbalance them and play victim to the tally of 26.

The New York Yankees run started auspiciously in 1994. After 12 straight years of toiling behind the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles and Tigers of the AL East - the franchise's second longest absence from postseason (19 years from 1901 - 1919), they reached the pinnacle of baseball again, leading their league in wins when the "Death of Baseball" occurred - the '94 Player's Strike. Perhaps we can blame the strike on the Montreal Expos having baseball's best record or we can place blame on "The Curse of Donnie Baseball"... I prefer when given the choice to always blame the Yankees, who by definition "suck". Or we could blame the Texas Rangers who were leading their newly realigned AL West division with a record that was TEN games below .500... not THAT is sucking defined.

Either way, 1994 was the turnaround and without a doubt the beginning of a new era for the vaunted Yankees. They would have assuredly earned a playoff spot in 1994. It is because of that I believe the "Dynasty" rightfully began in 1994 and not 1995. But the streak of playoff appearances is all anyone will be willing to count.

It's all over now, Navy Blue.

There's no doubting that the Yankees were a dominant team during their run, but there's also no doubting that their run needed a LOT of luck as well!

First, there's Jeffrey Maier's help. Secondly, there's George Steinbrenner to overcome.

Let's take a look at some other details:

During the Yankees run, they won FOUR World Series and appeared in another two. They were the Wild Card three times (unlike the Braves who were division champs every year but the strike season). The Yankees never advanced past the first round when they were the wild card, but were knocked out of the playoffs by a wild card team 3 times ('03, Marlins, '04 Red Sox, '06 Tigers).

The Yankees won 100 or more games FOUR times (or 4 more times than the Boston Red Sox have in the last 60 years) including a then-AL record 114 games in 1998. But in 2000 the Yankees won their division with a record of 87-74 (a .540 winning pct. - about the same as they have this season). That 87-74 was good enough only for 5th best record in the A.L. in 2000 as 90 win Cleveland was left out in the cold behind Wild Card Seattle.

Oddly enough, as the Yankees were churning out wins, the "supposed" Yankee faithful took a while to have their impact in the attendance. From 1994 to 1997, the Yankees were no better than 6th in the American league in attendance and it wasn't until 2003 that the Yankees finally led the AL in attendance for the first time since 1981. They have been tops in attendance in baseball ever since.

So here we are in 2008 looking at a playoffs with the longest consecutive appearance streak at a whopping TWO - Angels, Cubs and likely the Red Sox and Phillies are repeating as playoff participants. That's it!

From 1994 to 2007, the New York Yankees had a .602 winning percentage - that's a 97 win/season AVERAGE! In 2007, NO MLB team amassed 97 wins and in 2008 there might only be one team to reach that illustrious plateau. During that same span only the Braves (5), Cardinals (3) and Indians (3) had more than two seasons with 97 or more wins. For perspective, consider that SEVEN MLB franchises (Blue Jays, Marlins, Nationals, Brewers, Rangers, Rockies, and Rays) have never won as many as 97 games in ANY season and those teams are 4-2 in World Series play!

Will we ever see another run by the mystical, aura-drenched Big, Bad Pinstripes again - or any other team, for that matter? I don't know and truthfully, I hope not... but we - just as the loudmouthed Yankees fans who chant "26" - will always have the memories!

R.I.P. New York Yankees Dynasty 1994/1995 - 2008

Guys that were there for the whole run (1994-2007)

George Steinbrenner (supposedly)

Players who were there for the whole playoff run (1995-2007)

The main contributors

Players who were All-Stars for the Yankees during the Dynasty ('94-'07)

The other guys/names who slapped pinstripes on and joined the ride

That's quite a list of former all-stars and vagabonds. There's certainly a plethora of headcases and trainwrecks in there too!

