This is a great week to be a New Yorker. Reason being is because, unless you have been under a rock the last few days, you know that the New York Yankees, at press time, are just one game away from sweeping the World Series against the San Diego Padres.

While the World Series in general is something that all “die hard” sports fans look forward to, it’s so much better when the home team that we root, root, root for throughout the season is representing us in the coveted series.

Personally, I’m really not a sports fan. Besides wrestling, which I have to be a fan of because I work in it, I am not really a fan of other sports. I am probably every woman’s dream – at least in one aspect – I have yet to sit down to watch a football, basketball or hockey game in my life. Baseball on the other hand, I watch occasionally.

Speaking of baseball, this has been a great year for the sport as a whole. I think that 1998 will go down in the history books as one of the best years in the game. Just look at what happened this year alone: Both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa broke Roger Maris’ record of 61 home runs in a season; The Yankees won 114 games; Yankees Pitcher David Wells pitched a perfect game; and the great streak came to an end when Cal Ripken Jr. sat out for the first time in 2,632 games – what a year.

Realizing that all of this has happened this year, and because my home team has made the World Series, I decided to watch Game 3 of the Series last night, so I bought me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks and watched probably the greatest baseball game I have ever seen.

Watching this game, I marveled at the way the team worked as a unit. How they were down three nothing and they came back to win the game 5-3. Then I thought of the hero of the game, Scott Brosius. I am sure as a little boy wanting to be a baseball player, he had a dream of one day becoming the MVP of the World Series and single-handedly winning the game for his team, and sure enough, his dream came true, good for him. I must confess that watching this series has made me reminisce of the last time I watched a New York team win the World Series – it was 1986 when the New York Mets played the Boston Red Sox. I remember the jubilation I felt when the ball slid right between the player’s legs allowing the Mets to win both the game – and the Series – that was truly a great moment in baseball.

I felt that same excitement last night when it was the bottom of the ninth, full count, and the Padres had a man on first and third. I felt the pressure that both the pitcher and the batter felt. I was on the edge of my seat when the pitch was thrown, and when the batter struck out to end the game, I leapt to my feet and cheered on my hometeam as they took the third game of the series.

As far as I’m concerned, whatever the outcome of the series is – I won – because I now have a new found love for baseball. So when next season begins, I will be right there cheering the Yanks on, but this time, I’ll start from the beginning of the season instead of jumping on the bandwagon when their already in the series.

Speaking of the Series, tonight, I am going to be glued to my TV just like every other “die hard” Yankee fan and watch the game.

Can you say sweep?

Let’s Go Yankees!