Last night, my friends and I got together to watch Game Seven of the 2001 World Series. With the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks tied at three games apiece – this final showdown was a winner-take-all showdown after six of the most grueling games in the history of baseball.

As the game began, I prayed that the Yankees would win this World Series – which to me is more important then any other World Series victory. With the horrible events of September 11th and the uneasy tension we all have dealt with since the Anthrax outbreak – this City needed a rousing victory by the Yankees to help bring this City out of it’s slump and on the road back to normalcy.

But the Yankees lost.

For the first time in twenty years – another team has defeated the New York Yankees and have been crowned World Series Champions. As I heard the last shot fired to center field and the announcer proclaim the Diamondbacks World Series Champions – I threw my beer across my house and went upstairs to absorb the terrible news – that for the first time since 1997 – the Yankees were not the World Series Champions.

I am well aware of the whole, “It’s not how you win or lose – it’s how you play the game” thing – but this City really needed the Yankees to win this year. After the Bronx Bombers battled their way past Oakland in the American League Championship Series after losing the first two games – and then coming back from yet another two game deficit in the World Series to take Games Three, Four And Five from the Diamondbacks – I thought that once again this year – the Yanks would take the trophy home – but they did not.

Besides the fact that the City needed a Yankees victory – I needed a Yankees victory. With all that I have been through since that terrible day – I turned to the Yankees as a distraction as well as a glimmer of hope that the terrorist’s goal of destroying our America was not going to happen – and that New York can overcome and defeat anything thrown in our way – except apparently – the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I will say that the Diamondbacks – being only a five-year-old team – showed that they are quite the formidable foe against the Yankees. With extremely tough pitching and an unforgiving outfield – it appears that they had just what it took to be the team to finally defeat the undefeatable.

Personally, I am extremely upset that the Yankees did not win the World Series this year. I know for a fact that this City needed the victory, I needed the victory – and Doug deserved the victory.

Maybe next year.