Teams defeated by the Yankees Dynasty

1996 Texas Rangers
1996 Baltimore Orioles
1996 Atlanta Braves
1998 Texas Rangers
1998 Cleveland Indians
1998 San Diego Padres
1999 Texas Rangers
1999 Boston Red Sox
1999 Atlanta Braves
2000 Oakland A's
2000 Seattle Mariners
2000 New York Mets
2001 Oakland A's
2001 Seattle Mariners
2003 Minnesota Twins
2003 Boston Red Sox
2004 Minnesota Twins

Four times the Yankees were eliminated by the eventual World Series champions.

R.I.P. Yankees Dynasty! I won't lie and say I enjoyed your reign, but I definitely enjoy it today!

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Davis21wylieMVP

415 days ago

Score 2

If it weren't for a(nother) ridiculous choke by the Braves in the 96 Series (up 2-0, next 3 games at home, leading 6-0 in game 4), this dynasty may never have materialized... Thanks again, Atlanta!

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The PipDiv-I Stud

415 days ago

Score 3

The playoff streak ended, but as established in another thread, the dynasty ended the day Paul O'Neil retired. They were never the same without him.

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JuTMSY4Legend

415 days ago

Score 3

and here i thought it was when they hired Don Mattingly to be their hitting/bench coach... The curse of Donny Baseball lives!

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DRE-LOAAA-er

415 days ago

Score 0

It was one of the greatest dynasties in sports. And at the end of the day, this will overshadow any disappointment that Yankees fans will feel at the moment.

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KelsdadAll-Star

415 days ago

Score 2

the Yankees are getting more attention for not making the playoffs than the Rays for making them. As it should be...

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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

414 days ago

Score 0

I should demand royalties for that gravestone idea...

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

414 days ago

Score 1

You didn't invent the tombstone, Alex...

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The oldest manVarsity

413 days ago

Score 1

My opinion in the whole subject of closing "The House that Ruth Built" comes in one statement, Tradition just came down on top of the new yankees management. With the HTRB there is no Great Yankee tradition. The picture of Yogi at the plate the other day the last game in Yankee Stadium says it all. One is a lonely number. It may not be the best stadium in baseball but it had something no other team ever had. The tradition of the Babe and Lou and Joe and Mickey and Elston and Whitney and the list goes on and on. Who in the hell is coming up with all these strange or out of site ideas. Yankee Stadium with center field and the lines down left and right fields were what baseball was built on in the 20's and 30's and then again in the 50's and 60's. I for one will miss not remember walking into the new stadium in 1924 or 25 and looking down on what baseball was to become BABE like us not forget why we love baseball today. Without the Babe and Yankee Stadium there is no baseball as I remember it. I am only an individual but I remember far more than the average fan about what baseball was with Ruth and the boys. So I do have a right to my opinion and that is ususally I don't say anything real negative about anyone or anything but in this case I will. The stupid owners of the Yankees and the powers that be that allowed this to happen will find out now no one will be afraid to come into New York to play the only Yankees and that is what they will be the Yankees of 2008 or 2009 not the memory of the 27 Murderers Row the Babe and Lou coming up to the plate, Mickey and Roger hitting 50+ one year, Whitney pitching, Don Larsen, Yogi, Moose, Bobby, Elston, Reggie those days and Yankee Stadium ghosts are gone forever. You move and the One of the Greatest traditions in any sport leave with you. And the only thing I can say is goodbye and farewell because to most fans it is over and gone forever. You won't hear the footsteps of Mickey or Joe running down flies in the outfield or Babe and Lou and Reggie hitting tremendous homeruns and no center field memorial and what they represented. Good Luck Steinbenner because you are going to need it.

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AfraidofedhochuliDraft Pick

412 days ago

Score 1

ohhhh a David Justice sighting!!!!

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Mr JoshWaterboy

411 days ago

Score 1

As an Indians fan (God help me), I did not shed a tear the day that the Yankees were eliminated from playoff contention. As a baeball fan, thoughm it would have been fitting for there to be postseason baseball at Yankee Stadium. Six of one, half dozen of another, I guess...

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